New Lord Of The Rings LEGO Set Builds A Brick Version Of The Shire (And The Dragon Firework)
There are few cinematic locations as beautiful as The Shire in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, one of the greatest film franchises of all time. The cozy, green village where Bilbo Baggins and the rest of our Hobbit heroes reside is a picturesque fantasy locale, one that you can actually still visit down in New Zealand. However, since plane tickets are pretty pricey, LEGO has a way you can visit The Shire without leaving the comfort of your home.
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The building brick masters at LEGO have announced the release of a new "Lord of the Rings" playset that lets fans build Bilbo Baggins' house in The Shire. The cute little hole in the hill is one of the most iconic locations in Middle-earth, and now you can build it yourself. Sweetening the deal, the set includes an amazing assembly of minifigures and all the details you'd want from Bilbo's 111th birthday party at the start of "Fellowship of the Ring," including the fireworks dragon that Merry and Pippin accidentally fire off during the festivities.
The interior of Bilbo's house comes to life as well, including a slick re-creation of one of the more ominous moments that sets the stage for the entire fantasy adventure. Let's take a closer look at the "Lord of the Rings" LEGO set for The Shire below!
Welcome to the LEGO version of The Shire
In "Fellowship of the Ring," we witness the preparation for the 111th birthday of the Hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins (the late Ian Holm). We join the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) as he strolls into The Shire (not late, precisely when he means to), and we see an assortment of Hobbits going about their day, from children clamoring for a little fireworks surprise to an elderly Hobbit feigning grumpiness at Gandalf's arrival. But it's when we arrive at Bilbo's house that our story picks up.
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Bilbo previously went on an adventure of his own, and he brought home a trinket in the form of a mysterious ring. Unbeknownst to Bilbo, that ring was actually the Ring of Power that Sauron once used in an effort to rule over all of Middle-earth. But now that Bilbo has decided to head out on another adventure, leaving his home behind again, possibly for good, he reluctantly leaves behind the ring for his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood).
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The LEGO set for The Shire allows fans to build Bilbo's house, though it's a bit of a bummer that it's not a full modular display that can be opened up, rather than being half of a house with the back always open. Even so, the set does allow a re-creation of the moment when Gandalf realizes that Bilbo's old ring is the Ring of Power.
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In fact, there's a cool little feature that allows fans to let the envelope holding the ring "burn away" and reveal the tiny little LEGO version of the golden ring. But that's not all!
All your favorite Hobbits come with The Shire LEGO set
The Shire LEGO set comes packed with minifigures, including all of the Hobbits you ever could have wanted. Bilbo, Frodo, Samwise (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monaghan), and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are all there. Sam is even joined by his beloved wife Rosie (Sarah McLedon). On top of that, there are two extra Hobbits included: the grumpy Mr. Proudfoot (the one who pretends to scowl at Gandalf on his arrival), and the Hobbit woman who is presumably his daughter. Almost every minifigure comes with some sort of accessory to hold in their hand.
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But personally, I think one of the best touches in the entire set is the inclusion of the dragon firework that Merry and Pippin end up setting off. It's a little buildable piece of the scene, and it attaches to the tree where Bilbo's birthday sign is set up. The little diorama recreates the moment when Bilbo surprises everyone by giving a farewell speech and suddenly disappears, thanks to the power of the One Ring that renders its wearer invisible. Plus, you'll notice that Merry and Pippin have swappable hairpieces that make it look like they got roasted by the fireworks. Adorable!
The Shire is just the latest addition to the "Lord of the Rings" LEGO set line-up, along with LEGO's Barad-Dûr playset, perhaps better known as Sauron's dark tower, as well as the stunning LEGO Rivendell setting where the Fellowship of the Ring organizes for the first time. The LEGO Shire will be on sale starting on April 5, 2025 for $269.99, or if you're a LEGO Insider, you can snag it on April 2.