Love/Hate: Independent Review of The Shire | Lego Set 10354

As soon as the price of the new Lego The Shire (set 10354) was announced, the set was controversial within the online Lego community. In building it, we were impressed by some parts and disappointed with others. We'll tell you what those are in this review and if we think it's worth the staggeringly high retail price (spoiler: it's not).

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[rushiosan]

This set deserved to be as good as Rivendell. I mean - a REAL Shire, multiple homes, a fleshed out party tree, a bigger Bag End. I would happily pay $500 again just to have this incredible landscape at display. A missed opportunity it was.

[eves]

For me (aside from the trees), it feels incomplete. The lack of the roof in the back, the lack of additional interior. The scattered party pieces instead of being all on one platform just feels incomplete. I would have preferred one nice house with more rooms and proper roof than all the party stuff. I’m definitely getting MOCs to improve it.

[kampfkaze]

No Lego YouTuber knows this! This is not the dinning room with the big table from the Hobbit movies, this is the living room! We didn’t see the dinning room in lord of the rings!

[YouWentToJared]

This set is a miss from Lego.
It is important to note. The official name is LOTR: The Shire.
It is not LOTR: Bag-End or even The Hobbit: The Shire. Why they went this way we’ll never know. There were probably a couple big meetings in Lego corporate to discuss this very specific topic.

We’re given all the side builds of The Shire. But in the back of our minds, man all we ever wanted was a really good Bag-End house.
Just like how Jabbas Sail Barge set is so good because it’s just that….Jabbas Sail Barge. If Lego had given us a dedicated LOTR: Bag-End, this set would’ve been so much more fun and a must have for me.

[nsbdnow]

Lego really needs to up their game in light of companies like FunWhole and Pantasy who are providing excellent original designs (rather than catering to entertainment IP) and including things like lights and innovative display options. Not to mention prices that don't make you gasp in shock.

[mrmaxmondays]

Love the pacing and thoroughness of the review—first time viewer but you got my sub:)

[OutpostMJ]

For the price Lego should've focused on a better Bag End -- and not a limited Shire...this is NOT the Shire, anyway...the side builds do not make it so. I have the original Bag End and I love it -- but would've liked a larger one with improved pieces -- specifically a larger interior. The trees are awful -- especially the birthday party tree... horrible. It's a no-go for me (I have 90% of Hobbit/LotR sets).

[toeguides]

the gaps around the door is a huge miss for me. it really breaks the immersion and makes it not feel like a cozy home to me.

[DutchDread]

There are plenty more years before our love of lotr dies out, they could have made a seperate party tree set a few years down the road with the entire party worked out and i would have bought it

[JenNYC]

I bought it on release day and the only gripe I have is the price/size. I fully understand they have to pay a portion of the cost for licensing, but.... And that tree.... I'm going to totally rebuilding it...

[jimm]

Ignoring price, I think a composite rating 8/10 is overly generous. TBH, my biggest hangup with the set isn’t the trees (although the trees are pathetic) or the poor fitting door. My biggest letdown is BagEnd’s interior. I can’t get past the interior looking small, under detailed, and unfinished. Given the high price and low piece count, what’s there needs to be perfect. It clearly isn’t.
Thanks for the review.

[MartyBecker]

Yes, when your wife says buy a Lego set, you buy it. Those opportunities do not happen that often. 😀

[ecclesiastesbuilds]

I dislike this set so much. Hate is a strong word, but it bothers me. It's something that's so anticipated and so expensive but is such a let down. The whole thing with the vignettes makes it messy. The trees are both laughable. One because of it's design the other because of its size. But my biggest concern is al the weird gaps and cracks, even around the door. This thing has been put on the shelves a month or two to soon, needed some more review.

[kayman]

Appreciate your review Colin. I don’t like the price or the trees, but the bagend itself and figs were fantastic. I was going to wait for a sale but the GWP gave me FOMO.

[BDD_Builds]

While I'm happy with the quality of the cloth pieces, they are so specific to this set, and as mostly a MOC builder, there are very few uses for these outside of this set. To that end, I wish these side builds were not included to either cheapen the set or use that savings to expand Bag End with a larger interior.

[oleksiydolynnyi]

8/10 score must be a joke. This set is at most 6/10 design-wise, without considering that it's overpriced as hell (it's not 20-30$ overpriced as suggested in this video, it's 70-100$ overpriced)

[kippenmiller]

"Proudfeet!" I feel like The Shire/Bag End and Bilbo's Party should have been two separate sets. They could have made one set with the Party Tree as a focus and the tent. Then The Shire/Bag End set could focus on being more complete.

[chutspe]

The pricetag aside - there is a good reason for including the party sidebuilds. With these Icons LOTR sets Lego tries to make them a backdrop for as many movie scenes taking place at the particular environment as possible. In the Fellowship movie Bilbo's birthday party is the starting event for the journey, so the memorable scenes from this party had to be included. The tree, however, certainly is a desaster. For $270 they really could have made it a little more majestic. Or at least good.

[BrotherhoodWorkshop]

Even with the exorbitant price, this WOULD have been a day 1 buy for me....if I weren't perfectly happy with the old one.

[BrickArtemis]

I did end up buying the set in order to get the gift of purchase in time with it.
I’m actually very excited to build the shire.