LEGO LOTR The Wizard Battle 79005 Toy Interlocking Building Sets

I don't usually review small Lego sets like this. They're usually all about the mini- figures, with a little bit of background scenery to shape things out, but when the mini-fig in question happens to be Saruman, and the background is as detailed as this, you can't help but notice. Starting with the throne room it's self, for such a small space, they crammed a lot of really nice details, not only do you get the throne and the Palantir, complete with the eye of Sauron, there are a couple of lamp posts coming out of the sides of the platform, making the set look bigger than it really is. Then of course, there are the wizards themselves. Gandalf has no hat or cape, making him look a wee bit odd (maybe the set producers wanted him to appear weaker or humbler). Saruman however is awesome. If I've ever seen a lego figure who looks exactly like the actor who played him (as funny as that sounds) this is it. They went the extra mile with the detailing as well, such as the grey in his beard and the "light" at the end of his staff. Someone commented that the white knob doesn't fit the staff, but I solved the problem by inserting it in upside down. Over all, a worth wile set, and not just because of Saruman. The twelve dollar price range is more than reasonable, Plus a great design and great features. Good job Lego!

Purchased this as a Christmas gift for my husband, who both collects Lego and is a LOTR fan. The set is pretty cool, but is a very small set. Markup is standard for discontinued sets so I wouldn't say I was overcharged for the market, but it's worth noting this. The seller provides excellent customer service and the item arrived well within the delivery window. I thought I had a problem (which turned out to be a problem with family members misplacing the item rather than the store) but when I messaged the store thinking the item hadn't arrived, they were very quick to reply and instruct me on the next steps. Would absolutely recommend.

This item is well-made and it depicts the action scene from the movie quite well. It was a gift for my son, but after building and playing with it, my daughter wanted one too. Now we have two sets and they are holding up well for our children. You are able to knock off Saruman from his chair and the orb in the middle of the scene can spin around. This is a fun item for children who have familiarity with the Lord of the Rings or for Lord of the Rings or LEGO collectors.

Although small, this set still looks great, and the throne and setting certainly evokes the pivotal moment from the story when Gandalf discovers Saruman's betrayal. The seat is nicely built, particularly as it lets Saruman sit with his cloak without problem which was a nice touch. The set has 2 extras - the rotating palantir and the seat 'pusher'. While neither are particularly amazing individually, they certainly add extra value to a very small set. If I have one complaint it is simply that Gandalf looks strange without his cloak! Luckily I have a few full Gandalfs from other sets, so this was not a big issue. In summary: Well worth the price!

I always appreciate it when Lego produces small, affordable sets that depict recognizable scenes and include new minifigures. In these respects, Wizard Battle is a great small set because you get two figures--Gandalf without his hat, and Saruman the White. Both of these characters are also available in bigger sets, but at $12, this is a great way to get them on the cheap. And this set is really just about the minifigures. The build itself is very simple--just a throne and Saruman's palantir (which looks great with the Eye of Sauron in it), but it evokes Isengard and the scene from the movie quite well because of the black angular pieces. My only criticism of this and other recent Lego sets is the inclusion of action features that don't really add much. Although this is a small set, we get 2 action features: a flick rod feature that lets you eject Saruman from his chair, and a knob that spins the palantir around. Both work well, but the chair ejection feature really just enables you to faceplant Saruman onto the floor, and seems ill-suited for depicting a wizard duel. The flick rod is also tan colored, and detracts from the rest of the throne when Saruman isn't seated in it. The spinning palantir is another useless feature, unless you want to give Saruman and Gandalf carousel rides. Sometimes, a little imagination is best, instead of forced action features.

My best friend had the little Gandalf and Frodo carriage/fireworks set so when I wanted to get her a cute/silly present for her Birthday (we get each other little silly gifts along with nice ones) I knew I had to get this. It's an iconic scene from Fellowship of the Rings and it even has the ability to twirl Gandalf around and launch Sauron, just like in the fight in the film! It came with all pieces in tact and looks so cool sitting on her desk. She loves it and it would make a great gift for any LOTR fan big or small.

The only reason I bought this set was because I needed $10 more for free shipping. Why pay $8 for shipping if I can get another product and then have the shipping for free? Anyway, I ended up loving the set. The minifigures are really nice (although the Saruman figure's hair keeps popping off because his cape prevents it from sticking on properly) and the set was fun to put together. Add to that the fact that this set is nearly $3 cheaper on Amazon than in stores or at LEGO.com and you've got a winner here! Signed, An adult LEGO fan

I purchased this for a Lego lover who is 11. I wasn't sure he would like it. He loved it. It was his favorite lego set for Christmas. So, I bought one for another Lego lover who is 8 for his birthday. His grandmother told me that it was one of his very favorite gifts because there was so much detail and cool things that it did! Great gift without spending tooooooooooo much.

Bought this for my eight year old. It was a great little set with two cool figures. He loves having Gandalf and Sauruman.

Though I liked the “Lord of the Rings” movies and I’m a die-hard LEGO fan, I buy only those LEGO LOTR sets that are affordable, not very big and contains nice minfigs. And this set is JUST that! This set contains two minifigs Gandalf and Saruman and a very nice little set. Though we have gotten Gandalf in quite a few sets from LOTR and Hobbit, this minifig is a different one. And the difference being, this minifig has a hair piece. It’s not a “great” minifig, it’s just about ok. The printings on the minifig seems to be EXACTLY the same as the previous Gandalf minifigs. And he carries the same staff that we (LEGO fans) would have seen in a million other sets. My gripe here is that, why does LEGO have to use the SAME weapon in ALL the sets?? Weapons are small pieces and it’s good to have a unique weapon for each theme. The Saruman minifig is really very good!! Those who have seen the “Lord of the Rings” movies (like me) will see that the minifig resembles the character from the movie a lot!! So good work from LEGO there! His hairpiece is the best part. His beard has three colors and it looks good! Printings on his torso are nice but sadly no printings on the legs. (One thing I have noticed in LEGO minifigs is that there will be printing on the front and back of the torso but nothing on the sides! It looks weird. Hope someday LEGO will start doing printing on the side of the torsos also!). Saruman carries one staff , which is an assembled weapon , but looks nice! (Generally, I hate the assembled weapons from LEGO but this one is ok). Now coming to the last part , the throne-platform-kinda-set. Though small, it’s made really well and looks very pretty! Saruman’s throne is really very good! The two lampposts on the side of the throne are magnificient! The yellow-orb like things, used in the lampposts are very nice! There is the Eye of Sauron, which is actually a minifig head, but it looks nice. It is encased in a small glass-dome kind of thing and it looks very cool! The Eye is fixed on top of a small-round structure , which rotates! It’s a pretty good feature to have in this set! There is another very good feature in this set! When you put Saruman on the throne, then by pushing a lever on the back of the throne, you can send Saruman flying! I really like this feature because in the actual scene in the “Lord of the Rings” movie, when the battle begins between Gandalf and Saruman, then they both use magic to send each other flying! One good thing about Saruman’s throne in this set, is that it accommodates Saruman’s cape when you make him sit on the throne! In the end, I’ll just say that is a VERY GOOD set! If you are a “Lord of the Rings” fan, then you HAVE to have this set! And even if you’re just a LEGO fan, who's not into LOTR, still you’ll like this set!

Good

The cost of this lego was $218 AUD. I expected it to be a large size so I ordered it for my grandson for Christmas. When it arrived the size was extremely disappointing for such high cost, but whats even worse, the box was all damaged and squashed.