LEGO® The Lord of the Rings review: 40693 Fell Beast

To mark the release of LEGO® Icons 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr on Saturday, those who purchase the set between 1 and 7 June 2024 will also receive the desirable 40693 The Lord of the Rings: Fell Beast as a gift with purchase, while stocks last. We've received an early copy for review.

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

40693 The Lord of the Rings: Fell Beast
Gift with purchases of 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr
269 parts
Released 1 June 2024

Set 40693 on LEGO.com

New elements 

Recolours

While it's relatively unusual for recoloured elements to debut in a gift with purchase set, two such elements appear here.

• 2x Bar Holder with Hole and Bar Handle in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6458391 | 23443), also appearing in 21061 Notre-Dame de Paris on 1 June
• 2x Hinge Plate 2 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on Top in Dark Stone Grey/ Dark Bluish Gray (6490596 | 92582)

Textiles

A new plastic textile element has been introduced for the wings of the Fell Beast. 

• 1x Animal Body Part, Fell Beast Wings (6483067)

A worn, leathery texture is implied through the combination of printing, small holes, and jagged edges.

Decorations

For the Nazgûl (Ringwraith) minifigure, a newly decorated, double-sided torso has been introduced. 

• 1x Torso Cloak with Gray Folds Print, Black Arms and Hands (6490187)

It carefully depicts the layered, weathered robes worn by the Nazgûl in The Lord of the Rings films. The torso could have been improved by using Titanium Metallic/ Pearl Dark Gray or Dark Stone Grey/ Dark Bluish Gray for the hands, to represent the metal gauntlets of the Nazgûl.

The existing Hood Long, Angular (6281919 | 59276) introduced by LEGO Star Wars in 2019 and Neckwear Cape, Tattered with Holes (6106864 | 86038) complete the look.

Construction

The parts come in three bags. 

Assembly begins with the body and tail. To restrict the vertical motion of the tail at its first joint, two Mixels joints are stacked.

The head, legs, and feet are built from bag 2. The head is assembled upside down, using a Brick Special 1 x 1 with Studs on 2 Sides (47905) to attach the sides. As a result of the lack of locking elements in this tight construction, the elements attached on either side of the head are prone to a little rotation.

Some creative liberties have been taken with the legs and feet. Due to the space limitations, the legs of the LEGO Fell Beast feature only two front claws, rather than the three claws seen in the films. Furthermore, a spike is added to each leg which does not appear in the film.

Finally, in bag 3, the wings and display stand are assembled. 

The wing skeletons are assembled using LEGO Technic elements with 3.18mm bar elements, with the aforementioned wing textiles secured onto the grey towballs. The wings are in a fixed open position and move on vertical hinges, which limits the ability to pose the set somewhat.

Finished model

The display stand is modeled on the ruins of Osgiliath, in which Frodo and Sam encounter a Fell Beast while traveling to Mordor. Though small in size, the use of brick and log profile bricks is effective at conveying the ornate architecture of the city.

Of note, while highly articulated, it can be difficult to position the Fell Beast in dynamic poses, due to the limited number of connections on the accompanying display stand. 

It is perhaps easier and more fun to pose it without the stand.

Like the model of Barad-dûr it is meant to accompany, the Fell Beast is designed as a display model rather than a play set. While come creative liberties have been taken, such as the reduced distribution of spikes along the neck, body, and tail, the model still looks excellent on display.

Overall, 40693 The Lord of the Rings: Fell Beast is a delightful gift with purchase, which whets the appetite for smaller (and lower-budget) sets based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

It is unfortunate that the only qualifying purchase to receive it is 10333 Barad-dûr, but for all of those ready to get hold of 10333 at midnight on 1 June, this is a great extra.

Images: Tim Johnson

READ MORE: Our review of 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr

Help New Elementary keep publishing articles like this. Become a Patron!

A huge thank you to all our patrons for your support, especially our 'Vibrant Coral' tier: London AFOLs, Antonio Serra, Beyond the Brick, Huw Millington, Dave Schefcik, David and Breda Fennell, Gerald Lasser, Baixo LMmodels, Sue Ann Barber and Trevor Clark, Markus Rollbühler, Elspeth De Montes, Megan Lum, Andy Price, Chuck Hagenbuch, Jf, Wayne R. Tyler, Daniel Church, Lukas Kurth (StoneWars), Timo Luehnen, Chris Wight, Jonathan Breidert and our newest top-tier patron, Brick Owl! You folks are just the cutest little baby bows.

All text and images are © New Elementary unless otherwise attributed.