Review: LEGO 40761 Sméagol & Déagol (GWP)
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The highly anticipated launches today via LEGO Insiders Early Access, and to tempt LEGO Lord of the Rings fan to splurge on what’s a pretty expensive set (read my full review), LEGO are offering 40761 Sméagol & Déagol, an exclusive GWP (gift with purchase) as an incentive to reward fans.
You can only get 40761 Sméagol & Déagol with purchases of 10354 The Shire from 2-8 April 2025 while stocks last, and if its anything like 40693 Fell Beast (the 10333 Barad-Dur GWP), I can see this one selling out pretty quickly.
40761 Sméagol & Déagol depicts a rather dark scene from Return of the King, where Stoor-Hobbits Smeagol and Deagol chance upon The One Ring during a fishing trip, and these poor Stoor-Hobbits are then tempted by the One Ring’s malice, and spoilers: caused Smeagol to kill his best friend Deagol. Very, very dark.
Here’s a quick review of 40761 Sméagol & Déagol, in case you wanted a closer look at the set before deciding to drop US$269.99 / AU$399.99 / £229.99 on Bag End!
See below for regional pricing and product pages:
- 10354 The Shire [US] – US$269.99
- 10354 The Shire [AUS] – AU$399.99
- 10354 The Shire [UK] – £229.99
- 10354 The Shire [EU] – €269.99
- 10354 The Shire [CA] – CAD$349.99
- 10354 The Shire [SG] – SGD$399.99
Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set over for review. If you’re planning on purchasing or pre-ordering this set, please consider using the affiliate links in this post. I may earn a small commission with each purchase that helps support the work I do on the blog!
One thing I found quite comical about 40761 Sméagol & Déagol is that the box is quite large, as it only contains 3 sparsely filled bags, and this tiny, tiny instructions manual! I guess it’s Hobbit-sized?
There are no stickers or printed elements in the set.
Here’s a look at the Smeagol and Deagol minifigures, which are exclusive to the set. Smeagol comes with a recoloured Isaac Newton wig, and as a bonus, also comes with an exclusive head. Smeagol’s torso was used in Harry Potter with Filch.
Deagol’s head is also exclusive to the set, but his torso was previously used by Samwise Gamgee in both 10333 Barad-Dur and 10316 Rivendell.
Both minifigures are very Hobbit-y, and here’s a look at their alternate faces. Smeagol has an evil smile on his, and Deagol has him holding his breath underwater, or being suffocated by his friend whichever you decide!
And for further comparisons, here’s Smeagol and Gollum, from 10333 Barad-Dur. Despite Gollum looking nothing like a Hobbit minifigure, I really like that Smeagol’s evil face has very similar features (especially the frown/smile lines) to Gollum!
The completed set is quite nice, depicting a simple diorama of Smeagol and Deagol’s fishing trip, giving you a view of both above and underwater. It’s small, but has enough going for it to look interesting, and the black border on the base also accentuates its look to make it feel quite premium.
The composition of the set is great thanks to its height, and also the large tree that frames the scene well.
In pursuit of a fish, Deagol is dragged by a big fish under where he discovers The One Ring buried in the riverbed!
Here’s what the model looks like from above and behind.
And here are Deagol and Smeagol in happier times on the boat. The Boat is fixed atop a turntable, so you can swivel it around which is quite nice.
This set is really dark, possibly one of the darkest scenes and moments from a movie that has been translated into LEGO, depicting the murder of an innocent Stoor-Hobbit, in a very graphic manner! This set definitely earns its 18+ age rating.
As LEGO GWPs (gift with purchase) go, 40761 Sméagol & Déagol is sensational, especially if you’re a fan of Lord of the Rings. It includes 2 pivotal characters from Return of the King, which will likely never appear in any other set, so this is your only chance at Smeagol and Deagol minifigures.
The build is great for a small set, and it’s quite an attractive, and easy-to-display model, and the inclusion of exclusive heads for both Smeagol and Deagol, which makes this a worthwhile pickup.
I still stand by my review of 10354 The Shire, with the set being quite unfairly overpriced in my opinion, but the inclusion of 40761 Sméagol & Déagol does help soften the sting somewhat. Without the GWP, 10354 The Shire goes back to being outrageously overpriced.
With modern LEGO Lord of the Rings being incredibly popular with adult LEGO fans, I do think that 40761 Sméagol & Déagol is worth picking up, so if you have the means, definitely go for 10354 The Shire while this GWP is still available.
The last thing you want to do is regret when 40761 Sméagol & Déagol inevitably sells out, and its price on the secondary market rockets like Barad-Dur’s Fell Beast GWP.
What do you think of 40761 Smeagol and Deagol? Did you pick up The Shire today to not miss out on this GWP?
