Take a closer look at LEGO 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire's minifigures

LEGO Icons 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire not only has a huge build, but many exclusive minifigures, including one with a huge upgrade.

Now that further images of the next LEGO The Lord of the Rings set are starting to surface, we can take a much closer look at the nine new (mostly hobbit) minifigures with their suitably formal and exquisite printing, alternate expressions and minifigures of characters that we almost certainly won't see again.

Bilbo Baggins (older than he appeared in the previous Shire models) makes up the first minifigure as the subject of the birthday party. He pairs well with Frodo and the two come equipped with dual-moulded short legs in varying colours, which is going to become a common theme with 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire's minifigures.

Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took (or Merry and Pippin as they go by) also make up part of the cast in 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire, rounding out the group of hobbit minifigures that venture beyond the Shire in the films. The iconic duo's outfits are similarly formal with contrasting colour schemes featuring light and dark elements.

They come with an alternate face print as well, this time representing a moment when they've had a close encounter with one of Gandalf's fireworks. Samwise Gamgee and Rosie Cotton are also attending the party with more formal and fantastical outfits. Rosie's is especially detailed with a swirling design on a beautiful, bright blue ensemble. Her head is also exclusive to just one other set – 76439 Ollivanders & Madam Malkin's Robes.

Mrs. Proudfoot and Farmer Proudfoot round out the cast of Hobbit minifigures as two characters who almost certainly find their way into another set. Their base expressions offer some hearty smiles, which cannot be said for their alternate faces. Hopefully, they won't be bringing these attitudes to Bilbo's party. Mrs. Proudfoot will debut a new type of skirt piece, contrasting against Rosie's skirt with a deeper hang.

Gandalf is the most notable minifigure in 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire for one distinct reason. Not only is he the only non-hobbit in 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire, but his minifigure is a clear and major upgrade compared to that of 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell. Gandalf's head now has a full printed beard to accompany the additional piece, adding more detail to the face overall.

Add to that the shaping of the eyes for a more expressive face and thicker eyebrows, and this is by far the best Gandalf minifigure ever designed. It's hard to see where else the LEGO Group can upgrade this minifigure in future sets.

10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire has some great minifigures to grab when it launches next month. LEGO Insiders will get early access to the £229.99 / $269.99 / €269.99 set early on April 2, as well as a surprisingly dark gift-with-purchase. Otherwise, you can pick up the LEGO Icons set starting April 5, 2025. Click here to check out Brick Fanatics' review, featuring Johanna from HighTeaToys.

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