Five other LEGO themes that need the Rivendell treatment

10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell represents an entirely different concept for the LEGO Group, and there are plenty of other themes that deserve the same treatment.

It’s fair to say we’ve never seen a location-based build quite as breath-taking as Rivendell, with so many of its 6,167 pieces devoted to recreating not only its distinctive elven architecture, but also its landscaping, terrain and foliage. Between a river, waterfalls, bridge, four different types of trees, countless ferns and mushrooms and plant life galore, the latest LEGO Icons set prioritises lush vistas and dramatic scenery like no set before it. But that’s not to say its approach couldn’t work elsewhere.

From the snowy plains of Hoth (trust us) to a certain wizarding school, here are five scenarios in which we can see other current LEGO themes benefiting from the Rivendell treatment.

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5 – LEGO Avatar

The LEGO Avatar theme has yet to receive a direct-to-consumer set, and subsequently the kind of budget that would allow the theme to properly flourish on display. There’s clearly room for it, though, given most of its current playsets are already geared around how well they sit on shelves (hello, trans-clear display stands).

Pandora is a readymade rival to Rivendell with its lush landscapes and rich flora and fauna, and a build as detailed as 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell would really bring James Cameron’s stunning visuals to life in quite a different way.

4 – LEGO Harry Potter

We’ve had one LEGO Hogwarts, yes, but what about second LEGO Hogwarts? Alright, by now we’re probably talking fifth or sixth LEGO Hogwarts, but to date the only interpretation of the Wizarding World icon that comes close to 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is 71043 Hogwarts Castle. That’s a mighty set, no doubt, and a reasonable match for Rivendell in its aesthetic approach. But it’s still microscale, while every minifigure-scale Hogwarts so far has remained stuck in playset territory.

Applying the Rivendell approach to the LEGO Harry Potter theme could result in a minifigure-scale Hogwarts on an unprecedented scale, built to incredible detail in the one box (rather than spread piecemeal across multiple smaller sets).

3 – LEGO DC

Rumour has it that we’re about to see a giant LEGO Batcave arrive on shelves, complete with a fully-enclosed cave structure, beyond any we’ve seen before. That already sounds a bit like ‘what if Rivendell, but DC’, and would have been our first choice for this entry, so we’ll be ecstatic if it proves true.

That set notwithstanding, however, we’d also take a huge Arkham Asylum and its surroundings (imagine a prison breakout that extends into the grounds), or even a slice of Gotham City that could pack in plenty of Batman’s rogues. Basically, anything but another massive Batmobile…

2 – LEGO Super Mario

Left-field choice: LEGO Super Mario. To date, the LEGO Group and Nintendo have resisted giving us Mario minifigures, even while that’s all anyone in the community is asking for. A $500 set that recreates Super Mario levels and worlds at minifigure-scale could be a perfect (if entirely cost-prohibitive) solution to that problem.

We’d love to see the microscale worlds in 71395 Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block blown up to minifigure-scale, and the colourful terrain would make for a visually-arresting set. But essentially, take your pick from any Mario game in the last two or three decades.

1 – LEGO Star Wars

You knew this one was coming. LEGO Star Wars – perhaps more so than any other current theme – feels ripe for the Rivendell treatment, with so many unique and interesting landscapes begging to be populated with characters. We’ve had a taste of this through sets like 75330 Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama, but just imagine that approach supersized, with equal attention to the environments of Star Wars’ most iconic planets.

Endor is an obvious candidate (more trees, please), but even something like Hoth could work. Just give us a bunch of white pieces, a full rebel base build and a Snowspeeder or two, and watch sales of 75313 AT-AT skyrocket. That’s not to mention the massive wealth of infinitely more interesting prequel planets that are just waiting to be realised in bricks, either, from Kashyyyk and Naboo to Felucia and Geonosis. Fingers crossed a future Master Builder Series set lives up to the potential on the table here…

10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is available to buy now for VIP members, and comes with a free copy of 40630 Frodo & Gollum (through March 7) and 40583 Houses of the World 1 (through March 12).

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