Classic Review: 79006 The Council of Elrond
Posted by CapnRex101,
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit provided the basis for some fantastic sets between 2012 and 2014, although the range finished abruptly. 79006 The Council of Elrond was released with the final The Lord of the Rings wave, hence the return to Rivendell seems fitting!
10316 Rivendell looks absolutely extraordinary, although our original visit to Imladris was remarkable for different reasons. While small, this model certainly reflects the onscreen location and is populated by four desirable minifigures.
Summary
79006 The Council of Elrond, 243 pieces.
£29.99 / $29.99
Considering its limited size, 79006 The Council of Elrond is delightful
- Accurate architecture
- Beautiful colour scheme
- Incredibly detailed minifigures
- Certain areas lack detail
Minifigures
Two primary Frodo Baggins minifigures were available among the earlier The Lord of the Rings sets, although the head and cape sometimes varied as well. This iteration of the Ring-bearer, for example, wears no cape and features a fittingly concerned expression, only found here. There is a noticeable colour difference between the flesh printing on Frodo's torso and his head, sadly.
However, the tousled hair element includes superb texture, more than matched by Gimli and his extraordinary beard! This reddish brown piece is incredibly intricate, although dark orange would arguably be more accurate to the films. Gimli's dwarven helmet includes equal detail, presenting an attractive colour combination of dark brown with bronze patterns.
Ideally, Gimli would include an alternative hair element for complete accuracy to the movie, but I am satisfied with only the helmet. Removing his beard reveals a detailed torso and double-sided head underneath, although the neutral and angry expressions are hardly visible through the gap between Gimli's helmet and beard. Fortunately, the minifigure also comes armed with an axe.
Elrond is dressed in ornate robes, befitting an Elven master. The metallic gold decoration on his torso looks fantastic and continues onto his legs, visible beneath his dark red cloak. Moreover, a two-tone cape further demonstrates Elrond's significance, as such fabric components are rarely used. The minifigure also features a detailed hair piece, with his silver circlet included.
The hair elements created for Elrond and Arwen are each made from rubber, which was more common in 2013 than it is today. This material captures brilliant detail though, alongside pointed ears. The sand blue dress is interesting, since it does not represent a specific costume from the films, but remains impressive nonetheless.
However, this minifigure predates the dedicated dress element introduced in 2018, so features a printed 2x2x2 slope instead. The decoration is great, but this piece makes Arwen seem very tall beside her father. I think her head could have been improved too, as the prominent cheekbones do not suit Arwen's ethereal beauty, although Elrond's double-sided head looks splendid.
The Completed Model
Rivendell's autumnal colour scheme is instantly recognisable here, despite this model capturing only a sliver of the onscreen location. The courtyard where the council takes place is absolutely essential and I think the neighbouring building is identifiable with elven architecture, which is an achievement, considering its size. Furthermore, two trees neatly from the scene.
The octagonal base for the council is simply constructed, but I think light bluish grey was a good colour choice. The contrasting tan and pearl gold pedestal for the One Ring looks lovely against the base, even though its shape is exaggerated in relation to the film. However, only three chairs surround the pedestal, which is slightly disappointing as there is comfortably room for five.
On the other hand, only three council attendees are actually provided, so the presence of three chairs is understandable. The neighbouring tree is relatively basic, although includes some dark orange and olive green leaves. These dark orange leaves were new and exclusive when the set was released, not returning until 70751 Temple of Airjitzu two years later, while the olive green parts had only appeared twice before.
A tan button is found underneath the tree, revealing Sauron's flaming eye inside the base! This function also launches Gimli off the platform, as he attempts to smash the Ring with his axe. The whole function is a fun acknowledgement of Sauron's sinister presence within the Ring and I like the stickered eye very much. Stickers also adorn the chairs.
Frodo and Gimli cannot actually sit in their seats, unfortunately, while Elrond's cape also creates issues for him. 10316 Rivendell finds a solution! However, there is ample space for characters to stand around the Ring or beneath the arches of the accompanying building. Another tree grows on one side of this structure, again featuring autumnal leaves.
The grey columns are attractive and I like the band of tan elements above them too. The angled roof is equally effective, with simple 1x1 slopes creating lovely texture. However, perhaps most important of all are the 1x3x3 arch bricks, which were new in 2013 and likely created specifically for Rivendell, given their elegant shape. The curved steps are stylish too, matching the stunning elven blade beneath the arches.
Overall
While inevitably lacking the apparent majesty of 10316 Rivendell, 79006 The Council of Elrond captures the crucial features of this stunning setting. The blend of tans, browns and other earthy colours is outstanding, benefiting from the dark orange and olive green leaves on the trees. The architecture also corresponds with the onscreen location, even though the building is small.
Furthermore, three exclusive minifigures are included, although only Frodo's double-sided head is unique. Elrond and Arwen are beautifully detailed and their elven hairstyles look splendid. The price of £29.99 or $29.99 also feels reasonable, so it is hardly surprising that 79006 The Council of Elrond attracted such excitement when it was released in 2013! Of course, the set is far more expensive today.
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51 comments on this article
One does not simply track down a 2013 set at cost.
Stickers are sad.
i love elrond
Wonder how the dark and reddish brown pieces are doing in my MISB copy...
This is one of my favorite LEGO sets. Much like 10316, I think it's as close to perfect as we'll ever see. I finally picked this one up in 2020 and seeing the much larger Rivendell today makes me want to rebuild this one!
I bought this set the first chance I could - my daughter's middle name is Arwen, a name I chose because of my love for the work of Tolkien. This set was the only one (until now!) that had a minifig of the character.
I cannot wait to get the rather larger Rivendell (after saving up!) but I will forever hold this set dear. Thank you for the review.
I think reviews of older sets should be marked more clearly. Also, the price is beyond meaningless today. The set is ~$120. I read the review like an idiot until the last paragraph, only then realizing it's an old set :)
One of my favorite in my collection, one that is on display to this day. I even added other Fellowship minifigs to it.
A nice small set adding a splash of colour to a display.
And was nice to get Elrond and Arwen given the limited life of the theme.
But nothing compared to the new one.
"The Ring must be destroyed."
..."The Ring cannot be destroyed."
0_0
I already own 79006 (and all the other LOTR sets) and am wondering what I am going to do with it once I receive the new Rivendell set... any ideas?
I like this Elrond better but overall this set was pretty emblematic of why I was so disappointed with this theme of my favorite franchise- all the effort was put into the minifigures alone, and even then there’s a vast amount of important characters we (to date) never got
I have this set still built but I had forgotten about the flaming eye!
@CapnRex101 :
Why have you wrote another review of this set, when you already did back in the old days?
https://brickset.com/article/7214/review-79006-the-council-of-elrond
Ok, the photos are much better quality now.
I think this is the first time that a set has two "Brickset review".
Some of the minifigs in the new set look rough I'm probably gonna pick up some of the older faces/heads from Bricklink at this point. Arwen looks like a downgrade at this point, I hope they change it later.
I think Captain Rex just wrote this review to flex on all of us that he had Rivendell before it was cool.
JK love u Rex.
@Anak said:
" @CapnRex101 :
Why have you wrote another review of this set, when you already did back in the old days?
https://brickset.com/article/7214/review-79006-the-council-of-elrond
Ok, the photos are much better quality now.
I think this is the first time that a set has two "Brickset review"."
I thought it would be interesting to look back and see how LEGO's approach to Rivendell has changed over the past decade. The market for LEGO has changed so much in that time and I cannot think of an example which better demonstrates this evolution than comparing 79006 The Council of Elrond with 10316 Rivendell.
I am glad my photography has shown improvement!
Basically this is proof that Lego can easily downsize a $500 set to $30 and it would still be wonderful. I really wish that Lego would revive sets like this. Even Tower of Orthanc was reasonably priced back when it came out, and quite honestly, contains more play features and Easter eggs than the new Rivendell set.
Today this set would easily be released at $45. It’s a great set though, and shows how much you can do with Lego and get the theme across without needing a $500 set.
The minifigures in 2013 already started to look incredibly detailed. This set is 10 years old and the level of detail in minifigures today hasn't increased much, but when you compare the figures of this set to figures from 2003 there's an enormous difference.
If anything, the new Elrond and Arwen are less accurate than the old versions.
@elangab said:
"I think reviews of older sets should be marked more clearly. Also, the price is beyond meaningless today. The set is ~$120. I read the review like an idiot until the last paragraph, only then realizing it's an old set :)"
I've seen previous articles of this type so was on guard, but I agree that these kind of retrospectives need to be labeled more clearly.
what is going on with Arwens mouth? is she ok?
79006: $7.5 per minifigure (approximated current value: $22.5 per minifigure)
10316: $33.33 per minifugre ($23.8 if you count the statues. But seriously, no one would pay much for the statues)
I think that we get too few minifigures these days for our money.
I have no idea why they did not use this Arwen face print for the Rivendell set, and instead picked a generic Marvel face print - the lack of care is frustrating for a $500 set in that regard.
@BPK2300 said:
"One of my favorite in my collection, one that is on display to this day. I even added other Fellowship minifigs to it. "
One of the few things I had built and never took apart had all 9 companions together as a small display.
@Padmewan said:
" @elangab said:
"I think reviews of older sets should be marked more clearly. Also, the price is beyond meaningless today. The set is ~$120. I read the review like an idiot until the last paragraph, only then realizing it's an old set :)"
I've seen previous articles of this type so was on guard, but I agree that these kind of retrospectives need to be labeled more clearly."
Go back and read the first paragraph. What's confusing?
@560heliport said:
" @Padmewan said:
" @elangab said:
"I think reviews of older sets should be marked more clearly. Also, the price is beyond meaningless today. The set is ~$120. I read the review like an idiot until the last paragraph, only then realizing it's an old set :)"
I've seen previous articles of this type so was on guard, but I agree that these kind of retrospectives need to be labeled more clearly."
Go back and read the first paragraph. What's confusing?"
For me it wasn't clear if it's a new but similar set the one from 2014. We know 10316 is not the only upcoming LOTR set, so I got confused if the one reviewed is of the upcoming ones. I got confused even though I read the first paragraph. These reviews are great, all I said was they could be branded a bit better, that's all. They added "Classic" to the header, which makes things easier to understand with just a glance.
(Hic) Whomever suggested a drinking game (hic) whenever Cap'n Rex (hic) uses 'moreover,' 'superb,' or 'furthermore' is going to answer to (hic) my hepatologist for my cirrhosis.
Seriously, nice review. Improvements in all respects noted. Congrats! That's a great way to status check your life. How quickly it goes by...
@Patrik78 said:
"Wonder how the dark and reddish brown pieces are doing in my MISB copy..."
2 of my leaf pieces are broken, but obviously my set’s not sealed.
It was a very good set and I am glad to have it!!
Now, LEGO has seen that toys for adults is a good market and they prepare beautiful and big sets we cannot live without
One of my favorite sets that I own! I had to drive a few hours to a LEGO brand store for this.
@elangab said:
"I think reviews of older sets should be marked more clearly. Also, the price is beyond meaningless today. The set is ~$120. I read the review like an idiot until the last paragraph, only then realizing it's an old set :)"
I have updated the title and will identify subsequent reviews of older sets as 'classic', although I realise that term is not ideal for a set released in 2013!
I got the Frodo minifigure from a friend who gave me a bunch of other Lego pieces and minifigures that he found in one of his drawers. Love it!
With the new 10316 coming out, I think it was a great idea to review a relevant older set! I was initially quite surprised that Brickset apparently had posted a review of a new set on the day of reveal, but was pleasantly surprised to find out it was on the older version. I can certainly see the improvements made over the original review, good work @CapnRex101!
@CapnRex101 said:
" @elangab said:
"I think reviews of older sets should be marked more clearly. Also, the price is beyond meaningless today. The set is ~$120. I read the review like an idiot until the last paragraph, only then realizing it's an old set :)"
I have updated the title and will identify subsequent reviews of older sets as 'classic', although I realise that term is not ideal for a set released in 2013!"
One more thing that might help (because at first it wasn't obvious to me that this was an old set and not a GWP with the new Rivendell set) maybe update the title to include the year it was originally released? Something like:
Classic Review: 79006 The Council of Elrond [2013]
Just a thought. Thanks!!
@alfred_the_buttler said:
"Basically this is proof that Lego can easily downsize a $500 set to $30 and it would still be wonderful. I really wish that Lego would revive sets like this. Even Tower of Orthanc was reasonably priced back when it came out, and quite honestly, contains more play features and Easter eggs than the new Rivendell set. "
Even Orthanc got a separate scene set in the form of 79005 The Wizard Battle. A great little set for a reasonable price.
I'm very much hoping that LotR gets a range of sets at various price points that are far below the new Rivendell's. Unlike HP which is retreading previous scenes and settings, LotR still has plenty of iconic moments that have yet to be captured at minifigure scale/format. Balrog vs Gandalf for example.
Not that I don't appreciate the beauty of the new set, but personally I'd rather have four sets the size and RRP of this or slightly above to create my own Rivendell than one huge 500 Euro set that I'll never buy because such a price level is just insane.
I still have this one built and on display. While it can't compare to the new one in scale and scope, I still think the colour scheme of this one is superior of the two. The colour scheme was always one of my favourite parts of this set, which I wouldn't say about many other sets.
And as I have no plans to buy the new set, it'll probably stay on display for the foreseeable future.
@CapnRex101 said:
" @elangab said:
"I think reviews of older sets should be marked more clearly. Also, the price is beyond meaningless today. The set is ~$120. I read the review like an idiot until the last paragraph, only then realizing it's an old set :)"
I have updated the title and will identify subsequent reviews of older sets as 'classic', although I realise that term is not ideal for a set released in 2013!"
Thanks, I find it's better now.
Yeah, but it's still better than "Vintage" :) Maybe "Retired set Review of the week"? "Rewind Review" ?
BTW, it's a great idea for a series of reviews. A modern review for an older set could be fun, and pretty much will fill any slow news week with more traffic.
I'd never looked at the minifig in person closely enough to notice, but the print on Arwen's dress looks like it's been scaled way up from what it was supposed to be - notice the bottom edge of the laces, much larger than those on the torso, and the whole thing's fuzzy. Maybe the design was created for something the same height as regular minifig legs, and had to be enlarged to fill the height of the taller dress piece?
Arwen's head print actually looks pretty accurate to Liv Tyler to me. I think it's the lips, but I'm not sure. Either way, this was a good set at the time. I think I skipped the set because the figures didn't interest me enough.
@vzarmo said:
"what is going on with Arwens mouth? is she ok?"
Botox
If I'm not mistaken, Arwen's dress is what she wore when facing off against the Nazgul. I've also found that if you'd like to put her on a horse because of that, the legs from figure SW1077 are an acceptable substitute.
Bought this set secondhand back in November. It's a really lovely set; the fall colors and miniatures great and its surprisingly large for it's original price of $29.99!
@alfred_the_buttler said:
"Basically this is proof that Lego can easily downsize a $500 set to $30 and it would still be wonderful. I really wish that Lego would revive sets like this. Even Tower of Orthanc was reasonably priced back when it came out, and quite honestly, contains more play features and Easter eggs than the new Rivendell set. "
It is a great set, but not impressive enough to have had it on display in my living room for the past decade, while the new set will be getting pride of place for many years next to Hogwarts. It may not be particularly play-worthy for children (although I would disagree, my sister and I had a lot of fun with actual toys that had less "play value" than a big Lego set) but I'm sure my family will have fun arranging amusing vignettes all over Rivendell for the rest of us to discover later!
I have always been worried about this question: after the release of a larger and better set than it was before, does the price and demand for the old version decrease or not?
@zurn said:
"I have always been worried about this question: after the release of a larger and better set than it was before, does the price and demand for the old version decrease or not?"
I don’t think it has any affect at all. It’s not a rerelease or a substitute, so both sets have merit and can exist side by side. If anything, there may be a temporary increase in value for the older one as people go back and look at sets they missed.
Simple but effective. This is the only Lord of the Rings set I own as I was in my dark ages through the duration of the theme. Luckily my mum got this for me for Christmas. Missing out on all the other Lord of the Rings sets is probably my biggest Lego regret!
I got this set as a present back in the day, but as a ten year old, I made the stupid decision to return it and get something else. I don’t even remember what I got instead. Still kicking myself 10 years later.
@Judgeguy said:
"Simple but effective. This is the only Lord of the Rings set I own as I was in my dark ages through the duration of the theme. Luckily my mum got this for me for Christmas. Missing out on all the other Lord of the Rings sets is probably my biggest Lego regret!"
Interesting, I too almost missed the LOTR sets because of Dark Agism. You see, I only permitted myself to buy SW Lego as an adult excuse that I was limiting my toy purchases.
However, my son and I read the books and he then wanted a LOTR set. My completionist tendency took over. Next, we read HP together. Now, there's Lego everywhere!!
I really regret not getting this one; not just for the elves, but to get another Gimli-launching function alongside the one in Helm's Deep.
@elangab and @CapnRex101: May I suggest "Retro Review?"
@TheOtherMike said:
"I really regret not getting this one; not just for the elves, but to get another Gimli-launching function alongside the one in Helm's Deep.
@elangab and @CapnRex101: May I suggest "Retro Review?""
I like it! :)