Lego’s Huge Rivendell Set Is as Epic a Feat as the Lord of the Rings Movies

Rivendell is built in four distinct sections across three instruction manuals, making up the eventual thirds it breaks down into for play and transportation. The first is the tower that sits at the far left of the build, and includes your first three minifigures (well, technically eight, but we’ll get to that).

Those minifigures are three Hobbits, who, unlike past Lord of the Rings halfling minifigures, have updated two-tone leg pieces to show off those blocky big feet. Frodo comes with the One Ring, of course; Sam with his trusty frying pan; and Bilbo a walking stick.

The five other minifigures in this section are actually representing statues that run around the base of the tower—they’re still complete figures though, including alternate expressions for more stern or calm faces.

The very bottom of the tower includes a small hidey-hole covered by leaves, and is inspired by Sam hiding in the bushes of Rivendell to overhear the council meeting he wasn’t invited to.

This section features two interiors: on the ground floor is a small library, while above it is Bilbo’s room.

The wall behind that top floot includes a mural depicting Isildur about to fatefully strike Sauron down at the Battle of the Last Alliance—and becomes part of a larger scene when the set is all put together.

The ground floor includes a small bookshelf of Elrond’s tomes and a nice little bench to read on.

Bilbo’s room is a little more elaborate—there’s a bed with a bedside table, a small chest containing Sting and his Mithril vest, and a writing desk.

A desk where, once you removed the tower parapet, you can get a better look at the Red Book of Westmarch, where Bilbo is writing his book.

Both Bilbo and Frodo come with alternate brick-built legs for sitting down, whether it’s to recreate Frodo waking up after recovering from his injury, or to… well, get them to sit down anywhere.

Frodo and Bilbo’s heads can both be rotated to reveal alternate expressions—Frodo’s horrified shock, while Bilbo’s is of course a reference to the ring tempting him in Fellowship’s extended edition, causing his face to quickly flash sinisterly in a highly meme’d jumpscare.

The second phase of building is actually for the other end of the set: a small bridge and pavilion area that comes with four more figures.

Those four minifigures are two named characters and two unnamed ones: Gimli (with his trusty axe), Arwen (with a book for her to dramatically drop in two movie’s time), a feminine-presenting Elvish attendant, and an unnamed member of the Dwarven contingent that attends Elrond’s meetings. Early sources believed this was actually Gloin, Gimli’s father, but Lego designers have since said it’s meant to represent any general Dwarven ambassador.

The small pavilion is meant to represent scenes from later Lord of the Rings movies where Arwen reads away her immortality and mopes about Aragorn. Plus, it’s on the other side of the building where her dad hangs out, so it’s best suited as a getaway for his nagging about her boyfriend.

The stone bridge, which features exposed studs to place minifigures on along the way, goes over a small recreation of some of the river Brunien, which flows through the structures of Rivendell.

Lifting up Arwen’s pavilion reveals underneath an armory and forge, for storing some of the weapons that come with the set (including Elven and human swords, dwarven axes, and a bow) and just in case, you know, you ever need to re-forge a blade that was once broken for any particular reason. Like some king returning or something.

Rivendell is full of little details and secrets that you won’t normally see looking at the set from the front. Case in point: this little cave behind the waterfall that houses a single frog and some mushrooms made out of glow-in-the-dark pieces. Neat!

There’s also a smaller forge outside, should your Elves need some fresh air during all that smelting and whatnot.

The largest part of the build is the main section of the set: Elrond’s various chambers that serve as the backdrop to the council meeting. You also get the most minifigures here, befitting the size and focus of the build this section commands.

Those six figures are a second unnamed Elven attendant, this time masculine-presenting, Pippin and Merry to round out the Hobbits, Gandalf the Grey, Boromir, and Legolas.

Naturally Merry and Pippin’s accessories are food themed. Merry comes with the parts of the broken carrot he stole when he and Pippin bumped into Frodo and Sam on their way out of the Shire, while Merry has a piece of Lembas bread—the Elven bread meant to fill a man’s stomach in a single bite, but more of a party nibble for a Hobbit.

This section of the build includes some of the most intricate detailing in the whole piece— like this gorgeous set of columns that form a ring around the house’s front.

As a clever nod to the moment Sauron’s eye flashes when Gimli’s axe strikes the One Ring during the Council’s meeting, the foundation of the section you’ll eventually place the Council sets on has a hidden recreation of Sauron’s disembodied form, always watching.

Arguably the arduous part of the build, if not the toughest, is the the intricate tiling atop the roofs of Rivendell, done with painstakingly placed single-stud tiles to create an elaborate mosaic. You don’t have to be too perfectionist with the positioning when you’re first placing them—the instructions include a clever technique of running a long, thin piece in between each row of tiles to straighten them out.

The small interior of the house is filled with various desks of writing, mostly taken up by maps.

The second floor of Elrond’s abode connects to that small section at the back of the tower earlier—representing the hall of artifacts and artwork that Aragorn and Boromir examine. Included are pictures of Ost-in-Edhil, the Elven captial of Eregion and home to Celebrimbor, and Eärendil and Elwing sailing to Aman in the First Age. The last statue minifigure forms part of the sculpture that holds the shards of Narsil, the sword of Elendil that ultimately destroyed Sauron’s physical form at the climax of the Second Age.

Although part of the same manual as the main house, the final section of the Rivendell set is built separately—the ring of seats where Elrond calls his council of Middle-earth representatives to discuss the finding of the One Ring.

This small section, which can be displayed on its own, includes the final two figures: Elrond, and Aragorn.

There are several different tree builds placed throughout Rivendell, but the mighty tree that sits behind Elrond’s seat is the most impressive—and its leaves are full of wonderful autumnal colors.

Both Elrond and Gandalf, like Bilbo and Frodo, come with alternate brick-built lower halves so they can actually sit down at the council chairs.

Although this section is not completely secured when placing it into the final build—so you can remove it for play—it fits tightly into its allotted section thanks to some clever shaping and structuring, so you don’t have to worry about jostling it out of place.

Here’s another final look at the minifigures included on their own, starting with the citizens and guests of Elrond’s realm.