I know these sets will be sticking around for a while longer and I'll have plenty of time to get all the ones I want but I'm just wondering when they will go EOL?

I'm hoping before the release of the next movie! :D

I can't see them sticking around too terribly long. The movie has already come and gone from theaters, and soon the DVD will be old news, as well. I think tie-in products like this are more or less expected to rise and fall with the movie, aren't they? By the time the next film comes out, they'll have retired this first group and be selling the next wave. That's my prediction, anyway. FWIW

Purely a guess on my part, but I would say maybe December. I would think a second wave of Hobbit sets would be out around that time since the second movie comes out then, plus the first wave will have been out a year. Which also leads to the question of what the second wave of sets will be. I would think we would get that information in the next couple of months. My guess is that we get a Smaug of some kind - either brick-built or maxifigure. Maybe the Lonely Mountain and Laketown also? Or a huge set with the Battle of Five Armies!! That would be a winner for sure!!

I would say late this year. I'd think TLG have already stopped producing the set and are just running out inventory. I know in my country, local stores are running very low on most of them and out of ones like Bag end and they won't be ordering any more.

What I am really curious about is the Barrel Escape and Mirkwood spiders, these are sets that aren't from the first film but the second, why would Lego discontinue them before the demand is created? Many people have no idea what these scenes are, this will hardly cause people to identify with them and buy them. I think those two sets may stick around longer than the rest, it would be stupid on their part to discontinue them.

What I am really curious about is the Barrel Escape and Mirkwood spiders, these are sets that aren't from the first film but the second, why would Lego discontinue them before the demand is created? Many people have no idea what these scenes are, this will hardly cause people to identify with them and buy them. I think those two sets may stick around longer than the rest, it would be stupid on their part to discontinue them.

I was thinking about that also. Ending these sets early would be good for investors but not wise at all for TLG as some demand will obviously be generated when the live action scenes show up.

As far as the other sets, I agree that they could disappear by the end of the year. For my personal collection I just need to grab a barrel escape and im done with wave 1, though I'd like to grab a couple more Unexpected Gatherings for investment purposes.

What I am really curious about is the Barrel Escape and Mirkwood spiders, these are sets that aren't from the first film but the second, why would Lego discontinue them before the demand is created? Many people have no idea what these scenes are, this will hardly cause people to identify with them and buy them. I think those two sets may stick around longer than the rest, it would be stupid on their part to discontinue them.

The Hobbit was originally planned to be a two part movie, and I'm quite certain that these two scenes appeared in the first cut of Unexpected Journey. I'm not sure what sort of lead time TLG needs to modify production cycle of their sets, but the evidence strongly suggests that the decision to adapt the movies to a trilogy occurred too late to do so. Therefore, we got both Barrel Escape and Mirkwood Spider sets a film too early and both will probably be discontinued as Desolation is released for Christmas 2013 along with the rest of Journey's sets.

The Hobbit was originally planned to be a two part movie, and I'm quite certain that these two scenes appeared in the first cut of Unexpected Journey. I'm not sure what sort of lead time TLG needs to modify production cycle of their sets, but the evidence strongly suggests that the decision to adapt the movies to a trilogy occurred too late to do so. Therefore, we got both Barrel Escape and Mirkwood Spider sets a film too early and both will probably be discontinued as Desolation is released for Christmas 2013 along with the rest of Journey's sets.

I'm sure that (at least in UK) on the boxes of Mirkwood and Barrel Escape, it says "Special Hobbit the trilogy Preview Set", so they must have known before or added it on later. I think these 2 will be available longer than the others.

I'm sure that (at least in UK) on the boxes of Mirkwood and Barrel Escape, it says "Special Hobbit the trilogy Preview Set", so they must have known before or added it on later. I think these 2 will be available longer than the others.

They say that on the box here in the US as well and what Snowcrash said is true. The Hobbit was originally meant to be a two parter but the decision to change it into a trilogy came too late for Lego to do anything else but slap that "Preview Set" tag on the box. Even though they may tie-in with the second film, I believe those two sets will still get discontinued along with the rest of them in the first wave.

What I am really curious about is the Barrel Escape and Mirkwood spiders, these are sets that aren't from the first film but the second, why would Lego discontinue them before the demand is created? Many people have no idea what these scenes are, this will hardly cause people to identify with them and buy them. I think those two sets may stick around longer than the rest, it would be stupid on their part to discontinue them.

Good point!