The LEGO The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr, now available exclusively at the , is an imposing, dramatic build. Photos don't do it justice; it's close to three feet tall, but it looks even taller thanks to forced perspective; the top sections of the tower are progressively shorter than the bottom sections at the base. This is the same technique the Imagineers used on Cinderella's Castle in Walt Disney World, to make it appear otherworldly and magical.
In this sense, the LEGO build of Barad-dûr accomplishes the same abstract goal, albeit with a more sinister and terrifying end result. The first thing you build is not physically connected to the larger Barad-dûr set, but it's a nice keepsake to display alongside it. It's a small rock formation (perhaps the Dead Marshes?), upon which you perch Minifigures for Frodo, Sam, and Gollum.
The LEGO Designers assessed—correctly, in my opinion—that they couldn't build a of this size and scope without somehow including its most famous characters. Then, you build the tower itself, which goes up in three parts. First, you build the massive base of the structure and the lake of lava that surrounds it.
From the front, it looks like a complete tower, 360 degrees around. But the back of the tower is cut away; turn the building around, and it is a diorama with scenery and evocative details on every floor. First, you build the massive base of the structure and the lake of lava that surrounds it.
The base of the build includes a dungeon, w.