Of all the places concocted by J.J.R. Tolkien’s imagination there’s one whose name is enough to bring on the chills, and that’s Barad-dûr. The sinister stronghold from which Necromancer Sauron attemps to take over Middle-Earth was present in LEGO form at this year’s edition of Brickworld, and even though this version doesn’t quite bring off the sheer evil vibes the real thing would (if it were real, in the first place), it’s still amazing.
According to the books, it took Sauron six hundred years to finish building his fortress. The man behind the LEGO tower, Kevin J. Walter, must’ve spent significantly less on his, but in mere-mortal-time-measurements it can’t have been a quick endeavor either – I’d hazard a couple of months as a guess. Not only is the sculpture almost as tall as its creator and incredibly detailed; it’s mostly made up of black pieces which, in my mind, adds a whole new level of tediousness to the process and turns this into an even cooler achievement.
Sitting atop is the iconic, piercing Eye of Sauron, rimmed with fire. Moreover the fire of Mount Doom, used by Sauron “in his sorceries and his forging”, is appropiately represented at the bottom. The many, mind-boggling battlements, walls and dungeons of the fortification are present in all their painstakingly elaborate glory. I imagine quite a few parts of this replica must’ve posed construction challenges given the somewhat jagged, spiky contour of the tower, but they were evidently well resolved.
Naturally, this isn’t the first time Lord Of The Rings has been fodder of inspiration for the worldwide legion of LEGO-maniacs. Check out Lego Lord Of The Rings Garrison Of Moria and Lego Of The Rings: Lego Radar Ring. LOTR fans with a penchant for other nerdy fictional universes might also want to take a look at The Emperor’s Arrival Star Wars Scene In Lego.
