Home News > LEGO Lord of the Rings: Building The Shire, Epic Quest Begins

LEGO Lord of the Rings: Building The Shire, Epic Quest Begins

by Carter May 01,2025

LEGO enthusiasts and fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga have a new reason to celebrate as LEGO is set to release The Lord of the Rings: The Shire on April 2 for LEGO Insiders, and on April 5 for the general public. This new addition marks the third set in the LEGO Lord of the Rings series released in the last three years, following the intricate 6,167-piece Rivendell in 2023 and the imposing 5,471-piece Barad-dûr in 2024.

Out April 5### LEGO LOTR: The Shire, the Beginning of an Epic Quest

3See it at LEGO Store

The newly introduced 2,017-piece Shire set captures the essence of Hobbiton with remarkable detail. Every wall in this set is either rounded or curved, and each surface is adorned with accessories, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. IGN had the opportunity to test-build The Shire, finding it charming and fitting for its theme, though it comes with a disproportionately high price for its piece count.

We Build LEGO LOTR Shire

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Set #10354 beautifully recreates Bilbo Baggins' hobbit-hole, spotlighting his "eleventy-first" birthday celebration. The set includes nine minifigures, featuring beloved characters such as Bilbo Baggins, Frodo, Mrs. Proudfoot, Farmer Proudfoot, Merry, Pippin, Rosie Cotton, Samwise Gamgee, and Gandalf the Grey. The home, ingeniously built into a green-bricked hillside, offers a cutaway view of three distinct rooms: the main foyer accessible through the iconic round door, a cozy study to the left, and a dining and sitting area to the right.

These rooms are built separately and then connected with clamps, ensuring a seamless hillside on the exterior while maintaining a cohesive living space inside. The set emphasizes the homely feel of Bilbo's abode with various patterned rugs, letters from "well-wishers," and food items scattered throughout. Notably, there's a wedge of cheese above the fireplace, a loaf of bread, and libations on the windowsill, all adding to the set's authenticity.

The set is rich with artifacts from Bilbo's adventures, including the Mithril Coat hidden in a chest by the door, a well-worn map on the table, and a sword in the umbrella stand. A unique feature is the LEGO Technic mechanism that allows you to switch the fireplace display between a charred envelope and the One Ring, recreating a crucial scene from The Fellowship of the Ring.

The room dimensions reflect the hobbit-hole's characteristic low ceilings and wide, open spaces, with straightforward interior construction. However, the exterior demands more attention to detail to achieve the natural curves and contours of the hillside, providing a tactile experience reminiscent of running one's hand over a globe's relief.

The set also includes several standalone elements that enhance its storytelling potential, such as a birthday cake, a Party Tree with colorful lanterns, a patterned tent, a red dragon firework, Gandalf's horse-drawn carriage, and a group of barrels with a disappearing mechanism for Bilbo.

While The Shire set is simpler in design compared to Rivendell and Barad-dûr, it embodies the humble and cozy nature of hobbit life. However, its pricing raises questions. At $270 for 2,017 pieces, it exceeds the traditional 10 cents per brick metric by 34%, feeling more like a $200 set. This pricing is notably higher than other licensed sets, such as the LEGO Star Wars sets, which are often subject to the "Disney tax."

Despite its cost, The Shire remains the most budget-friendly option for Lord of the Rings fans compared to the larger Rivendell and Barad-dûr sets. The question remains whether LEGO's brand loyalty and the enduring popularity of Tolkien's work can justify this pricing strategy.

For those interested, a LEGO mini-movie showcasing this set is also available:

LEGO The Lord of the Rings: The Shire, Set #10354, retails for $269.99 and comprises 2,017 pieces. It is available at the LEGO Store starting April 2 for LEGO Insiders and April 5 for the general public.