So this is a Lego set depicting the location of an argument. However, given that there aren't too many other locations in Rivendell that see any action it actually does make sense. Of course the best part of the set is that you will want it for both the model and the minifigures!

Minifigures

So you get 4 minifigures in this set. Elrond is fantastic looking with a 2-toned cape and unique hairpiece with a silver crown. Arwen also looks great, like Elrond she is completely unique from other elves, and she has a dress. The Frodo in this set is supposedly unique, but its uniqueness is trivial. Finally Gimli is identical to all his other minifigures.

Now I understand why you would include Gimli, after all he is unique in that he is the only one who actually tried to destroy the ring. It's also hard to argue against the inclusion of Frodo. But, these have to be the most common minifigures around. I would have much preferred an older Bilbo or a Boromir or one of the other hobbits. There is also one other problem I have with the minifigures, but I will discuss that when I discuss the model.

Parts

There are certainly some unique parts that are hard to get in this set. First you have the trees with the autumn foliage. You have columns and archs. Plus a handful of large plates (great for Star Wars builds as well). You also get some gold, mostly in the form of cheese slopes, but also two round 4x4 plates. Plus a small collection of weapons.

The Build

Its divided into two bags, each of which build a separate component of the set. The first bag builds the setting of the council which features the sets only play feature. The build isn't anything too exciting and is very simple. It is very similar to the build for the Wizard Battle set in which you also are building an elevated platform, only the play feature in this one is not as complex.

Bag two is the more interesting build (and more interesting model) where you are building the facade of a building in Rivendell. While it still isn't complex, it also isn't repetitive or logical. My favorite part of the build is one of the simplest parts, building the stairs. You are just stacking quarter circles but it looks great and is definitely something I'll think of using in MOCs. The build is also surprisingly sturdy when completed which I didn't expect as I was putting up the tree and columns.

The Model

The model looks great. While the setting for the meeting may be in the foreground and fairly boring, it's tree works very well with the building facade in the background. The chairs, while simple, also look very appropriate for Rivendell, although I kind of doubt that they had swivel recliners! It is the building facade that makes this set, and in a way I wish that the set was only composed of facades like this, but of course that would make it strictly a display piece and not a set you could play with. I do think that Lego did an excellent job with making a Rivendell set with a small brick count.

The set only has one play feature which is fine, although other LOTR sets have spoiled me into expecting more. It isn't triggered by Gimli trying to break the ring, but you instead push a sliding mechanism that launches Gimli off a "catapult" and reveals the Eye of Sauron underneath it. It doesn't work great, but it does work, and it adds some much needed playability to an otherwise "peaceful" set.

That said the set does have two shortcomings. First, it houses a small weapon rack. I would have much preferred for this to be the table that holds the sword that is broken (which would also justify including Boromir). Yes you may have to expand the set a bit to do this, but it would have been well worth it.

My other complaint is with the minifigures. You have 3 seats, but 4 minifigures. Now of course I believe that most people at the council were standing, but shouldn't you include enough seats to accommodate the minifigures included in the set? Of course that raises the next problem, 3 of the minifigures can't even sit down! Frodo and Gimli have short non-posable legs and Arwen has a dress. So not only can Arwen not sit, she can't ride a horse from your Weathertop set to your Rivendell set. Only Elrond can sit down, and since he wears a cape, it would have to be removed for him to sit, the chairs aren't designed as well as Saruman's throne in the wizard battle. Even the pictures on the box depict minifigures standing on the chairs! Certainly this could have been thought out better. But the chairs are definitely needed or you would be left with a boring platform.

Overall

I really do love this set despite my complaints. It looks great and Rivendell is a location that needs to be represented. I'm actually glad it is represented as a smaller set and not as something larger, because the only way to do Rivendell justice as a larger set would be to build it on the scale of the Ewok Village set which just doesn't seem necessary although it would be beautiful. This set can be found for $30-35 if you search hard enough, and if you can get it in that price range, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.

Box/Instructions

The box isn't very big, but as this isn't a very big set, I don't complain about it. There is one instruction manual, so that's okay.

Parts

This set comes with some nice parts, like the tree and the little minifigure statues. The set also comes with a brick separator.

Minifigures

You get 4: Elrond, Arwen, Gimli and Frodo. Elrond is exclusive and very nice, Arwen is also exclusive and she comes with a bow, Gimli is the same as in The Battle Of Helms Deep and Frodo is also the same, just his face is a little bit different. All these minifigures come with double sided faces.

The build

The build didn't take very long and wasn't very repetitive.

The completed model

The set looks fine to me. It is a little part of Rivendel. There aren't very much features, but the blow up function is cool. Also the Eye of Sauron peeps out! :)

Overall opinion

I think this is a nice little set. Not to big, not to small. Just perfect.

This set surprised me. When I first saw it, I was surprised . . . it didn't seem like the Council of Elrond was a scene from the book/movie that was exciting enough to merit it's own Lego set. I mean, sure, it's pivotal in the show, but Legos are a childrens' toy, so I was expecting to get a set portraying a battle or something. Thankfully, after having built the set, I can report that it does not disappoint! TLC has managed to cram a lot of playability into it, and rounded the set out nicely with two exclusive minifigures: Arwen and Elrond.

Parts

The first pleasant surprise about this set is that it has a lot of fun pieces: autumn-colored leaves, lots of brown arches for branches, a variety of cheese slopes in "Rivendell" golds, browns and greens, several gray column pieces and some white arches . . . basically this set helps you stock up on castle-building equipment. Also welcome were the longbow and the gold elven sword/spear.

Minifigures

Ok, IMO the minifigures are both this set's greatest strength, and greatest disappointment. Why? Well, Elrond and Arwen are both awesome. They are unique to this set, and fantastically made, as usual for Lego minifigs. They both have double-printed heads, with angry/neutral expressions. Their hair-pieces are softer plastic that show their pointed elf ears, and Elrond's hair also has a silver crown. Their torsos are printed front and back, and the printing of Elrond's robe and Arwen's dress continues down his legs and her slope "dress" piece. Elrond's cape is one of those rare two-toned capes, gold on the inside and dark red on the outside. All in all, awesome figs.

Frodo is great, but not all that different from his other iterations . . . he doesn't have a cape, and the expressions on his head are slightly different. Nothing much to get excited about.

And last we come to my main grievance with the set: Gimli. Don't get me wrong––growing up, Gimli was my favorite member of the Fellowship, and I still have a soft-spot for the little guy. But this particular minifig now appears in 4 sets! Why did we need another one? I understand that in the film it's Gimli who tries to destroy the ring with his axe, and this set allows you to recreate that little bit of action. But I would have much rather had a new Sam minifig, or a new Aragorn minifig wearing his Rivendell robes . . . or even a non-unique Boromir, since currently he only comes in one set. You can get Gimli in so many other sets that his inclusion here kind of just feels like a cop-out.

Overall opinion

Ok, to finish this off, let me end on a high note: despite the fact that it comes with yet another Gimli instead of a newer minifigure, this set is still awesome. Currently, it's the only way for you to get your hands on (this version of) Elrond and Arwen, and for that reason alone it's a must-buy. But it also has a lot of fun playability (like a magically appearing Eye of Sauron), and some fun accessories that make it worth the price. Grab it while you can!

This is a beautiful set. It's not large. It's not imposing. It's just pretty, which is reason enough to get it. It's really pleasing to the eye.

The great part about this set is that it incorporates some techniques (if you can get your hands on enough of the arch pieces) that would translate really nicely to Gothic buildings. The roof conceals some nice tricks to be employed elsewhere as well. It's also a mini tutorial on how to build trees—along with some great fall colored foliage.

The price is perhaps a little steep, but I suppose that's the nature of the licensed sets.

The news that Lord of the Rings was to get a second wave of sets was very well received and the second smallest of the five sets released this year is a highlight for me.

One of the most popular settings from the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy is Rivendell, the home of Elrond and elves under his rule. In this set, 79006 The Council of Elrond, we get our first taste of this magnificent location in LEGO, and it really is a treat, perfectly capturing the area as it appears in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring film, directed by Peter Jackson.

The model includes four lovely Minifigures, one of whom is an exclusive character to this set and two of whom have been updated. With 243-pieces, this set is priced at £29.99 or $29.99, and despite the fact that the 'price-to-piece' ratio (which I tend to take with a pinch of salt anyway) is some way out, I believe this set is well worth the price.

Box and Contents

The box artwork for this set really is delightful, showing the moment Gimli attempts to destroy the ring using his enormous axe, only to be thrown backwards as the ring is left unblemished. The beauty of the location is conveyed effectively by the packaging and there are some beautiful streams of light that are shining through the branches which surround the model. The box has a different border to the sets last year, this time featuring the eye of Sauron peeking out from the top of Barad-dûr which is suitably menacing. The four Minifigures are also displayed in a gallery at the bottom of the box as usual.

The back of the box shows the set from a different perspective and displays the various features of the model. The weapons included are also shown off in one image.

Inside the box are two numbered bags, an instruction booklet and a small sticker sheet. They are not packed with a cardboard backing to keep them straight unfortunately.

Minifigs

Four Minifigures are included in this set, and all four are excellent in my opinion. The first of these, who has appeared three times before, is Frodo Baggins. This Minifigure has some slight changes from previous editions of the character. His hair is the same mould as is used for all Hobbits, and it looks perfect in dark brown here. His head is unique to this Minifigure with a concerned expression on one side and an angry expression on the other, both of which are very nice indeed.

His torso is identical to that which appeared in 9470 Shelob Attacks and 9472 Attack on Weathertop with a brown jacket and dark red waistcoat. His shirt has a open collar and the jacket is printed on the back as well as the front with creases and a strap for adjusting the jacket. His legs are simply dark brown and short.

The only Minifigure in the set who has appeared before looking exactly the same is the ever-popular Gimli. His helmet is printed with an enormous amount of detail and looks exactly as it does in the film. It fits perfectly around his beard, but worn without the beard it looks rather strange as it is rather larger than a standard Minifigure head accessory. Gimli's head is printed with two different expressions, one neutral and the other angry. One both sides are some wrinkles and bushy brown eyebrows, although of course much of this detail is covered by his huge beard, which is cast in reddish brown and is a perfect likeness for Gimli's beard in The Lord of the Rings films.

His torso printing is totally obscured by the beard, although it is still highly detailed with padding and fur clothing, as well as a belt with a golden buckle. The back of the torso is printed with some more of his belt and various pockets. Just like Frodo, he has dark brown short legs. He carries a single accessory, an axe which he uses in this scene when he attempts to destroy the ring.

What really makes this set for me though are the two Elves, the first of whom is Elrond, who has appeared before in a polybag which came with pre-orders of the LEGO Lord of the Rings video game. This is a far superior version of the character in my opinion and is bound to be popular. His braided hair piece is rubbery and also includes his Elven ears as well as a metallic silver headband. The head is very detailed with two faces (as are all four Minifigures in fact), one with a rather stern expression, and the other with a smile. Wrinkles and brown eyebrows are printed on both sides which are very accurate to the film.

Elrond wears a cape which is yellow on the inside and dark red on the outside. I love these dual colour capes and this component is identical to the one worn in the film. His torso too is very accurate, printed with a dark red jacket and metallic gold shirt underneath. There are various little scroll details also included which are excellent. The back of the torso, despite being covered by the cape, is also printed with more of his red jacket and the tiny silver scrollwork. His hips and legs are printed with a continuation of this design. I have to say, this is quite possibly among the best Minifigures of the year in my opinion, it is particularly detailed and it is great to have a definitive Minifigure of such an interesting and popular character.

Lastly, we have Elrond's daughter Arwen, another popular character. It was a subject of some discussion last year that not one female Lord of the Rings Minifigure had been produced, which was particularly surprising given the importance of some to the plot. Now this has been at least partially rectified with this Minifigure, and I think it has been well worth the wait as this is another outstanding Minifigure. Her hairpiece is a unique mould much like Elrond's, with Elven ears and a detailed cast. This piece too is rubberised and cast in dark brown. A face is printed on both sides of her head, one with a cheerful expression, and the other with a slightly irritated look, although both faces are fairly similar and the differences are subtle.

Her dress is superb, with various frills and details all over it. The torso and skirt (which is formed in the usual manner using a 2 x 2 x 2 slope piece) are both sand blue in colour and they match up nicely. She carries the slightly longer variation of the bow piece just like Legolas, which I far prefer to the shorter version which is included in some sets.

The Build

The build is fairly entertaining for a relatively small set, taking about thirty minutes. The trees are built to appear irregular and natural, quite effectively for the use of 'legal' building techniques. The manner in which the steps towards the right of the model are created is also very attractive, using 4 x 4 quarter circle pieces to capture the unique architecture of Rivendell. The roof of the small building is detailed with 1 x 1 (cheese) slopes to represent tiles and the latticed peak of this roof is formed using pearl gold 1 x 4 fence pieces which are also brilliant in appearance.

The Completed Model

This is a set which has some real charm about it. What it may lack in size it more than makes up for in detail and density of parts. The model is split into two sections, the meeting area where the council of Elrond actually takes place, and a small building which nicely captures the architecture seen in Rivendell.

I will begin with the council area which is what one builds first according to the instructions. Three chairs, which can swivel and each utilise a sticker to create the decorative backs of each seat, are dispersed around a central pedestal. This looks rather grand with two pearl gold 4 x 4 round pieces making up the top and bottom of the table, and the ring sits on top just like in the film. The only real feature to speak of in the set comes here, where a button can be pressed to send Gimli (or any other Minifigure of course) flying after he attempts to destroy the ring with his axe. This is a nice enough feature as it is, and it works perfectly, although I love the fact that the extra detail of the eye of Sauron being visible when the catapult lifts up, recreating Frodo's brief hallucination during this scene in the film. A tree stands over the scene, and uses two large leaf pieces in dark orange, which are unique to this set and look lovely. This is no doubt a piece which will be sought after by MOC builders.

Not to be outdone though, the small building area also includes a brand new component, shallow arches in white which look fantastic in my opinion. The same piece is available in 79007 Battle at the Black Gate in black. A small weapon stand is included here which holds an Elven sword (which appeared previously with the Elrond polybag mentioned earlier and in 79004 Barrel Escape) and Sting, the sword wielded by Bilbo Baggins and later Frodo. The architecture of this building really is superb given its small size, using five rounded pillars and the new arch pieces to capture Rivendell perfectly. A couple of light bluish grey Microfigures are included which act as statues. A nice curved staircase runs down from this building and beside this is another tree, again making use of a dark orange leaf piece, as well as two olive green ones.

Overall

This is a set which I would label as a 'must have' for fans of Lord of the Rings without hesitation. The Minifigures are excellent, the parts selection is incredible and the set looks fantastic. Although lacking in features, this set is still a lot of fun, thanks in no small part to the wonderful Minifigures as well as the fact that just about everything one could want to recreate the relevant scene from the film is included.

However, there is no doubt that the real quality of this set lies in how it looks on display. The Autumnal but bright atmosphere of Rivendell is certainly captured in the model and I think this set is one which should be placed right at the centre of your Lord of the Rings collection.

Parts: 5 - Some very useful parts we have seen before plus the added bonus of some lovely new pieces is delightful.

Playability: 4.5 - Few features when compared with other sets, although I still think there is a lot of fun to be had.

Building Experience: 5 - For a set at this price point there are more than enough interesting building techniques used.

Value for Money: 5 - Four Minifigures and a lovely little set seems well worth the price to me.

Overall: 5 - This is a set which I recommend very highly. Elrond and Arwen are well worth picking up loose if you cannot justify the cost of the entire set, although you will not be disappointed if you do purchase it.