The Lord of the Rings: Sméagol & Déagol

"As a GWP, the Smeagol and Deagol diorama earns its Recommended tier and a BrickScore of 75.9 primarily on the strength of two exclusive minifigures that will almost certainly never appear in another set, making it a compelling collectible for any Lord of the Rings fan who acquired it during its brief April 2025 window."

The Smeagol and Deagol set (40761) is a gift-with-purchase diorama tied to the 2025 Shire release, and expert reviewers are nearly unanimous that it punches well above its GWP weight. Scoring 74.4 on BrickScore with a Recommended tier, the set's primary appeal is its two exclusive minifigures depicting characters that had never previously appeared in LEGO form, combined with a clever three-scene diorama featuring a rotating boat mechanism and a dual above-and-underwater perspective. Owner ratings are early but favorable at 4.56 out of 5 across 6 LEGO.com reviews, with 89 percent recommending. The main criticisms are that the build is small, reused torsos undercut the otherwise excellent head prints, and the set is only obtainable by purchasing or reselling from a narrow availability window.

Where they split: The Brothers Brick offered the most measured take, noting the build is not exceptional beyond the minifigures, calling out the distracting color choices on the boat and a disappointingly sparse tree. Other reviewers (Jay's Brick Blog, MandRproductions, Solid Brix Studios) were more enthusiastic about the overall diorama composition. The divergence is limited and the minifigure quality is universally praised; disagreement centers on the build quality of peripheral elements.