I was going to review the Lego Hobbit set, An Unexpected Gathering (79003) much earlier than this but as the reviews started rolling in from various Lego blogs, all praising its virtues and declaring it one of the best sets ever made, I realised there was not too much I could add.
Quite simply, this set is perfect (You could win one – see below!)
Furthermore, if you are remotely interested in The Lord Of the Rings or The Hobbit you need to have at least one this set, and possibly more in order to make Lego dioramas of The Shire.
Lego An Unexpected Gathering – Review
I could go through every design-gem this set contains (and there are a number!) but I feel most of it has already been covered by Brickset, The Brothers Brick and just about every other Lego Blog.
Instead, let me point out a few things that I noticed once the set was assembled and staring at me in all its glorious detail:
- The organic merging of hill + house works perfectly despite the fact the set is made out of square bricks
- The set is surprisingly sturdy, given the size and piece count.
- The figures are glorious (Bombour has girth!)
- The palette of colours is beautiful
- The front garden is planned perfectly – so much is included given the small area
- I could go on…
In fact the only way this set could have been improved is by doing away with the stickers. I’m sure, with the amount of new figures in the set, financial corners had to be cut somewhere but it just detracts from the set to have to affix stickers, knowing they will deteriorate sooner than printed pieces.
Still, that minor irk aside, An Unexpected Gathering (79003) gets my vote for one of the Best Lego sets ever.
Well done Lego!
Update! Competition is Closed and Winners have been Notified.
Lego has offerred us two of these sets to giveaway to The Brick Life readers – See below for more details! The giveaway competition closes 6pm AEDT Friday the 15th of February.
An Unexpected Gathering
Lego Set Number: 79003
Pieces: 652
Minifigures: 6 – Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo Baggins in his Shire outfit,Balin the Dwarf, Dwalin the Dwarf, Bombur the Dwarf and Bofur the Dwarf
Price: EU £59.99 / US $69.99 / AUS$119.99
Ages: 9-14
Released: January 2013
Theme: The Hobbit
Instructions in PDF: Book One a | Book One b | Book Two a | Book Two b
Best Prices: Amazon I Amazon UK I Fishpond AUS
An Unexpected Gathering – Description
Visit Bilbo Baggins in his Hobbit home!
Gandalf the Grey has invited the Dwarves to Bag End the Hobbit home of Bilbo Baggins. Uncover the Hobbit hole to entertain the Dwarves with food and drink accessories! Then invite Bilbo Baggins on a great journey to The Lonely Mountain and begin the epic LEGO The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey adventure.
Includes Gandalf the Grey and 5 exclusive minifigures featured only in this set: Bilbo Baggins in his Shire outfit, Balin the Dwarf, Dwalin the Dwarf,Bombur the Dwarf and Bofur the Dwarf, all with assorted weapons.
- Accessories include 3 Middle-earth maps, flowers, fence, goblets, plates, chicken, bread, carrots, sausage, bottles, shovel and apples
- House features a fence with gate, barrel, bench, removable roof, tree and leaf exterior, round windows and door, a table with stools and shelves
- Includes 7 weapons: 2 swords, 2 knives, club, pick axe and a staff
- Collect 5 exclusive minifigures featured only in this set: Bilbo Baggins in his Shire outfit,Balin the Dwarf, Dwalin the Dwarf, Bombur the Dwarf and Bofur the Dwarf!
- Uncover the Hobbit hole to play inside!
- Feed the hungry Dwarves with tons of food and drink accessories!
- Open the doors, gate and windows!
- House measures over 6” (16cm) high, 11” (28cm) wide and 6” (17cm) deep
An Unexpected Gathering (79003) – Brick Life Rating
Value For Money: Good figure and piece count value for a licensed set
Play Experience: Wonderful as a playset or display diorama
Pieces & Minifigures: Stickers (bummer) aside, the set comes with highly detailed and exclusive figures and a model that will inspire kids to create their own natural environments with Lego.
Value For Kids: Great for fans of all ages.
Lego An Unexpected Gathering Image Gallery
Win One Of Two Lego The Hobbit “An Unexpected Gathering” Sets!
Update! Competition is Closed and Winners have been Notified.
A big thank-you to everyone who entered the competition, there were about 80 in total!
The two winners were selected using tools over at RandomPicker and have been contacted by email.
Please remember to subscribe to my newsletter so I can let you know of future Lego competitions and giveaways.
Thanks again for taking the time to enter and thanks again to Lego for offering the sets,
Inger 🙂
Lego has graciously offerred two Lego the Hobbit An Unexpected Gathering Sets to Australian readers of The Brick Life.
All you have to do is:
- Just leave a comment below this post.
- Remember to include your email.
- Only Australian entrants will be considered.
- Entries closes 6pm AEDT Friday the 15th of February.
How to Enter
All you have to do is make a comment in the appropriate box below this post.
If you are stuck for something to say, try answering these questions:
- What is your (or your child’s) favorite Lego theme?
- Has your child seen/read The Lord Of the Rings or The Hobbit and are they interested in the sets?
- What books/films would you like to see Lego make sets of?
- Is there anything you would like to see more of on The Brick Life site?
Remember these questions are just ideas and have no bearing on the draw…
The giveaway competition closes 6pm AEDT Friday the 15th of February.
More Details
One entry per person.
Two entrants will be drawn at random and will each receive one of the Lego 79003 sets, sent out to them by Lego.
Remember to leave your email address in the appropriate space above the comment box so I can contact you.
The giveaway competition closes 6pm AEDT Friday the 15th of February.
Winners will be contacted soon after.
Please contact your friends and let them know so they have a chance to win one of these great sets too!
Thanks again to Lego and One Green Bean for offerring the sets to our readers!