An Unexpected Gift (With Purchase)

A few weeks back, LEGO released the new Shire set. Being the collector that I am, I had to grab a copy or risk missing out on the limited gift with purchase Sméagol & Déagol set depicting the two fishing and finding the one Ring.

The set is small, only containing 181 pieces, but it looks pretty good. It’s a little vignette featuring the Hobbits fishing on the Gladden river with a tiny tree nearby. The vignette has two layers: the boat, tree, and water’s surface on the top, and the riverbed below complete with an escaping fish, a handhold for Déagol, and the one Ring of course. It’s a cool looking set and I really like how they convey the underwater riverbed portion with the boat overhead. It’s a very unique little display piece.

Speaking of unique pieces, this is the first time LEGO has released a Sméagol or Déagol minifigure, so the fact that both figures are unique to this set automatically makes for a compelling reason to pick it up. Frankly, the exclusivity of the set, while annoying, was enough to justify picking it and the Shire up by extension. The set is going for around $65 at the lowest on the aftermarket, which isn’t great, but it’s not as bad as the $200 Fell Beast that released with Barad-dûr.

I really only have one complaint with the set: I don’t like the whip that Déagol has and uses as his fishing pole. I think that his fishing pole should have matched Sméagol’s, and maybe make it a little smaller. It looks kind of funny how Sméagol has a massive fishing rod that’s nearly twice as big as he is, but then Déagol has a little black whip. I also don’t like how the whip bends. One way you can display the set is by putting it in the swimming fish’s mouth, but doing so bends the whip out of shape. It’s definitely a nitpick, but it’s my one complaint I really have with the set.

Despite its simplicity, the Sméagol & Déagol set is a fun and satisfying build. I love how it conveys Déagol being dragged underwater. It’s a small little display piece, but sometimes less is more. The set is great for what it is: a free little gift to accompany the larger Shire set. It’s a good gift with purchase that depicts an important scene from The Lord of the Rings movies, and it feels distinct enough from the set it came with, unlike the Fell Beast. Sméagol & Déagol is definitely for the more hardcore collectors, but it’s a nice enough set and one that I’m happy I was able to pick up.