You shall not pass... over this awesome Lego Balrog set

Lego is typically designed to either be a playset or an admirable sculpture that you build and then never really touch again. We don't often see sets being designed to serve an actually usable purpose, but that's certainly the case with the latest announcement.

Lego is expanding its The Lord of the Rings line with an all-new set that reflects the iconic and timeless battle between Gandalf the Grey and the Balrog that calls the Mines of Moria its home. Yep, the famous Bridge of Khazad-dum scene has been brickified, but not as a playset or a sculpture, but as a book nook, meaning you can slot it into your bookshelf, perhaps as a way to split up The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the wider Middle-earth works, like The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, and so forth.

The set spans 1,201 pieces and features a chassis that the Balrog stands at the centre of and parallel to a Gandalf minifigure wielding his staff and sword. The set is 22 cm tall, 44 cm wide when fully extended, and 17 cm deep, and it will set you back £109.99/$129.99/€119.99 when it launches on June 1.