Coming after the magnificently designed set that is Bag End, this Micro Bag End captures all of the iconic beauty of the well known hobbit hole in a small set that is a comfortable fit on any desktop.

This is my first exclusive set, and as such I was blown away by the box itself. I knew from images that it was square, but I was expecting a standard Lego box, similar to the Minecraft set. So when I first held this box, I completely forgot about the Lego within. It is more of a gift box than anything else, made from strong cardboard with little to no give in it. The lid has a high quality finish on it, with the set picture and details on the front, the tree atop the hobbit hole (the real thing, not Lego) on the side, a close up of the mark Gandalf scratches into the door on top, leaving the back of the box as my favourite. In the top left hand corner is a sticker, mine reads '796 of 1000'. Then comes a small write up stating that what I hold in my hands is an exclusive set to SDCC 2013. I wasn't expecting this, and I am pleased that it has been included as it makes it more of a collectable set. I am not sure if this is standard for all exclusives. The inner box is of the same strong cardboard, and has a plain black covering. Inside is the instruction manual and one bag of parts.

Continuing with the impressive level of quality, the instruction manual is printing on much thicker paper, with a glossy finish. The set is built in 43 steps, with no mistakes that I could find. My only issue was that the colours were much darker in the images, so I kept looking for darker brown pieces.

The build is relatively quick, though I took my time to marvel at the tiny details. It is quite small, as I was expecting, but I was a little surprised at just how many pieces went into this structure, somehow leaving me feeling that it is both smaller and bigger than I was anticipating. The finished build fits inside the box with the instructions and room to spare. After comparing to the full sized Bag End, it is the amount of detail that Lego has transferred into the micro version that has impressed me most. The three round windows are still included, and the shaping of the green around the doorway, as well as the iconic green door and centred gold handle itself, along with the light above so that Bilbo doesn't lose his way. Inside, the fireplace and shelves at either end stand in their rightful place. There are two brown studs where the table and chairs are in the full sized set, and I was waiting for a 3x1 tile to be placed on top to complete the table, but it didn't come. This is the only change I would, and may still, make.

Back outside, I love that the front fence is included, along with the shelves under the windows where Bilbo's flowers would go. The little chimney makes is a great finishing detail, but is dwarfed by the tree towering above it, making the tree seem bigger and oversized, when it isn't all that big on its own. Perhaps it could have been slightly smaller, but I am pleased by the four leaf pieces included, I would have expected two, maybe three, in a set this size.

All in all, Micro Bag End is just as pleasing to the eye as the full sized Bag End is, and I love that it can sit in the corner of my desk to be appreciated when noticed, without taking over the desktop. It is a credit to the designer, and a set that I feel very privileged to be able to count as part of my collection.