LEGO’s New Book Nooks: The Lord of The Rings Balrog

The LEGO Group have finally unveiled their new Book Nooks, including 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog™ Book Nook!

This new 1,201 piece set builds the iconic dual from Fellowship of the Ring – Gandalf’s standoff against the Balrog in the Mines of Moria. The set comes with a Gandalf minifigure and features a brick-built Balrog surrounded by flames.
Pre-orders are open now with shipping from 1st June 2025.

The Lord of the Rings: Balrog™ Book Nook will cost fans £109.99 / $129.99 / €119,99 which is definitely on the higher end for a 1,201 piece set. On a plus note there aren’t any stickers – all the details are printed. This is definitely the right move from LEGO as the printed “You shall not pass!” quote is front and centre in the set. You wouldn’t want to risk misplacing such an important part.

Both Gandalf and the Balrog are removable so you can display them wherever you wish, although the Balrog will likely look out of place outside the Moria diorama. Still if you were up for a challenge the set would be easy to expand and fill-out.

Those with a good eye should spot that the Balrog’s wings are the same piece used in the controversial Lord of The Rings: Fell Beast gift with purchase. The Fell Beast gift was billed as a gift for purchasing 10333 Barad-dûr (£399.99) – however, due to limited stock multiple fans reported missing out and not receiving the set.

Personally, I think the fire sections let the set down. The looping flames don’t look very realistic and overall the section appears quite flat. They look better when the Book Nook is closed but I think the designers could have done more.

Overall I think the LEGO Group had a great idea with 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog™ Book Nook but with only an okay execution. With the set costing over £100 it might be hard for a more casual fan to justify purchasing the set.
Luckily the Book Nook isn’t a LEGO store exclusive so hopefully we’ll see discounted sales in regular stores. At half off the set would be a steal and an instant purchase for me!