Rumoured LEGO The Lord of the Rings The Shire is rife with potential

Rumour has it that we'll be taking a trip to Middle-earth in a Shire set next year and the location is filled with LEGO The Lord of the Rings potential.

A new tease from the generally reliable source of rumours tandnbricks from earlier this month seems to be hinting that a third LEGO The Lord of the Rings set is coming next year, following 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell and 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr.

Looking at the tease, they seem to be hinting at a recreation of The Shire, home of Hobbiton and the Hobbits. While the cosy location has been visited before in 2012’s 79003 An Unexpected Gathering, a bigger build has plenty of potential that the online LEGO community has already recognised. Even in official sets, there are some features that a new The Shire set could be inspired by.

LEGO Icons 10333 The Lord of the Rings Barad dur 10316 The Lord of the Rings Rivendell comparison 1024x706

10332 Medieval Town Square is the most recent LEGO Castle model made up of two groups of buildings and a few accessories. This would work perfectly for The Shire with two groups of homes for Hobbits built into the hillside and a festival space in the middle that can be arranged as you so desire.

A bigger budget than the £199.99 / $229.99 / €229.99 set – on a similar level to 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell and 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr – would allow for a third group of buildings too, expanding the footprint further than 10332 Medieval Town Square can.

LEGO Icons 10332 Medieval Town Square review 89 1024x603

Thanks to a challenge held on LEGO Ideas in 2023, the vast LEGO community has many other ideas to inspire the LEGO Group, should the rumoured tease be accurate. To compare with the tall 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr and the wide 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell, a build that sits right in the middle would be a good addition to the range.

LEGO Ideas Le Closet go hobbiton — Image: Le Closet Go

Le Closet Go's submission depicts the hobbits' homes nestled cosily into the rolling hills of Hobbiton with a path running through the middle. It's a surprisingly layered build that may be able to incorporate removable sections to access interior spaces too. Its silhouette sits right in the middle of the two official models too.

Alternatively, J.K. Brick has a similar build that explores more of Hobbiton with other house styles and a space for parties and festivals. It opts for a square base similar to that of LEGO Architecture, which the official LEGO The Lord of the Rings sets have not explored so far. The static fireworks on the right are appealing too and these would be an interesting addition to any The Shire set.

LEGO Ideas JK Brick Hobbiton — Image: J.K. Brick

As posited in our original report on this rumour, a bigger-budget version of just Bag End would also be a sight to see, as depicted by the aptly named Balbo on Flickr. This would allow the LEGO designers to more fully explore Bilbo and Frodo's home than 79003 An Unexpected Gathering. It might even be a chance to depict a more affordable (but still huge) LEGO The Lord of the Rings model after the price decrease from 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell to 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr.

Patrick B. flickr bag end 1024x683 — Image: Balbo on Flickr

The talent of the online LEGO community has proven the potential of a big-budget LEGO The Lord of the Rings The Shire set, though for now, it remains just a rumour and a teased rumour at that. Given the state of the rumour mill over the past couple of weeks, we'd advise taking this with an extra pinch of caution just in case.

Featured image: TB Brickcreator

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