The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook revealed!

No, i dont like it .. still missing this option

tho i am big LotR fan :/

YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!

Highway robberey

"This foe is beyond any of you... RUN!"

@Retroblox77 said:
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!"

“You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.”

I SHALL NOT PASS on this one

Yikes, that’s pricey… It looks tiny for £110

@xoddam said:
"I SHALL NOT PASS on this one"

I cannot pass on this one.

Penultimate picture: Neither you shall not pass, nor you shall not piss :D

Anyway, with a collapsing bridge it would have been acceptable for the price.

I'm in for $80-$90. $130 is ridiculous.

‘You cannot pass,’ he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. ‘I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.’

The Balrog made no answer. The fire in it seemed to die, but the darkness grew. It stepped forward slowly on to the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering in the gloom; he seemed small, and altogether alone: grey and bent, like a wizened tree before the onset of a storm.

From out of the shadow a red sword leaped flaming.

Glamdring glittered white in answer.

There was a ringing clash and a stab of white fire. The Balrog fell back, and its sword flew up in molten fragments. The wizard swayed on the bridge, stepped back a pace, and then again stood still.

‘You cannot pass!’ he said.

With a bound the Balrog leaped full upon the bridge. Its whip whirled and hissed.

‘He cannot stand alone!’ cried Aragorn suddenly and ran back along the bridge. ‘Elendil!’ he shouted. ‘I am with you, Gandalf!’

‘Gondor!’ cried Boromir and leaped after him.

At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog’s feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness.

With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard’s knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. ‘Fly, you fools!’ he cried, and was gone.

@chom said:
"No, i dont like it .. still missing this option

tho i am big LotR fan :/ "

other than the price, what's not to like?

Will wait for a decent GWP, or discount.

But I shall not pass getting this set.

This one is so lacking compared to the other book nooks

Closed, it looks decent, but opened up and it's such a waste and has nothing to it.

For the price, the open form needs to be more.

This is a disappointment compared to the Potter and Holmes ones.

I still want book ends more than book nook, but this one will probably be a pass unless it's on sale.

I think for the size, £80 would be more acceptable. I love the set but it is just a non-starter at RRP.

This could have been the GWP for The Shire.

I think the balrog needs more trans-orange parts incorporated into its body. It's supposed to be a creature of "shadow and flame," but here it's "just shadow with some fire bits stuck on top."

Definitely not the way I thought we'd finally get a Lego balrog.

Agree with those pointing out it does look a bit empty when seen in relation to the price.

At this rate, regarding IPs and value in recent sets, a future Star Wars book nook would be completely empty besides the frame itself.

Not sure about this one. The Balrog looks kinda...goofy? to me instead of imposing but my biggest issue are the thin "walls" of flames.

Would have been more parts and I'm not sure it would fit the nook concept but I would have preferred a painted background with faux perspective plus midground and foreground layers of smoke and flames on top to give a greater sense of volume.

I guess what I'm saying is that the Balrog is kinda naked without all of the smoke and that takes away a lot of the mystery and menace of the scene.

I really want to like this, but I can't. First off, the price feels very high. I say "feels", because the price-per-piece actually below average, but it doesn't look like 1200 pieces. It feels like there isn't much "stuff" here. I think there's something missing behind the Balrog. Maybe some of the flame pieces from the side panels? It looks very sparse, and if this is up against a white or off-white wall, the Balrog being surrounded by white looks off.

Not really feeling this one, and I wish I did.

This set sure has a lot of empty space given its piece count. And I'm not sure it looks very good in actual book nook form - it's not very colorful and so it doesn't "pop" the way I would want it to. More flame pieces in the diorama would help contrast against the gray and black.

Mentally, I'm wrapping my head around the fact that this is a book nook based on a movie based on a book. Which I know isn't a big deal, but do we really want to get into Tolkein reader debates about whether or not Balrogs have wings?

Because I went through those online arguments when LOTR first hit theaters and I'm not eager to relive them.

I can’t help but think I should prioritise bookshelf space for actual books.

“ Slide the book nook in between novels as a nod to the fandom, or open it fully to showcase the entire battle.”

…excluding the parts where they fall off the bridge, fall endlessly down the chasm, land in the underground lake, exit the cave system, climb up onto the peak, and ultimately mutual-kill each other on some random tower in the middle of nowhere.

Also, that second to last photo…I assume the Balrog’s name is Calvin?

@chom said:
"No, i dont like it .. still missing this option

tho i am big LotR fan :/ "

I'm not an English native speaker, but I thought "No, it doesn't interest me" and 'No, I don't like it" meant basically the same thing.

As for the set: it feels empty to me (expecially on a glass shelf!). I'll have to see and read some reviews before I make my mind.

Pros: Balrog face has printed pieces and the Fellbeast wings are back for people to MOC the Fellbeast GWP.

Cons: Everything else.

Was waiting for this to show as I saw a leak of it last week. And honestly, the official pics ain't much better then the blurry ones I saw.

While I like the idea of the book nooks, and the end of shelf view is better than the Sherlock one, the unfolded view is much worse and feels like they just built a cheapish frame to sell 2 minifigures. I mean, somehow for a brick built Balrog and a single figure, and a very open set, we're expect to pay for 1201 pieces (where are they?) the same price as a set with 158 peices more (1359pc in Sherlock) and 5 figures, and looks a hell of alot more finished, and made an attempt at a cover.

It's about time they officially revealed this.

I personally love it, it's overpriced but I think it captures the menacing look of the balrog very nicely and the nod to Moria architecture on the columns make it work really well in booknook form

After watching some video I have to say that this a lot larger than I realised.

Gorgeous set! I like it.

Though Lego missed a chance by not flanking it with LotR books for the promo shots.

@eiffel006 said:
" @chom said:
"No, i dont like it .. still missing this option

tho i am big LotR fan :/ "

I'm not an English native speaker, but I thought "No, it doesn't interest me" and 'No, I don't like it" meant basically the same thing.

As for the set: it feels empty to me (expecially on a glass shelf!). I'll have to see and read some reviews before I make my mind. "

"No, it doesn't interest me" is more about the subject matter, rather than an opinion on the piece/construction. For example, I am very much not the demographic for 'Friends' sets, and they don't interest me, but many of them are undeniably very well-made sets.

"No, I don't like it" is more about the set itself; Someone might be a fan of the subject, but could be disappointed in how it translated to Lego. I'm a big LOTR fan, but don't particularly like this set. It feels overpriced for what is here, the environment looks very sparse, the Balrog very unintimidating, and the set is very short on flames, especially when folded into book-nook mode.

@mikesray said:
" @eiffel006 said:
" @chom said:
"No, i dont like it .. still missing this option

tho i am big LotR fan :/ "

I'm not an English native speaker, but I thought "No, it doesn't interest me" and 'No, I don't like it" meant basically the same thing.

As for the set: it feels empty to me (expecially on a glass shelf!). I'll have to see and read some reviews before I make my mind. "

"No, it doesn't interest me" is more about the subject matter, rather than an opinion on the piece/construction. For example, I am very much not the demographic for 'Friends' sets, and they don't interest me, but many of them are undeniably very well-made sets.

"No, I don't like it" is more about the set itself; Someone might be a fan of the subject, but could be disappointed in how it translated to Lego. I'm a big LOTR fan, but don't particularly like this set. It feels overpriced for what is here, the environment looks very sparse, the Balrog very unintimidating, and the set is very short on flames, especially when folded into book-nook mode. "

Agree 100%. For 2026 (since we don't usually change the poll during a year), I recommend a new choice, "No, I do not like the design." (cough... @Huw...cough...cough)

@Mister_Jonny said:
"I can’t help but think I should prioritise bookshelf space for actual books."

I used to do this, I have 7 bookcases which 20 years ago were crammed full of books. At this point they are probably about half and half with books and Lego. The ereader however has 1300+ books on it, they take up much less space!!

Quite perplexed as to where the 1201 pieces are hidden in these images.

Being a Minifigure Gandalf doesn't need to fear the whip becoming "curled about the wizard’s knees" - as he doesn't have any.

We go 10 years without Lord of the Rings Lego. People pay exorbitant prices for the retired sets. Then Lego brings it back with several awesome sets that are even better than the ones from before and people say 'meh, too expensive'

I like the structure, not a fan of the Balrog, unfortunately. Also, the price is absurd, where did the 1200 pieces go?

When I think of a brick built Lego BALROG for LOTR I have something along the lines of this in mind:
71847 - The Guardian Dragon
71822 - Source Dragon of Motion

Sooooo I am not super impressed with the 10367 book nook.

I like the idea of the book nooks and I love the LOTR books. I do, however, hate the films, so this instantly loses points from quoting a movie instead of the book. Additionally, I don't know that I need a book nook to show one small scene from a fairly epic tale - and one that doesn't even feature Frodo. I think I'd rather see some clever, layered map that plots out the journey or a Mount Doom in the far distance and Frodo and Sam looking towards it.

And if it really does have to be a scene - I'd much rather have a The Hobbit book nook featuring Smaug and Bilbo - again, with a quote from the book rather than a movie.

But of course, that's just my opinion, which I realise is just one of millions... and as always, I'm pleased for the people that do like it and want it, and I guess if it sells well, it potentially aids in expanding the range of LOTR sets and book nooks.

Hard pass. That $120 price tag is insulting. I would spend no more than $60 on it.

These nooks need to have a full back.
A forced perspective brick built background to add more depth.

Wow, compared to S Holmes, this is terrible. Want to like it, but, man, dat ugly

And, the side on pic, is he peeing on Gandalf?

@jockos198 said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"“ Slide the book nook in between novels as a nod to the fandom, or open it fully to showcase the entire battle.”

…excluding the parts where they fall off the bridge, fall endlessly down the chasm, land in the underground lake, exit the cave system, climb up onto the peak, and ultimately mutual-kill each other on some random tower in the middle of nowhere.

Also, that second to last photo…I assume the Balrog’s name is Calvin?"

Sorry, I can't see that reference. :D Could you tell me where should I look for it, please?"

https://www.amazon.com/Calvin-Peeing-Bumper-Sticker-Vinyl/dp/B0CDNDRL85

Looks a lot better closed. Gives the illusion of being in the tight confines of the mines. Open, it looks like its half finished. Seems very expensive for what it is. Probably cannot justify getting it.

@Aardtacha said:
" @chom said:
"No, i dont like it .. still missing this option

tho i am big LotR fan :/ "

Maybe they think that "I'm not interested" covers that, as well."

But I'm VERY interested in the concept, just not the execution.

Never paid much attention to this new niche: book nooks, BUT now that I took another closer look at 10351 - Sherlock Holmes set, this Balrog LOTR set isn't even much of a book nook.
For a €120 they could have included more minifigs as well as more details from Moria.
The Balrog fig looks good for its size, though I think they should not have gone for a book nook but a much bigger, more imposing BALROG similar to the dragons from those two Ninjago sets I linked to in my earlier post.
The book nook doesn't have a proper book cover, lacks diorama details on the inside. I think TLG should have kept this on hold for internal review and final product improvement.
Too bad I have to write this, but as a set it is underwhelming.
And it is too pricey for just the Balrog figure.

@Retroblox77 said:
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!"

This is the first time I feel like they put the perfect quote on a diorama

I was exited about this until I saw the price. $79 looking set; $129 is ridiculous.

You shall not buy! ...not at this price. Another set from LOTR theme and again pricey. At least this one is less than $200 but still overpriced for what you get. Seems like this theme is only for customers with heavy pockets, if I remember correctly not a single small and affordable set since they brought back the theme. Gorgeous sets but I can't stomach those prices.

Another book nook that works best not as a book nook....

Also, isn't that just the Legendary Black Beast of Arrrghhh? Where's all the fire?

I...SHALL...NOT... buy this at that price. Thankful they're making some cheaper LotR sets, but this is not entirely what I meant.

Nice book nook, but even being a massive LotR fan won't get me to buy this.

I think the orange glow on the box art is doing a lot of lifting. Not one for me.

As a massive LotR fan.... meh. Brick-built is definitely the way to go for a balrog. But one dumb, round piece for the face was a huge mistake.

Easy pass for me.

It's a neat concept, but $130 really feels like a lot for a set with just one minifigure.

And as many have already pointed out, the set looks a bit empty when it's fully opened up, owing to all of the negative space.

@The_Cellarer said:
" @Retroblox77 said:
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!"

“You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.”"
“I cannot pay,” he said. The LEGO store sales assistants stood still, and a dead silence fell. “I am a servant of the Bank Account of Zander, bearer of the Crippling Mortgage. I cannot pay. The clever marketing will not avail you, Book Nook of Balrog. Go back to Billund! I cannot pay.”

@PurpleDave @Rimefang The balrog in the book doesn’t have substantive wings. They’re at most shadows and may only be metaphorical. It doesn’t have horns or a tail either, at least none that are mentioned in LotR or Tolkien’s other writings.

I've been wanting a balrog for years, these dark comments will not avail you, flame of Udûn!
That said, here are some negative comments:
- For this price, we really should have gotten a flaming sword and a whip
- Those light gray ball joint pieces in the balrog's hands...come one TLG, it's time for some other colors
- They know what we wanted: a bridge and a balrog. I do like how this looks, especially open, but so many pieces that could have been bridge

You!
Shall!
Not!
Be granted permission to traverse beyond this point!

@PurpleDave said:
" @WizardOfOss:
This is definitely one set that would have benefited from being released before they dropped TNG."

I don't see how the Enterprise D is culpable here.

LEGO, the only company that can make a 130$ set look like a 30$ set...

I shall pass

It looks like Balrog is pissing in one of the images.

YOU SHALL NOT PISS!

@PurpleDave said:
" @BabuBrick :
So it does actually mention wings in the original text? Then why would @WokePope have seen so much debate over whether or not the Balrog should have wings?"

It’s a little vague. In the paragraph directly before the first one I quoted, it says:

“His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings.”

But then a couple of paragraphs later, it mentions that, “…. its wings were spread from wall to wall ….” Not ‘like wings,’ just ‘wings.’

If you want my opinion, the passage can be interpreted either way. Obviously, the films decided to depict the Balrog with wings, which I don’t think was the wrong choice; obviously Tolkien made a point to mention that the Balrog has shadowy, wing-like shapes, at the very least. The opposite interpretation is perfectly valid too, imo. The descriptions are probably worded intentionally vague, to convey a sense of mysterious dread.

Pay £40 more, you can get 21061 from Amazon. With almost 4 times the pieces.

Late to the comments as Lego is late to the game with this set.

Likewise, my comment is skimpy, lacking in detail, and relying upon past good works for sympathy. I don't have much to add, and am going to charge extraordinarily for it.

PSA: If you piss fire, please see a doctor.

I come unto you now, with greater power!

From the lowest dungeon of the Billund Vault to the highest peak of the Legoland roller coaster, I fought with whether to buy the Balrog of Morgoth.

Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside of people waiting to purchase.

Darkness took my wallet. It strayed out of credit limits and time. Dollar signs wheeled overhead as I contemplated just how much I could be made to pay. Every payment was as large and long as the lifeage of the Earth.

But, it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done... paying the interest charges.

How very sad that, after the glories of Rivendell and Barad-Dur, TLG have decided to consign this iconic scene to their latest 'book nook' gimmicks. I was really hoping for a 'proper' set. Even the completist in me is saying don't bother.

@Susan_Black said:
"On the plus side: on one of the pictures it looks like its tries to p** at Gandalf :D"

Yes, but how does it compare with the shadow box version.

That Balrog is not appealing at all.

I wouldn't buy this for 50$. 75 is outrageous. 100 is criminal. 130 is well....demonic.

@Lokipool said:
" @chom said:
"No, i dont like it .. still missing this option

tho i am big LotR fan :/ "

other than the price, what's not to like?"
To me at least, it simply doesn't look good. Looks like a caricature of the Balrog imho. The face in many shots looks like a comic book version, and also why is it almost entirely black? In the movie it looked like a menacing mix of glowing lava and ash. The mouth was like looking into a red hot furnace. This looks like a lump of coal with two horns stuck to it.
Seriously, the BrickHeadz version looked better to me, and that was crap to begin with, since it's a BrickHeadz, nuff said.
As for the rest, a hollow frame with almost zero relevant details. Whoever says this set is "perfect", what's up with that? In what way is this thing even close to acceptable, let alone "perfect"?
There's almost no detail, the iconic bridge is basically non existant. If it wasn't for the Gandalf fig, it could be almost anything.

I hadn't even looked at the price, just the pictures, and was like "no thank you, that's not how I imagine a LEGO version of a Balrog".
The laughable RRP is just the icing on the cake.

Lego: "BUY, YOU FOOLS!"

Am I the only one wondering where the Balrog’s flame sword is?

@colay said:
"Wow, compared to S Holmes, this is terrible. Want to like it, but, man, dat ugly

And, the side on pic, is he peeing on Gandalf?"

He seems to be severly dehydrated with how orange it is

@colay said:
"And, the side on pic, is he peeing on Gandalf?"
"You have my sword."
"And my axe..."
"And my pee!!!"

@Zeitgeist said:
" @SearchlightRG said:
"Am I the only one wondering where the Balrog’s flame sword is?"

Apologies Searchlight, but your sword is in another playset.

(And that playset is 76289)"
I’m already using a modded Surtur as a balrog.

@Altair1970 said:
"I can't believe all the negative comments. For the last 10 years people have been asking for the revival of the LOTR theme, and Lego is finally reviving the theme. They have been asking for a Balrog, and Lego has made a Balrog. But people are still not happy. It is always either too expensive or not perfect enough. Just enjoy the moment guys, this is a great time to be a Lego LOTR fan!"
I suspect it’s precisely because so many fans have been waiting so long for a balrog (I’m not counting the BrickHeadz one) and this one falls so far beneath expectations that there is so much disappointment.

@Altair1970 said:
"I can't believe all the negative comments. For the last 10 years people have been asking for the revival of the LOTR theme, and Lego is finally reviving the theme. They have been asking for a Balrog, and Lego has made a Balrog. But people are still not happy. It is always either too expensive or not perfect enough. Just enjoy the moment guys, this is a great time to be a Lego LOTR fan!"

Well, people (including me) have been wanting a Balrog set since the theme got started over a decade ago. And they gave us one! But nobody was really clamoring for Brickheadz to be the way they debuted the character. Then they gave us another! But a lot of people (myself included) are wondering what it would have looked like if $120 had gotten us _just_ a Balrog, and not a little scene that uses up most of the part budget for the set. I’ll still buy it, maybe even a second to use as the start of a MOC, but I still hope they do a standalone Balrog in minifig scale someday.

@Altair1970 said:
"I can't believe all the negative comments. For the last 10 years people have been asking for the revival of the LOTR theme, and Lego is finally reviving the theme. They have been asking for a Balrog, and Lego has made a Balrog. But people are still not happy. It is always either too expensive or not perfect enough. Just enjoy the moment guys, this is a great time to be a Lego LOTR fan!"

I'm not celebrating blatant nerd-bait. Even compared to other Lego sets, the price is ridiculous for what's on offer (Which amounts to one brick-built monster and one minifig). If this were a Creator set of similar size nobody would consider £109 to be remotely reasonable

@PurpleDave said:
"...Well, people (including me) have been wanting a Balrog set since the theme got started over a decade ago..."

A Balrog is never late, Dave Purplins. Nor is he early; he arrives precisely when he means to.

This new book-nook sub-theme ‘inexplicably’ turns simple 20/30 € playsets into 100+ € sets without any sense. As a long-time collector I really struggle to recognise today's Lego company. if I just think back to what Lego produced 10/15 years ago...two different worlds...

@WizardOfOss said:
"And this is how Gandalf the Grey became Gandalf the Golden....]

Helping to keep the wizz in wizard!"

I’m getting Rancor in Rancor Pit (Star Wars) vibes from this set in the closed position!
No-one else?…