This is a little bit review and mostly a rant, you have been warned.
The starter set is good, but too expensive and only suitable for limited scenarios in the starter.
The models are nice and are the best LoTR plastic sculpts to date.

Why did GW make the hobbit minis their own army lists? No idea but it was stupid stupid and more stupid. Why should the hunter orcs be outside of an angmar or even mordor list? Putting them in the angmar list would have given angmar exactly what it needs, an elite unit. Or even make a dol gulder list which can have a twilight witch king and regular orcs and spiders? Why are the dwarves outside the erebor list? Why has GW made it so hard to integrate these models into points matched games?

These are the things keeping me from getting any of the other sets. I love the look of the grim hammers but I am not going to get them since I already have a huge erebor army and I do not want to start a hobbit dwarf one. I like the hunter orcs but I am not starting another list just fort hese orcs. I like the elven cavalry but.... Well you get the idea.
Will not buy the white council. Too much for figures I already have. Might buy the plastic eagles since they can be used in LoTR armies. But I have two metal gwahir models and two old GW LoTR eagles as well.

Come on GW get over yourself.