LEGO Icons 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is an expensive but successful return to Middle-earth

10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell isn’t far from launch and reviews suggest that it’s worth picking up this LEGO Icons entry. 

Despite a high price and some noted flaws, 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell’s slate of early reviews paints a positive picture of the massive model ready for its release on March 5, 2023, for VIP members or March 8, 2023, for everyone. 

Touching on repetitive hairstyles, the high price and the new pieces, 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell may be the LEGO The Lord of the Rings set we’ve been waiting for. 

– Set details – 

Theme: LEGO Icons Set name: 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell Release: March 5 (VIPs), March 8 (wide), 2023 

Price: £429.99 / $499.99 / €499.99 Pieces: 6,167 Minifigures: 15 (plus six statues) 

LEGO: Available March 5 (VIPs), March 8 (wide), 2023 

Some minifigures are repetitive, others confusing 

The vast minifigure selection has been met mostly with praise, but one review noted a popular hairstyle in elven culture. The new pointed ear and hair piece is used for every elf in the set, but it might work best for Elrond and his circlet. 

“I think printing this circlet is actually more successful than using a dedicated hair component, as the minifigure from 79006 The Council of Elrond does,” notes Brickset. “However, the same rubbery piece appears on Arwen and such repetition between the Elves is noticeable. A couple of alternatives should definitely have been produced for these minifigures, replicating Arwen’s wavy hairstyle.” 

Another early impression echoed this point about the repetitive hairstyle, also believing that Arwen needed a different hair piece to be more accurate. 

“I like the hair in dark brown, I think it works for some characters and not others, explains Ashnflash when looking at the Arwen minifigure.” 

The issue of accuracy isn’t as much of an issue with other minifigures where you could argue that detail wasn’t necessary, especially provided it was in favour of other characters. 

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“The back of the dress has printing; I don’t why they did that with this generic figure but not for Elrond. Don’t know how I feel about that.” 

The YouTuber’s review also shares a perspective on other noteworthy parts of the minifigure selection, specifically pointing out an advancement in LEGO minifigures with Legolas now featuring dual-moulded legs. 

The new pieces are a mix of specific and versatile 

There are a few new bricks in 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell including the new fern and the several elements in the pack of weapons. However, the accuracy of these weapons may limit future appearances of the weaponry. 

“It will be interesting to see if these moulds are used elsewhere in the future, as they are very accurately depicting the weapons that were designed by Weta Workshop for the films.” writes Brick Architect. 

Thankfully, the latest addition to the LEGO Group’s range of plant pieces isn’t too specific and may be more likely to pop up in other builds in the future. As Brothers Brick notes “New additions to flora are always welcome, especially ones that are as useful as this one.” 

The fern’s use beyond 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell could extend into the LEGO Botanical Collection and minifigure-scale sets as additional foliage too. 

It’s expensive but worthwhile 

The early reviews agree that 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is expensive at £429.99 / $499.99 / €499.99. However, Brick Architect points out that is better value by price-per-piece with another huge medieval-fantasy model – 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle. 

However, that metric isn’t always the best measurement of value in a LEGO set with some featuring thousands of small pieces that aren’t equal to larger elements. 

“Objectively, the only negative aspect of this set is its price. At $499.99, it can be a significant financial commitment for many people.” Brick Architect continues. “While I was lucky to receive this set from LEGO for review, I evaluated this set as if I had paid for it myself and I believe that, given LEGO’s reputation for being a costly hobby, the set provides the value you would expect for its price point.” 

Brothers Brick echoes this sentiment, writing, “If you’ve got a big enough LEGO budget to consider this set, it earns a hearty recommendation.” 

10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell will take up a fair amount of space proportionate to its price, measuring 72cm wide, 39cm tall and 50cm deep. 

It’s worth the wait for another LEGO The Lord of the Rings set 

There’s been a long wait between this new set and the last LEGO The Lord of the Rings set not counting the fun packs for LEGO Dimensions or the shorter theme based on The Hobbit movies. 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is said to be worth the long wait though, even in light of the high price. 

“A decade has passed since LEGO The Lord of the Rings concluded, only increasing anticipation for its seemingly inevitable return,” notes Brickset. “Fortunately, 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell definitely satisfies expectations!” 

Many of the early reviews agree, including Brothers Brick who describe the theme as being ‘back with a roar’, even though 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is part of LEGO Icons and not the original theme in categorisation. 

– Summary – 

The slate of early reviews for 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell seem to be impressed with the biggest LEGO set based on the fantasy franchise to date. 

Our own review comes to a similar conclusion, even down to the flaws in the minifigures and the undoubtedly expensive price. 

Those planning on purchasing 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell in March 2023 can grab a free copy of 40630 Frodo & Gollum too provided you do so during the LEGO VIP early access. 

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