Now that the dust is settling on Lego Minas Tirith and its impressive reveal, I have to ask: what comes next? I know it may sound premature seeing as the kit isn’t due to launch until June, but there’s a method to my madness. Indeed, each kit so far has hidden a reference to what comes next within its many accessories – and I’d be amazed if the White City of Gondor doesn’t pull the same thing.
But what could it be? The next entry certainly has big boots to fill; many in the Lord of the Rings range (which you can see on the Lego store if you want a refresher) have been contenders for our best Lego sets guide, and Rivendell still holds the crown in my opinion… though that may be about to change. So, please join this LotR nerd as we ponder our Palantir and try to discern – in no particular order – what might come next after Lego Minas Tirith.
Edoras
I appreciate that this is a left-field choice to kick off with, but it feels increasingly plausible the more I think things over. I don’t believe we’ve ever had a Lego version of the Rohirrim capital before, and unlike some of the other options here, it’d be a very different flavor to what we’ve seen before. That’s what makes me think it could be a likely option.
Practically speaking, I imagine it’d be like Lego Rivendell, with a larger facade littered with smaller individual scenes. I’m picturing the Golden Hall of Meduseld, e.g. the one at the top of the city. That’s where most of the action happens, has plenty of side-spaces to fill with secrets, and would allow the inclusion of minifigs we’ve not seen before, so it feels as though it could be a prime candidate.
A quick glance online will show what that might look like, because plenty of fans have created mock versions of Lego Edoras… including Castlebuilder19, who submitted the above design to Lego Ideas back in 2022.
Helm’s Deep
I think we can guarantee a version of the Rohirrim fortress at some point in the future, and it’s been a long time since we last saw it in Lego form (the Battle of Helm’s Deep kit launched in 2012, seen above). What would it actually look like, though? The trouble with this one is its width. The main keep of the Hornburg should be easily done, presumably in the style of Minas Tirith with forced perspective making it start big at the bottom and end small near the top towers, but the Deeping Wall that stretches out to the left (e.g. the one which blows up in the film) would make the model unreasonably big unless you only include a portion of it. Short of making it all a micro-scale figure, I think that’s the most likely option… especially because you could use a similar technique to the one seen on the Lego Stranger Things Creel House to ‘explode’ a portion of said wall without needing to rebuild it all manually.
Lothlorien
A major location we’ve yet to see in Lego form is the wood elf settlement of Lothlorien – and the more I think about it, the more excited I get at the thought of a model recreating this gorgeous location.
Besides making good use of the many sweeping, curved ‘elven’ pieces seen in Rivendell along with its many autumnal trees, this kit would have the unique challenge of being an elevated treehouse, which isn’t something Lego often does. I can imagine that being a challenge the Lego design team would relish, because they always seem eager to push themselves with every build.
You can see an example of what Lego Lothlorien could look like with this fan-submitted Lego Ideas design by Martin_Studios, pictured above.
Isengard
Saruman’s home is another set I think we can assume will arrive at some point, especially because Barad-dur has already shown how such a vertical building could be done. Actually, I’d be amazed if it wasn’t one of the next sets in the range; it’s too iconic not to be.
The downside to this theory? It’s arguably too similar to Barad-dur. Both are spiky black towers that you’ll presumably flip round to reveal interior chambers like Saruman’s throne room or study. Plus, we’ve already had a comprehensive Isengard set, as seen in the 2013 model pictured above, so I don’t know if it’d be a priority.
Perhaps Lego could sidestep these comparisons altogether and go for a smaller, microscale model that includes the surrounding grounds? Another alternative would be to follow the example set by Lego Gringott’s Bank and go down as well as up. Besides the tower, we could plunge beneath the earth to see Saruman’s Uruk-hai birthing pits.
Balin’s Tomb/Moria
If the team wanted to make a smaller, more affordable display piece (or even a larger book nook), a revamp of the old Balin’s Tomb/Mines of Moria kit from 2012 would fit the bill. This is the scene where Pippin accidentally drops a skeleton down a well in Balin’s gravesite, which summons a horde of goblins alongside a cave troll. It’s one of the most memorable moments from the first movie, and would make for a killer model with the entire Fellowship together again alongside some iconic foes. That’d help differentiate it from the previous set as well, which only featured a handful of the adventuring party.
Osgiliath
We’re starting to move into ‘less likely’ territory here so far as I’m concerned. The ruined city seen at the end of Two Towers and beginning of Return of the King is cool enough to deserve a model, and there’s so much the team could do with it thanks to multi-level buildings, broken architecture, makeshift camp-sites, and the river running through the middle (presumably with those orcish landing craft in tow). I think this would make an interesting challenge for the designer, but there are bigger fish to fry in the meantime.
You can get a glimpse of what it could look like thanks to SergeantStableWakz’s fan-submitted design on Lego Ideas.
The Prancing Pony
OK, this is probably the least likely option – but it’d be fun, right? The tavern where the hobbits meet Aragorn (and where Gandalf caught up with Thorin Oakenshield in the Hobbit films) is an iconic but often forgotten location ripe for turning into a Lego set. Lego’s already proven that it can nail old-timey facades via the D&D kit or its many medieval models, and there’s an opportunity for a multi-floor kit with the main common room and the bedrooms upstairs… as proven in the fan-submitted Lego Ideas design from ErockBrick.
- See all Lord of the Rings kits at Lego
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