Comparing the 2023 and 2012 LEGO Fellowship of the Ring Minifigures

March 4, 2023 | 6

The launch of the critically-acclaimed 10316 Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set is almost upon us, and offers LEGO and Lord of the Rings fans a second opportunity to revisit Middle-Earth.

One of Rivendell’s strongest points of difference is the stellar minifigure line-up, which among other things includes the entire Fellowship of the Ring – Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin, Merry, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli.

It’s been over 10 years since the original LEGO Lord of the Rings sets were released, and to whet your appetite before the release of Rivendell, here’s a look at how the 2023 Fellowship of the Ring compares against the original 2012 minifigures!

10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell will be released on 5 March 2023 via LEGO VIP Early Access, ahead of a general release of 8 March 2023 and will be available exclusively from LEGO.com or your local LEGO Store.

• 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell [US] – US$499.99 
• 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell [AUS]  – AU$799.99 
• 10316 The Lord of the Rings:Rivendell [UK] – £429.99 
• 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell [EU] – €499.99
• 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell [CA] – CAD$669.99 

You can check out my full review of 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell to see why I consider it one of the best LEGO sets of all time, and one of those rare sets worth saving for.

Frodo Baggins Minifigure

Firstly, we have Frodo Baggins, the ringbearer who inherited the One Ring from Bilbo Baggins. This is a comparison to the Frodo Baggins minifigure from 9472 Attack on Weathertop.

As you can see, the 2023 version has much cleaner lines on his torso printing, whereas the 2012 version has slightly frumpier clothes, with more fabric creases.

One of the big innovations of 2023 is the inclusion of dual-moulded short legs, which are really effective in making the Frodo minifigure look shorter, and emphasises the Hobbits’ bare feet.

Here’s a look at their back printing. The 2023 Frodo has a shocked/poisoned expression, which I’ve compared with the Frodo head from 9470 Shelob Attacks, which has the equivalent expression.

Samwise Gamgee Minifigure

Next we have Samwise Gamgee, Frodo’s gardener. In 2012, Sam was exclusive to 9470 Shelob Attacks, and the main difference here are his recoloured hair, dark orange in Rivendell vs nougat from 2012, and a slightly different cloak colour – sand blue to the dark grey, and some slight torso changes.

The newer version has a much cleaner look, with a jacket on, whereas the 2012 Sam has less on, and includes a pouch, possibly containing some dirt that was given to him by Galadriel in Lothlorien.

And here’s the back printing and alternate faces.

It’s probably helpful to note that 2023 Samwise Gamgee had just arrived in Rivendell, whereas the 2012 is battle-hardened, and having to fight off Shelob in Return of the King, so he’s gone through a lot.

Again, really interesting to see the different design approaches when it came to the fabric creases.

Merry Minifigure

For more Hobbits, we have Meriadoc Brandybuck, aka Merry, who also has had a slight hair-colour change. The 2023 Merry has much lighter hair, doing the opposite of am and going from dark orange to nougat, which I think is a far more screen-accurate fit to Dominic Monaghan’s portrayal in the movies.

The 2012 version of Merry was exclusive to 9472 Attack on Weathertop, and unlike the other Hobbits, the graphic designers seemed to keep most of the key details of the torso, with Merry’s dark green jacket, and yellow patterned vest mostly staying the same, except the paisley pattern is a little more shimmery and subtle in the newer version.

I also really like how they’ve more or less maintain Merry’s careless smirk.

Here’s a look at their back prints, and dual-sided face. 2023 Merry has a more carefree smile, whereas 2012 Merry is busy fending off Ringwraiths, so the angry face is more or less understandable.

I’d look like that if my childhood friend got stabbed by a Morgul blade too.

Pippin Minifigure

And for the 4th Hobbit, we have Peregrin Took, aka Pippin. My older Pippin looks a little grizzly as his head is damaged, so he doesn’t really look as scarred like the photo. The 2012 version was an exclusive to 9473 Mines of Moria.

Note to self: find a replacement head soon.

Pippin is mostly unchanged from his 2012 version, with some subtle refreshes to his scarf, jacket details and the use of suspenders instead of a belt. The cloak colour is also different, with the 2023 version sporting a brown cape instead of the olive of 2012.

Here’s a look at Pippin’s facial expressions and back printing.

Gandalf Minifigure

Next we have Gandalf the Grey, which has perhaps undergone one of the biggest transformations. I’ve opted to use the Gandalf from 79005 The Wizard Battle, as it’s one of the most ubiquitous versions.

One main difference is that the 2023 Gandalf utilises a skirt dress piece instead of plain legs, which is way more effective at translating the Grey Pilgrim’s robes.

And here’s a look at their faces. The older Gandalf had way more dramatic eyebrows and more lines and creases on his face compared to the 2023 version.

Do note that the newer Gandalf uses a recycled head, but really doesn’t quite matter as most of his face is obscured by his beard and hat most of the time anyway, so it doesn’t really bother me.

Aragorn Minifigure

And here’s a look at Aragorn in his Strider/Ranger brown garb from 2012, versus a more formal but still rugged looking 2023 Aragorn.

The difference is mostly due to the setting, the 2012 version which appears in 9472 Attack on Weathertop features Aragorn in his Ranger gear, whereas the 2023 version has Aragorn in more appropriate “Council of the Ring” attire, as he’s probably more relaxed in Rivendell.

The graphic designers did a great job with 2023 Aragorn, and I really enjoyed how much he looks like the older one, but with a fresh new outfit.

Here’s a look at their back printing and alternate faces.

Boromir Minifigure

The minifigure that has perhaps the biggest glow-up is Boromir. The older Boromir is one of the most expensive Fellowship members, so fans that missed out on him will be delighted to get a far superior Boromir in 2023.

2012 Boromir was exclusive to 9473 Mines of Moria

Apart from from the sword and shield, Boromir also benefits from updated torso printing, and sports a brand new face too. The older one always looked a little strange, kinda like an angry Louis CK, but I think the new one is a much better fit.

Here’s a look at their back printing and dual-sided face.

Of course, I’m a big fan of the new Boromir for his “one does not walk into Mordo” look.

Legolas Minifigure

Here’s a bit of a contentious update with Legolas. Firstly, the re-use of the Young Han Solo/Cedric Diggory face is a bit of a letdown, mostly because of how common it is as a generic “caucasian” look, but placed side by side with the 2012 Legolas, I really miss just how distinctive the older Legolas face looks, with more defined cheekbones, and a somewhat stoic look.

There’s also the new Elvish which tries to mimic Legolas tresses, but again, feel a bit too voluminous for me, and I can’t help but prefer the older version in this particular scenario.

Out of all the Fellowship minifigures, I have to say that I still prefer the 2012 version as it looks so much more distinctive and Legolas-like for me.

Gimli Minifigure

And last but not least Gimli. The 2012 version of Gimli has made quite a number of appearances in sets, and is fairly common but as you can see, LEGO have really given him a big refresh that makes him one of the standout minifigures in Rivendell.

The 2023 version benefits from a new helmet, and no, it’s not a recolour as it’s a slightly new mould. He also sports a new beard, which has a lighter shade compared to 2012 Gimli, and most importantly, uses medium legs, which of course, was not available as an option in 2012.

Oh, and the newer axes are so much nicer.

And here’s a look at Gimli’s back prints and head printing without his beard.

Here’s a look at the complete 2023 Fellowship of the Ring minifigures, which look fantastic all together. It’s a huge boon for the entire Fellowship to be included in the Rivendell set, and ensures that if you just buy it, you get the entire Fellowship without having to hunt down multiple sets, like in 2012.

The fact that all the minifigures are new and freshly updated also make them desirable to collectors, and those that own the original Fellowship.

One of the most overlooked things about the 2012 Fellowship is how difficult it was to obtain the entire set, having to buy different sets to collect all 9 Fellowship members.

With LEGO Lord of the Rings becoming one of the most highly-prized retired themes, the prices of these minifigures have also ballooned in recent years.

If you were to pick up a “new” set of 2012 Fellowship minifigures, it would roughly cost you about AU$700 for the entire set (based on average new prices), which is almost the price that you’d pay for Rivendell by itself, so it’s nothing to sneeze at getting the entire Fellowship and more in Rivendell.

I hope you enjoyed this blast from the past, and a look at the differences between the 2023 Fellowship of the Ring Minifigures vs the 2012 original versions.

10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell will be available exclusively on LEGO.com or your local LEGO Store from 5 March 2023 for LEGO VIPs.

If you’re planning on picking Rivendell up, please consider using these affiliate links to help support the work I do on the blog!

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