Today we take a look at one of the smallest sets in the Lord of the Rings wave. Yours truly picked up the 30210 Frodo Baggins polybag and decided to take a closer look. Should you plan on buying this impulse set? Read on to see!

Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.

Frodo comes in a polybag that you'll likely see hanging by the registers or on an endcap in the LEGO section at your local retailer. There's a hole that allows it to be hung by a peg if they so desire. There's nothing overly remarkable about the packaging - it let's you know that there's nothing exciting here except for Frodo.

Opening up the packaging, here's what comes out. No smaller bags inside or anything like that, it's only 33 pieces after all.

The instructions are a single sheet that folds up to fit in the bag, pretty standard for these types of sets.

Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?

The build is fast, to say the least. The technique for attaching the fire is somewhat interesting, but everything else is straightforward. It's unusual for the minifig to be built last, but that's what the pamphlet says!

Set Design
Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.

And here we have the overall set. Not a lot to talk about. There's a fireplace, a cask of Frodo's favorite beverage, some flowers, and Frodo himself. I assume the elements are supposed to be a part of Bag End and they fit - hobbits do like to eat after all. The inclusion of the flowers seems a bit out of place though. Also, the cask just rests on the 2x3 plate, making it very unsteady and prone to rolling off.

The Frodo minifig is the exact same as the one that comes in 9469 Gandalf Arrives. He's definitely a hobbit, although I wish they had used printing or something to convey the hairy feet. It would have been nice if he had the One Ring and/or Sting too.

Here's the pieces, along with some of the ones that stood out to me. Nothing new here, but some nice elements to supplement your collection. I'm not sure, but I don't think the hot dog has appeared in too many sets recently, so that's cool.

Playability
The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with?

There's no play features like we often see in some of the larger sets. Frodo can fill up his chalice or awkwardly fry his hot dog in the frying pan. It would probably be more fun when you combine it with other sets (like the upcoming Bag End).

Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?

Pros What's to like? Cheapest way to get Frodo Some interesting pieces Cons What's not to like? Frodo already comes in three other sets Not a lot of play value No One Ring

Bottom line - you're paying $3.99 to get a Frodo Baggins minifig. I would suggest you hold out and spend a little more to get 9469 Gandalf Arrives, which gives you the same Frodo fig and is the only way to get Gandalf.

And so ends the review. As always we appreciate you feedback and questions in the Talkback topic in the forums. And be sure to keep checking back on BZPower for more news and reviews!

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