We're
all pretty excited here at Test Pit Towers for the forthcoming
release of the second in The Hobbit trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug.
However our excitement for the film pales in comparison to our
excitement at playing with LEGO. Combine the two and our heads would
definitely explode. So,
when the latest LEGO Hobbit set arrived on our doorstep, our heads
appropriately exploded with glee. The film might not yet be out, but
that didn't stop us from getting into a Middle Earth sorta groove and
running amok through Lake-town; its Lake-town Chase, set #79013.
This
is a mid-range LEGO set, weighing in at around 470 pieces. It's a
play set (unlike, say, the LEGO Star Wars spaceships) consisting of
three main structures and five minfigures. We suppose it represents a
part of Lake-town that will be heavily featured in The Desolation of
Smaug, and also of a chase that takes place there. Because we haven't
yet seen the film (at time of writing the release date is still two
weeks away) we can't really comment on weather or not the LEGO
designers have accurately reproduced Lake-town in plastic, but we're
confident to give them the benefit of the doubt. Those clever Danes
are hardly ever wrong.
The weapons platform is a fairly simple affair that comes complete with three additional weapons (the minifugures also come with their own), a hatchway that opens with the twist of a knob and also a fish in a barrel. This is a bit strange as when you lift the hatchway the fish falls out; perhaps a feature from the film that we've yet to enjoy.
The
two-storey building is an absolute joy to look at and quite a lot of
fun to build. It features a pass-through archway, a prison cell that
has a special catch to push open the bars (again, another thing from
the film maybe – those lucky designers must have seen an advance
copy), a catapult on the upper level and some lovely window and roof
details. It was by far the most enjoyable part of the whole set to
build, and along with the other two elements, took us about an hour
to finish.
As
this is a play set we can imagine it drawing the interest of younger
collectors. Fortunately they won't be disappointed when opening this
on Christmas morning as there really is a lot going on here. Apart
from the set itself and the play possibilities with the boat, there
are enough nice little details (such as the catapults, hatchway and
prison cell) to keep little fingers busy for a good long while.
Adult
collectors will no doubt be interested in the pieces the set contains
and also the minifigures. Plus there is some incredible detail in
there that is both a pleasure to build and to look at, especially the
gathered sails on the boat and the tiny lanterns hanging from the
cell.
We're
really excited to see the film now, and of course see what else LEGO
will do with The Desolation of Smaug.
It
has to be a dragon. Please LEGO, please do us a dragon!
£49.99
