Review: 40761 The Lord of the Rings: Sméagol & Déagol
Posted by CapnRex101,
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King opens with a scene showing Gollum's origin as a Stoor Hobbit named Sméagol, residing in the Gladden Fields with his cousin, Déagol. Déagol famously discovers the One Ring as the cousins fish, with tragic consequences for both.
I never imagined the scene would be portrayed in LEGO form for varied reasons, though 40761 The Lord of the Rings: Sméagol & Déagol proves otherwise and is an interesting companion for 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire, currently available as a gift-with-purchase.
Summary
40761 The Lord of the Rings: Sméagol & Déagol, 181 pieces.
A near-perfect gift-with-purchase, containing two impressive minifigures
- Sméagol and Déagol look fantastic
- Well designed to pose the figures
- Great use of contrasting colours
- Tree could use more foliage
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Gifts-with-purchase generally have a very limited budget for new printed elements, which can cause issues when unique minifigures are needed. Thankfully, clever re-use means Sméagol looks surprisingly faithful to the film, including a torso created for Argus Filch and a dark brown hair piece from 76440 Triwizard Tournament: The Arrival. The torso is not perfect, but roughly mirrors Sméagol's onscreen attire and looks at home in The Lord of the Rings.
Déagol, meanwhile, incorporates the standard Hobbit hair element and Sam's torso, found in Rivendell and Barad-dûr. Again, this torso is a definite compromise because Déagol's overalls are longer in the film and his shirt is darker, but assuming the designer could not include a new torso, I think this one works as an alternative.
The budget for new parts has instead been directed to the figures' double-sided heads, which was a wise decision. Both look fantastic and I love Sméagol's sinister grin in particular, closely resembling his strained expression after acquiring the ring. Déagol's fishing rod leaves a little to be desired, but the flexible whip looks good when posed underwater, as on the box.
The Completed Model
Sets with a transition between the open and air and underwater environments are scarce and understandably so, as the format can be awkward. However, I think this vignette looks superb, owing something to the techniques in 76240 Triwizard Tournament: The Black Lake, as darker colours are used underwater and brighter colours above to delineate the two sections.
The water's surface mainly comprises medium azure plates with trans-light blue tiles over the top, although a couple of bigger blue plates are used to reinforce the structure. These shades suit the river Gladden's calm waters and I like the combination of dark orange and green along the riverbank too, showing the transition from mud to grass.
Moreover, plant stems and roots introduce nice texture around the base of a tree. While small and noticeably lacking in foliage, the tree looks reasonable for its size and makes good use of various tiles on the trunk. However, a couple of extra leaves would be welcome, perhaps using the smaller leaf elements at lower levels.
Sméagol and Déagol are shown aboard a simple coracle onscreen. These round boats were once commonplace for river fishing and the LEGO design captures the shape well, but would work even better with a 6x6 dish oriented upside down underneath. There is space for the two minifigures on board and I like the trans-clear accessory holder by the riverbank, acting like a float for Sméagol's fishing rod.
Dark green and dark blue are used to impressive effect underwater, especially because these dark colours draw your eye to the brighter fish and the One Ring. In addition, the black border around the vignette is attractive, albeit inconsistent with other The Lord of the Rings sets.
The dark tan 1x2 plate with bar also stands out beside the Ring and fish, which looks odd until you attach Déagol. The inability to pose his short legs is unfortunate, but this design otherwise corresponds with the movie, taking advantage of the aforementioned flexible whip to link to the fish.
Overall
40761 The Lord of the Rings: Sméagol & Déagol is almost a flawless gift-with-purchase, in my opinion. Though not a direct addition to 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire on display, the pair are thematically connected and this scene would only ever be represented in a promotional set, so I am glad the opportunity was taken.
Furthermore, the two characters at the centre of attention are well designed. I think the re-used torsos and hair pieces are appropriate and the new double-sided heads look splendid. Whether these qualities are enough to justify buying 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire immediately will depend on your opinion of the Shire, but this certainly goes some way to softening its price.
132 likes
70 comments on this article
"This looks good indeed my precioussssss...i hopes i can gets this set...but will have to bide my time....yesss....waits till I's have enough coins to purchassssee that little shire of filthy Hobbitses...yesssss...but well worth the wait....mussst have sssssoon...."
I did really like this part of the movie. It was a nice vision to the past, but I'll pass on the GWP and just get the shire at a discount.
Thank you for including that last picture. If it I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't have believed it, but here we are.
“Give that to us, Deagol, my love.”
Love the "I'm about to retch" face (both heads are quite nice). Is that print on standard yellow?
Good to have Andy Serkis before his transformation in LOTR.
Lego now need to do his SW Andor character before he was captured and transformed into Snoke.
This is just such a bizarre scene to recreate in LEGO. Not much of an incentive for me to pick up 10354 .
The Fell Beast was a much better GWP, and that wasn't even a perfect set itself, but at least it paired better with the set it accompanied.
Easy pass. I'll get the Shire at a later date.
@MegaBlocks said:
"Good to have Andy Serkis before his transformation in LOTR.
Lego now need to do his SW Andor character before he was captured and transformed into Snoke."
Good one. XD
@Euroseb11 said:
""This looks good indeed my precioussssss...i hopes i can gets this set...but will have to bide my time....yesss....waits till I's have enough coins to purchassssee that little shire of filthy Hobbitses...yesssss...but well worth the wait....mussst have sssssoon....""
Best comment, you win the internet.
@MegaBlocks said:
"Good to have Andy Serkis before his transformation in LOTR.
Lego now need to do his SW Andor character before he was captured and transformed into Snoke."
I used his minifigure's head from the Black Panther wave for a Narkina V moc, so we kind of have it already.
@BabuBrick said:
"This is just such a bizarre scene to recreate in LEGO. Not much of an incentive for me to pick up 10354 .
The Fell Beast was a much better GWP, and that wasn't even a perfect set itself, but at least it paired better with the set it accompanied.
Easy pass. I'll get the Shire at a later date."
I saw a fabulous KO of the Fell beast on eBay - “The Lood of the Rings - Feel Beast” it sold for good money too!
It took me until thinking about this as a GWP to realise Smeagol obtained the Ring on his birthday, while Bilbo gave up the ring on his.
Still VERY surprised this scene got a set, since it is effectively a scene of a (fairly brutal) murder.
Also, who would have predicted Deagol getting a figure before Eowyn, or Faramir.
You forgot one more negative.
An obvious one.
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me!
D-bone, my buddy, what a great day fishing this is. Thanks again for suggesting such a nice special day surprise.
Beautiful day for a swim, too. But, are you ok? Say, whatcha got there?
I just learned that this scene is not set in the Shire, as river Gladden is not there.
I think I’ll actually open and build this set. Shocking, yes. The current speculative market that Lego has created puts a bad taste in my mouth.
How to commit a pro gamer move.
1. Buy the Shire while the GWP is still available so you get both
2. Wait for them to arrive
3. Return the Shire to LEGO and keep the GWP (they deduct $25 for the GWP but refund you the rest of the $270 for the Shire)
4. You just bought Sméagol and Déagol for only $25
@DJ_Hamford said:
"How to commit a pro gamer move.
1. Buy the Shire while the GWP is still available so you get both
2. Wait for them to arrive
3. Return the Shire to LEGO and keep the GWP (they deduct $25 for the GWP but refund you the rest of the $270 for the Shire)
4. You just bought Sméagol and Déagol for only $25"
I Don't Pay You To Put Evil Notions In My Head
The ones already there don't need company
@watcher21 said:
" @DJ_Hamford said:
"How to commit a pro gamer move.
1. Buy the Shire while the GWP is still available so you get both
2. Wait for them to arrive
3. Return the Shire to LEGO and keep the GWP (they deduct $25 for the GWP but refund you the rest of the $270 for the Shire)
4. You just bought Sméagol and Déagol for only $25"
I Don't Pay You To Put Evil Notions In My Head
The ones already there don't need company"
How to get on Lego's Banned List.
Yes, they have one.
Yes, it takes a lot of time and far more money to get off of it.
This set really does a good job of viscerally conjuring my memory of the scene, with the way Deagol looks being dragged along in the dark underwater by the fish and how the boat looks on the calm surface with the idyllic background. One of my favourite GWPs in recent memory
@bnic99 said:
"It took me until thinking about this as a GWP to realise Smeagol obtained the Ring on his birthday, while Bilbo gave up the ring on his.
Still VERY surprised this scene got a set, since it is effectively a scene of a (fairly brutal) murder.
Also, who would have predicted Deagol getting a figure before Eowyn, or Faramir."
Never thought about the birthday thing before either. Tolkien's a genius.
Your last point about Éowyn and Faramir is another reason this set makes me mad. There are so many better, cooler characters that we still don't have minifigs of, and yet before we get them we get a couple of Stoor hobbits from one of — if not THE most disturbing scene in the entire Trilogy, smh.
@bnic99 said:
"It took me until thinking about this as a GWP to realise Smeagol obtained the Ring on his birthday, while Bilbo gave up the ring on his.
Still VERY surprised this scene got a set, since it is effectively a scene of a (fairly brutal) murder.
Also, who would have predicted Deagol getting a figure before Eowyn, or Faramir."
And I will be getting both sets on MY birthday!!!
@emQ said:
"Love the "I'm about to retch" face (both heads are quite nice). Is that print on standard yellow?"
The puking face looks very similar to yellow head that has appeared in many sets. Bricklink part 3626pb2492
But the smiling face is different.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @watcher21 said:
" @DJ_Hamford said:
"How to commit a pro gamer move.
1. Buy the Shire while the GWP is still available so you get both
2. Wait for them to arrive
3. Return the Shire to LEGO and keep the GWP (they deduct $25 for the GWP but refund you the rest of the $270 for the Shire)
4. You just bought Sméagol and Déagol for only $25"
I Don't Pay You To Put Evil Notions In My Head
The ones already there don't need company"
How to get on Lego's Banned List.
Yes, they have one.
Yes, it takes a lot of time and far more money to get off of it."
Bingo! Just return your GWP if you no longer qualify it's simple.. you are seen when you do the above
AKA: Prelude to a Kill
This was such a dark set, I love it.
@emQ said:
"Love the "I'm about to retch" face (both heads are quite nice). Is that print on standard yellow?"
It is! It has been used in a number of sets, including 10257, 10305, and 60421.
LEGO Designers on how to make a proper tree: Make a stick and attach two limb elements (leaves) to it. How to suggest grass and foliage? Add two flower stems on a green baseplate. Done! Easy cash grab.
Meanwhile fan MOCers manage to build a better looking party tree for The Shire with only 50 different elements that cost less than 6€. Imagine the chunk of profit lost if done by LEGO from the beginning....
What a delightful prelude to a murder!
Just to get a hold of this precious set, you might need to fight somebody the same way Smeagol and Deagol fought.
Less than impressed by Sméagol's brick built fishing rod given that there’s a moulded one: https://brickset.com/parts/6270122/fishing-rod-10m
You could, of course, replace it yourself, but it would have been better if you didn’t have to.
This proves that LEGO could make small, affordable LOTR sets but chooses not to.
I'm just really torn on it. I want the Shire set eventually. Now would make sense to get the GWP. But I just can't justify $270 right now for that set. Granted I don't see how it would ever be discounted since I never see the large sets on a sale here.
The reused torsos helps alleviate any FOMO I might have with Hobbitses, but the new heads work quite well.
In the end I will likely just not buy anything and regret it later. I usually regret buying something, so this time I can regret not buying. It's a whole new world.
@Zander said:
"Less than impressed by Sméagol's brick built fishing rod given that there’s a moulded one: https://brickset.com/parts/6270122/fishing-rod-10m
You could, of course, replace it yourself, but it would have been better if you didn’t have to."
The linked one is WAY too modern.
@BlackFalconBirdman said:
"I did really like this part of the movie. It was a nice vision to the past, but I'll pass on the GWP and just get the shire at a discount."
Where/when in the U.S. are you finding discounts on direct sets like this?
@BabuBrick said:
" @bnic99 said:
"It took me until thinking about this as a GWP to realise Smeagol obtained the Ring on his birthday, while Bilbo gave up the ring on his.
Still VERY surprised this scene got a set, since it is effectively a scene of a (fairly brutal) murder.
Also, who would have predicted Deagol getting a figure before Eowyn, or Faramir."
Never thought about the birthday thing before either. Tolkien's a genius.
Your last point about Éowyn and Faramir is another reason this set makes me mad. There are so many better, cooler characters that we still don't have minifigs of, and yet before we get them we get a couple of Stoor hobbits from one of — if not THE most disturbing scene in the entire Trilogy, smh."
Well, that’s the luck of the draw when it comes to merchandise. I honestly can’t believe that the only Lego Balrog we’ve gotten is a Brickhead.
Yeah, this is definitely worse than the cannibal Uruk-hai bit, and maybe even than Denethor eating tomatoes.
@yellowcastle said:
" @BlackFalconBirdman said:
"I did really like this part of the movie. It was a nice vision to the past, but I'll pass on the GWP and just get the shire at a discount."
Where/when in the U.S. are you finding discounts on direct sets like this?"
I got one today at my local Lego store. They had a couple smooshed Shire boxes = 10% off. Lots of good foliage pieces on PaB to beef up those crappy trees.
Didn't Lego offer us a reduction on Rivendell? I remember getting a Black Friday coupon or something. That's what I'm waiting for with Barad-Dûr.
@BabuBrick said:
"This is just such a bizarre scene to recreate in LEGO. Not much of an incentive for me to pick up 10354 .
The Fell Beast was a much better GWP, and that wasn't even a perfect set itself, but at least it paired better with the set it accompanied.
Easy pass. I'll get the Shire at a later date."
Same.
@Wellspring said:
" @bnic99 said:
"It took me until thinking about this as a GWP to realise Smeagol obtained the Ring on his birthday, while Bilbo gave up the ring on his.
Still VERY surprised this scene got a set, since it is effectively a scene of a (fairly brutal) murder.
Also, who would have predicted Deagol getting a figure before Eowyn, or Faramir."
And I will be getting both sets on MY birthday!!!
"
Triple birthday set. Happy birthday!
https://brickset.com/minifigs/name-%c3%89owyn
@StyleCounselor said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @BlackFalconBirdman said:
"I did really like this part of the movie. It was a nice vision to the past, but I'll pass on the GWP and just get the shire at a discount."
Where/when in the U.S. are you finding discounts on direct sets like this?"
I got one today at my local Lego store. They had a couple smooshed Shire boxes = 10% off. Lots of good foliage pieces on PaB to beef up those crappy trees.
Didn't Lego offer us a reduction on Rivendell? I remember getting a Black Friday coupon or something. That's what I'm waiting for with Barad-Dûr. "
Despite my continued advisements, my local LEGO store fails to damage a sufficient number of direct sets. I miss the days of TRU BOGOs.
I was just gifted Rivendell for my birthday but I can't say that I have ever seen it discounted, let alone anything else stuck in my queue (Museum, D&D, Jazz Club, Barad-Dûr, Avengers Tower, Notre Dame, Snow White, BTAS, Endurance...)
The Shire is probably the lowest on my list and yet I feel this silly precious GWP keeps taunting me...
@SearchlightRG said:
" @BabuBrick said:
" @bnic99 said:
"It took me until thinking about this as a GWP to realise Smeagol obtained the Ring on his birthday, while Bilbo gave up the ring on his.
Still VERY surprised this scene got a set, since it is effectively a scene of a (fairly brutal) murder.
Also, who would have predicted Deagol getting a figure before Eowyn, or Faramir."
Never thought about the birthday thing before either. Tolkien's a genius.
Your last point about Éowyn and Faramir is another reason this set makes me mad. There are so many better, cooler characters that we still don't have minifigs of, and yet before we get them we get a couple of Stoor hobbits from one of — if not THE most disturbing scene in the entire Trilogy, smh."
Well, that’s the luck of the draw when it comes to merchandise. I honestly can’t believe that the only Lego Balrog we’ve gotten is a Brickhead.
Yeah, this is definitely worse than the cannibal Uruk-hai bit, and maybe even than Denethor eating tomatoes."
Gandalf vs. Durin’s Bane 10367 is said to be released in june
@StyleCounselor said:
" @watcher21 said:
" @DJ_Hamford said:
"How to commit a pro gamer move.
1. Buy the Shire while the GWP is still available so you get both
2. Wait for them to arrive
3. Return the Shire to LEGO and keep the GWP (they deduct $25 for the GWP but refund you the rest of the $270 for the Shire)
4. You just bought Sméagol and Déagol for only $25"
I Don't Pay You To Put Evil Notions In My Head
The ones already there don't need company"
How to get on Lego's Banned List.
Yes, they have one.
Yes, it takes a lot of time and far more money to get off of it."
How do you get off the banned list?.. do you have to pay them?
@DJ_Hamford said:
"How to commit a pro gamer move.
1. Buy the Shire while the GWP is still available so you get both
2. Wait for them to arrive
3. Return the Shire to LEGO and keep the GWP (they deduct $25 for the GWP but refund you the rest of the $270 for the Shire)
4. You just bought Sméagol and Déagol for only $25"
Lego store near me used to let me buy a set that reached the necessary spending threshold and then a small set worth the price of the GWP. Immediately I would return the large set and because I still paid the price of the GWP I could keep that along with the small set I purchased. I miss those days :(
A friend who has only seen Fellowship so far (fear not, we are working on Towers and Return) saw this set and remarked that it was very delightful and charming and hobbit-like.
She doesn't know yet.
@DJ_Hamford said:
"How to commit a pro gamer move.
1. Buy the Shire while the GWP is still available so you get both
2. Wait for them to arrive
3. Return the Shire to LEGO and keep the GWP (they deduct $25 for the GWP but refund you the rest of the $270 for the Shire)
4. You just bought Sméagol and Déagol for only $25"
When LEGO adds an obnoxious rule to their site to prevent this, I will know who to have words with.
@gromit6 said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @watcher21 said:
" @DJ_Hamford said:
"How to commit a pro gamer move.
1. Buy the Shire while the GWP is still available so you get both
2. Wait for them to arrive
3. Return the Shire to LEGO and keep the GWP (they deduct $25 for the GWP but refund you the rest of the $270 for the Shire)
4. You just bought Sméagol and Déagol for only $25"
I Don't Pay You To Put Evil Notions In My Head
The ones already there don't need company"
How to get on Lego's Banned List.
Yes, they have one.
Yes, it takes a lot of time and far more money to get off of it."
How do you get off the banned list?.. do you have to pay them?"
Yes. By buying an insane amount of Lego from a physical Lego store and having your wife open a Lego account and using that to buy even more all the while being a good boy scout and not doing anything questionable, and allowing 5 years or so to pass by.
Even still, two years ago, Lego informed me that I had reached the limit of how many missing, broken, or crumpled sticker replacements I could request for a year. It wasn't very many (5 or so).
@bnic99 said:
"It took me until thinking about this as a GWP to realise Smeagol obtained the Ring on his birthday, while Bilbo gave up the ring on his.
Still VERY surprised this scene got a set, since it is effectively a scene of a (fairly brutal) murder.
Also, who would have predicted Deagol getting a figure before Eowyn, or Faramir."
Here's something that'll really blow your mind. Frodo _also_ gets the One Ring on his birthday, which happens to be on the same day as Bilbo's. But where Sméagol murdered to steal the Ring, Frodo reluctantly accepts what is freely given.
@StyleCounselor:
Isn't D-Bone the fish? I don't think he'd agree with you on this being a great day of fishing. Except, he did get away, so maybe he would at that.
@B_Space_Man:
So, funny thing is, this'll probably be one of those yellow boxes with the cutout for the instructions to double as the box art. And the parts will be in one of those resealable bags, so it'll be difficult to prove that an unopened set has truly never been opened.
@legoliam94:
If they were doing that, they shouldn't have. If you were keeping the GWP on top of a similarly-priced set, you should have ended up paying for both combined, meaning you'd still only get refunded the price of the larger set minus the MSRP of the GWP.
@GBP_Chris:
It _is_ delightful and charming and Hobbit-like! Until it isn't.
Today was the release of the new LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings: The Shire (10354) both online and at LEGO Brand Stores and it looks like there was an unannounced poster giveaway as well.
POSTER GIVEAWAY
The poster features all three of the LEGO Icons sets that have released including Rivendell and Barad-Dur.
@PurpleDave said:
"
@StyleCounselor:
Isn't D-Bone the fish? I don't think he'd agree with you on this being a great day of fishing. Except, he did get away, so maybe he would at that."
C'mon man, there's only one Fishbone! Jam on it.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"
@StyleCounselor:
Isn't D-Bone the fish? I don't think he'd agree with you on this being a great day of fishing. Except, he did get away, so maybe he would at that."
C'mon man, there's only one Fishbone! Jam on it."
Fishbone (Fishbones?) is actually a restaurant near here. I ate there once. The waitress came out to our group and let slip that Greg Brady was eating in the next room. I stayed in my seat and finished my meal.
@PurpleDave said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"
@StyleCounselor :
Isn't D-Bone the fish? I don't think he'd agree with you on this being a great day of fishing. Except, he did get away, so maybe he would at that."
C'mon man, there's only one Fishbone! Jam on it."
Fishbone (Fishbones?) is actually a restaurant near here. I ate there once. The waitress came out to our group and let slip that Greg Brady was eating in the next room. I stayed in my seat and finished my meal."
I can understand that. Yuck.
Fishbone is the phunk, rock, punk, hip-hop band that's been touring for over 45 years. I've seen them too many times to count, including last year. Always fun, Precious.
@SearchlightRG said:
" @BabuBrick said:
" @bnic99 said:
"It took me until thinking about this as a GWP to realise Smeagol obtained the Ring on his birthday, while Bilbo gave up the ring on his.
Still VERY surprised this scene got a set, since it is effectively a scene of a (fairly brutal) murder.
Also, who would have predicted Deagol getting a figure before Eowyn, or Faramir."
Never thought about the birthday thing before either. Tolkien's a genius.
Your last point about Éowyn and Faramir is another reason this set makes me mad. There are so many better, cooler characters that we still don't have minifigs of, and yet before we get them we get a couple of Stoor hobbits from one of — if not THE most disturbing scene in the entire Trilogy, smh."
Well, that’s the luck of the draw when it comes to merchandise. I honestly can’t believe that the only Lego Balrog we’ve gotten is a Brickhead.
Yeah, this is definitely worse than the cannibal Uruk-hai bit, and maybe even than Denethor eating tomatoes."
I said, "one of, if not the most" — I didn't rule out competition, which the Uruk-hai scene certainly is. None of that changes the fact that this is one of the most gruesome scenes.
@StyleCounselor:
Well, this was early 90's, and all the girls in our group of course rushed off to gawk. Such was life in high school.
@BabuBrick:
Like Gollum, though, this scene plays an important part. If the Ring hadn't been found by Déagol, and stolen by Sméagol, then who knows whose hand might have found it next. The fact that it did end up in Sméagol's possession was a critical moment that ultimately kept it from ending up back in Sauron's hands. As Gollum, he ultimately kept hold of the Ring for over 550 years, never made any attempt to conquer kingdoms with it, and ultimately held possession of it for nearly 1/5th as long as Sauron himself, and far longer than all other Ring-bearers combined. And during that time, he effectively rendered the ultimate Ring of Power nearly powerless, until the point when the Ring ends up in the hands of those who are largely unaffected by its influence. If this scene hadn't happened, it's far more likely that, whenever the Ring was finally rediscovered, it would be able to chart a path back into power, and from there back to its master's hands.
@StyleCounselor said:
" Fishbone is the phunk, rock, punk, hip-hop band that's been touring for over 45 years. I've seen them too many times to count, including last year. Always fun, Precious. "
One of my fav bands from highschool til today.
Seen them twice.
Going to see them again later this year (much different lineup but still Angelo and Dowd).
They canceled a show in Brooklyn last month but a makeup date later in Sept.
Saw Norwood at a Bad Brains tribute show last year.
@legoDad42 said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" Fishbone is the phunk, rock, punk, hip-hop band that's been touring for over 45 years. I've seen them too many times to count, including last year. Always fun, Precious. "
One of my fav bands from highschool til today.
Seen them twice.
Going to see them again later this year (much different lineup but still Angelo and Dowd).
They canceled a show in Brooklyn last month but a makeup date later in Sept.
Saw Norwood at a Bad Brains tribute show last year."
That's sweet! They still rock. Bad Brains reminds me when I saw Angelo rocking with Living Color back in the 90s.
I made out with Mrs. StyleCounselor for the first time at a free Fishbone show that was the closing concert for a small pro volleyball tournament on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale. One love!
Only the Brickset comments can get us all the way from death and hate to life and love. ;)
I don't see the issue with what happens after this scene. LEGO has covered killing scenes in the past, especially in Star Wars. This is finding the ring, not the murder afterwards.
I don't think the figures are that great. The lack of a hat for early in the scene is disappointing. The clothes are not particularly good. Isolated from the scene, I don't think I'd crecognise them.
I really like this GWP (almost as much as the Fell Beast) and can't wait to receive it with the Shire!
Also after releasinng such a dark scene set, Lego now has no excuse not to start making sets on the Game of Thrones theme :-) I am sure they would sell extremely well.
I absolutely have to re-watch the trilogy some time, as I can't even recall the scene.
Granted it has been ages since I last watched the movies.
@PurpleDave said:
" @StyleCounselor:
Well, this was early 90's, and all the girls in our group of course rushed off to gawk. Such was life in high school.
@BabuBrick:
Like Gollum, though, this scene plays an important part. If the Ring hadn't been found by Déagol, and stolen by Sméagol, then who knows whose hand might have found it next. The fact that it did end up in Sméagol's possession was a critical moment that ultimately kept it from ending up back in Sauron's hands. As Gollum, he ultimately kept hold of the Ring for over 550 years, never made any attempt to conquer kingdoms with it, and ultimately held possession of it for nearly 1/5th as long as Sauron himself, and far longer than all other Ring-bearers combined. And during that time, he effectively rendered the ultimate Ring of Power nearly powerless, until the point when the Ring ends up in the hands of those who are largely unaffected by its influence. If this scene hadn't happened, it's far more likely that, whenever the Ring was finally rediscovered, it would be able to chart a path back into power, and from there back to its master's hands."
100% agree with all of that; this scene is pivotal — it's just not a scene I need recreated in LEGO form to have permanently displayed on my shelf.
@AustinPowers said:
"I absolutely have to re-watch the trilogy some time, as I can't even recall the scene.
Granted it has been ages since I last watched the movies. "
I definitely remember the scene, but I have been meaning to rewatch the trilogy. This isn't because of the release of 10354, but because I was recently able to buy a new copy of the Extended Edition of the trilogy, to replace my copies that were stolen.
@yellowcastle said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @yellowcastle said:
" @BlackFalconBirdman said:
"I did really like this part of the movie. It was a nice vision to the past, but I'll pass on the GWP and just get the shire at a discount."
Where/when in the U.S. are you finding discounts on direct sets like this?"
I got one today at my local Lego store. They had a couple smooshed Shire boxes = 10% off. Lots of good foliage pieces on PaB to beef up those crappy trees.
Didn't Lego offer us a reduction on Rivendell? I remember getting a Black Friday coupon or something. That's what I'm waiting for with Barad-Dûr. "
Despite my continued advisements, my local LEGO store fails to damage a sufficient number of direct sets. I miss the days of TRU BOGOs.
I was just gifted Rivendell for my birthday but I can't say that I have ever seen it discounted, let alone anything else stuck in my queue (Museum, D&D, Jazz Club, Barad-Dûr, Avengers Tower, Notre Dame, Snow White, BTAS, Endurance...)
The Shire is probably the lowest on my list and yet I feel this silly precious GWP keeps taunting me..."
I mean when there are double points + other GWP. These are probably the best we can hope for on these kind of exclusive sets. This is a GWP and there are some other double point offers now (in the US), but it's not enough for this set, IMO.
I was able to get an amazing discount for the 2007 castle fantasy era sets in Japan for damaged box special (?????)!someone opened the overboxes with a razor, damaging the Lego boxes (gasp). Many of them only had a small razor line scratch, but that's enough for the detail-oriented Japanese... :)
Japanese MSRP is almost always higher than USD even with the exchange rate, but I got 4 of 7094 for a bit under $80 each and 3 of 7093 and lots of others. it's hard to get any discounts in Japan and those were all 40% off!
Maybe the best part was when I asked if they could ship to my small apartment (impossible to carry on the train/bus). They said 'yes', but then rushed back a few min later to say, 'I'm very sorry, there will be a shipping charge', when I asked how much, it was only a flat $4 for any amount. I opened my wallet and cried tears of joy.
@AustinPowers said:
"I absolutely have to re-watch the trilogy some time, as I can't even recall the scene.
Granted it has been ages since I last watched the movies. "
It is right at the start of Return of the King. It is a flashback as to how Smeagol became Gollum. And very well done, an idyllic sunny scene that all of a sudden turns dark when the ring makes itself found.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @watcher21 said:
" @DJ_Hamford said:
"How to commit a pro gamer move.
1. Buy the Shire while the GWP is still available so you get both
2. Wait for them to arrive
3. Return the Shire to LEGO and keep the GWP (they deduct $25 for the GWP but refund you the rest of the $270 for the Shire)
4. You just bought Sméagol and Déagol for only $25"
I Don't Pay You To Put Evil Notions In My Head
The ones already there don't need company"
How to get on Lego's Banned List.
Yes, they have one.
Yes, it takes a lot of time and far more money to get off of it."
You're not getting put on a ban list for one bit of chicanery (which they can't even prove is chicanery). They put a price on GWPs BECAUSE of instances where people return sets but keep the attached GWPs. If I did this thing regularly or did other stuff like erroneously requesting "replacement" parts, maybe, but I'm a consistent LEGO customer whose last instance of attempted chicanery was over nine years ago and not attached to my LEGO account (so its unlikely they even have a note of it). To be safe, I'll hold onto the Shire for like a month before I return it, to make things less obvious.
@DJ_Hamford said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @watcher21 said:
" @DJ_Hamford said:
"How to commit a pro gamer move.
1. Buy the Shire while the GWP is still available so you get both
2. Wait for them to arrive
3. Return the Shire to LEGO and keep the GWP (they deduct $25 for the GWP but refund you the rest of the $270 for the Shire)
4. You just bought Sméagol and Déagol for only $25"
I Don't Pay You To Put Evil Notions In My Head
The ones already there don't need company"
How to get on Lego's Banned List.
Yes, they have one.
Yes, it takes a lot of time and far more money to get off of it."
You're not getting put on a ban list for one bit of chicanery (which they can't even prove is chicanery). They put a price on GWPs BECAUSE of instances where people return sets but keep the attached GWPs. If I did this thing regularly or did other stuff like erroneously requesting "replacement" parts, maybe, but I'm a consistent LEGO customer whose last instance of attempted chicanery was over nine years ago and not attached to my LEGO account (so its unlikely they even have a note of it). To be safe, I'll hold onto the Shire for like a month before I return it, to make things less obvious."
For the record, I believe they can refuse the return altogether if you don't include the GWP.
@Altair1970 said:
"I really like this GWP (almost as much as the Fell Beast) and can't wait to receive it with the Shire!
Also after releasinng such a dark scene set, Lego now has no excuse not to start making sets on the Game of Thrones theme :-) I am sure they would sell extremely well."
I'm sure they'll get right on Shireen's bonfire and Joffrey's crossbow practice.
@PurpleDave said:
" @B_Space_Man:
So, funny thing is, this'll probably be one of those yellow boxes with the cutout for the instructions to double as the box art. And the parts will be in one of those resealable bags, so it'll be difficult to prove that an unopened set has truly never been opened."
Bah. I must have been in pretty rough shape from the sleep deprivation. I was thinking of the VIP Reward sets, which have frequently shipped in generic yellow window boxes. Standard GWP sets are typically printed boxes. 40786 has a proper printed box, but that may just be because it's part of the Ideas program.
@PurpleDave You corrected the record, and that’s more than most will do on this ol’ internet. As the kids say, you’re a real one for that.
(I doubt the kids say that)
@PurpleDave said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @B_Space_Man:
So, funny thing is, this'll probably be one of those yellow boxes with the cutout for the instructions to double as the box art. And the parts will be in one of those resealable bags, so it'll be difficult to prove that an unopened set has truly never been opened."
Bah. I must have been in pretty rough shape from the sleep deprivation. I was thinking of the VIP Reward sets, which have frequently shipped in generic yellow window boxes. Standard GWP sets are typically printed boxes. 40786 has a proper printed box, but that may just be because it's part of the Ideas program."
I haven't opened mine yet, but isn't it also bigger than most (if not all) of the yellow box VIP rewards?
@B_Space_Man said:
" @PurpleDave You corrected the record, and that’s more than most will do on this ol’ internet. As the kids say, you’re a real one for that.
(I doubt the kids say that)"
The only thing worse than realizing that you were wrong is being called out on it by someone else. The edit window had long since expired, so the only way to prevent the latter from happening is to do it myself. It's a philosophy that has served me well at work. There was a time when, as a complete fluke, I managed to cause a $1.8 billion-with-a-B variance. But, I immediately realized what I'd done, quickly figured out how to precisely undo what had caused it, and then proceeded to apologize my way up the food chain. And every single one of them laughed about it when I explained it. Apparently, it set off such an alarm at corporate, that by the time I started explaining it to the first of these people, corporate had already informed them all of what had happened. But, by fixing it (and I mean actually fixing it, and not simply trying to hide the fact that it happened, and screwing things up even worse in the process), and being honest about it, I didn't even get a slap on the wrist over the whole affair.
@TheOtherMike:
I also haven't opened mine, but yes, the box is about twice the size of the yellow window boxes used for stuff like the Mimic Dice Box or the themed coin-op rides. I have no idea how full it is. However, the yellow window boxes (and indeed any set that uses the zip-seal bags) are, from what I understand, packed by hand in the model shop, so they can be stuffed near to bursting. The printed boxes, based on a bit from a show my dad was watching when I stopped by the other day, have bags that are machine-packed, with the instructions and bags then being hand-packed into the boxes before they're folded over and glued together. They don't really have time to do much unless an alarm goes off to indicate that the weight is low, at which point they have to compare the offending bag against a part chart to determine what element(s) got missed in the machine packing process (in the example clip, the worker explained that a 1x16 Technic brick somehow got left out, which raises an eyebrow).
Wow! That is one glowing review for one really iffy GWP. I gotta think many people agree more with me because of the days it took for this to sell out in the U.S. I think with as hugely popular as LOTR is, The Shire is still available and it's GWP was easily available. Seems like a huge difference between previous new releases and their GWP's.