For the last few years LEGO has been designing, building and releasing 18+ display heads and helmets. Initially starting with the Star Wars theme, LEGO realised the success here and expanded into other themes, including Marvel and DC. Many of these helmets, particularly in the Star Wars theme, have gone on to retire and now command many multiples of their original RRP on the aftermarket. Make sure you check out our complete buyers guide to the Star Wars helmet line up – if Star Wars is also your thing!
With the revival of The Lord of the Rings theme in 2023 with Barad-dûr, Rivendell, the Shire and now the smaller Book Nook set, it was only a matter of time before we saw LEGO including displayable heads in their set line up. Now, for the first time, the character head/helmet concept has been bought to The Lord of the Rings line up – with LEGO officially revealing set number 11373 – The LEGO Icons Lord of the Rings Sauron Head.
LEGO Lord of the Rings: Sauron (18+) – Set Details
Rather than a large location like we’ve seen before with Rivendell, Barad-dûr and the Shire, Set 11373 focuses on Sauron himself, following the same design philosophy seen in LEGO’s helmet and character head range. The set details are as follows:
- Set number: 11373
- Theme: Icons
- Pieces: 538
- Age rating: 18+
- Price:
- US: $74.99
- EU: €74.99
- UK: £TBA
- Release date: March 1st, 2026
The U.K. price has yet to be announced but we can expect this to be somewhere around the £59.99 price range. At 538 pieces, Sauron sits firmly in line with LEGO’s previous helmet-style builds — designed to be visually striking, and a nice display piece.
How Sauron Fits Into LEGO’s Modern LOTR Line-Up
While the build style echoes LEGO’s helmet collection, Sauron also becomes part of LEGO’s modern, adult-only Lord of the Rings lineup, which has so far focused on premium display models rather than playsets. The sets we’ve seen in the revival so far are listed in the table below:
All Modern LEGO Lord of the Rings Sets (Adult / Display Era)
| Set Name | Set Number | Release Year | Pieces | RRP (UK) | Set Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivendell | 10316 | 2023 | 6,167 | £429.99 | Location / Diorama | Relaunched LOTR as an adult-only display theme |
| Barad-dûr | 10333 | 2024 | 5,471 | £399.99 | Fortress / Display | Sauron’s tower; villain-led counterpart to Rivendell |
| The Lord of the Rings Book Nook | 10351 | 2024 | 1,201 | £99.99 | Book Nook / Display | First LOTR book nook; designed for bookshelf display |
| Sauron | 11373 | 2026 | 538 | £TBA | Character / Head-Style Display | First standalone LOTR character-focused display model |
A New Direction for LOTR Display Builds
Rivendell and Barad-dûr established LEGO’s modern LOTR approach as location-driven and architectural. Sauron marks a deliberate pivot — focusing instead on iconography and character presence, much like the Marvel, DC, and Star Wars helmet lines.
This opens the door to:
- More character-led LOTR display models
- Smaller, more affordable entry points into the theme
- A wider Middle-earth collection that doesn’t rely solely on massive builds
However, with that said, beyond the confirmed Sauron bust named above, LEGO’s Lord of the Rings range is also expected to expand again in 2026 with yet another massive display build. It’s rumoured that we may see the release of a brick-built Minas Tirith in 2026. There are suggestions that this would be between 4,000 and 6,000 pieces in size and would therefore rival the sheer scale and price point of the previously released Lord of the Rings Rivendell set, which kicked off the theme for the first time in 10+ years back in 2023.
Final Thoughts
Set 11373 is significant not just because it’s Sauron — but because it represents Lord of the Rings’ first step into LEGO’s proven helmet-style display format. It will be interesting to see how far this goes. Future candidates could include:
- The Witch-king
- Elven war helms
- Éomer’s helm
- The Helm of King Helm Hammerhand
The question now isn’t if LEGO expands this line — but how far they’re willing to take it.
What helmets/heads do you think we’re likely to see in the future? What would you like to see? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.