The LEGO® Group announced the latest set in their Lord of the Rings revival recently. You’ve probably seen it all over social media. The Shire (10354) releases in April 2025. It joins the Icons line-up alongside Rivendell and Barad-dur. I was eagerly waiting for photos of this set once the rumours started circulating weeks ago. However, when I finally saw the pictures, my first reaction was disappointment. Now that I have taken a few days to digest all the pictures, I can say I feel a bit better about the set. But, part of me loves it and part of me hates it.

The Shire Specs:

• NAME: Lord of the Rings – The Shire
• SET #: 10354
• THEME: Icons
• COST: $349.99 CAD
• BRICK COUNT: 2017
• COST/BRICK: $0.173 CAD (expensive bricks)
• MINIFIGURES: 9
• BRICKS/FIG: 224 (satisfactory character count)
• INSIDERS RELEASE DATE:  April 2, 2025
• GENERAL RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2025

The disappointment was real…

Why was I initially upset? One word: Minifigures. When I first heard of this set, I was hoping it would include the dwarves from the Hobbit. I need their varied beards and adventurous outfits for my MOCs. Instead, we get Bilbo’s useless party from the early scenes of the Fellowship of the Ring. Apart from Gandalf, these are all stumpy characters with unmoving legs. I HATE the unmoving, short legs, and that is all you get in this set. We don’t even get a Ring Wraith on a black horse.

Another shocking aspect? The price. While cheaper on a surface level than Barad-dur and Rivendell, you are actually paying more per brick. Rivendell and Barad-dur both cost about $0.11/brick. The Shire is a whopping $0.17/brick… and it is unlikely to ever go on sale. So, if you want it, it will likely be a day one purchase (for reasons we’ll soon discuss), or a double points wish list item.

The pick-me-up…

After cooling my jets about the Minifigures and the cost/brick, I looked a little more closely at the product pictures. The set actually includes a lot of neat pieces and a stunningly detailed design. I am not building anything Lord of the Rings right now, but I can imagine modifying this set a little so it fits in my current MOC schemes. The green elements alone help with any landscape building, even if you have no intention of the using the hobbit hole. It won’t be a cheap landscape though… But then again, those rounded corner with slope elements would cost you more than $0.17/brick on Bricklink or Pick-A-Brick.

The GWP…

Then there’s the gift-with-puchase incentive. If you buy this set in the early days after release, you get a Sméagol and Déagol set for free. If the Fell Beast that came with Barad-dur is any indication, this GWP will not last long. Hence why many will opt for a day one purchase. I for one am on the fence. Once again, this set comes with the stupid, gimpy legs. The Fell Beast was far cooler. The GWP for this set should have been the fallen log scene with the Ring Wraith. In any case, here are the specs for the GWP:

• NAME: Lord of the Rings – Sméagol and Déagol
• SET #: 40761
• THEME: Icons
• VALUE: $32.99 CAD (free with purchase of the Shire)
• BRICK COUNT: 181
• MINIFIGURES: 2
• INSIDERS RELEASE DATE:  April 2, 2025

The Minifigure Factory is celebrating too…

As Canadian LEGO® fans know, the Minifigure Factory recently opened up for us online. To celebrate the release of the Shire, the LEGO® Group added some new torso prints to the service. Their website calls on fans to “Create your army”, though I doubt at $16 CAD a pop that many will order these in bulk. They are also not really army building material in my opinion… more like party building. I doubt I will order any, but I thought I’d include them here in case others are keen.

Despite my huge disappointment with the Minifigures, I will probably still pick up this set. The build itself is beautiful and inspiring. Whether or not I get it on day one for the GWP or wait for double points and/or a better GWP, we’ll have to see. What do you think of the Shire? Will you pick it up now or wait? Let me know in the comments or reach out on social media.

Until next time,

-Tom

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