Past and Present: The LEGO® The Hobbit™ Theme

Could there be one LEGO® theme to rule them all? J.R.R. Tolkien fans certainly think so! Join us as we explore the incredible LEGO The Hobbit™ collection in 13 sets...

For many fantasy fans, never was there a more exciting moment than when the worlds of the LEGO Group and J.R.R. Tolkien collided in an explosion of creativity! Finally, LEGO fans could play out the stunning landscapes, jaw-dropping battles and unlikely heroes from Tolkien’s fictional universe in a magical range of sets.

Buckle up your Elven cloak, pull on those, erm, hairy feet?! and join us as we pay homage to 13 incredible sets from the LEGO The Hobbit collection...

An Unexpected Journey

First stop, Bag End, where our unexpected journey begins. The aptly named An Unexpected Gathering (79003) set beautifully translated Bilbo’s cozy subterranean home into brick form.

Outside, this set features wholesome details like the iconic round green door and windows, flower boxes, a vegetable patch and chimney stack peeping out under the watch of the gnarled oak tree perched atop the hill.

Inside, the set doesn’t disappoint. Carefully concealed behind the hillside is a dining table, laden with freshly picked vegetables. Sausages sizzle over the fire, and tucked in a corner is Bilbo’s writing desk, complete with quill and map of The Shire™. The set also includes four dwarf minifigures – armed and ready to invite themselves in and devour Bilbo’s food stores – Gandalf™ the Grey with his staff, and of course, Bilbo™ himself.

Exclusive to this set are the green cheese slope elements that were used for the roof. Cool!

Next comes the Attack of the Wargs (79002), which depicts the moment when Thorin Oakenshield™ is attacked by a gang of orcs riding on the backs of two vicious wargs!

This set was the first ever to feature the wolfish LEGO wargs! Luckily for the two minifigure dwarves, the leafy branches of a brick-built tree provide suitable protection from the two hunter orcs and their captain Yazneg™, with its magic flame-shooter function. The assortment of swords, axes and bows allows for some epic hand-to-hand combat, too!

In the Riddles for the Ring (79000) set, fans were able to act out Bilbo & Gollum’s tense meeting in the caves beneath the Misty Mountains. The set featured Gollum’s rocky island home, and the ghoulish boat he uses to get to it (complete with bones). Minifigure Bilbo, armed with his famous sword, Sting, must think fast to outsmart Gollum™, who, with a fanged grin, wide eyes, posable arms and clutching a fish, is determined to protect his beloved ring, which is hidden among the craggy rocks of the cave!

Arachnophobes beware, because next up is the Escape from Mirkwood™ Spiders (79001) set. This set of brick-built crawlers included two giant, articulated spiders with glow-in-the-dark eyes, plus three smaller accompanying spiders. When minifigure dwarves Fili and Kili are suspended from the spider cocoons high up in the tree, this set provided two saviors in the form of Legolas Greenleaf and Tauriel™ minifigures, phew!

Some eagle-eyed fans may have noticed that although the LEGO sets associated with the Mirkwood spiders and barrel escape scenes are in An Unexpected Journey packaging, they are actually featured in the second movie, The Desolation of Smaug. The reason? Well, like a hobbit wolfing down second breakfast, sometimes we’re just too quick for our own good!

Last, but by no means least, in the An Unexpected Journey releases, is the incredible The Goblin King Battle (79010). With seven minifigures that include Gandalf the Grey (armed with a unique short sword), Dori, Nori and Ori, there’s no shortage of beloved characters to save from the Goblin King – armed with a spiked helmet and skull-adorned scepter, and backed by two Goblin soldiers as well as a Goblin scribe.

The sprawling lair is filled with intricate details, includes glowing crystals, flickering torches and a treasure trove of gold and jewels. Luckily for our heroes, this 841-piece set has plenty of build time to piece together a bucket crane, rope bridge and firing catapult for a death-defying escape!

The Desolation of Smaug

With the release of the second movie installment, the LEGO adventures continued with The Desolation of Smaug sets!

First up, the Mirkwood Elf Army (79012). Tan, dark green and brown LEGO pieces came together to form a forest fortress to protect the Mirkwood elves from the invading orcs. Complete with six awesome minifigures, including two Elven archers, an elf warrior, two Gundabad orcs, the Elvenking (father of Legolas!) and a warg, this set created the perfect starting point to build an army for Mirkwood, not to mention the weaponry – short and long swords, bows, arrows, a scimitar and a spear!

For die-hard fans of The Hobbit, the Barrel Escape (79004) set is surely an absolute must-have from the collection. Recreating one of the most classic, comical scenes from The Desolation of Smaug, the details in the Elvenking dungeon add so much fun and charm to the storytelling.

Complete with double dungeon door, breakout function and gold key, you can’t help but smile in anticipation of how Bilbo and his minifigure gang will manage to escape imprisonment by the Elvenking. Detailed accessories such as wine bottles, wine glasses, a cask and the One Ring™ recreate this beloved scene in full swing. Not to mention a few barrels that can be connected to form a raft, with ample room to hold our heroes on their way downstream. You could say it’s a barrel of laughs!

The Lake-town Chase (79013) set amps up the adventure with a chase over land and water. A small, brick-built house and a lantern-lit loading dock may look innocent, but it doubles as a prison that minifigures Bilbo and Thorin must escape from! The ship of Bard the Bowman™ is on hand to help the two out of trouble, and numerous elements that can be triggered to add playfulness. Catapults that can fire ammunition at the Lake-town Guard and Master of Lake-town, a barred door that can be released to free the prisoners, and a secret entrance for Bilbo to hide behind! The added detail of patches of snow on the dock and roof, and barrels of fish, give this set that authentic Lake-town feeling.

The Dol Guldur Ambush (79011) puts hairy hero Beorn™ – a shapeshifter who can turn into a black bear – in the spotlight as he fights off Gundabad orcs in the ruins of Dol Guldur. A smaller set, but magnificently detailed, the main build is the ruined structure of Dol Guldur, former fortress of Sauron™.

Hidden among the walls, archway and tower of the ruins is a cage that can be lowered to trap unfortunate minifigures. This set boasts axes, hammers and a chain mace in its armory, as well as a catapult and swinging traps hidden inside the crumbling wall! Besides offering a lot of playability, this set also attaches to the Dol Guldur Battle (79014) one – coming next! – to depict the movie’s finale in all its glory.

With 797 pieces and six minifigures, including wizard Radagast™ the Brown, the Orc Lord Azog™ and the highly menacing Necromancer, Dol Guldur Battle (79014) commemorates a pivotal moment in The Hobbit saga. This eerie, brick-built fortress, complete with ominous statue and gates, sets the stage for some dramatic LEGO action.

Detailed accessories, from a giant spider with spiderweb to a skeleton in a cage (watch out, it drops!) and multiple booby traps add to its spooky atmosphere and, of course, there are swinging swords and catapults galore. This set truly stands out as the flagship build for The Desolation of Smaug subtheme.

Psst... Check out the secret compartment inside the statue’s base!

The Battle of the Five Armies

With the release of the third and final movie installment, the LEGO adventures came to a heroic crescendo with the release of The Battle of the Five Armies sets.

Attack on Lake-town (79016), with its two sections, connected by an arch bridge, depicts the scene where Lake-town comes under a menacing attack. Minifigure Bard the Bowman, positioned up high in his brick-built bell tower, takes aim using the set’s spring-loaded shooter, as his minifigure son, Bain, supplies him with precious, dragon-hide-piercing Black Arrows. Floating aboard a small raft, minifigure Tauriel, in her vivid green and brown leather clothes, takes on the two hunter orcs, armed with a scimitar, bow and arrows.

Despite being a relatively small set with 313 pieces, some stand-out details will transport you straight to Lake-town, including a barrel that can be tilted with a crane, a well-hidden booby trap, patches of snow and a fish lying on the dock.

The Witch-King Battle (79015) set returns to the evil fortress of Dol Guldur, this time with a different set of magical minifigures, awesome elements and heaps of attitude. Featuring a haunted tree with rotating platform for a minifigure, and a skeleton-activated catapult with two fireball elements, this relatively small set (101 pieces) does a surprising amount! One of the coolest things about this set is its minifigures’ features – High Elves Elrond™ and Galadriel™ express their magical power through reversible faces, and the Witch-king’s glow-in-the-dark head is donned by a unique element, his angular crown. And who could forget Galadriel’s powerful Light of Eärendil™ element – where would we be without that?!

The stand-out build in this part of the series has to be The Lonely Mountain (79018). The largest of the entire LEGO The Hobbit collection, the shining star of this majestic 866-piece set has to be Smaug™. With his huge yellow fangs, foldable wings that span over 18 inches (46cm) and razor-sharp claws, Smaug makes for an ominous foe – he even spits fire elements!

This dragon face-off takes place against the brick-built backdrop of Smaug’s cavernous lair, complete with a hidden treasure trove, forging area, giant catapult and a bucket full of gold pieces. And of course, our brave protagonists are also included in the set, featuring minifigures of Bilbo and dwarves Fili, Balin, Kili and Dwalin.

Reaching the sets’ dramatic conclusion in the ruins of Dale is The Battle of Five Armies (79017). Minifigures from the worlds of Elves, Dwarves and Men unite against the evil Azog and his orc forces in this awesome set, with look-out tower, exploding wall and bridge that add some serious drama to this set’s storytelling.

Featuring a ginormous firing crossbow with arrows, swords, longbows, mace, red ruby axe, short sword and a spear, the armory in this set is fully loaded and ready to head into battle! Can Giant Eagle Gwaihir™ swoop in in time to save our heroes? You get to decide!

Can’t wait to get collecting these precious sets (sorry, couldn’t resist...)? Us too!

© New Line Productions Inc. All rights reserved. THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY and all names of the characters, items, events, and places therein are ™ of Middle-earth Enterprises, LLC under license to New Line Productions, Inc. (s25)