Greetings, fellow LEGO® enthusiasts and Tolkien fans! Follow us deep into the depths of Mordor to explore our review on the imposing Barad-dûr™ LEGO® set, an absolute must-have for any die-hard Middle Earth LEGO® collector!
LEGO Barad-dûr Set Review: A Towering Tribute to Mordor
The box is huge, and dreaded by the postman, no doubt! Inside you’re met with 40 paper bags of LEGO, which are numbered to make the build easier, as well as the instruction manual, which offers pretty much a behind the scenes breakdown of the concept art and insider peeks of Barad-dûr™. The manual is an impressive tome, as well. A challenging build for certain, standing at 83 cm tall, construction is a marathon. With 5,471 bricks you’ll be travelling to Mordor in style for this one!
Building Barad-dûr™: A Journey Through Mordor
The construction of your Barad-dûr™ tower is as epic as what it’s representing.
The base is technically constructed with some great stonework, then from here the tower starts to take shape, with plenty of interesting techniques employed and various detailing secret compartments like Sauron’s Palantir Chamber and secret passages built into the walls.
Ascending the tower, you'll encounter the orcs' dining hall, a playful nod to the Uruk-hai's infamous line, "Meat's back on the menu!" While this area might not be strictly canon, the rough-hewn furniture and crude cooking implements perfectly capture the essence of an orcish kitchen. It's a fun and imaginative detail that adds a touch of dark humour to the set.
Repetitive building is another downside to constructing this model, but a rite of passage and something to appreciate as the blocks start to take shape in front of you.
Design and Details: A Faithful Recreation
Capture the essence is something we often say with giant LEGO® model replications, and in this case it’s done very well. The LEGO® set of Barad-dûr™ is instantly and very recognisably the same silhouette. It has presence, and will look great standing as a centrepiece in your collection. The detailing is incredible, from the stonework on the sides to the design of the Eye of Sauron which sits atop the structure, looking out menacingly over Mordor. Inside Barad-dûr™ is as detailed, with secret compartments for hiding the Sauron minifigure from prying eyes. There’s the torture chamber, and a council chamber, where ancient meetings would have taken place with Sauron and his minions to plot evil deeds.
The minifigures included are some of the best you could expect from a Lord of the Rings LEGO® set. With 10 minifigures included, you’ll see some of the most famous Lord of the Rings protagonists and antagonists, including Frodo, Sam and Gollum. There’s the all powerful Sauron, and the never before seen Gothmog, the Lieutenant of Sauron. The minifigs are rounded off with a small set of Mordor Orcs.
Our Verdict: A Must-Have for Tolkien Fans
It’s a challenge, it’s a huge price but it’s well worth it for the finished build. If you are a huge Lord of the Rings fan or are a fan of LEGO, you will love this piece of set to add to your collection. The eye-catching tower and detailing will not be lost in your other collection sets and even as a stand alone piece, it’s fantastic.
- Pros
- Cons
For the middle earth collector. Or a lover or LEGO® that needs a challenge, the Barad-dûr™ set is a great model. With any set there are going to be a few downsides, but we could not recommend this set more! It's well worth the price.
Our Recommendations
It’s a terrific set to have and display, and for any Lord of the Rings fans or age old LEGO® geeks, it’s a must have in the collection.
For a more complete collection other Lord of the Rings Icon sets pair nicely. Create your own scenes and battle with the forces of good trying to destroy the one ring.
Thank you for coming on this exciting journey through Mordor with us, we hope you enjoyed the review!
If you now have any more questions or thoughts to share with us, let us know in the comments’ section.
