WhiteFang Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Hello everyone, I am pleased to share with all of you on my latest first review which it is also than my favourite movie, Lord of The Rings (LOTR) trilogy in this brand new medieval LEGO theme. This entire new theme excite me very much and it is one of the most highly anticipated theme in my wishlist for 2012. Many of us didn't expect to live to see the day that a decade old movie theme, could actually appear for the very first time as part of the official LEGO LOTR product range. A special thanks to Eurobricks Fellow, ZCerberus for shipping this mint crisp box over to me. Name: 9471 Uruk-Hai Army Theme: LEGO System / Lord of the Rings / The Two Towers Year: 2012 Pieces: 257 Minifigs: 6 minifigures Price: USD $29.99, GBP N.A, EURO N.A, SGD $79.90 Resources: Brickset, BrickLink An original box image of the 9471 Uruk-Hai Army Back view of the original box image of the 9471 Uruk-Hai Army Side view of the original box image of the 9471 Uruk-Hai Army Repel and defend the castle walls of Helm's Deep The wonderful 9471 Uruk-Hai army is part of the 2nd LOTR movie (The Two Towers), where Saruman had successfully created a mighty orc army to gain absolute power in Middle-earth and entrusted the army to conquer the last impregnable ancient fortress of Helm's Deep of Rohan. In actual fact, this set is one of the best LEGO battlepacks that you can ever see and is a dream come true for many army builders and fan of LOTR Helm's Deep. This set serve to provide a large minifigure assortment to build an army and allows expansion of 9474 The Battle of Helm's Deep. If you are also interested to find out more on the designing process, then take a moment to watch this LEGO Designer's video by Martin Klotz. The content of the sealed box Within the sealed box, it comes with 2 mint numbered packages and an instruction manual to build up the set. After the building is completed, these are the remaining spare parts. Which LOTR minifigure is now in your collection? At the back of the instruction manual, you will find this very lovely checklist to tick your current LOTR minifigures collection that you have acquired so far. I find this list pretty neat as you are able to see the overall view of the available LOTR minifigures. The Hobbit upcoming (Winter 2012) Yes, I am aware The Hobbit movie is coming soon at the end of 2012 and I wondered if this is meant to be a teaser for this movie promotional campaign or is there something of a different promotional agenda hidden in this subtle message? LEGO Lord of the Rings Video Game advertisement As always, I will look forward to play this LEGO LOTR game version, likely in my Nintendo DS since that is my only current gaming platform that I am still playing unlike the other platforms like PC, X-Box, PS, etc. The building content of packet 1 This Uruk-Hai army section is going to storm Helm's Deep In the first packet, you are able to construct and assemble a mighty formidable section of the Uruk-hai army which are specially breed from the genes of men and orcs by the evil Saruman the White. The fearless aggressive solders, accompanied by a group of four and the ballistic weapon to launch devastation at the fortress defences. The building content of packet 2 The completed section of the ancient fortress of Helm's Deep The second and the last packet of the set enable you to build a section of the Helm's Deep castle wall that allows you to expand the defending walls by connecting them side by side. In addition, you will also get the lead character, Éomer and his steed. Some useful bricks which is of interest to me These are some of the useful bricks which I find it pretty useful. Like the grappling hook that can be used for other mountaineering purposes and the new 1x4 wing that is quite similar to a slice weapon. The 1x2 brick with masonry design and the new printed 1x4 wooden grain tile is simply amazing. It add lots of details to the exterior and it is certainly lot better than using mere stickers. This is the amount of minifigures that you will get in this set. The long awaited army-builders' dream This is a dream come true and despite of the price range going towards the middle tier. You will be able to obtain six minifigures at one go, with a ratio of 4:2 (bad versus good). There is nothing wrong of getting a stronger Uruk-hai forces, especially when the movie depict the scene that Rohan is incapable of holding a strong and firm defence with its limited amount of fighting solders. Personally, I am just picking this up to get these beautiful minifigures and there is little reasons for not getting more, especially if the wallet does not allow you to do so. Fear the evil Uruk-hai army The fearless Uruk-hai is plain dangerous and aggressive. Although the solders are in different outfits but the Uruk-hai torsos are the same for all of them. One of my favourite new designs are the Uruk-hai's shield and sword which are created for this theme. Back-printing of the Uruk-hai torso All of the Uruk-hai minifigures' torsos in this set come with this same back-printing and same dual expression with and without white paint that marks the Saruman's flag. Nonetheless, all of their expressions on both sides are equally dangerous. Uruk-hai heads dual expression Just look at their red-headed expression with those prints on those details. It can also be used for those kind of nasty Space Aliens creatures too. Meet our medieval counterparts Rohan never surrender to their enemies Despite of Rohan's dwindling number of solders, this set actually come with one Rohan's archer and the lead character of Éomer who is the heir of his uncle, King Théoden of Rohan. He was exiled due to the sinister adviser's plot. Éomer is one of the major character in the LOTR's The Two Towers and The Return of the King story plot. Still, I view this minifigure on its own as a charming looking solder as part of the Rohan's knights and more importantly, this is an exclusive minifigure character along with the archer as well. If you are interested, this is a close-up of Éomer's LEGO minifigure that is imprinted on the box. A detailed view of the Rohan solders' torsos The new torsos are perfectly amazing and could be used in any form of past LEGO medieval castle sets. As a matter of fact, these torsos are just prefect and designed with nice chain-mail variations and all you need to do, is just taking the flesh minifigure hand away and change it with the yellow version. Back-printing of the Rohan solders' attires Even the back-printing of the torsos are just too incredible. I am totally lost for words and not to mention that these minifigures come with dual expression as well. In fact, this is one of the very few rare sets that all of the minifigures come with dual expressions on their heads. A closer look at Éomer's helmet and shield Don't you like his helmet where you can view the Rohan's might at the side of the helmet and the shape of a steed at the top. This is beautiful and you might also want to note that this helmet is packed individually in a sealed package. The cap is the same as the Series 3 Elf. Last but not least, the rounded front and dark green and gold Rohan pattern that is imprinted onto the shield. It is not a sticker at all unlike the ones in the LEGO Vikings. Comparison between both type of helmets This is a simple comparison between both of these helmets with and without the prints to differentiate the type of solders from one another. The brand new LEGO Horse Do you still remember the official news release by Matt Ashton (TLG) which is posted by our LEGO Ambassador, CopMike? This is the brand new LEGO Horse and it is my first ever experience to hold and play with the new horse. Although I missed the old one badly, but I can understand why there is a need to have this new revolving change to enhance the playing experience by being able to pose different stances altogether. It is a good thing that existing LEGO horse parts like the saddle and the barding is still compatible with it, but it is unfortunate that those head plates are not compatible with the new design. Different posing positions of the new LEGO Horse Comparison of the old and new LEGO Horse As you can see the different posing positions between the old and new LEGO Horse, the new horse head is much articulated and detailed than the classic, and the legs are also in a much different posing angle. Still, no matter how much and better the improvement is, the classic horse is still ever so iconic and it will take quite awhile for the new design to be used and made available in future LEGO themes. Placing the barding onto the new LEGO Horse So, which barding do you like best on these horses? It is heard that a new LEGO barding is being developed to allow the new horse to pose with the new barding design. For the old barding designs to be placed onto the new horse, it does not allow the new horse to be adjusted for posing. Marching out with the rest of the cavalries Éomer is riding his steed Fear no enemies! Building up the base of the catapult Now, let's get to the build of the base of the ballistic catapult. I am quite marveled with the use of the round 4x4 brick to be used as the wheel instead of the bigger and thicker ones. The armoured hook shooter's design The armoured hook shooter is the main playability feature which accommodates the flick missiles feature. At one thrust at the rear, you are able to launch two of the grappling hooks missiles right across the elevated height that is targeted onto the fortress walls. The playing mechanism of the armoured hook shooter The completed built of the armoured hook shooter Pretty ingenious good design especially on the attempt of the elevated angle that it has been created to make it a form of effective ballistic offense. It is lightweight and it can be amassed in large numbers to launch any form of castle attacks as well for other LEGO medieval factions. Different view of the armoured hook shooter Building the base of the Helm's Deep Fortress section Now, we are building the base of the Helm's Deep fortress. Too bad, I haven't got a chance to build the larger and bigger 9474 The Battle of Helm's Deep fortress and I am not sure if the main section of the wall is the same as this built of the back design, but I really like how the base is forming up for this set especially the usage of the new masonry brick design that helps to break the monotone of the wall design and the added variation of dark and sand green bricks at the walls section. It is really a very good improvement on the given bricks assortments. As the building of the fortress progress Close-up of the base of the fortress The stone catapult for the castle defenders This small little simplistic stone catapult design is the only defending mechanism that throw heavy rocks onto the incoming attacks. Front and back view of the fortress section Men, let's rid of their existence! The most highly anticipated LOTR battlepack ever released To conclude, I enjoyed this set very much and being the first LEGO LOTR set purchase that I have bought. This set had successfully crossbreed and deliver the army building battlepack requirement and also allow the rest of the playing set like the structure and vehicle to be integrated to the bigger playset for a greater playability and modular connecting purposes. The large amount of minifigures are extremely appealing and detailed with plentiful of excellent torsos, weapons dual headed expressions. All in all, the only downside in this set is that the price could be quite taunting especially if you are intending to build a large army with it. Summary review Playability: 10/10 (Fun to play with with a greater integration together with the LEGO 9474 set.) Design: 10/10 (Pleased with the overall designing approach and extremely satisfied with all of the new LEGO elements in it.) Price: 7/10 (This is classified as a middle-priced range LEGO set and it can be quite costly to build up an army with it.) Overall: 9/10 (You ought to get it no matter what to complete your LOTR collection.) I gave it a "5" based on my Review Score Card. What about yours? I hope every one of you enjoyed reading this simple review of mine. Comments and Criticisms are strongly welcomed. Pictures can be found in My Flickr and My Brickshelf (When moderated) Quote
CMP Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Fantastic review for an amazing set! (You mixed up the heads on the soldier/Eomer, but I'm pretty sure LEGO itself made that mistake some point down the line ) Got this the other day, and it makes Helm's Deep look even better. Seriously considering buying one or two more when I get the chance. The siege weapon and extra Uruks are very cool as well - it's as a substantial a battlepack as TLG will ever produce. :thumbup: Quote
WhiteFang Posted June 16, 2012 Author Posted June 16, 2012 (You mixed up the heads on the soldier/Eomer, but I'm pretty sure LEGO itself made that mistake some point down the line ) Thanks CallMePie. I followed the manual. Did I really confuse the two heads altogether? Geez. Quote
CMP Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Thanks CallMePie. I followed the manual. Did I really confuse the two heads altogether? Geez. Well, it is illegal to not have a beard in Rohan. Quote
ZO6 Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Wonderful review, Fangy! Thanks for taking the time to do this! I rewatched all the LotR movies last week because the Lego sets are just hitting store shelves and I wanted to get in the proper mood for building them. I picked up this set a few days ago, and it's the first from the theme for me. Overall I'm really quite pleased with the set. The section of wall looks nice and detailed, though it seems pretty small in person. The catapult is a nice addition which increases playability as the launcher on it actually works pretty well most of the time. The large quantity of minifigures is a huge bonus and will no doubt make this set a mega-seller. While the curved shape of the wall is nice when you only have one of the set to add to Helms Deep, but I'm not sure that I'm sold on having lots of these curved front wall sections side by side. Looking at pictures of the fortress, the majority of the long wall is just straight and only has one or two spots where something pokes out. One more nitpick while I'm at it - the price of the set is pretty high. I know that minifigures add to the cost, but when you have the set built in front of you and you look at it, there really isn't a very large quantity of plastic that you get (I don't go for price/piece ratios anymore to determine value - I look at the size of the finished set and its weight). Anyways, as I said - this is a great set and thanks again for sharing your review! Quote
KurttKrueger Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Wow, lovely review Whitefang. Thanks very much! I'm a big LotR fan, so I'm looking forward to all these sets. A quick question if I may: What colour would you say Eomer's beard printing is? Dark Tan perhaps? I have it mind for a custom minifig. Quote
WhiteFang Posted June 16, 2012 Author Posted June 16, 2012 Well, it is illegal to not have a beard in Rohan. That explains. Wonderful review, Fangy! Thanks for taking the time to do this! I rewatched all the LotR movies last week because the Lego sets are just hitting store shelves and I wanted to get in the proper mood for building them. I picked up this set a few days ago, and it's the first from the theme for me. Overall I'm really quite pleased with the set. The section of wall looks nice and detailed, though it seems pretty small in person. The catapult is a nice addition which increases playability as the launcher on it actually works pretty well most of the time. The large quantity of minifigures is a huge bonus and will no doubt make this set a mega-seller. While the curved shape of the wall is nice when you only have one of the set to add to Helms Deep, but I'm not sure that I'm sold on having lots of these curved front wall sections side by side. Looking at pictures of the fortress, the majority of the long wall is just straight and only has one or two spots where something pokes out. One more nitpick while I'm at it - the price of the set is pretty high. I know that minifigures add to the cost, but when you have the set built in front of you and you look at it, there really is not a very large quantity of plastic (I don't go for price/piece ratios anymore to determine value - I look at the size of the finished set and its weight). Anyways, as I said - this is a great set and thanks again for sharing your review! Thank you Z06. I am glad you enjoyed this set as much as I do, and this was my surprising first set. This set is really very small in size but after you build it and put them altogether, you will realise that each of this section like the structure, minifigures and the catapult are all equally distributed. The disappointing part is the high price tag and I don't have any slightest idea on Singapore's SRP at the moment and I got this from the US which is pretty reasonable. I am looking forward to get the Helm's Deep and see for myself to acquire a few of these sets to form a longer wall fortress section. A quick question if I may: What colour would you say Eomer's beard printing is? Dark Tan perhaps? Based on my images, the one in Éomer is orange bearded while the archer is light brown bearded. Quote
The Blue Brick Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Thanks for the review. This set is great. I picked up one already and might get another. Its definitely a great set that I don't mind shelling out $30 for. It comes with great mini figures and a nice little wall. Thanks for the comparison of the horse too. Quote
kenzaburo Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 (edited) thanx for the review. i already pre-ordered this set and i'm desperately awaiting release date here in germany (supposed to be on 23rd of june) just from looking at the pictures on the net, i would assume 3 of these sets to extend helm's deep to get the right proportions (from a widht point of view, never mind hight). i would put one piece of wall exactly like this between the door section and the part where the bomb will explode and then i would add 2 more sets to the left of helm's deep, but slightly modified so that the wall is smoth and does not has this "round" extensions ( i hope you can make sense out of my words). together with the orks of the helm's deep set that would already give you a reasonably army. oh, i'm so excited! Edited June 16, 2012 by kenzaburo Quote
TheLegoDr Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Thanks for the review. It is a fun little set. I only have 2 copies so far, but I plan on getting more. The siege weapon is impressive and the wall is cleverly built. I would modify it to go next to Helm's Deep for sure, but it is fun how it is. The figure printing is great on all of these figures. I am very impressed with TLG this time around. Let's hope they keep it up. Enjoy your set! I know I will. Quote
Artifex Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Wow, fantastic review! I think this is one of the best LotR sets so far -- and the only reason it's not the top one in my list is because we have The Battle of Helm's Deep. It's good to see Lego giving us so many mnifigs in one same set! This is definitely the army building set for LotR fans! Thanks for posting pics of the LotR figs near older figs. Quote
TheDarkness Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Excellent review for an excellent set. A nice army building set with extra features for a fairly decent US Price (not so much for elsewhere!) Can't wait until my sets start arriving to build my army! Quote
HumanPackMule Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Got this set the first day it was released here in the States along with Helm's Deep and Shelob. Amazing set, and it's got one of the best applications of FFM's and it's also one of my favorite sets to take off the shelf and fidget with. I'll probably pick up another and do a reverse build to diversify my wall and add to the challenge since I'll be building the same set again. Quote
LEGO Train 12 Volts Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 This is not one of my LOTR favorite sets, but the review is really well made! I like the new brick with the "brick effect" Quote
Ferrik Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Interesting review. It's a great set for minifigures. Quote
The Cobra Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Thanks for another great review. It makes me like this set even more, but the RRP for Italy (and most of European countries, I think) is 40 Euros, and that's a lot, even for a licensed set. I still rate it Above average. And yes, I like the new horse! Quote
lightningtiger Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Thanks 'Fangy' for the review of this AWESOME set ! This was my first LOTR set I purchased two weeks ago and I totally agree with you scores indeed. The highly detailed minifigs leave even many SW, HP and POTC for dead and new horse totally rocks ! Now I can't wait to buy Helm's Deep and add this set to it. Quote
LegoPohm Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Great review, thanks for taking the time to do it and share. Have to say, from these images I am impressed by this set, each review of the LOTR sets that I read convinces me further than I am going to have to try and get them. My wallet and Wife are not going to be best pleased, although I am sure the bank manager and TLG will like how my money is used Quote
Wolvarie Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Thanks White Fang a great review and pictures! This is the one set that I must have multiples of for many reasons...the horse, the fantastic detail of the Rohirrim, the brick detail in the wall, the Uruk-hai and their weapons. $48 here in Oz on sale so will only be buying 2 from the local stores the rest of Bricklink. From memory the stream coming out of the Deepling Wall was around 3/4 of the way along so I think 5 sections would be needed to add to the Helm's Deep set which I also hope to pick up in a few weeks. Been saving feverishly for these sets. Can't wait. Quote
Stiel Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 $30 is an excellent deal for this set. The set 7948 from Kingdoms cost $20, had 3 figs and 1 horse less (I consider the structures as roughly equal in the sets). That's actually quite comparable. Quote
JackJonespaw Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Nice review, WhiteFang! This is one great set! The minifigs are definitely the selling point of this set - and they don't disappoint! Quote
drs1238 Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 wow those Eomer and Rohan minifigs are very beautiful! I like those torsos and their accessories . The section of the fortress has a lot of details too. I don't really like lotr books, but this is a nice set You have done a nice job with those pictures. Quote
Graysmith Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Nice review, can't wait to get my dirty paws on these LOTR sets. By the way, the "armoured hook shooter" is a Ballista. Quote
DFOL Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Thank you for this outstanding review WhiteFang! I found your review very complete, well opinionated and clearly written with so much enthousiasm, that it was truly a pleasure to read. Though i'm mostly Star Wars oriented, the LOTR sets definately have caught my eye. I'll probably have no budget left for any of the larger sets, but it's gonna be hard resisting the urge to pick this one up, especially after reading this really nice review. Both models are nicely built, and the selection of minifigs just makes me drool! As for the new horse, i like it. I think the design fits in much better with the newer (farm) animals and adds a good deal of playability, while still being (mostly) compatible with the original saddles, bardings, etc. Quote
thecolossus Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Ah, now I have to decide whether to pay out for SW or LOTR now. I'm a bit iffy about the other sets, but this one looks really good. Thats one amazing selection of minis, the Rohan Soldier is actually my favourite. So does it connect with Helms Deep? And can you add further ones of this set to extend the Deeping Wall? Quote
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