Balrog comes to life !
Excellent kit! Fun time building and lighting it! I can see a great deal of time went into designing it. App not working so I can register my points.
Truly Magical
First off let me say that I think this set is getting a bit too much criticism and is an overall fantastic build.
The whole time I was building this set I was thinking how satisfying it was to construct the symmetrical “book binding” with the flame inside. People have said this could be a full set instead of a book nook and lacks the “finished” feel with the openings on either side. I personally disagree. I think these elements, along with the finished Balrog make for a wonderful representation of this scene and the Balrogs impact. It takes up about 80% of the space closed and the out folded wings when open is such a delight to see. Anymore detail or pieces and I think it would take away from the magic of this build, and for me, the scene itself that represents the movie and book. I like to think of the opening on either side as us viewers peering onto the beginning of this epic battle and setting the tone for this scene. Again, this is not the universally agreed upon opinion for this set, but it tickled my LOTR fancy and I’m very pleased with this build. And the ability to take the Balrog out so easily is why I rated the playability a 5. It’s a completely adjustable action figure that can be placed in numerous positions for many different additional scenes.
To close yes this isn’t the most affordable, as we’re seeing these days with Lego, for what you get. The price tag does not translate I think and I believe it should be closer to the Harry Potter book nook price tag. The price indicates “You Shall Not Pass” 💀
All that to say, a fun build and if you are a LOTR fan I’d say worth adding to your collection.
For LOTR fans
A great bookend with Gandalf and Balrog on the bridge of Khazad-dûm. The pillars have the characteristic dwarf building style, and the movable Balrog figure is wonderfully depicted. Building it can sometimes feel a bit repetitive because you need to use a lot of the same pieces for the supports, but it's perfectly fine given the size. I would recommend buying a light kit here. I have one where the Balrog's whip is completely illuminated and the flames in his neck/back flicker, which makes the scene look so realistic.
Awesome set
I loved the building experience with this one!! It brought me back memories when I was younger watching that movie scene in 2001!! Fantastic
Easy build
My husband built this and loved it. He said it was an easy build and was a lot of fun. He displays it in his office and said he might get the books to go with it. You can move it easily which is nice!
Fair Build, Pricey, and Missing Pieces
This was my first Lego set that I put together as an adult, and the main reason I purchased it was that it was the cheapest Lord of the Rings themed set I could get my hands on. I had been wanting to get one of the more expensive sets for a while now, but I couldn’t justify the price, especially considering I am new to the Lego building scene.
The set was fun to put together, and I’m happy that I have a giant Balrog now as part of my first set. But I’m going to go along with the other reviews on the set and say that the value for the money is pretty awful. When I was buying the set, I almost picked up the Vikings village instead of this simply because it had double the pieces and was a few dollars cheaper at the store I was at.
Additionally, I was missing two pieces that were rather small and didn’t make a huge change in how the build looks, but it is a quality control issue that I’m concerned about, especially if you’re spending this much money for a set.
On the top of the Balrog skull, there are two angled pieces, and I was missing number 618-1720, which goes on the right top of the Balrog skull. I was also missing piece number 642-4674, which was part of the frame. Instead, I had to use piece number 455-8953 and could only place one 450-4378 angled pieces instead of two.
I plan on buying another Lord of the Rings set in the future, but probably not anytime soon. I’m a pretty busy individual and wanted to have an introductory experience to a set. I don’t consider myself someone who would become a professional builder at all—just a casual. I hope that sets can come out in the future that are more reasonable in price, but my understanding is that most of the LOTR rings fan base nowadays are all adults who are more likely able to afford the expensive sets and licensing fees likely jack up the price.
Great!
A very nice set if you are a fan of LOTR. It is fun to build.
Cool LEGO set for Lord of The Rings fans that can
This Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook Lego bricks set is huge. I think it is a great set to gift for fans of the books and movies. I think that the idea to make the build transform into a book nook is very cool and something I have never see before. My family and I had a lot of fun building this together. There are a lot of small pieces so be careful not to leave this where little hands and mouths can reach. My only issue is that when you close the Lego the bottom hinges detach. Otherwise it looks very cool.
Wonderful book stand
Fun to build.
Great Lego Book Nook
The instructions are clear and easy to follow, and the packaging is beautiful in the black elegant box. The structural design feels solid, and the bricks are the high-quality plastic you'd expect from LEGO. The overall LEGO experience is definitely great. The columns are designed with geometry and are very versatile. The color gradient is effective in creating the illusion of fire. The Balrog is very intimidating with its size compared to Gandalf. It is an improved design vs in the video game. I LOVE the flames in the background. They do have a distinct look, & its very nice.. It does not interfere with Balrog's wings when the nook closes. Love the set and I can't wait to see the next design. Thank you so much.
Such a fun time & so detailed
This is the coolest Lego set I’ve built! I was not missing any parts but ended up having a few extras with almost every bag. The guide is very detailed and helpful, we definitely would not have been able to build anything without it. The balrog itself seems kinda flimsy and the feet do not clip on to anything which I felt was kind of a bummer for stability purposes especially if you decide to actually use it for a book nook. I personally will be using it as decoration in fear that something may break. When you close it into its smaller form, the left side does not want to sit flush and clip in anyways. However, It could just be something faulty with the Legos in that specific pack. I would definitely buy something like this in the future. The theme really added to the fun.
Excellent product!!
I recently received LEGO The Lord of the Rings Balrog Book Nook and I absolutely love it.. it was a blast to build and it is a very sturdy build as expected from Lego. Yet another excellent quality product and my new favorite.
Great build.
Great build for any LEGO and LOTR fan. Has a lot of smaller pieces that form these interesting mechanisms to let the wings fold up. The instruction booklet has fun facts related to the set inside and quotes from the books to enjoy while you build. The bags are easily labeled so if you don’t want to marathon build you can space it out in smaller sessions easily.
A very fun kit to build!
I have been a fan of Lord of the Rings for almost 50 years. This is my first Lego kit in the theme and it was a lot of fun to build.
Not worth the money
I bought both this set and the Sherlock Holmes set. They cost the same, yet their value couldn’t be more different. This set is a mech set with a bad frame, while the Holmes set is a storybook! The Balrog itself is decent, but this is what you are essentially paying for. The frame itself is superfluous. The flames are cheap looking and flimsy. There was every chance to enclose it all with a proper book cover. With it open there could have been inside the mountain. It’s unfinished. Meanwhile the Holm s set has hidden rooms and moving pieces. It look great open and closed. I feel cheated by this set in comparison.
Good, but not worth $130
This set is absolutely epic and the balrog looks amazing, but the fold out part falls apart almost every time you are using it so just be wary of that. I definitely believe this set is great and adds some very nice decor to my bookshelf…but I’ve had $70-$80 sets with a way higher build quality
A must-have for a true fan
This welcome addition is a compact and detailed tribute to the iconic Gandalf vs. Balrog scene from The Lord of the Rings. It captures the fiery drama of Moria in a foldable bookend-style diorama. Great for display on a bookshelf, it includes a dynamic Balrog build, a Gandalf minifigure, and clever design elements—although some details are lost in lower light. A must-have for Tolkien fans and adult collectors.
Fly You Fools!
I was excited to buy this set because it’s the first time since reviving the LotR theme a set came out that isn’t so big you need a new piece of furniture to display and so expensive you need a bank loan to purchase.
Hopefully now Lego will produce a Chronicles of Narnia set/theme to go with Hogwarts and Moria.
What could have been…
This set appears to have been developed using a sort of minimalistic approach and in that regard, the build is fairly well executed. My biggest issue is the price point and that this build would have been far better as a diorama set. This is an iconic scene and it gets crammed into a 1200 piece book nook set?
The Balrog itself is wonderful for what it is, but the overall set isn’t remotely close to a $130 build. With Lego reusing the Gandalf minifig and the fell beast wings, it would have been acceptable to be in the $80-$90 range. I would much rather pay more for a scaled up quality set with updated minifigs than have something like this just so Lego can have a cheaper set available. Having purchased and built all the previous LOTR sets, this one is probably the most disappointing in the way of value. While the shire build was also lopsided value wise, at least the build was fun and it mostly looks great. Long story short, if $130 is at your max price point and you want a cool balrog, go ahead and get it if you are a big time LOTR fan. However, it goes without saying that Barad Dur and Rivendell are far superior buys even if they are significantly more expensive (because they are worth every penny). I would save up for either of those builds and wait till this one goes on sale.
One final word that has more to do with Lego’s QC- in addition to multiple missing pieces across other LOTR sets, this set was also missing approximately 6-7 pieces amongst the 9 bags. Fortunately, I have an extensive Lego collection and spare pieces. Luckily, they weren’t specific pieces to this set, but for this outrageous price, you’d expect all the pieces to be there.
Really effective!
As a massive Lord of the rings fan who is not able to afford the other Lord of the rings sets I was overjoyed to see a more affordable set being released of one of the most iconic scenes in the trilogy. I pre ordered this set day 1 and I am throughly pleased with it. The build quality great, it is a fun build and I love the techniques used to build up the rocks and pillars of the nook, it is also well engineered to fit the Blarog and stays in place very well. The Balrog is very dramatic looking and is almost perfect, I do not like the prominent gray piece used for the Balrogs chest and the tail leaves something to be desired however, the Balrog has great possibility and the mechanism for the wings is great. Gandalf is a good minigigure and is the only Lotr figure I have so I am very pleased with him. Overall, the set looks very effective when in either of the display options and the fire effect looks far better in person than on the pictures. Overall I would recommend as it is a great display piece and is a cheaper way to get a Lotr set which is not a brickhead and I hope Lego makes more in the future.