Apparel Dummies - Good Idea or Bad Idea?

Sorry it's been a while since my last post, but life and leveling my hunter to 75 has temporarily prevented me from working on this blog. With some upcoming downtime, which will last until Rohan is released, I can spend more time posting here. I promise to bring some homesteads pictures in the near future! : D

Anyway, I logged on today only to notice these apparel dummies sitting in Michel Delving. Naturally, I though that each town might have different cosmetic sets to offer. I ported to at least seven or eight different areas to discover that the same four dummies at every location. I don't know if this is only a taste of what's to come from the LOTRO Store or if this is all they'll ever offer. But is it worth investing in these cosmetic bundles?

I won't need to worry about purchasing anything that these bundles offer, as I already have the majority of the gear offered. But for those of you who are thinking of buying these, let's break this all down for you. Before I do, I'll point out that most of the pieces featured in that pic are available in the game, whether it's all year or seasonal. If you're patient enough, you can really cut back on the TP you spend.

Anything listed in blue is obtainable all year in the game via quest rewards, random drops, the auction hall, or by crafting. Anything colored in yellow is a LOTRO Store exclusive piece or cosmetically equivalent version. Now to break this down, starting with the leftmost one (#1) and ending with the rightmost one (#4).

1) The Armour of the Golden Twilight (1295 TP bundle, 590 TP total for individual store pieces):
Ceremonial Himhar, Footman's Shoulders, Footman's Gloves, Footman's Armour, Footman's Leggings, Footman's Boots, Ceremonial Wig-feld (Wig-feld is a rare drop from Thaurlach in the Rift Raid)

2) Dandy's Finery (775 TP bundle, 195 TP total for individual store pieces):
Fancy Plumed Hat, Arth-Crus, Rhuvel-Socas, Rune-stitched Dulending Shoes

3) Lady of the Dragonflies (350 TP bundle, 540 TP total for individual store pieces):
Formal Elegant Dress, Cloak of the Dragonfly, Turquoise Summer Circlet (Circlet also obtainable from the Summer Festivals)

4) Corsair Explorer (325 TP bundle, 345 TP total for individual store pieces):
 Map-maker’s Travel Pack, Black Corsair's Eye-patch and Hat, Short-sleeved Corsair's Tunic and Pants (These corsair pieces can be earned for FREE from the Talk Like a Pirate Day event in late September)

With the exception of the Lady of the Dragonflies set, these bundles are not worth your Turbine Points. With a little time and effort, you can re-create each of these ensembles with a minimal cost of TP from purchasing select pieces. I've left you as much information on the new cosmetic bundles as I can, and it's up to you to determine for yourself if these are worthwhile investments!