Review: 40631 Gandalf the Grey & Balrog
Posted by CapnRex101,
The premature culmination of The Lord of the Rings theme was frustrating, particularly given the range of potential products which remained unreleased. For instance, the monstrous Balrog presents obvious potential, but was overlooked ten years ago.
40631 Gandalf the Grey and Balrog accordingly includes the first LEGO Balrog, although in BrickHeadz form. Nonetheless, the figure appears absolutely unique among BrickHeadz, while Gandalf is the perfect adversary for Durin's Bane.
Summary
40631 Gandalf the Grey & Balrog, 348 pieces.
£17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99 | 5.2p/5.7c/5.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Despite some limitations of the format, Gandalf and the Balrog look superb
- Gandalf is remarkably detailed
- Distinctive Balrog design
- Stunning fiery colours
- BrickHeadz format cannot capture Balrog's true majesty
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The Completed Model
Gandalf the Grey appears fairly simple from the front. The wizard's garb is extremely plain, while his beard is assembled using a variety of curved slopes and 1x1 quarter circle tiles. Light bluish grey elements neatly link the beard with Gandalf's long hair, which is where this figure begins to improve.
The combination of slopes, curved slopes and wedge plates looks excellent, creating attractive texture, although not conflicting with the smoother beard too much. I like the shape of Gandalf's pointed hat as well, while the character is equipped with his wooden staff and a sword, famously known as Glamdring. This accessory looks surprisingly accurate to the onscreen weapon.
Moreover, the folded hood on the back of Gandalf's robe is interesting, comprising a pair of 2x2 wedge slopes. In combination with 1x2 curved wedge slopes, the hood looks splendid. Also, the unkempt hair continues to impress, although some asymmetrical features would probably have been beneficial.
Experience has shown that translating non-humanoid characters to BrickHeadz form can prove difficult sometimes. The Balrog arguably provides even greater challenges because the beast is always shrouded in shadow and flame, which partly disguises its shape. Fortunately, the most distinctive features are recreated here, including the Balrog's dramatic horns and wings.
Those horns are constructed using slopes, connected at different angles with brackets to create their curved shape. The transition between the head and the horns is unusual and also matches the onscreen creature, without deserting the established BrickHeadz shape. Of course, the eyes are important too and feature the normal decoration, albeit on flame yellowish orange pieces for the first time.
I love these yellow highlights, with another inside the mouth and brick-built flames adorning the head and legs. The repeated dark red accents are equally effective and the tiny red whip is an adorable addition, in reference to the Balrog's memorable burning whip from the films. Perhaps a flaming sword could have been gripped in the other hand.
The articulated wings look reasonable, with jagged tips approximating their shape. I like the fiery colours continuing down the Balrog's back as well, nearly reaching its tail. Ultimately, I think this rendition of the Balrog looks good, but remain uncertain whether non-humanoid characters truly suit BrickHeadz. After all, the Balrog's animalistic stance is integral to its appearance, but cannot be portrayed in this format.
Overall
40631 Gandalf the Grey and Balrog has attracted particular attention among the three The Lord of the Rings BrickHeadz packs, primarily because of the Balrog. The figure represents a notable departure from standard BrickHeadz in some respects, but I think the designer has managed to balance any unusual features with the series' customary characteristics.
However, some of those non-negotiable characteristics are ill-suited to the Balrog, including the blocky legs. I am satisfied with the model though, while Gandalf is also more complex than I had envisaged, featuring intricate hair texture. Furthermore, the price of £17.99, $19.99 or €19.99 is quite reasonable, matching other BrickHeadz twin packs, despite the Balrog's unusual size.
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46 comments on this article
You shall not pass... on buying this set!
You shall... pass?
Ugh, to me brickheadz feel like a cheap way to cash in on hype for a franchise. It feels like LEGO could make a detailed and thought out set to sell a franchise, but then they cheap out and produce some brickheadz. There's been the Chip & Dale ones, the Disney 100, Stranger Things, even these LOtR ones... all cashing in on a new movie/season/celebration. They could have made some cool sets but they just made mediocre brickheadz. Give us something special! I think for a brickhead to exist, they should have to have a minifig of them in existance or production, just to balance out the spread of characters.
These two looks decent tho! Thanks for the review!
A Balrog of Legoth!
Well, now we can try to recreate the opening sequence of Lego Dimensions a little closer.
I toured 4 Lego stores and they all had plenty of Frodo+Gollum and Aragorn+Arwen kits, but this one was sold out everywhere.
Considering BrickHeadz is the LEGO equivalent to Funko Pop, and comparing this Balrog to the Funko Pop one, I think LEGO should have done the same thing they did, and exaggerate a bit more the proportions on this one, making the brick built arms and legs bigger.
"Run you fools!"
Everyone who complained about the price for Gollum, can make up the difference for the value with the Balrog. One underwhelming, one overwhelming, and same price? sounds pretty equal to me. Now you just gotta be lucky enough to get them both at the same time.
I can only say I like it better than Frodo/Gollum... but sorry Gandalf, I will pass. Back to the shadow.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early.
This review arrived precisely when it was supposed to.
Going to my local LEGO Shop I a couple of days,
I shall not pass, on this if they have it in stock
"BUY YOU FOOLS!"
- Lego the Gray
Seeing both reviews I would have preferred a Gandalf / Frodo pack.
Then again, I'm not a big BrickHeadz fan to begin with, so perhaps I'm the wrong person to judge them.
@GBP_Chris said:
""BUY YOU FOOLS!"
- Lego the Gray"
Damn. Wish I had thought of that!
Listen... is it the best? No. Did I already buy it and build them a month ago? Yes.
But it would be sweet of they made a gigantic brick built Balrog, aka Bowser. Although bigger. Needs to be BIGGER.
I'm neither a LotR nor a BrickHeadz fan, but I quite like that Balrog! While Gandalf on its own looks fine, next to the Balrog he looks rather boring. They don't work well as a combo, even when it's a logical one.
Want the Balrog as a Bigfig in a minifig-sized set.
And I still think they should have included a leaf with the Balrog as a last-minute update tying in the Rings of Power series and the littering dwarves.
@Milo_Hilo_26 said:
"Ugh, to me brickheadz feel like a cheap way to cash in on hype for a franchise. It feels like LEGO could make a detailed and thought out set to sell a franchise, but then they cheap out and produce some brickheadz. There's been the Chip & Dale ones, the Disney 100, Stranger Things, even these LOtR ones... all cashing in on a new movie/season/celebration. They could have made some cool sets but they just made mediocre brickheadz. Give us something special! I think for a brickhead to exist, they should have to have a minifig of them in existance or production, just to balance out the spread of characters.
These two looks decent tho! Thanks for the review! "
A business wants to make money? A high rate of return for minimal cost?? Insanity!
@bekuehn said:
"Everyone who complained about the price for Gollum, can make up the difference for the value with the Balrog. One underwhelming, one overwhelming, and same price? sounds pretty equal to me. Now you just gotta be lucky enough to get them both at the same time. "
Gollum set costs $15/€15 , the other 2 brickheadz sets are $20/€20 so Gollum being smaller is reflected in the price ($5/€5 gollum vs $10/€10 frodo/gandalf/balrog etc)
Great, now we just need a regular set with a Balrog.
@fulcrumbop said:
"Want the Balrog as a Bigfig in a minifig-sized set.
And I still think they should have included a leaf with the Balrog as a last-minute update tying in the Rings of Power series and the littering dwarves."
Bigfig can't do the Balrog justice. I want brick built! Huuuge!
@gonesnakee said:
"Was Soooo Excited to Hear There Would Be More LOTR Sets....
Then Soooo Disappointed to Find Out They were Brickheads....
LEGO Let Down of the Year...
Nuff Said"
They’re… not done.
@B_Space_Man said:
" @gonesnakee said:
"Was Soooo Excited to Hear There Would Be More LOTR Sets....
Then Soooo Disappointed to Find Out They were Brickheads....
LEGO Let Down of the Year...
Nuff Said"
They’re… not done.
"
Hopefully. But they completely screwed up the licensing the first time, too. I’d love to be surprised, but I do not trust them to produce anything I’d actually want, and these brick heads are not helping that assumption
That's one cute whip, you would almost forget it's a weapon of mass murder.
@gonesnakee said:
"Was Soooo Excited to Hear There Would Be More LOTR Sets....
Then Soooo Disappointed to Find Out They were Brickheads....
LEGO Let Down of the Year...
Nuff Said"
That’s exactly how l felt. I’m crazy about LOTR but what the heck shall l do with these things… Gandalf looks decent but still…. I love the minifigures, l would prob buy a new Gandalf and Balrog minifig (big fig) for this price.
Any word yet on what the big supposed $500 set will be? Till then, my reaction is, "LotR is back! Oh, it's just brickheadz."
We wait years for a Gandalf and balrog set and what does LEGO come up with? F’ing BrickHeadz! Come on, LEGO. Give us a minifigure-scale Gandalf and balrog complete with collapsible Bridge of Khazad-dûm!
@Milo_Hilo_26 said:
"Ugh, to me brickheadz feel like a cheap way to cash in on hype for a franchise. It feels like LEGO could make a detailed and thought out set to sell a franchise, but then they cheap out and produce some brickheadz. There's been the Chip & Dale ones, the Disney 100, Stranger Things, even these LOtR ones... all cashing in on a new movie/season/celebration. They could have made some cool sets but they just made mediocre brickheadz. Give us something special! I think for a brickhead to exist, they should have to have a minifig of them in existance or production, just to balance out the spread of characters.
These two looks decent tho! Thanks for the review! "
I can see your point but regardless of hype, I think they’re quite enjoyable but basic sets. More of the core Lego system experience. And it’s how the final touches add on that elevates it, imo. I don’t see the brickheadz have any success without giving in for some hype, and that is more of a win win situation: the theme stays around thanks to relevancy, and customers desiring for certain characters get opportunity to find and collect these for display.
Might sound crazy but I’d rather have loads of brickheadz than huge 200+ sets being pumped out every second week or so.
@Milo_Hilo_26 said:
"Ugh, to me brickheadz feel like a cheap way to cash in on hype for a franchise. It feels like LEGO could make a detailed and thought out set to sell a franchise, but then they cheap out and produce some brickheadz. There's been the Chip & Dale ones, the Disney 100, Stranger Things, even these LOtR ones... all cashing in on a new movie/season/celebration. They could have made some cool sets but they just made mediocre brickheadz. Give us something special! I think for a brickhead to exist, they should have to have a minifig of them in existance or production, just to balance out the spread of characters.
These two looks decent tho! Thanks for the review! "
This is also my main issue with these normie lines which includes helmet collections, Brick Sketches and all the off-model Harry Potter stuff like the figures, birds and items. It feels like Lego just wants to minimize production costs and make as many sets as possible out of predominantly regular bricks without prints and no double molds as they are cheaper to produce than any set with a minifigure. And then they turn around making a 500$ Rivendell set with one or two dozen minifigs and people interested in that side of Lego only have the choice to get it or not to get it which is really difficult with such a high pricetag and kind of pointless without the prospect of other LOTR sets ever again after the disastrous first few years (which were apparently not disastrous enough to forgo the license....)
Building a helmet out of Lego at half scale for 50-70€ feels stupid when I could get a true scale replica for more or a fully articulated action figure for half. Lego sculptures are nice jokes but not really items to keep forever. Figures give you the ability to make scenes and pose your stuff in a multitude of ways. Having a collection of things that just stand there and don't truly interact with each other is the most boring thing possible just after collecting trading cards or postmarks just to put them into books, not even really displaying any of them. Though looking at reddit most people seem to just buy stuff and cram it unto shelves without any motive for the display, be it helmet collection, Lego Star Wars vehicles, action figures, movie prop replicas or anything else really.
@ra226 said:
"Any word yet on what the big supposed $500 set will be?"
50 BrickHeadz of all the main cast of characters ;-)
@Anonym said:
" @Milo_Hilo_26 said:
"Ugh, to me brickheadz feel like a cheap way to cash in on hype for a franchise. It feels like LEGO could make a detailed and thought out set to sell a franchise, but then they cheap out and produce some brickheadz. There's been the Chip & Dale ones, the Disney 100, Stranger Things, even these LOtR ones... all cashing in on a new movie/season/celebration. They could have made some cool sets but they just made mediocre brickheadz. Give us something special! I think for a brickhead to exist, they should have to have a minifig of them in existance or production, just to balance out the spread of characters.
These two looks decent tho! Thanks for the review! "
This is also my main issue with these normie lines which includes helmet collections, Brick Sketches and all the off-model Harry Potter stuff like the figures, birds and items. It feels like Lego just wants to minimize production costs and make as many sets as possible out of predominantly regular bricks without prints and no double molds as they are cheaper to produce than any set with a minifigure. And then they turn around making a 500$ Rivendell set with one or two dozen minifigs and people interested in that side of Lego only have the choice to get it or not to get it which is really difficult with such a high pricetag and kind of pointless without the prospect of other LOTR sets ever again after the disastrous first few years (which were apparently not disastrous enough to forgo the license....)
Building a helmet out of Lego at half scale for 50-70€ feels stupid when I could get a true scale replica for more or a fully articulated action figure for half. Lego sculptures are nice jokes but not really items to keep forever. Figures give you the ability to make scenes and pose your stuff in a multitude of ways. Having a collection of things that just stand there and don't truly interact with each other is the most boring thing possible just after collecting trading cards or postmarks just to put them into books, not even really displaying any of them. Though looking at reddit most people seem to just buy stuff and cram it unto shelves without any motive for the display, be it helmet collection, Lego Star Wars vehicles, action figures, movie prop replicas or anything else really."
Your last sentence captures what these are all about; they’re a different lego offering that people, who may not be massive Lego fans, can buy as a display piece. They’re meant to adorn shelves, desk etc, just like Funko. It allows a LotR fan to have a Lego set without having to buy an actual set for $100 or something. You may not find them enjoyable, but many do, and I think it captures the market great. Your whole comment seems rather ignorant to the variety of reasons people buy lego. And to the contrary, I think a piece that can be a sculpture will last far more than something else.
@AustinPowers said:
" @ra226 said:
"Any word yet on what the big supposed $500 set will be?"
50 BrickHeadz of all the main cast of characters ;-) "
Noooooooooo!
The Balrog's cuteness is beyond any of you. Run! (To make a purchase.)
@Sandinista said:
" @Milo_Hilo_26 said:
"Ugh, to me brickheadz feel like a cheap way to cash in on hype for a franchise. It feels like LEGO could make a detailed and thought out set to sell a franchise, but then they cheap out and produce some brickheadz. There's been the Chip & Dale ones, the Disney 100, Stranger Things, even these LOtR ones... all cashing in on a new movie/season/celebration. They could have made some cool sets but they just made mediocre brickheadz. Give us something special! I think for a brickhead to exist, they should have to have a minifig of them in existance or production, just to balance out the spread of characters.
These two looks decent tho! Thanks for the review! "
A business wants to make money? A high rate of return for minimal cost?? Insanity!"
Said the guy named after a Communist revolutionary group. Ha, ha!
@fulcrumbop:
While they probably could get away with a sly reference, they don't have the merchandising rights for the show.
@watcher21:
Not only that, but it also cooks your dinner right as you catch it!
Gandalf looks good but I'm not sure about Balrog. If it were Gandalf and Frodo, these sets would sell like cupcakes. I'm certain this will do well, too.
Balrog's too small, just a bit larger than Gollum.
@PurpleDave lmao, you forgot it's use in vermin extermination. Pests like giant spiders and Noldor Elven Highkings.
A LOTR CMF would be soo good.
Shoulda saved Balrog for a stand alone giant set. …This looks a bit weak.
@Milo_Hilo_26 said:
"Ugh, to me brickheadz feel like a cheap way to cash in on hype for a franchise. It feels like LEGO could make a detailed and thought out set to sell a franchise, but then they cheap out and produce some brickheadz. There's been the Chip & Dale ones, the Disney 100, Stranger Things, even these LOtR ones... all cashing in on a new movie/season/celebration. They could have made some cool sets but they just made mediocre brickheadz. Give us something special! I think for a brickhead to exist, they should have to have a minifig of them in existance or production, just to balance out the spread of characters.
These two looks decent tho! Thanks for the review! "
They might be a feeler for how well 'proper' sets of that theme would sell, while being a low-risk option themselves.
@watcher21:
No, I said it cooks your dinner as you catch it. Balrog’s gotta eat, and he ran out of Dwarves. All that’s left is this goblin-orcs, and even spiders would be more palatable than them.
@leviness:
1. Happy Gollum
2. Angry Gollum
3. Pensive Gollum
4. Confused Gollum
5. Murderous Gollum
6. “Lightbulb Moment” Gollum
7. Hungry Gollum
8. Anguished Gollum
9. Scheming Gollum
10. Thinking Gollum
11. Scared Gollum
12. “In the Fires of Mount Doom” Gollum
What a cute little balrog!
Perhaps we can get a friendly looking Azog next.
@ra226 said:
"Any word yet on what the big supposed $500 set will be? Till then, my reaction is, "LotR is back! Oh, it's just brickheadz.""
Rivendell: https://www.stonewars.de/geruechte/lego-herr-der-ringe-d2c-bruchtal-10316/
To be honest, I like the Balrog Brickheadz. The Brickheadz theme is often looked down upon because it's apparently "too childish" and has the "wrong scale", but I enjoy this theme a lot because of the successful caricaturing of portrayed characters while still including key features.
I think the people who dislike Brickheadz are generally the same people who hate on Funko's POP!s for looking "weird". But I think Brickheadz are great as desk toppers.