Hobbit LEGO - An Unexpected Gathering

This is the one Hobbit LEGO set that attracted the most attention from fans as it recreates Bag End, the home of Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit and Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings. This scene, from The Hobbit, is when the dwarfs unexpectedly burst in on Bilbo and start to clean him out of food, as well as mess up his house. Thirteen dwarfs arrive but only four are included in this set, they are, however, some of the more prominent characters.

Buy LEGO Hobbit An Unexpected Gathering 79003 on Amazon.com

The visual impact of Bag End is superb, and a number of new LEGO pieces have been designed to make this model look good. Inside Bag End is rather small but lots of little accessories make this a very playable set and four superb dwarf mini figures make it highly desirable for collectors too. Gandalf and Bilbo mini figures are also included.

What's Cool

• Exceptionally detailed body printing gives Balin's clothes a textured look as does his cloak.
• Great hair and beard LEGO piece which allows his face to be seen.
• Double-sided face print which gives Balin two different expressions.
• Great color scheme.

 What's Not Cool

• Balin does not have any special weapon, just a simple sword.

What's Cool

• Great head printing showing Dwalin's tattoos and grim expression.
• Cool beard.
• Highly detailed front and back body printing which creates a nice color scheme for the character.
• Dwalin is armed with a massive battle hammer - a really cool specialized weapon.

What's Not Cool

• Dwalin's bald look is spoiled by the head stud. It is about time that LEGO came up with an answer for this to make bald characters look better.

What's Cool

• A superb, unique hair, beard and stomach LEGO piece which gives Bombur a wonderful beard, balding head and fat stomach.
• Double-sided printing on the face.
• Detailed body printing so that Bombur can be used without his beard and stomach.
• There is plenty of food included to stop Bombur feeling hungry.

What's Not Cool

• Bombur is only armed with a dagger.

What's Cool

• Unique hat and hair LEGO piece making Bofur look just like he does in the movie.
• Double-sided head with smiling face and battle face expressions. Also with a nice beard design.
• Highly detailed body printing on front and back gives Bofur distinct clothing and a water gourd on his belt.
• Nice cape finishes off the look.

What's Not Cool

• Bofur's weapon is a standard LEGO pick axe; a custom design would have been better but also more expensive.

What's Cool

• Bilbo has cool, wavy hobbit hair.
• Detailed body printing gives Bilbo this unique Shire clothing look.
• Double-sided printing on the head gives two different expressions.

What's Not Cool

• Bilbo is the same height as the dwarfs. Hobbits should be smaller.

What's Cool

• All grey color scheme to reflect the name "Gandalf the Grey".
• Nice long, white beard.
• Comes armed with his wizard's staff.
• Detailed printing on the torso and his clothes are finished off by the addition of a long cape.
• Concerned expression printed on the face.

What's Not Cool

• This mini figure is not exclusive to this set and the character appears in many sets.

Watch the video review below for close-ups of all the mini figures and the Bag End model. If you are interested in this set, this video clip is something you should see.

Most of the 652 pieces that are in this set go into completing the model of Bilbo's home; Bag End. This model consists of the facade of the Hobbit hole that is seen in the movies and contains elements from the movies "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings".

The Front of Bag End

This is awesome. A huge amount of work has gone into making the front of Bag End look good with a number of new bricks to make the round windows look authentic. The design is interesting and uneven, as a house built into an earth bank should be, and there is a nice combination of browns and greens. Lots of flowers and leafy pieces are included to finish off the look with a small tree on the top.

Bag End's Interior

After the front, the inside of Bag End is a bit disappointing really - it is just too small. While there are some nice details and loads of accessories for kids to play with, there just is not enough space to do much with. I guess that LEGO have done the hard part here and fans can build onto the back and increase the size of Bag End using bricks from their collection.