New LEGO BrickHeadz are an ominous sign for future The Lord of the Rings sets

The newly-revealed range of LEGO The Lord of the Rings BrickHeadz are a potentially ominous sign for future minifigure-scale sets from the resurrected Middle-earth theme.

We now know definitively that the LEGO Group is returning to Tolkien’s world in 2023, kicking things off with three BrickHeadz double-packs: 40630 Frodo & Gollum, 40631 Gandalf the Grey & Balrog, and 40632 Aragorn & Arwen. Rumours suggest that these will be followed later next year by a $500 direct-to-consumer set, which may or may not be anchored around the Elven kingdom of Rivendell.

Any further details on that model are few and far between at the moment, including whether it will be built in minifigure scale or microscale (or even a new and entirely different scale). There’s also no word yet on a wider return of minifigure-scale playsets, like those originally released in 2012 and 2013, and the product number allegedly attached to the D2C doesn’t inspire confidence that we’ll get any, either.

But that still leaves one possible avenue to building (or rebuilding) our LEGO The Lord of the Rings minifigure collections: if Rivendell exists, and is designed to sit happily with minifigures, we could arguably see a laundry list of characters included in the box (akin to 76178 Daily Bugle, 75978 Diagon Alley and so on). The setting would lend itself perfectly to the entire Fellowship of the Ring, along with the likes of Elrond, Arwen and Bilbo Baggins.

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So far, so good: the potential is there for a set that could blow us away come March 2023. But there’s one small detail in the newly-revealed BrickHeadz that could be a warning sign for how much the LEGO Group is prepared to invest in the return of The Lord of the Rings, and that’s Frodo’s sword in 40630 Frodo & Gollum.

Veteran LEGO fans will remember that the LEGO Group came up with a dedicated mould for Sting, the Elven short sword gifted to Frodo by his cousin Bilbo, in the original run of LEGO The Lord of the Rings sets. That piece has not returned for 40630 Frodo & Gollum, however, as the BrickHeadz Hobbit is equipped with the current standard sword piece. So that leaves us with the question: where’s Sting?

The obvious answer is that the mould is no longer in service, and the element has been officially retired from production. It hasn’t been necessary for almost a decade, so that tracks. But if the LEGO Group is gearing up to launch a minifigure-scale The Lord of the Rings set, and one specifically based around Rivendell – where Bilbo passes Sting to Frodo – wouldn’t it have made sense to bring that mould back, or create a new one?

We’re following a thread here that might not bear fruit, but from the evidence laid out in front of us at the moment, we’re left with two possible conclusions: the rumoured LEGO The Lord of the Rings direct-to-consumer set is not minifigure scale, or the LEGO Group hasn’t poured enough budget into the model to justify producing a new Sting piece.

A specialised sword shouldn’t be at the top of anyone’s wish list for a LEGO The Lord of the Rings theme, of course – there are more important things to prioritise for sure – but given it would already have another application in 40630 Frodo & Gollum, it’s surprising the LEGO Group has passed it up. And if it’s happy to let that piece go, should we be bracing for other shortcuts across any future LEGO The Lord of the Rings sets?

Time will tell, and indeed we don’t yet have any confirmation on further sets anyway, so don’t put too much stock in reports of a $500 direct-to-consumer set just yet. For now, here’s a summary of all the LEGO The Lord of the Rings 2023 sets we do know about.

LEGO set namePricePiece countRelease date
40630 Frodo & GollumTBC184TBC
40631 Gandalf the Grey & BalrogTBC348TBC
40632 Aragorn & ArwenTBC261TBC

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Author Profile

Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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