Don't be fooled by the price of this set, it is most definitely a battle pack. And while orcs may be readily available in every set (although not always Uruk Hai), Eomer and the Rohan Soldier are unique to this set. In fact the only other Rohan minifigure available is King Theodin in the larger Helms Deep set which this one attaches to. Because of these two unique minifigures, and the Uruk Hai armor, this set has become outrageously expensive to obtain these days. As this was the only Lord of the Rings set that I didn't own, I watched this set on eBay for about 2 months before finding one that I could get at a reasonable price.

Minifigures

So you get 4 Uruk Hai which is great to have. Two are identical, and they have armor and a helmet. The third would be identical but is without armor. And the last is unique and has hair. He actually reminds me of Lurtz from the Orc Forge although he is a different color and has a different design. It's hard to complain about getting 4 orcs, but...

You also get to Rohan minifigures. First is Eomer, and the other, a generic soldier. These minifigures have the same helmet mold as King Theodin, only Eomer, while featuring a printed design, isn't quite as fancy as Theodin (not gold), and the generic soldier lacks printing on his helmet. Unlike Theodin, neither of these wear armor although it is printed on their torso and legs. Eomer features a fancy shirt, but chain mail is visible on his legs, whereas the generic one only wears chain mail. You also get a single horse for the two of them which seems to be a pretty major oversight.

However, given Uruk Hai are included in Helms Deep, the Orc Forge, and Tower of Orthanc, was it really necessary to include 4 in this set? Why couldn't Lego have replaced one or two of them with additional Rohan soldiers? Oh well...

The Build and Model

First you build the Uruk Hai ballista. While the build is very simple, it is a huge improvement over the typical catapults that come in other LOTR sets. Perhaps the biggest surprise about this build is how the wheels are created, it isn't revolutionary, but it doesn't use wheel bricks. Of course the other pleasant surprise is that there are 3 tiles with a printed wood pattern. This set has no stickers! But why couldn't Lego have used this print elsewhere in the LOTR line?

Anyways, the completed ballista looks amazing. It truly does look like what the orcs used in the movie, and is definitely threatening. The only problem, it's nearly as tall as the walls of Helms Deep, which I suppose means it is just that much more menacing! The firing mechanism is creative and more than sufficient for attacking the walls, just don't expect to get a whole lot of distance out of the hooks.

Next up is the wall. As you probably expect, the build is very similar to the walls in the Helms Deep set. It is really nothing more than just basic stacking. But it has non-symmetrical detailing which keeps it interesting, and it features stairs, which are something not available in the larger Helms Deep set. It also features a very boring catapult, that looks even worse standing next to the Orc ballista.

The model itself , while not great as a stand-alone model because there just isn't anything to it, is certainly nice when added on to Helms Deep. It actually reminds me of my Armor Shop set from the 80's that connects to my King's Castle set, and there are a handful of other add-on sets from the 80's castle line that are very similar.

Overall

I do like this set. Certainly a much better battle pack than the Mirkwood Elves one (although that one does have a warg). While I would have preferred more Rohan soldiers instead of orcs, I really can't complain about this set. I suppose we should be very happy we got these two additional Rohan minifigures since all we got for Gondor is a single Aragon minifigure (and a Boromir, but he of course doesn't make it home). It's difficult to find this at an affordable price these days, but if you do, don't hesitate to buy it.

Now that said, should you want to build an impressively long Helms Deep, I would buy one of these sets complete with the minifigures. Then part out another wall or two on Bricklink. None of the parts are all that unique so it won't cost you too much. Of course you could get another ballista as well to beef up your orc army with, just sub out the printed tiles for plain ones as they are the only parts that will cost you a lot, and really aren't too necessary.

I got this one a few years back, and I still love it. Uruk-hai army is great for army building, and for a normal set. It is an amazing deal for 30$.

Box/Instructions

The box is one of the newer high quality boxes. The front of the box shows the whole set in action, set to a Rohan background. The standard minifig 'box' is in the bottom left hand corner, as well as the top. The back of the package shows the features of the set and the mini figs battling. The instruction manual shows the same scene as the front of the box. As always, the booklet is clear and easy to understand.

Parts

There aren't many special parts in this set, as you are mostly just building a wall. However, there are some, such as the hooks and harpoons on the ballista and the molded bricks on the wall. Even though there are many standard bricks, they are still useful for MOCs!

Minifigures

This set has four awesome Uruk-hai. They are all the same but with different accessories. The torso and leg printing are astoundingly accurate to the Uruk clothing in the films. The printing also continues to the hips and the back of the torso. The head is double-sided. One side is an angry face, and the other is even angrier with the White Hand of Saruman. The entire minifig looks like it has just been shrunk down from the screen. One of the Uruks has hair, representing the warrior that stood on the rock before the battle began. This Uruk also has the new Uruk shield and scimitar, which are both amazing parts. The next Uruk is the same, but features the extremely awesome Uruk helmet instead of hair. I love this piece. It looks EXACTLY like the helmet in the films. The other two Uruks have the helmet as well as a chest piece and a halberd. All four look great together, especially the halberd carriers. Let's have a look at Eomer now. He has some nice leg and hip printing, but it doesn't really continue to the torso. Speaking of the torso, it looks just like the films. The only problem I really have is that the shoulders should be square, like in the movie. That was one of the iconic parts of Eomer. Eomer has a great double head. One side is neutral, while the other is angry. It really looks like Karl Marx's Eomer. Last comes accessories. Eomer has a dark green cape, a knight sword, the new spear style, and a shield. The shield is the same as Captain America's, but with a great Rohan design. Eomer shares his helmet with the Rohan soldier and Theoden. Eomer's is silver with a gold crest. It is extremely accurate to the films. The Rohan soldier has plain brown legs, which is disappointing. He has a nice chain mail torso and a plain brown quiver. This fig has a great face with an orange beard. His helmet is the same as Eomer's, but with a silver crest. He also comes with a standard bow. I really like this bunch of figs.

The build

The build is pretty simple because it is mostly just putting a wall together. However, it does get a little tougher with the ballista.

The completed model

The finished product looks great. The Uruks are easily displayed and this set will be even better when I get Helm's Deep!

Overall opinion

This is a great starter for any LOTR or castle fan. I love it, and you can buy multiples to add to Helm's Deep.

This is a must have set for any LOTR collector. Is also great for building armies and extending the wall on your Helm's Deep.

Box/Instructions

Great box art.

Parts

Includes a good variety of weapons.

Minifigures

Includes 6 minifigures plus a horse. Great minifigures for expanding your Uruk-Hai and Rohan Army. Also comes with the exclusive Eomer minifigure.

The build

The build is great. Lots of minifigures and a decent sized build for the price.

The completed model

It is pretty good as a stand alone structure, but is obviously better when combined with Helm's Deep.

Overall opinion

I thought the set is fantastic. Six minifigures plus a horse in a set that is this cheap is great! If you want a lot of figures for a low price this is a perfect set. Also great as a stand alone set, but definitely better when combined with Helm's Deep. Overall one of my favorite LOTR sets.

Overall 5 bricks: This is in my opinion by far the most useful set of the LOTR theme until now. A load of mini figures, a great catapult and a wonder full looking wall with a stairs. But the set is meant of course to expand Helms Deep and both your army's, still it's playable standing alone too. Now, a year on the market, it is getting affordable to buy it. Great set, great figures and great parts; definitely worth the 5 bricks. The set in total reminds me bit of the 1984 Castle set 6061-1: Siege Tower only that one had a siege tower off course instead of the catapult. The set reminds me a bit to the small Castle sets of the 1980's that you could connect together with as result a big Castle !

Building 4 bricks: Not to difficult to do, first you built the good working catapult with the 2 hooks. Looks like the weapon used in the movie, moves well and shoots good. Second built is the small wall with a mirrored left and right side in fact with in the back a stairs and on top a small catapult. Behind the wall you mount a stairs to enter the top, the center of the wall has place for a small catapult. All of this is an easy built so I stick to 4 bricks.

Parts 5 bricks: The parts are outstanding, of course the 6 !! mini figures with all great weapons and shields and the new horse for Eomer. The catapult and wall parts are 99% useful, some of them with an extra remark like the tiles with wood patern and of course the new bricks with masonry profile. The Light Bluish Grey with Sand green color mix for the wall is great.

Playability 5 bricks: Looking at the result is reason 1 for the 5 bricks here but it is ment of course to put it together with Helms Deep where it reaches a 6 brick playability nomination.

Value 4 bricks: Just introduced the price in Holland in retail shops was €40,00 which is a bit overpriced. Now, one year later, you can find it new for about €30,00 which is a more reasonable price in my opinion. I don't think it will be a set that will turn out to be a collectors item. Maybe if you buy more and keep it MISB you can make a small profit after Lego will stop producing it.

This set is €40, a bit too expensive, but it is a great army builder. It comes with one new horse. I'll start with the minifigures.

Éomer: He is unique to this set. He has nice printing on his torso and on his legs. He has two faces, one is angry, the other one is angry with his mouth open in a scream. He also has a green cape, very cool, a nice new helmet with printing, and he also has a new shield, green with gold, and a spear and sword. Overall, he looks great.

Rohan soldier: He is also unique to this set, but I hope there will be more of him in other sets. He doesn't have a horse, that is a big flaw in this set. Everybody knows that Rohan soldiers fight from the back of a horse. He has two faces, one angry face and the other one is angry with his mouth open. He has printing on his torso and on his back, and that looks very cool. He has the same helmet as Éomer, but without printing. Overall, he looks great.

Uruk-hai (4x): They look great, with heavy armor, new swords, new shields and old halberds, a new (I think) hairpiece and offcourse a new, awesome looking, helmet. Two of them have a halberd, a helmet, and armor. The other two have the new swords and new shields, one of them has hair, the other one has a helmet. The printing on the uruk-hai is great. They have leg-printing, and torso-printing, also on their back. They have two faces, one really angry, whitout the white hand of Saruman, the other one really, really angry, with the mouth open, and the with the white hand of Saruman.

Now the wall-piece: This is an expansion of the Helms deep wall. It has 5 new bricks, with a pattern on it, I don't know how to call it, but is looks great. The build of the wall isn't hard. I don't have Helms deep, but I want it.

And last but not least, the Uruk-hai ballista: It looks great, no stickers, that is great. It doesn't shoot the two hooks really far, but that doesn't matter. The build isn't hard.

Overall, a great set. I only have one, but I want at least one more. I higly recommend it to any Castle of LotR fan, it is a great army builder.