In fact, this is effectively LEGO landscaping turned up to 11: where other sets might occasionally fall into the twin traps of repetition and symmetry to simplify their builds, 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell refuses to take shortcuts. Everything feels impressively organic and varied, and so the build never becomes dull or laborious, which is no mean feat for a set of this size. It’s that variety that keeps 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell engaging for the entire duration of its 16-hour-plus build, and ensures you never really know what you’ll be doing next. Even the trees are different, with four different approaches to them in the one set. That’s unprecedented. This has become one of my favourite LEGO sets of all time, and if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, or simply want a stunning display model that is sheer unadulterated joy to build, I can heartily recommend 10316 Rivendell.

RIVENDELL™ 10316 - LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RIVENDELL™ 10316 - LEGO

The tree is gorgeous and takes up a dominant spot visually in this section, nicely overlooking the Council of the Ring. The leaves, which combine two shades of green and yellow perfectly mimic the rustic aesthetic of Rivendell. Personally, I think the council looks significantly better when integrated with the larger Rivendell environment, taking particular advantage of roots around the base of the towering tree. Reddish brown pieces are situated under the bridge, appearing to emanate from the tree and with ferns filling the space in between. Additionally, the seamless transition between the courtyard and the bridge is exceptional. That value doesn’t just come across in attention to detail, either, but real, tangible things: the quantity of minifigures; the number of new and (so far) exclusive pieces; and that the price-per-piece ratio (always an infallible metric anyway) has not been artificially inflated by small elements. There are lots of 1×1 tiles across the roof, but they’re matched by huge 16×16 plates, large wedges and even just the sheer variety of parts (including those beautiful printed tiles for the main hall’s floor). The river underneath is primarily constructed with trans-light blue tiles, covering teal plates. This colour combination yields a vibrant blue, which certainly suits Rivendell's clear waters. The white foam looks lovely as well, bubbling with particular ferocity under the waterfalls. Plants surround the stream and include the new fern element, 34 of which are scattered throughout the set.I was initially afraid that this would be a very repetitive step, but it was much easier than expected, as in the instructions, you’re told to use a plate to align the tiles neatly. Gandalf, the enemy is moving. Sauron’s forces are massing in the east — his eye is fixed on Rivendell“ The sheer variety and incredible never-before-seen techniques employed will last with me a long time, and in many ways, it reminded me of building 10305 Lion Knight’s Castle (also co-designed by Mike Psiaki), but a more refined, and polished version.

LEGO Icons The Lord of The Rings: Rivendell 10316 Building LEGO Icons The Lord of The Rings: Rivendell 10316 Building

The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is one of those sets you save for, and splurge on and simply enjoy LEGO at its absolute finest. An undeniable masterpiece.Give your LEGO® The Lord of the Rings™ Rivendell™ (10316) set the perfect home with BOXXCO's stunning display case. Designed exclusively for this magical Middle-earth model, our clear acrylic case protects your creation while offering an unobstructed view of its incredible details. And lastly, we have 2 unnamed Elves, one of which is a smith, and the other blonde one whom you can pretend is Glorfindel. Whereas the other members of the Fellowship are dressed fairly consistently across their whole adventure, Aragorn wears more formal attire for the Council of Elrond. The padding underneath his dark brown robe displays nice texture and I like the decoration around his collar. The tousled hair element seems appropriate too, while the double-sided head includes some facial hair. Of course this is the perfect place to re-create the scene of Boromir being curious, inspecting Narsil, accidentally cutting his hand, and awkwardly dropping one of the most sacred historical artifacts on the ground before Aragorn has to come in and clean up after Boromir. Frodo arrives in Rivendell after being stabbed at Weathertop, so appears appropriately stunned from the wound. However, perhaps a concerned face would have been better for the Council of Elrond, with this design kept for possible future sets. Bilbo's other expression looks outstanding though, recreating the memorable 'scary Bilbo' moment from the film and showing the continued influence of the Ring!