about the set 

LEGO Lord of the Rings Rivendell is the biggest Lord of the Rings LEGO set produced by LEGO as of May, 2023 and will likely be discontinued sometime in 2026. The set is based on Rivendell in Middle Earth. There are a total of 6167 pieces. It includes nine minifigures for the nine characters of the fellowship, Bilbo Baggins, Elrond the Half-Elven, Arwen, Gloin, 2 elves and 6 statues, for a total of 21 minifigures. Both stickers and imprinted pieces are included in the set. 

Packaging

The box had 49 numbered bags inside and 1 non numbered bag with plates. Additionally, inside the main box was a second box with some of the bags to stop pieces from rattling and the 3 instruction books were packaged in a cardboard envelope. 

The set has 13 stickers including the cover to Bilbo’s book “There and Back Again”.

This set is for adults and collectors as it is a large set and based on the Lord of the Rings. The box has a simple design similar to other LEGO sets geared towards adults. The box rating says ages 18 and up. 

What’s Inside 

There are a total of 21 minifigures including aged Bilbo Baggins, Boromir, Arwen, Aragorn, Elrond Half-elven, Frodo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, Gimli, aged Gloin the dwarf, Legolas, Meriadoc, Peregrin, Samwise Gamgee, a female Rivendell Elf, and a male Rivendell Elf. In addition, there are also six Elf statues that include four different versions. 

The minifigures have two sided heads. Especially noteworthy is Bilbo’s face when he sees the ring. This set also includes an aged Bilbo and Gloin minifigures which are not included in previous sets. The minifigures are accurately dressed with elegant designs in the front and back. The Elves’ dresses shine in the light. Moreover, parts of the clothes on Boromir, Aragorn, Meriadoc also shine in light.

Gandalf and Gimli minifigures have hats and long hair that fit over their beards. Gloin also has hair that fits over his beard. Gandalf, Elrond, Frodo and Bilbo have alternate bottoms for sitting in the chairs at the council. Gandalf and Elrond robes to sit down are imprinted, not stickered which made them a great addition to the set.

The weapons include Narsil — the broken sword, Boromir’s sword, Gimli’s ax, Bilbo’s sword — Sting, Aragorn’s sword, Legolas’ bow and arrow, and elf swords. The weapons complement the minifigures well.

The set is built in three sections. The Gazebo with a forge and an armory, the tower in Rivendell where Bilbo writes his book, “There and Back Again”, and The Council Ring. 

The three sections which are connected by axle bars and pin holes, slide together and apart easily.

Notable building techniques 

• The top of the Gazebo uses vines and life preservers
• Animal tail pieces are used as tree limbs
• Animal tail pieces are also used as door/window arches
• Roof decorations that look like birds 
• Vines and animal tails create archway decoration behind the council porch
• Hotdogs and popsicles are used to create chair arms and back
• Use of fat round pieces ‘Brick, Round 2 x 2 D. 45 degrees Elbow’ create the look of old, gnarled tree
• Use of ‘plate modified 2×3 with holes’ makes a nice look to top of roof

unique features 

The porch and council meeting areas come off for separate display. 

The weapon racks are also easy to take out.

The tower comes off easily to reach into Bilbo’s room and see his desk.

The sticker with a scene of elves, one pouring from pot to bowl, and the sticker with the elves dressed in armor, were both nice touches.

Bilbo’s room has an armchair, writing desk on which his book sits, and a mithril vest and sword are inside the trunk. 

challanges building the set 

The directions were easy to follow and the set is bagged nicely so you don’t have to sort through too many pieces at once.. However, building the set a second time will be challenging as there are so many pieces. Making sure all the roof tiles were facing the correct direction was grueling. This set is geared more for those who want to display the set on a shelf.

comparsions to other sets

Compared to LEGO Council of Elrond (79006), although you can’t make Gimli fly backwards when he hits the ring, the aesthetic quality of the porch and the nine seats is a definite plus. Having all 9 of the fellowship characters included in the set makes it feel complete. 

conclusion 

The set is delicate, but anyone interested in the Lord of the Rings world will enjoy playing with it. Some fun things to play with are the leaves with lembas bread, the removable gazebo so you can get into the armory, the removable weapons rack, Bilbo’s trunk with sword and mithril vest, the hidey hole for Sam, located under the statues. You could make scenes with Gandalf’s hair/hat and Gimli’s hair/helmet, and the sitting figures of Gandalf, Elrond, Bilbo, and Frodo.

I took my time and spent about 5 days building the set. The roof was the most time consuming to build with lots of pieces and straightening the tiles. Despite that, I enjoyed building it. Because the set was bagged nicely, it would be possible for anyone, even an inexperienced builder, to put together. The set came with some extra pieces but I wished this set had come with more since there are many little pieces that get lost easily. 

I liked the set’s beauty and versatility while I didn’t like all of the stickers (though I think all the stickers fit in well with the story). I also didn’t like all the minifigures’ faces, like Arwen’s as it felt kind of basic. 

The model has a nice display of the many features of Rivendell and is accurate enough to help satisfy anyone’s imagination. The set includes tiled floors, a tiled roof, and has a captivating artistic design. The minifigures are relevant to the story and the theme of the set. The price was a good value for such a large set and based on the amount of pieces included and all the set features. The set has beauty and various noteworthy build techniques. The set is great for both display and play.