LEGO Unveils Minas Tirith Model for 25th Anniversary of Lord of the Rings
LEGO announced this week it is adding a massive Minas Tirith model to its Lord of The Rings LEGO Icons lineup to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie trilogy.
Preorders open June 1, and there is a big reason to act as soon as possible to maximize the experience. It could be the only way to get the Grond.
Not just for kids anymore
Almost everyone probably remembers spending hours putting together LEGO castles as youngsters, but they long ago stopped being just for kids.
The company came out with its first adult-themed (not like that) models around the turn of the 21st Century, including the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and Sydney Opera House, and began marketing to an older demographic.
Around the same time, LEGO also started licensing big-name franchises, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jurassic World and Lord of the Rings with many more to follow.
That not only expanded the market for its sets but also allowed for the eventual introduction of that most powerful of marketing tools: Nostalgia.
When does Minas Tirith hit stores?
The White City will become available to everyone June 4, and it won't be cheap.
It's recommended for users 18 and up, and the suggested retail price is $649.99, but this is obviously not just any toy.
When fully assembled, it looks like a work of art that would set off any home or office.
Users who sign up for Lego Insiders get early access to purchase Minas Tirith, meaning they can purchase it on June 1 - three days early - and that's not all.
They also get an exclusive gift: The Grond bettering ram Sauron's forces used to punch through the city's defenses in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
LEGO says those will only be available while supplies last.
The set will also come with 10 minifigures, including Gadalf the White, Peregrin Took, Arwen, Aragon, Denethor and Faramir.
A growing LOTR collection
The LEGO Icons Lord of the Rings series also includes other sets, including The Shire, Barad-dur and Rivendell.
The Minas Tirith will consist of 8,278 pieces and is "the great missing location among the iconic places of Middle-earth in LEGO set from," LEGO senior model designer Francois Zapf said. "It was the right choice creatively, but adapting such a gigantic city into a LEGO set was an enormous challenge."
While putting together such a model figures to be intimidating, imagine designing it.
Zapf said getting the overall silhouette right was the most important part of the design process, and his team had to develop "some satisfying geometric solutions for the circular walls."
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 9:51 AM.