≡ Menu

Brick Breakdown: LEGO Lonely Mountain

(Written by William)

In this Brick Breakdown series I review official LEGO sets, from the perspective of looking at interesting building techniques we can all learn from. Today we will be looking at the #79018 LEGO The Hobbit The Lonely Mountain set. You can also check out the previously discussed LEGO techniques found in official LEGO sets at the end of this article. 🙂

#79018 LEGO The Hobbit The Lonely Mountain

First and foremost, check out the wings on Smaug! I’m usually not a fan of rubbery pieces, but here they do make sense. Just touching these rubbery wings with the hard plastic ribbing feels very realistic – like how a dragon’s wings should look and feel. Essentially, if the only reason you plan to pick up this set is for the dragon, you’re making a wise choice. As for the rest of the set, it’s a solid play-set. It seems a bit weird to say this, considering the unusually high price-tag, but this is an officially licensed set and the dragon is a brand new mould – which is the most likely reason for the higher price. However normally a $130 set has a lot more detail and a higher piece-count than what you find here. It’s not bad at all, but it’s best to prepare yourself for the fact that you will be getting less than what you may be used to in this price-range. Aside from this, it’s a large enough set to contain a couple of interesting techniques. So let’s get our weapons forged and prepare for battle – and by battle I mean using some awesome building-techniques!

#79018 LEGO The Hobbit

COMPLEX MECHANISMS, SPACE & THE WOW-EFFECT

We often end up building complex mechanisms without thinking much about it. For example the catapult in this set can both swivel and hinge forward when it throws its ammo. Having these two features makes it a complex mechanism. So then why does the winch that can slide around look so much more impressive? The simple answer is that it uses more space. From one stand point this seems contradictory. We work so hard at condensing mechanisms to fit into tight areas, and it should follow that a small mechanism is much more impressive. Granted they are, but they only get appreciated by a small group of people. Those individuals are usually the builder themselves and other fans who understand the difficulty involved in such an accomplishment.

#79018 LEGO The Hobbit Lonely Mountain Review

Truth be told, if you can’t see it, it’s hard to value it. I have a personal experience with this. Recently I participated in a show at a museum where I displayed a motorized Mixer and motorized Ferris-wheel. Between the two, the Mixer was far and away the more complicated build, however since the Ferris-wheel was roughly two feet in diameter it was talked about ten times more. Going back to the #79018 LEGO The Hobbit The Lonely Mountain set, the winch itself does not take up a lot of room. The length of the chain and the amount the winch can slide is the real culprit when it comes to eating up space. This is a great example of how you can produce a grand effect without straining too hard on the design. Essentially, people are drawn to large spectacles, so if that’s what you want there’s an easy way to achieve it.

VERTICAL SUPPORT WITH LEGO BRACKETS

Within the last couple of years the number of brackets LEGO released has increased significantly. In the past all we got were a couple of brackets with either a 1×4 or 2×2 stud surface hanging down on the side. Now we have brackets that go up, ones that have a 1×2 face, and others that cover a 2×4 stud area. This proliferation of bracket-styles has created a new common practice of adding vertical stability to surfaces using brackets. In the #79018 LEGO The Hobbit The Lonely Mountain set you can find this technique on the catapult, the winch, one of the pillars, and even the throne. In fact, on the throne, the connection between the back and base of the seat fully relies on the use of brackets.

#79018 LEGO The Hobbit Lonely Mountain Techniques

Using brackets is not a new technique, the real novelty comes from how much easier it is to do it now with all the different bracket-types. You can basically incorporate them into any type and size of space you have to work with. Giving your LEGO creations vertical stability with brackets allows more points of decoration, and also increases the stress-levels your model can withstand. Take for instance the winch in the #79018 LEGO The Hobbit The Lonely Mountain set; having more stability at its base means it can handle a heavier load. Normally if you try hauling up something like Smaug, the winch would snap off its base and look sad. Now you can do all of that with ease.

#79018 LEGO The Hobbit Lonely Mountain Details

APPLYING WHAT YOU LEARN

Large-scale LEGO creations have always been fascinating and they draw the most attention. This is especially true when you also mix in complex mechanisms. Just keep in mind that it’s the effect that needs to be big – which also means that the mechanism and the complexity can remain small. If you nail this, you are building smarter not harder. As far as using brackets, up until a couple years ago brackets were more or less just a good idea. Now that LEGO added a lot more varieties of brackets you are able to do much more with them. The #79018 LEGO The Hobbit The Lonely Mountain set is a good example of how they can be used time and time again in various ways. I strongly recommend that you learn to incorporate them to improve both the design and stability of your LEGO models.

So what do you think? How do you like this LEGO The Hobbit set? Have you had a chance to build it? Did you learn from the interesting building techniques used in the sets? Feel free to share your own experiences and tips, or ask questions in the comment section below! 😉

Shop LEGO The Hobbit

And you might also like to check out the other reviews in this series:

{ 12 comments }

LEGO Double VIP Points until end of March!

Just a little reminder that LEGO is currently running a Double VIP Points promotion. While you can earn double points on any LEGO set you purchase during this period, this is an especially great time to pick up large exclusive sets which are only available directly from LEGO and will likely never go on sale. How the LEGO VIP Program works is that you normally earn 1 VIP Point for every $1 you spend, and once you reach 100 VIP Points you receive a $5 reward that you can use for future purchases. However during the Double VIP Points period you can double your rewards. So if you buy a $100 set during this period, you accumulate $10 worth of points. 🙂

Shop LEGO VIP Double Points

As mentioned above, the Double VIP Point period is pretty much the only way to get any savings on large exclusive sets that are only available directly from LEGO. Double VIP Points periods come up just a few times a year, and it is a good idea to plan your larger purchases for these times. VIP Points expire two years after you accumulate them, so you have plenty of time to use them up. VIP Points can be collected and redeemed at your purchases at official LEGO stores and at the Online LEGO Shop. They don’t work at LEGOLAND Park stores however, as those are not run by LEGO directly. If you are not a LEGO VIP member yet and you shop for LEGO regularly I would encourage you to sign up. It is a free program and there is no downside to it. Besides earning points you also get early access to exclusive LEGO sets that tend to sell out fast, and there are other perks as well.

Shop LEGO Hard to Find

Which LEGO set to aim for during the LEGO Double VIP Points period? If you are a regular reader here you most likely already know about all the new releases and have your wish-list ready. If you are not sure you can check the What’s New section of the Online LEGO Shop to see all the latest LEGO sets and themes. Also, while I don’t find the Exclusives section particularly useful as it is a confusing mix of set, however the Hard to Find section of the Online LEGO Shop is a good way to browse the largest, most intricate LEGO sets aimed at skilled LEGO fans and collectors.

10243_IN_MA.indd

The LEGO Modular Buildings collection has two new sets that you might consider: the gorgeous #10243 LEGO Creator Parisian Restaurant that was released last year, and the #10246 LEGO Creator Detective’s Office that became available in January of this year. Or you might consider some of the older LEGO Modular Buildings that are still available but will get retired soon, like the #10218 LEGO Creator Pet Shop and the #10232 LEGO Creator Palace Cinema. You can find them all under the LEGO Creator section of the Online LEGO Shop.

10242_IN_MA.indd

If you like LEGO display model vehicles the still available #10220 LEGO Creator Volkswagen T1 Camper Van and the #10242 LEGO Creator MINI Cooper are two excellent sets to consider. And if you prefer sets that are great for both play and display, the #10244 LEGO Creator Fairground Mixer is a good choice and also fits well into any LEGO City setting. There are several other really beautiful LEGO Creator sets that you can find under the LEGO Creator section of the Online LEGO Shop.

75060_IN_MA.indd

For LEGO Star Wars fans there are so many choices as Star Wars is always gets quite a few large sets. The #75059 LEGO Star Wars Sandcrawler, the #10236 LEGO Star Wars Ewok Village, and the most recently released #75060 LEGO Star Wars Slave I are all awesome options. And the #10188 LEGO Star Wars Death Star is still available! This set has been around since 2008, which is unprecedented amount of time for LEGO sets. It has tremendous amount of playability and also looks good on display – thus the unfading popularity. You can find them all under the LEGO Star Wars section of the Online LEGO Shop.

#76042 LEGO SHIELD Helicarrier

For DC Super Heroes fans there is the #76023 LEGO Super Heroes The Tumbler, and for Marvel fans the just released #76042 LEGO Super Heroes SHIELD Helicarrier. Marvel also just had a brand new wave of new smaller sets that you might also consider. You can find them all under the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes section of the Online LEGO Shop.

Shop 2015 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

LEGO Technic is another theme with some very intricate large sets, great for mechanically inclined LEGO fans who like a good challenge. Several of the sets are motorized, which makes them more awesome, but also more expensive. The Double VIP Point period is a good time to pick these up. Some great sets in this theme are the #42041 LEGO Technic Race Truck, the #42038 LEGO Technic Arctic Truck, the #42025 LEGO Technic Cargo Plane, and the #42029 LEGO Technic Customized Pick-up Truck. You can find them all under the LEGO Technic section of the Online LEGO Shop.

Shop LEGO Technic

And of course you don’t have to focus on the most expensive sets during the Double VIP Points period. I’m simply mentioning them because these are the sets that almost never go on sale, and this is pretty much the only way you can get a discount on them. You can however earn Double VIP Points on any set you like during this period. You might want to check out some brand new themes like LEGO Elves, LEGO Speed Champions, or LEGO Pirates – they are all freshly released and include some really great sets. Or perhaps you have had something on your wanted-list for a very long time – the Double VIP Points period is a good time to pick it up. Although you can earn Double VIP Points on all your LEGO purchases right now, if you are buying online it is a good idea to at least meet the $75 minimum for free shipping to maximize your savings. The Double VIP Points offer will last until March 29th.

Shop LEGO Elves

So what do you think? Are you planning to take advantage of the Double VIP Points period? What are you going to get? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

{ 7 comments }