LEGO - Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dur Review: One LEGO Set to Rule Them All

Barad-Dur is a visually impressive and engrossing LEGO set.

By Christian Hoffer

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The newest LEGO Lord of the Rings is one of the most physically impressive sets ever built, although some may have some quibbles about its interior design. Announced earlier this year and due to go on sale on June 1st and 4th, LEGO's newest Lord of the Rings set is a recreation of Barad-Dur, the legendary Black Tower of Sauron. Standing at nearly 3 feet tall, the LEGO Barad-Dur is the fifth-tallest set ever built and comes with several new LEGO bricks created just for the set. Visually, Barad-Dur is a crowning spectacle and a centerpiece of any LEGO (or Lord of the Rings) collection. It's also a challenging, time-consuming build on par with other LEGO Icons sets. However, for true Lord of the Rings fanatics, they may feel that the interior of the tower is a bit underwhelming, with relatively few Easter eggs and visual treats compared to many other LEGO sets. 

The Barad-Dur set can roughly be divided into four parts – a massive base that uses nearly half of the set's pieces, plus three distinctive parts of the tower. Orange, red, and brown bricks comprise the base of Barad-Dur, representing the literal fires and lava that flows around the base. The LEGO set incorporates the Barad-Dur design from the movie, with the tower itself built into and supported by a large rock outcropping, which is showcased by an grey and tan scar that circles up the left-side of the tower. 

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Unlike last year's Rivendell set, which featured a set that split open to reveal its contents, Barad-Dur is in fact only half a tower, with the back end of the tower open to reveal several interior scenes. On the base of the tower is a dungeon and forge, the second story contains a dining hall (with a hilarious "Meat" menu on wall), and the upper story contains a throne room and Sauron's private study, filled with plans on both the rings and the conquest of Middle-Earth. 

A separate rocky outcropping (perhaps meant to represent Mount Doom) can also be built to serve as a display for Frodo, Sam, and Gollum minifigures, all of which are included in the set along with a handful of goblins and orcs, the Mouth of Sauron, and of course Sauron himself in physical form. 

Highlights of Barad-Dur includes a very clever way to open the gates, utilizing a hidden knob among the many rock outcroppings on the tower, and a throne room with a hidden room that contains a Palantir. Also impressive is the Eye of Sauron itself, which hangs from the top of Barad-Dur and can be adjusted to look in specific directions or angles. The Eye of Sauron also includes a light-up brick underneath it to help give it an illuminating effect, but in general I found that element to be a tad underwhelming. Luckily, the Eye of Sauron pops off even without the light-up effect, and fans will find themselves staring at their handiwork for hours once its completed. 

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The difficulty with designing a Barad-Dur build isn't its impressive height, but rather the lack of source material as to what's inside. Other Lord of the Rings sets were filled with impressive nods to the movies, but Barad-Dur was never properly visited in the films itself as it was the literal seat of power for the forces of evil in Middle-Earth. As such, LEGO was forced to come up with its interiors on their own and chose some safe but rather uninspired choices. The throne room is impressive, but filling Sauron's keep with a dining room for orcs and libraries (along with a portrait of Sauron himself hold the One Ring in triumph) seems a little contradictory to what Barad-Dur represents in the films and books. It's a minor quibble though and I don't think anyone who enjoys both LEGO and Lord of the Rings will really mind what exists inside Barad-Dur itself. 

It took about 14-16 hours to complete Barad-Dur, and an adult pair of builders can probably complete it within a day. It's a visually impressive build that lacks any real finicky or frustrating parts and continues a trend of fun, high-end, visually impressive LEGO builds. With last year's Rivendell and now Barad-Dur, the real question is how LEGO will try to top themselves next year. Could we get Minas Tirith? Helm's Deep? The entirety of the Shire? I, for one, can't wait to find out. 

Related:

LEGO Insiders will be able to pick up the LEGO Icons Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr set first starting on May 31st / June 1st at 9pm PT / 12am ET priced at $459.99 right here at  the LEGO Shop. You can sign up for a free LEGO Insiders account right here. The general public will be able to order theirs at the same time and at the same place on June 4th. 

A review copy of LEGO's Lord of the Ring – Barad-Dur set was provided by the manufacturer. 

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