Today’s LEGO review is part one of a two-part series of reviews. For a while LEGO has come up with ways to create a low-priced set and a higher-priced set from the same “set.” This set retails for $19.99, so this is the affordable way to display a scene from fortress ruins of Dol Guldur. Next review I will look at the second Dol Guldur set and how these two sets combine their powers to make one super Dol Guldur set!
This may be a small set but it comes with three great minifigures and a lot of play features. Plus, it also makes a nice cave or stone backdrop for your minifigures.
Even though this set is from the movie The Hobbit, there happens to be no hobbits or even dwarfs included, sadly. Even without some powerful dwarfs, it’s still great that it includes an exclusive Beorn figure. His head and hair are one solid piece ,and even though his head cannot turn side to side, it’s still a great head/hair sculpt! I know LEGO is not about scale, but I do wish they found a way to make him a little taller than the standard LEGO minifigure size. If your plan is to complete a collection of all the main Hobbit movie characters, this will be your only chance for to get this “skin-changer.” The other two figures are both Gundabad Orcs, and other than weapons and one armor piece, they are the same figure. However, they are great figures for building up your orc army. Their face detail is really nice and I am pretty sure that shoulder armor is a new piece for the two Dol Guldur sets. My only nitpick with all three of these figures is the fact they all only have one face; it’s always nice to have choices.
There is one extra set piece that is not part of the main set. It is a simple two-wheeled double catapult. Comes with some standard round LEGO bricks as ammo. It’s simple, but it’s still always nice to get little extras.
Now for the main set — it is small in size but packs in a ton of action features and fun. The main color scheme is gray, black, and brown. It is mostly a rock-face setting, but it also has a nice added detail of a tree.
Two of the action features are basically the same idea just executed differently. On each side of the door there are swing traps. One of the traps features a huge hammer-type weapon. The other side has a nasty double-axe trap. They are both activated by manually turning a handle on either side of the door. The third action feature is hidden on one side of the cave. You have to open it up and inside is a standard LEGO flick missile that we have seen hundreds of times. Still, it’s nice to have these action features for the “kids” that play with these.
Lastly, on the opposite side of the flick missile we have two connector prongs; those will come into play during my review of the second Dol Guldur LEGO set.
So if you are just a Hobbit LEGO minifigure fan or enjoy building simple backdrop sets, you cannot go wrong with this $20 set. One exclusive important minifigure and two army builder figures are worth the $20 alone. Tune in next week for the second part of the Dol Guldur reviews.
Price $19.99
Piece count 217
