9470 Shelob Attacks

9470 Shelob Attacks is the second smallest Lord of the Rings sets. It is based on the middle scene from The Return of the King. It is priced at $19.99 USD and contains 227 pieces. I was able to get mine on after Christmas clearance for $15.91. Considering it is a licensed set, it is actually a pretty good value. The box contains four bags and the directions. The bags contain two cardboard boxes, one with two capes and the other with string. Gollum is also packaged in a separate little bag within one of the larger ones.

The set contains two minifigures, (three if you count Gollum). Frodo and Samwise Gamgee are included in this set. Both of their heads are two sided so Frodo’s can be turned to symbolize him inside Shelob’s web. There are also two rings, two swords, a fish for Gollum, and Sam’s starlight bottle symbolized by a crystal.

 

The first part of the build is a small vignette for Gollum. It includes a launcher to fling Gollum towards the hobbits. There are also two dark green vines attached to it, pieces you don’t see every day. It is very well detailed and works great.









The next part of the build is Shelob’s main body. It looks great except for the bulky Bionicle piece towards the back; though I think it is necessary to get her web to work. The next part is Shelob’s legs and more of her body.

 

After that, the bottom part of Shelob’s web cavity is built. Once her web cavity is built, the actual web and spinner is added. Her web cavity is then covered and attached to her body.

The completed set looks amazing, including Shelob herself. A number of rarer pieces and the fact this is a licensed set make it a great buy. It is bigger and much more intricate than the smaller 9469 Gandalf Arrives. The only thing that seems a little weird is her web cavity. It seems a little out of proportion when compared to the original source material. Shelob is miraculously stable, despite her fragile appearance. This is another great Lord of the Rings set.

 

Price	O O O O
Playability	O O O
Minifigures	O O O O
Building Experience	O O O O
Parts	O O O O
Overall	3.8

 

9469 Gandalf Arrives

 

9469 Gandalf arrives is the smallest of The Lord of the Rings boxed sets and is based on the opening scene from The Fellowship of the Ring. It contains 83 pieces and is priced at $12.99 USD. I got mine at an after Christmas sale for $10.31. This 20% savings was what hooked me into purchasing this set. The box contains two bags and a new LEGO horse with moveable back hips.

The set contains two minifigures, Gandalf the Grey and Frodo. The build itself is surprisingly interesting for such a small set. The sides of the wagon in particular look incredible. It functions quite well and stays true to the movie. Within the wagon is a letter addressed to Merry, a carrot, and three fireworks, one of which looks suspiciously like a snake.

When seated in the front of the wagon, Gandalf does not fit comfortably with his cape on. I would suggest removing the cape before seating him to minimize creasing on the cape. Another thing I would have like to see is the point where the wagon and horse connect should turn. It isn’t very realistic when playing to have no points of motion besides the wheels. There also aren’t any reigns for Gandalf to control his wagon with. He must have a trusting horse! Besides these few flaws, the set is truly a great buy and packs a lot of detail into such a small space. All of my future reviews will rate the set based on studs. Zero is the worst while five is the best. This set rates as follows:

Price	O O O O
Playability	O O O O
Minifigures	O O O O
Building Experience	O O O O O
Parts	O O O O
Overall	4.2