Entertainment Swindon

Next year’s LEGO The Lord of the Rings set is now rumoured to be based on the home of the Hobbits, potentially opening the door to a more affordable Middle-earth model.

Since returning to shelves in 2023, LEGO Middle-earth has been represented by two giants of the LEGO Icons line in 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell and 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr. Anyone wanting a slice of Tolkien’s world in bricks has therefore needed to pony up at least £400 – but change could be afoot in 2025, as the next LEGO The Lord of the Rings set is now said to be inspired by the Shire.

That’s according to Instagram user and generally reliable source of rumours ‘@tandnbricks’, who’s given a less-than-cryptic clue to 2025’s Lord of the Rings set in a recent story. When asked about future Middle-earth sets, they responded: “A wizard is never late, he arrives precisely when he means to,” referencing Gandalf’s greeting to Frodo in the Shire at the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring. “It will be a shire fire hit.”

A GIF of Gandalf holding up a STOP sign (‘You shall not pass…’) covers up ‘shire’ in that last bit of text, so it looks like sure-fire, but the meaning is clear. And if this rumour does actually come to pass – remember that a third Middle-earth model is not confirmed at all yet – it could mean that next year’s LEGO The Lord of the Rings set is more affordable and accessible than either of its predecessors.

That’s because the last LEGO set to tackle the Shire was 2012’s 79003 An Unexpected Gathering, which managed to carve out a legacy as one of the best LEGO The Hobbit sets by recreating Bilbo’s home with only 652 pieces. A direct-to-consumer LEGO Icons set would obviously have a bigger budget and scope to deliver a larger and more ambitious Hobbit hole, but it’s tricky to imagine a £400 version of that building alone.

On the other hand, the LEGO Group could have decided to expand the scope of a Shire set beyond just Bag End, building out a sprawling location set in the vein of Rivendell that encompasses not only Bilbo and Frodo’s home, but perhaps also the site of Bilbo’s birthday party, the bridge that Frodo and Gandalf cross on the wizard’s cart, and even other Hobbit dwellings.

The ethos of both LEGO The Lord of the Rings sets so far has been ‘go big or go home’, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see the design team shoot for the stars with a Shire set, either. But for those holding out hope for a cheaper entry point to LEGO Middle-earth, there’s at least greater optimism to be had here than with, say, a LEGO Minas Tirith…