The enigma of LOTR, Tom’s Silhouette is shown with bare minimal detail, with only a blue feather to distinguish him. Tom put on the Ring, yet it had no effect upon him. The gold leafing on the inner lip of the frame signifies his handling the Ring, but the pure blue frame signifies he remained wholly unchanged by it. Wood oval, 5x7” (Tom is not in the film version of LOTR, but his presence is a nod to those who have read the books and might be charmed to see him included!) Furthermore, the bedroom also includes Bilbo's writing desk, where he completes the Red Book of Westmarch, recounting his adventures. The quill in the inkwell looks great, while the desk is adorned with scrolls underneath. The teal-upholstered chair is neatly constructed and provides some additional colour, but the reddish brown frame looks odd, surrounded by dark orange and medium nougat furnishings. You know, I can’t even remember if they show the entire tower at Minas Morgul in the film. Attention is largely focused on the city walls (which look like a sea urchin made sweet, sweet love to a fairly standard bear trap). I had to look up images of what the filming model looked like, but that tower terminates with a flared platform that looks like it has a siege tower perched on top. It sorta looks like one of the Easter Island Moai statues that has a hat. The Ring Bearer and chief protagonist of LOTR, Frodo is shown in the same gold oval as Bilbo. The same frame signifies the otherwise unassuming looking Ring was passed from Uncle to Nephew. 5x7” gold leafed wood oval.

Ranger of the North, Aragorn is framed in an unadorned silver leafed 5x7” wood oval frame. A King in waiting, Aragorn is the heir of Isildur and rightful claimant to the thrones of Arnor and Gondor.The Oldest of Ents is shown in a rustic wood frame. Treebeard is 5x7” and the outermost measurements of the real wood rectangular frame are 8 1/2x 10 1/2”. The second painting features Ost-in-Edhil, the capital city of Eregion and home of the previously depicted Elven smith, Celebrimbor. Once again, this image recreates Alan Lee's design from the film series and is beautifully detailed. The dark orange colour selected for the frames is effective too, clearly standing out against the grey stonework. Legolas Greenleaf appears equally detailed, as metallic silver patterns complement the earthy colours of his attire. Sand green and sand blue look marvellous together and the dual-moulded boots are effective as well. However, I think tan would have been more suitable for Legolas' hair than blonde and maybe this Elf should have included unique hair, which could accommodate his quiver. Sam eavesdrops on the council's discussion and emerges from the undergrowth almost as soon as Frodo volunteers to take the Ring to Mordor. The designers have therefore hidden space for Sam behind some leaves and underneath the statues. No other functions are really included, so this seems strange, but the feature works perfectly and occupies an empty area.

Kathryn is an avid fan of the Lord of the Rings, and this collection of Silhouettes was created as a work from the heart, to honor her favorite film trilogy. As normal, Rivendell is intended to be presented from the front, although the interior is also very detailed. I wonder whether an arrangement akin to 10305 Lion Knights' Castle would have been possible, so the model could be folded and enclosed on every side, or opened to create a wider facade. However, the rural features of Imladris require some separation from the focal building, so this design is probably more suitable. Overall, I’m very impressed and I’m sure that I will scrape together the cash to buy this (at some point…). Not having a fully re-forged Anduril as well as the hilt shard of Narsil (as cool as it genuinely is!) also feels like a miss in a set this expensive. Admittedly that’s more for the books than the movies at this point in the story but we can only hope that the fully restored version of this sword appears in LotR sets yet to come… and the same for Gandalf’s Glamdring. However, my favourite feature of the ground floor is undoubtedly the mural, affixed to the bigger section of the building. This image depicts Celebrimbor forging the Rings of Power, with another minifigure in the foreground. I imagine the second figure represents Annatar, Sauron's fair form which enables him to influence the Elves!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. Additional scrollwork elements are combined with life rings to assemble the ornate dome, which is extraordinarily detailed. The tooth pieces clipped underneath are effective too, recreating the Elven pavilions from the films with far greater accuracy than I had anticipated. Another récamier delivers a splash of colour inside. Featured in a pure white wood oval 5x7” frame. Gandalf’s hair and beard are completely white, notating his change in status after his return from death after battling the Balrog.

I think much the same can also be said for some of the head prints. The original Legolas face may have been somewhat stylised but it worked and the use of several generic faces in this set feels like a cop-out. I understand that the old prints were out of production and they probably shaved a little off the costs by incorporating some parts already in production but it definitely feels like a missed opportunity. The Steward of Gondor, this grim character is shown in an ornate real wood 5x7” silver leafed oval frame. The frame was chosen to reflect his rank, and overly proud and embittered attitude as it is threatened. Marshal of the Riddermark, Eomer is shown in a vintage 5x7” resin oval, painted brown to resemble wood, and flanked by gold painted roses. There are 12 council members. I would add two temple guards and Jocasta Nu for the figure lineup. If it wasn't going to be the full council, I would keep the temple guards and Jocasta Nu, as well as Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, Agen Kolar, Adi Galia, Kit Fisto, Saessee Tiin, and Oppo Ranciss from the council. I would also add Ahsoka and the younglings that she teaches which are Gungi, Ganodi, Katooni, Zat, Pedro, and Byph. Although I doubt they would do the younglings since some of them are the same species as council members(Zat and Katooni), and they likely aren't popular enough. If I were to maintain a 15 minifig limit, I would cut from the previous list Kit Fisto and Plo Koon since their popularity will likely get them in a set at some point no matter what. Realistically, it would contain Yoda, Windu, Anakin, Obi wan, maybe Ahsoka, popular council members like Plo Koon and Kit Fisto, and hopefully a few temple guards. But I highly highly doubt it'll be on release day. I just don't see a set worthy of the full 500€ here.Son of Gloin, this brave and loyal Dwarf is shown in a dark metal rectangular frame, as his folk were expert miners and fond of all things geometrical. 5x7” with a metal door hanging loop.

The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell contains over 6000 pieces and occupies an enormous space on display, measuring 73cm across. The combination of muted dark tan and olive green colours with vibrant trees and roof tiles looks spectacular and I appreciate how different sections of the setting are angled, enhancing its realism. Of course, this configuration also increases the depth of the model.

Summary

Gimli completes the Fellowship of the Ring and introduces a new beard component, with lovely texture and braided details on both sides. The dark brown helmet slots neatly over Gimli's beard and has been updated from the earlier minifigure, which surprised me because the existing part was tremendous. The new design is similarly impressive though, adorned with gold and bronze patterns. Medium nougat plates differentiate this area of the model, which is helpful because the armoury is situated lower in the valley onscreen, so appears darker. The continued greenery looks good and several mushrooms are placed around the shorter tree. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that their stems are actually glow-in-the-dark. Son of Thranduil of Mirkwood, Legolas the Elf is featured in a real LOTR metal collectors frame with mallorn leaves on each corner. 4x6” In regards to the weapons, you have Boromir's sword, Gimli's axe, the ranger sword, sting, and the elven blades. No Glamdring, but I suppose that could be easily represented by the current long sword element. Are they missing any other key weapons besides a reforged Anduril? I can't think of any. The only other thing might be Uruk-hai shields since the swords are still in production. I suppose since they put 16 of the weapons in one bag, it won't show up in smaller sets. Hopefully they do a similar but smaller assortment for smaller sets."