As a lover of all things Middle-Earth, I have to say, for the most part, I am really disappointed in the overall merchandise offerings for the new Hobbit movies. Since action figures are my number one priority, the offerings from the Bridge Direct have been sparse to say the least (hopefully that will get better, but more on that later in the week), and I have had it in my head since the very beginning that I will own all of Thorin and Company in one form or another. Well, since we are still eight dwarves short in the action figure line, I have had to go elsewhere to get my fix. Okay, I know what you are going to say, having that “elsewhere” be LEGO is the very definition of a first-world problem, but it is hard to shake those articulated figure fits. But yeah, in the face of every disappointment I have met with Hobbit merchandise, LEGO just keeps doing what they do, and what they do is be awesome. They have offered some really kick-ass Hobbit sets (with more on the way), and, in that expanse, I have been able to get every single dwarf in the company. Yay for me! My favorite of these sets has to be Bag End, and I like it so much that it is my first offering in the Hobbit feature week!
What can say? LEGO has the most untouchable track record of any toy company going, and it is not even close. What they are doing with every pop-culture property from TMNT to LOTR, and their homegrown concepts like Monster Fighters, is nothing short of spectacular. If I had a house the size of a jet hanger, I would buy every LEGO everything. No other system and scale on the planet can allow Dracula, Thor, Superman, Han Solo, Bilbo Baggins, and Donatello to hang out together, and think that is one of the big appeals to me. Don’t even get me started on the Minifigure blind bags. If one human being can have too many yetis or ogres, I have not found the amount yet.
When I say that Bag End is a pretty perfect build set, I mean it with every fiber of my toy-loving heart. It is amazingly accurate and unbearably cute all at the same time, and if I could shrink myself down to LEGO size, I would move in this instant. Sure, the entire abode is not fleshed out in bricky goodness, but the front parlor and dining area are enough to win me over, and every important part of the set has been recreated in geometric fashion. I think what draws me to this is that it is an enclosed space, so it feels like a complete little playset. The Goblin Town, Barrel Escape and Warg Attack sets are really fun, but they kind of just sprawl out into nothing. With Bag End, you get a nice little enclosed parlor for your Hobbit and his unexpected guests, and everyone can head out to the front porch for some pipe weed after pillaging Mr. Baggins’ stocks.
The set comes with Bilbo, Balin, Dwalin, Bombur, and Bofur, but you can cram all the rest of the dwarves from the other sets around the table for a plastic food fight and all the discussions of brick-made dragons you can imagine. The size of the set lends itself perfectly to the cramped quarters and it makes you want to display the back, just so you can see all of the little details.
All that said, though, I think I love the exterior even more. If Peter Jackson and his crew perfectly nailed any one Middle-Earth locale, it is most certainly Bag End, and this set does the hobbit house a tremendous amount of justice. I love the fence and fact that you can get so many little dwarves on the front porch, so that is how I choose to display it. There are plenty of flowers and vegetables to make it feel very lived in, so if Dwalin goes and tramples some petunias, well, you can always rebuild them.
The pictures do this set so much more justice, but it was Bag End that convinced me to build all of the Hobbit sets, and now that I have all of them from An Unexpected Journey, I am ready get the new sets. I mean, how can you expect me to live without minifigure versions of Radagast and Thranduil? If you have not picked it up yet, Amazon has it right now at a great price (and Prime eligible).
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