LEGO is sending the White City back into battle with a new Lord of the Rings set based on Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor and one of the most recognizable locations in the trilogy. The set has 8,278 pieces, costs $649.99 and will go on sale June 1 for LEGO Insiders before opening to everyone else on June 4.
The build mixes microscale and minifigure-scale design, with the sprawling cityscape and outer walls rendered in miniature while interiors such as the Citadel’s throne room are large enough for minifigures. It comes with 10 minifigures, including Gondor helmets, shields and a crown for the new king, and LEGO says the lego minas tirith set is the biggest Lord of the Rings release it has made by a wide margin. It is also the fourth largest LEGO set available.
The release lands as LEGO marks the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring and extends a run of major Middle-earth builds that has already included Rivendell, Barad-dûr and The Shire. Smaller releases such as Sauron’s Helmet have filled out the lineup, but Minas Tirith is the company’s most ambitious return to the series yet.
The city is no random choice. In The Return of the King, Minas Tirith is the site of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and the place where Aragorn is coronated as King Elessar, giving the set both a battlefield and a throne room to recreate. LEGO is also pairing the launch with a free Gift With Purchase while supplies last: LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings: Grond, set 40893, the enormous wolf-head battering ram Sauron’s army uses to break into the city during the battle.
The timing makes the launch feel less like a standalone product drop than a statement about how far LEGO’s Lord of the Rings line has come. With Rivendell, Barad-dûr and The Shire already on shelves, Minas Tirith answers the obvious question for collectors: what comes after the most famous places in Middle-earth? The White City does, and it comes in a box big enough to matter.
