With its 6,167 pieces, Vattnadal qualifies as one of the largest Lego building sets ever. Elrond’s abode plays an absolutely central role in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe and – 22 years after the premiere of Peter Jackson’s film interpretation – remains one of the most visually impressive scenes in film history.
Rating 4.5 out of 5
Opinion
Lego has outdone itself. Again. The Vattnadal building is extremely detailed, beautiful and ingeniously constructed. A true collector’s item that should sit proudly in the home of every “Lotr” fan.
Positive
- Nice to look at
- Long, varied construction time
- Richness of detail and fan-service
Negative
- Costs a pretty penny
- The coloring is sometimes confusing
Recreating the proud Elvish construction as Lego is likely to be one of the more difficult challenges the Danish company has undertaken. Nevertheless, I sit here, after more than 20 hours of construction time, and can feel nothing but a deep respect for those responsible. Vattnadal is the first Lego building I undertake as an adult, and the intricate drawings, the slightly bizarre richness of detail and the sheer scale of what grows under my hands feels almost worth the 5,400 (!) kroner that the building costs.
Yes, you read that right. Vattnadal costs just one thousand Swedish kroner less than, for example, a Playstation 5, and even if the construction itself is a style study in pure design joy, the price tag is undeniably difficult to digest.
Apples and pears? Yes, maybe the comparison is not entirely fair. Vattnadal is an exclusive collector’s item, which thus makes its way into Lego’s history books. It will remain in place while you play God of War 12 on your Playstation 8 and will likely only increase in sentimental value. After all, only you can decide whether it’s worth the money.
The eye-catching large Lego box arrives by DHL courier. I drag it in and pour out all the numbered disposable bags on the table. This is going to be a bit of a drag, I think, tackling the first of three separate manuals. The Elvish settlement consists of just three buildings which, upon completion, are easily assembled into one.
Building Lego is like balm for a stressed soul. You can compare it to a bigger puzzle, meditation or whatever makes you relax. Personally, I light a fire, pop something good in a glass and turn on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack on Spotify.
The building instructions are incredibly easy to follow. There’s hardly any room for misunderstanding here, and it’s deeply satisfying to have every “how did they plan to solve this?” question mark cleared up as the build takes shape. No direct problem solving is on the menu and the few times I make a mistake it’s a simple matter of just removing the piece and jumping a couple of steps back in the manual.
Six thousand pieces is a lot of pieces. It is close to hand to believe that the construction will be uniform, but I do not note any major problems on that point either. The beautiful roof that spans almost all of Vattnadal is the closest to qualifying for that list – it will be many ceiling tiles – but given that I have to be at full throttle so as not to lose the color pattern, the sense of repetition is dampened.
Apart from the fact that Vattnadal is, purely objectively, one of the most beautiful Lego sets ever, I also want to pay tribute to the fact that it is almost overflowing with flirtations for the fans. Bilbo can be equipped with his signature mad face (from when Frodo shows the ring, you know), selected stickers depicting the famous books, Aragorn and Boromir circling the pieces of the sword Narsil like cats around hot porridge… There’s simply very many details to discover.
I’ve already mentioned that it’s incredibly difficult to get the directions wrong. One thing can be pointed out, however, and that is that much of the foundation is made up of pieces in similar browns, grays, dark greens and other dull colors. For me, who has a somewhat deficient color vision, it sometimes takes me an extra minute of thinking time to be able to decide which color the drawing actually illustrates. Lego has done its best to be clear on that point, but it still doesn’t quite go all the way.
For collectors and The Lord of the Rings enthusiasts, Vattnadal is a must-buy, despite the high price tag.
The Lord of the Rings: Water Valley
Manufacturer: Lego
Number of pieces: 6 167
Rec. age: 18+
Taken: SEK 5,499 at Lego
