Thanks for reading this review of 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell! It will be available exclusively from LEGO.com on 5 March 2023 for LEGO VIPs, ahead of an 8 March 2023 release. LEGO and The Lord of the Rings fans alike will also receive several new LEGO elements from the world of Middle-earth, including: Bilbo’s sword, Sting, the broken shards of Narsil, Aragorn’s ranger sword, Boromir’s sword, as well as numerous dwarven axes and elvish blades to ensure the Fellowship are well armed for their quest ahead.

RIVENDELL™ 10316 - LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RIVENDELL™ 10316 - LEGO

The tree is gorgeous and takes up a dominant spot visually in this section, nicely overlooking the Council of the Ring. The leaves, which combine two shades of green and yellow perfectly mimic the rustic aesthetic of Rivendell.There are 12 council members. I would add two temple guards and Jocasta Nu for the figure lineup. If it wasn't going to be the full council, I would keep the temple guards and Jocasta Nu, as well as Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, Agen Kolar, Adi Galia, Kit Fisto, Saessee Tiin, and Oppo Ranciss from the council. I would also add Ahsoka and the younglings that she teaches which are Gungi, Ganodi, Katooni, Zat, Pedro, and Byph. Although I doubt they would do the younglings since some of them are the same species as council members(Zat and Katooni), and they likely aren't popular enough. If I were to maintain a 15 minifig limit, I would cut from the previous list Kit Fisto and Plo Koon since their popularity will likely get them in a set at some point no matter what. Realistically, it would contain Yoda, Windu, Anakin, Obi wan, maybe Ahsoka, popular council members like Plo Koon and Kit Fisto, and hopefully a few temple guards. The momentous Council of Elrond takes place in the courtyard outside Elrond's chambers, with an enormous tree overlooking the scene. The setting is immediately recognisable here and the use of colour is brilliant, as the gathered chairs are the only medium nougat features anywhere outside, ensuring their clear visibility. And underneath the Gazebo is a cavern that doubles up as an armoury where spare weapons are stored. I really like the simple grindstone used to sharpen blades. The Council Ring Hobbiton (in Matamata, NZ) has been retained & restored and I highly recommend a visit if you're in the area. After a day visiting all the Hobbit-holes, it was very relaxing to sit in The Green Dragon Inn with a pint of traditional ale. Elrond is a magnificent new figure: he has a dark red torso and skirt element, with an intricate design printed on the front, incorporating golden thread on the red gown, I wonder if the light-coloured print underneath is intended ot be white, in which case, it is possibly suffering from the fate of printing area of light ink over darker plastic. The printing continues smoothly from the torso to the lower part, although there is no rear printing on the skirt element. Elrond has a silver circlet printed on his forehead. He and has a slight smile on one side, and a slightly disapproving one expression on the other. Again, he has the same reddish-brown hair we have seen several times in this set so far. As with Gandalf, there is provision for Elrond to sit down, using an appropriately printed 2×2 curved slope, with some plates.

LEGO Icons 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell review

Here’s a look at the instructions for 10316 Lord of the Rings Rivendell, which appear in the new stark white format. There are 3 booklets, and each booklet has these wireframe designs of the set, with the corresponding sections highlighted. They all look incredibly good, reminiscent of their 2012/2013 versions with the exception of Legolas who reuses young Han Solo’s head, and doesn’t quite look like Orlando Bloom. Aragorn, and Boromir are pretty good albeit sporting slightly identical facial hair. To have this many named minifigures in a set feels unprecedented, especially characters that are as sought-after as Lord of the Rings minifigures. Buying the older Fellowship of the Ring minifigures on the secondary market would cost you as much as the set itself. It should come as no surprise that 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is a display model through and through. The closest you’ll come to functionality is popping out the bush for Sam to hide behind while eavesdropping on the Council of Elrond, or, erm, opening the trunk that contains Sting and Bilbo’s mithril armour. The rest of its 6,000+ pieces are dedicated entirely to authentically and artistically recreating Rivendell’s majestic architecture, stunning scenery and breathtaking landscapes. Both minifigures wear dark bluish grey robes, with sand green and metallic silver accents. While these designs look great, their colours should differ between them, at the very least. The dress provides some variety though and this torso is cleverly designed, so the dark green belt appears equally natural with or without the ribbons hanging underneath.

Detailed decor ⁠– Details include Frodo's bedroom and Elrond's study, and the different sections can be displayed separately: for example, the Council of Elrond™ can be lifted off the main model I do feel that while the elven hair element is excellent, I wonder if it is a little overused. The facial lines that defined the cheek-bones of the elves in previous years have gone, and Legolas, the female and male elves and Arwen all have heads that have been previously well-used on regular humans. This is less of an issue for the hobbits. Does it matter? If nothing else, it means that you can now consider almost any general face an elven one. Of course you can re-recreate the Hobbits celebrating Frodo getting healed and waking up on the bed!

LEGO 10316 The Lord of the Rings Rivendell review | Brickset

And most importantly, the broken blade Narsil which was used by Isildur to cut the ring of Sauron’s hand. The TowerIt’s great to get an older version of Bilbo, who is now ageing normally after having surrendered the Ring. Frodo of course, comes with the shiny One Ring, and the other Hobbits have accessories matching their personas. And of course, one of the most clever parts usage ever – the use of sausages and a popsicle fort the chairs. The chairs seats are flat tiles, so minifigures tend to slide off when you’re arranging them which is slightly annoying. The Council Ring – complete with a semicircular ring of chairs for the council and the plinth where the ring is first revealed and the Fellowship discuss how to destroy it There’s also a lovely timeline of LEGO Lord of the Rings sets, which you may fondly remember from 2012 and 2013. Take the chairs in the Council Ring, for example, built using a combination of lollipops and sausages. Or the roof, exhaustingly recreated using so many 1×1 tiles – the alignment of which will likely be an exercise in patience, although incredibly rewarding when you finally finish.

LEGO 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell Review: LEGO 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell

The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell launches on March 5 for VIP members, and for the first three days on sale includes a free copy of 40630 Frodo & Gollum. It will then be available to everyone at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores from March 8 (with no free set). I’m honoured that I can finally share my comprehensive review of one of THE most anticipated LEGO sets ever – 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell! Dimensions – The set measures over 39 cm (15 in.) high, 75 cm (29.5 in.) wide and 50 cm (19.5 in.) deep and splits into 3 sections: the tower, the council ring and the gazebo with river and bridge Edit: on review, I have inadvertently performed a head swap between Pippin and Merry. thanks to reader Jonah B for performing due diligence ]

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On the upper level is a small mezzanine level with plenty of awesome references. The main attraction here is the statue holding the Shards of Narsil, bits of Isildur’s sword used to slice the ring of Sauron’s hand.