Here comes Smaug?

burnsider

Read this from a TLG press release:

Two epic themes first introduced to the LEGO world last year continue with a new
collection of building sets based on The Lord of the Ringsand The
Hobbitcharacters and scenes. Four kits ($12.99-$99.99) based on The Lord of the
Rings trilogy will launch in June. Details of building sets tied to The
Hobbit: The DESOLATION OF SMAUG will be revealed later this year.

Hopefully we will see him in these later sets.

CCC

Those four sets (79005-8) and their prices have been known for a few weeks, so nothing really new.

burnsider

^ Those (79005-8) are for Lord of the Rings, not The Hobbit.

kempo81

thanks for the news @burnsider do you have a link to the press release?

burnsider

^ Yeah, here it is: reuters.com/article/2013/02/07/ny-lego-at-toy-fair-idUSnPnNY56310+160+PRN20130207

Gavin83

I'm hoping for a really good model of Smaug. Does anyone know at which point the 2nd film will end? It might end up being more appropriate for the 3rd film.

CCC

burnsider said:

^ Those (79005-8) are for Lord of the Rings, not The Hobbit.

I know. All the detail that the press release gives is ... Four kits ($12.99-$99.99) based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy will launch in June. We already know that, and what they are.

As for the Hobbit, it says that there will be new sets based on The Hobbit part 2. That is hardly a press release. It is not exactly surprising.

collect_that

Well LEGO have produced some really good dragon models for the Ninjago theme so Smaug should be equally as good.

@burnsider Thanks for the link! :-)

burnsider

^^^ I read the book and can tell you that we will probably see very little of Smaug in the second film. The good news is that I wouldn't be surprised if he is in this year's sets. The Barrel Escape set was released last year as well as the Mirkwood Spiders, yet we won't see those scenes until the second movie. So you never know. :)

burnsider

By the way, I have to believe we will see a set featuring Smaug and the Lonely Mountain at some point. It would probably include the key and secret door. Definitely an important part in the book.

mountebank

I'd like to see them go for a Rancor Pit approach and do, say, 3 elements of Lonely Mountain as standalone sets which can also be combined together. This way they could have a £200+ "set" while reducing the risk that they'd get low sales volumes at that price level.

binaryeye

Gavin83 said:

Does anyone know at which point the 2nd film will end?

I don't know if it is yet known. My guess is it will conclude with Smaug departing the mountain and the party discovering the hoard of treasure.

burnsider said:

The Barrel Escape set was released last year as well as the Mirkwood Spiders, yet we won't see those scenes until the second movie.

Those sets were released because the scenes were originally in the first movie, before the series was split into a trilogy. That is unlikely to happen again.

burnsider

^ Good point.

dougts

Gavin83 said:

I'm hoping for a really good model of Smaug. Does anyone know at which point the 2nd film will end? It might end up being more appropriate for the 3rd film.

wonder if they will just re-use the dragon created for this summer's castle lineup:

mountebank

I really hope not. Smaug is supposed to be something else.

I'd really like to see something big and actually made of LEGO.

burnsider

***SPOILER ALERT***

^^ I can see them using this dragon, but they would most likely embellish it with scales and a bare spot on it's left breast since that...

was the weak part of his body and the entry to killing him.

Diggydoes

^^^that´s exactly what i thought when i first saw this picture!!!

andhe

I don't think TLG would dare produce smaug as a standard dragon. The LOTR/Hobbit sets have generally been regarded as more detailed builds, and to just lump a dragon like that in would seem to go against all the work they've done. I'm guessing we'll see him in a $100 set along the scale of Helms Deep, or perhaps I'm just holding out hope...

burnsider

^ I'm thinking a little smaller scale like The Mines of Moria. Replace the Cave Troll with Smaug and the wall/gate with the secret entrance to the Lonely Mt.

CCC

burnsider said:

^ I'm thinking a little smaller scale like The Mines of Moria. Replace the Cave Troll with Smaug and the wall/gate with the secret entrance to the Lonely Mt.

I hope not, I'm not a fan of the large single piece toys. Bigger and brick built for me too.

burnsider

CCC said:

I hope not, I'm not a fan of the large single piece toys. Bigger and brick built for me too.

It looks like Balrog and Ent will be builds, but seeing that the Castle series already has a dragon doesn't bid will for a brick built Smaug. I really hope that he will be brick built though.

cloaked7

@CCC I'm with you. When I see sets like the above I think Duplo. I prefer the Ninjago dragons. And, I agree that I think it will be brick built, since LOTR is AFOL's.

mountebank

burnsider said:

seeing that the Castle series already has a dragon doesn't bid will for a brick built Smaug. I really hope that he will be brick built though.

I'm not convinced the aesthetics for new Castle and for The Hobbit need to overlap. The market segments are wholly separate. TLG would misstep hopelessly if it confused them.

pharmjod

I don't see why they couldn't do something as a standalone set for him. Like the creator dragons from a couple of years ago. Throw in a bilbo minifigure and you're good. $40-$50 price point.

mountebank

That's the kind of thing I was thinking of. That, having a Bard minifigure exclusive to the set, with a companion set to be an environment for Smaug to be located.

SirBen

Here's to hoping that Smaug will be designed along the lines of the dragons from the Vikings sets with the primary color scheme being dark red and gold.

Beav

A stand alone Smaug would be fantastic, but I can't see it happening sadly.

Gavin83

burnsider said:

^^^ I read the book and can tell you that we will probably see very little of Smaug in the second film. The good news is that I wouldn't be surprised if he is in this year's sets. The Barrel Escape set was released last year as well as the Mirkwood Spiders, yet we won't see those scenes until the second movie. So you never know. :)

I've read the book as well but with the 'spreading out' of the books content I'm not entirely sure where they'll end it. It depends on how much they make of Bilbos return home (really quite a small part of the book but I reckon they could extend this) and if they make a section tying it into the LOTR film trilogy. The battle over Dale would make a good end to the film in Peter Jackson terms. Considering the film is called Desolation of Smaug I would expect it to end around here. The title of the 3rd film does seem to suggest it'll weigh heavily on Bilbos return.

mountebank said:

I really hope not. Smaug is supposed to be something else.

I'd really like to see something big and actually made of LEGO.

Yep, if they just hehash an existing dragon model I'll be extremely disappointed. In an ideal World I'd like a large, detailed brick built dragon model with a base designed to look like gold and jewels but considering the current range I can't see this happening unless they go for a real U turn on the designs.

Crownie

For those of you worried that LEGO will re-use the Dragon mold from the Castle line - I don't think you have anything to worry about really. I can't see LEGO crossing those two IP's in such a blatant manner.