I find the idea of a book nook appealing: a sculpture or landscape hiding out between the books on my shelves to provide a whimsical distraction in the quest for information, stories and ideas. I must confess, i was intrigued when I saw the Balrog revealed as the subject of a Book Nook based on the Lord of the Rings, but in reality, it seems right: a Mines of Moria ICONs set would probably incorporate far more action packed location, and so this location brings us an excuse to get a LEGO set focusing on a most sinister or foes, without needing to focus on a much much larger model, of wallet busting proportions. But how does this work out in real life? Is the build substantial? Does it brutally assail your finances? Let’s take a closer look.

The Elements

The elements were spread out across x bags. Surprisingly, my review copy was restricted to plastic bags, rather than paper. The Knoller In Chief has laid out the elements and there is a predictable collection of elements: Drak Stone Grey brick and tiles, and also a number of medium nougat and dark orange tiles.  The workings of the balrog are predominantly black, and there are matching 2×3 curved wedges printed with facial detail. The other printed detail is a 6×2 tile reading “You Shall Not Pass – Gandalf the Grey” There are no stickers in the set. The Balrog’s wings are printed plastic and, it turns out, a reissue of the wing element that featured in the 40693 The Fell Beast – the Gift with purchase available for a brief while with the Tower of Barad-dûr last year.

Let’s get underway with the build.

We start of putting Gandalf together: Gandalf is well represented in minifigure form, although this version features a couple of differences from the version seen in the Shire earlier this year. His hat is not included, but rather the long head of hair, and his cloak is omitted. He carries his staff, including the magical movie detail of the gem at the top, along with his sword, Glamdring. His face includes the bearded print that we first saw in 10354 The Shire, earlier this year.

We then start the build proper: a 2 stud wide walkway with a detachable end, with colours fading from dark orange at the back to medium stone grey at the front. At the rear of build, another row of bricks appears, extending out to show the orignins of  2 vertical columns.

These columns are dark orange on the inside, medium nougat to the front and dark stone grey on the outer sides. The front and inside edges of the columns are tapered at the top and bottom with tiled Nexo Shields, while the rear and outside surfaces are quite smooth.

A neatly hidden silver stud rests in the back of the upper cross bar, reminding us of Moria’s heritage as a mine for Mithril.

On the main frame, there are small clips at the top and bottom, ready to attach to anything that might come their way.

The sideward ‘wings include an overengineered pillar – lots of SNOT elements, lined with dark tan and dark grey. The crossbar features some elegant greeble work to give the feeling of the huge halls of Moria. Some reddish orange plates with bars along with clips allow us to attach some transparent orange tiles and teeth, to create some licking flames.

We then mirror the build from the other side. I love the way the top surface, as well as the outsides are all so smooth., and the shades of colour in the rock get lighter as we move forward.

The final booknook is sturdy, and smoothly moves from closed to open positions.I am curious about the two technic elements in the rear pillars which have no obvious purpose, at present. We might need to move onto the Balrog to get a better idea of the their purpose.

The Balrog.

Like all good creature builds, we start with a solid SNOT Core. The bright red, orange and yellow feels like the creature is borne of flames

We quickly cover that all up, and cover the torso in black slopes and tiles. Some Transparent orange elements maintain the fiery feel.

We add some bulky, muscular legs, which are quite posable on the ball joints, and the ankles allow the feet to remain flat in almost any fashion

We add some large arms with lots of fingers

We add the head: the face is printed, and gives just the right amount of flame, with some detail using the titanium ink colour. We also have suitably menacing fangs.

We add the wings: the wings easily fold forward, to fit in the closed nook, and also has some small axles that fit into those technic elements on the nook, allowing the Balrog to be held in place. The wings are double jointed, allowing great possibility and also making it possible to fold them forward when the book nook is closed.

We add some flame elements, as well as the fiery whip, and our build is complete.

The Book Nook sits quite comfortably on the shelf, but it does feel decidedly dark. A lot of the detail in the balrog is lost

A simple, improvised lighting kit.

At an event a few weeks ago, I picked up some simple lighting to add to a MOC: it included some 2 sets of LEDs on the underside of a plate, as well as a couple more under some 1x1round transparent yellow plates. The I used elements were produced by Glowbricks – they have not provided me with any sponsorship for date – its the product I had at home. I might use separate, plated lights – and possibly with fewer leds. (and maybe for more to install along the flame elements).

Will this be enough to add some ‘POW’ to this book nook?

I added some flames to the bridge, to provide an excuse for some lighting between Gandalf and the Balrog, as well as attaching the plate elements initially to the frame of the Book Nook, but I think I had more pleasing results attaching them behind some of the flame elements.

In its full glory, and just a little bit of overexposure, the creature looks just a little bit intimidating…

Now, I accept that these photos might be looking a little more dramatic than the set intends to be, But does the lighting improve the look of the book nook tucked between selected books on the shelves?

I think the lighting adds a lot to the appearance of the set, especially if it is in a darkened bookshelf. The Balrog is essentially black, and enveloped by flame in the film, and so to have it all drop away into darkness is disappointing. Especially when so many great transparent elements can really work to help bring some dramatic colour to the model.

Conclusions:

The book nooks are relatively new territory for the LEGO Group, but not for LEGO fans. Narrow streetscapes make for great opportunities for LEGO Story telling, but they can be lost in the shadows od bookshelves.

Non LEGO Book Nooks, providing an opportunity to get some crafting done probably retail for around $60-75AUD, making the $AUD200 of the LEGO versions feel a little…overpriced. Certainly with 1200 pieces, That said, some of our local retailers are listing them pre release at lower prices (around 15-20% off). I wonder if this is a range of sets designed/expected to be sold through other retail outlets at a relative discount to RRP? Just my thought.

But what do I like about this model?

The nook itself is remarkably sturdy, and sleek around the outside. It accommodates the Balrog nicely, providing fixed points to attach the creature. The colour gradients work well, and the nook opens and closes smoothly. The external tiling enables it to slip comfortably between your books, while the layering of Nexo Shield tiles helps the model to carry the gravitas of the halls of Moria. The transparent orange tiles exploit applied light for additional fiery drama.

The Balrog is sturdy, and posable. The printed face elements look menacing. The double articulation on the wings allows it to fold up easily when being closed into the nook.

I find the model itself is relatively dark when left tucked into the bookshelf, and it really benefitted from the addition of some basic lighting. I am excited to see what third party lighting companies come up with, as far as adding the right balance of bling to these sets. However, as I mentioned earlier, these sets are reasonably expensive, and so you might be reluctant to add to the expense with additional lighting.

The nook itself, while elegant, has a minimalist feel, which increases my feeling of this being poor value for money. Still, the Balrog has been absent from official LEGO representation outside of the LEGO Lord of the Rings video game, and I feel this version is a good realisation of the creature.

Overall, I give this set 3 out of five arbitrary praise units: while the subject matter is well handled and executed, the general darkness if displayed in a bookshelf, as well as the relatively high price make it hard to recommend at retail price. Lighting certainly enhances the product, but I hope that good solutions don’t increase the price to prohibitive levels. My simple lighting rig has a retail value of around $AUD25-30, and I don’t know that I would do much to improve it

I’d love to know what you think of this set? It is one you would set out to make your own? let me know in the comments below.

Set 10367 LEGO Lord of the Rings Book Nook has 1201 pieces and goes on sale on June 1st for $AUD199.99/ 129,99 USD / 119,99 EUR / 109,99 GBP

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Until Next Time,

Play Well!