LEGO The Lord of the Rings Rivendell microscale prototype revealed

LEGO 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell was nearly microscale, and now we have a clear image of exactly what could have been.

A panel at Skaerbaek Fan Weekend 2023 has revealed a prototype build for 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell that takes direct inspiration from 71043 Hogwarts Castle. We previously learned of a microscale version of the 2023 LEGO The Lord of the Rings set that was devised during development, but the final design opted for a minifigure-scale slice of Rivendell instead.

However, now we can match those comments to at least one of the microscale prototypes. Compared to 71043 Hogwarts Castle, the inspiration and similarities are clear from the nanofigures to the landscaping, despite the two being at a different scale overall.

“Part of our reasoning for going from the microscale model and towards this minifigure-scale model was we knew we wanted to include all the [members of the Fellowship of the Ring],” Psiaki tells Brick Fanatics in an interview. “And then with the microscale version it was like, you have all these great characters, but we can’t actually play with them.”

Minifigures were still present in the prototype Rivendell with one of Promobricks' image showing a bridge to hold at least four minifigures, just like the house display stand in 71043 Hogwarts Castle. There's not quite enough room for the 15 minifigures included in the final 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell so it's likely that some would have been missing, had this prototype released.

Unlike 71043 Hogwarts Castle, the prototype 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is mostly covered at the back continuing the detail around the build rather than including interior rooms. Given what we see of Rivendell's interior in the movies, this isn't entirely surprising.

Looking at the prototype next to the final design, both models depict Rivendell but are different enough to leave us wanting the option of either a microscale The Lord of the Rings set. However, this might have affected the final number of exclusive minifigures and other aspects of the set.

10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is available now for £429.99 / $499.99 / €499.99 and those looking for a massive microscale experience can purchase 71043 Hogwarts Castle for £409.99 / $469.99 / €469.99.

Featured image: Promobricks

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