The LEGO The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr, now available exclusively at the LEGO Store, is an imposing, dramatic build. Photos don't do it justice; it's close to three feet tall, but it looks even taller thanks to forced perspective; the top sections of the tower are progressively shorter than the bottom sections at the base.
This is the same technique the Imagineers used on Cinderella's Castle in Walt Disney World, to make it appear otherworldly and magical. In this sense, the LEGO build of Barad-dûr accomplishes the same abstract goal, albeit with a more sinister and terrifying end result.
The first thing you build is not physically connected to the larger Barad-dûr set, but it's a nice keepsake to display alongside it. It's a small rock formation (perhaps the Dead Marshes?), upon which you perch Minifigures for Frodo, Sam, and Gollum. The LEGO Designers assessed—correctly, in my opinion—that they couldn't build a Lord of the Rings LEGO set of this size and scope without somehow including its most famous characters.
Then, you build the tower itself, which goes up in three parts. First, you build the massive base of the structure and the lake of lava that surrounds it. From the front, it looks like a complete tower, 360 degrees around. But the back of the tower is cut away; turn the building around, and it is a diorama with scenery and evocative details on every floor.
The base of the build includes a dungeon, where we see a skeleton hoisted midair inside a gibbet; and an armory, containing a blacksmith forge and numerous weapons, armor, and helmets. There's also an interactive mechanism that runs along the top. Turn a crank, and the doors to the tower open and close. There are several of these mechanisms—little contraptions that enhance interactivity—scattered throughout the structure. More on those later.
The second level slides into place directly above the first level, via grooved rails. It contains an evil-looking dining area, where orcs can gather and feast on large turkey legs and toss back goblets of wine and ale. The details in this room stand out, especially the massive cauldron over lava, and the prep table near the back, where we can see knives and fresh herbs hanging from the ceiling.
The rest of the build is a single, tall, heavy tower, which "slots" in above the second level. It contains (in order from bottom to top) Sauron's throne room, the Mouth of Sauron's study, and a library with a ladder, which leads to the roof. Similar to the ground floor, Sauron's throne room also has an integrated mechanism. Pull on a tab, and you reveal a secret room behind the throne, which houses a Palantír (seeing-stone) and a map of Middle Earth.
Lastly, you build the Eye of Sauron, a glowing monstrosity that's illuminated from behind by a LEGO light brick. It's adjustable to look in any direction—the better to catch any hobbits trying to sneak about.
This is the second massive-scaled set that LEGO has designed around the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. The first, which we covered in 2023 at the time of its release, was a 6000+ piece LEGO recreation of Rivendell, the elven town where the Council of Elrond formed the Fellowship of the Ring. It includes the House of Elrond, the stone bridge over the River Brunein, an elven tower, Bilbo's room, and the iconic gazebo from The Two Towers.
That set could be a pain to build, owing to its impractical elven architecture. Every surface, from the roofs of the houses to the top of the gazebo, was layered with delicate, curved bits and miniature details upon details. It had spaces cast in shadow, designed to give the illusion of depth. The end result was something that was gorgeous to look at—uncommonly so—but only that. You could hardly breathe on it without something breaking off, which made it a display set—to be kept out of reach from even adult observers—rather than a play set.
Barad-dûr is a bit more durable than Rivendell, although it's still far too delicate to be considered anything but a display build. But what it is, in nearly every way, is a more fun building experience than its elven predecessor. Whereas Rivendell had fussy webs of bricks hanging together by single connection points, Barad-dûr is a chunky build, with craggy rock faces and flowing streams of lava. The decorative elements are monolithic—large spikes and dramatic arches that layer black upon black upon black. It's good to be bad.
Between Barad-dûr and Rivendell, the LEGO designers have set a bar for quality that will be difficult to surpass, except by a future Lord of the Rings build. The designers spared no expense in creating the best possible models, and they look every bit as ornate and costly as they are—a fitting homage not just to the movies, but to the Lord of the Rings books as well.
These sets revel in their extravagance. How appropriate, that classic tales of power and ambition have inspired one of the most ambitious designs in LEGO's history.
LEGO The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr, Set #10333, retails for $459.99 is composed of 5471 pieces. It is available now at the LEGO Store. For more, see the best new LEGO sets of June 2024, which includes this set, plus LEGO Minecraft The Crafting Table and more.
Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.
