TheOneRing.net:@JohnSant87@TwoPaddocks There is a tiny chance of a tiny TORn cameo in the deep background of Laketown. Is it a cameo if nobody knows you?
TheOneRing.net:RT @adamrensch: lightning in Greece is different. Greece lightning is systematic. It's automatic. It's HYDROMATIC. IT'S BURNING UP THE QUARTER MILE, GO GREE
In 2005 we premiered our very own documentary feature film RINGERS: Lord of the Fans at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, where it was quickly snapped up by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for worldwide distribution on DVD and cable! It is finally available on iTunes after 7 years of hopeful waiting… you can also find it on Amazon Instant and on VUDU.
What a fun movie! Dominic Monaghan (Meriadoc Brandybuck) came on board to be our wonderful narrator! Actually this film is a time capsule of many decades of pop culture history — giving us the full story on how the world has embraced Tolkien’s masterpiece THE LORD OF THE RINGS over 50 years and more!
Winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival, RINGERS was produced in association with TheOneRing.net — this remarkable little film was forged BY fans and FOR fans, just like our website, with the production/writing talent of Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway (who hosts TORn TUESDAY every week), Jeff Marchelletta, and supercool director Carlene Cordova. It was executive produced by X-Men/Transformers guru Tom DeSanto.
With a wonderful rock-driven score and detailing all the outpouring of love bestowed on Tolkien over many generations, this film is a must-have for your digital collection! Get it on iTunes now for only $9.99!
From the original Sony Press Release:
“RINGERS is comprehensive, entertaining and informative pop culture history.” – The Toronto Star
“…Will always be a salient part of ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’ history…
See it, absorb it, love it.” – FilmThreat
Winner of “Outstanding Achievement” Award at the
Newport Beach Film Festival
FASCINATING DOCUMENTARY CAPTURES THE HISTORY, INFLUENCE AND PHENOMENON THAT IS LORD OF THE RINGS
CULVER CITY, Calif. (September 12, 2005) – Sony invites you to return to the Shirewith the release of the feature-length documentary RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS,direct to DVD.In association with the popular fan-site TheOneRing.net, Carlene Cordova produced, directed and wrote this award-winning film with executive producer Tom DeSanto(X-Men, X2: X-Men United and Transformers), which charts the incredible influence and ripple-effect that Lord of the Rings has had on worldwide pop culture over the past five decades.Whether you are a fan or first timer, critics agree, RINGERS, stands as the most comprehensive film documenting the ongoing impact of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary achievement.
Dominic Monaghan (star of ABC’s Lost and the Academy Award® winning Lord of the Rings trilogy) narrates the documentary as it looks behind the curtain between Lord of the Rings andhow it inspired so many artists of different mediums.The film moves beyond “cult classic” and through different generations unearthing the way legendary rock musicians, filmmakers, professors, actors and authors all unite under the banner of ‘Ringer.’Interviewees included in the film are Lord of the Rings trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson as well as Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin and David Carradine.Infused with a dynamic rock-driven score, irreverent cut-out animation (á la Terry Gilliam), and a centerpiece audience sing-a-long, RINGERS is a genre-busting documentary that shows how a single literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions.
RINGERS continues the momentum of the motion picture trilogy Lord of the Rings, a winner of 17 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Peter Jackson, who made history as the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously.
From the official synopsis:
Ringers: Lord of the Fans is a feature-length documentary that reveals the ongoing cultural phenomenon created by The Lord of the Rings. Very funny and often moving, Ringers shows the hidden power behind Tolkien’s books — and how after 50 years a single literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions, across cultures and across time.
Shot with groundbreaking new digital technology in 24P, Ringers explores the real foundations of Middle-earth; a community of true fans who share a common bond. Moving beyond “cult classic” and over several different generations, the film unearths academics, musicians, authors, filmmakers, and a plethora of pop junkies — the people gathered under the banner of ‘Ringer.’ From the hippie counter-culture to the electronic age; from the Bakshi animated film to Jackson’s epic trilogy; this documentary brings together extensive footage from across the globe. With units in Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Bonn, Germany, Wellington, New Zealand, and Oxford, England, our cameras capture the most fascinating “Ringers” and Lord of the Rings events.
What began as the private amusement of a tweedy Oxford professor has now become a new mythology for the 21st century. Ringers: Lord of the Fans shows how an adventure story published in 1954 has had dynamic ripple-effects through Western pop-culture. Ringers carefully pulls away the veil between Tolkien’s book and the creations of art, music, and community that have been inspired by it.
Welcome to the latest “Getting to know” – questions that need answering. It’s based on the old Getting to know you threads that I occasionally post on the message boards here on TORn, so those familiar with them will know that the questions can be a little crazy and the answers even crazier.
This month we’re asking questions of self-described Online guy at Weta Workshop and all round top bloke, Magnus Hjert.
The next great replica from our friends at United Cutlery is the Sword of Kili. This very detailed replica comes in at 28 3/8″ in total length, with a high quality steel blade. The sword will come to you aged and made to look as if it was used by Kili as we’ve seen him so far in The Hobbit Trilogy. Like all the swords you can get from United Cutlery, this one also comes with a wall mount to make displaying this prop replica easy. You can get this sword from BudK for $150 for now, though this amazing item is on backorder.
As Tolkien fans, it stands to reason that we very much like BIG BOOKS. So what better way to share your love for BIG BOOKS than with an appropriately geeky t-shirt. Proclaim to the world…
‘I like Big Books and can not lie!’
Available in two styles and eight different colors, this is our most diverse t-shirt offering to date. Place your order before next Tuesday to be in the first batch produced and sent out to Big Book fans around the world! As with all of our t-shirt ventures at TheOneRing.net, all profits go directly to expenses of running a large scale community like TheOneRing.net. Our 100% volunteer staff thanks you for your support! [Order Today] [Emporium of Goods]
General Manager of Weta Limited Tim Launder teased what’s to come from Weta Workshop over the next few months with a post at The Shadow and Flame message board. From his post there are some big things to come via The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit including something totally new for The Hobbit collectibles. If you love the work Weta does as much as I do this announcement has you super excited!
Shows
We had a wonderful time in April, attending 3 shows in Melbourne and the Gold Coast of Australia, and our first visit to CalgaryExpo in Canada. It was exciting to meet some new and old Flamers in person for the first time. We were especially grateful for the kind donations of chocolate for the crew !
Most of us just got back to work on Monday, a bit tired, but ready to get going again. And of course, we are only 2 months away from the Big Show; San Diego Comic Con. Time flies, we can’t wait ! We will be in the same booth space (3513B) as last year. This has now become our own Weta booth, we are no longer sharing someone else’s space. We will have our largest ever team of Weta crew at Comic Con this year. We’ll be announcing names soon. Please come and say Hi We are shipping out a container full of goodies to San Diego at the end of May, full of confidential, new stuff. We still have lots of work to do, as there are always a handful of items packed in at the last minute.
The Hobbit – 1/6th scale polystone range
We have now launched the first seven pieces in the 1/6th scale range: Thorin, Gandalf, Bilbo, Dwalin, Balin, Bombur and Gollum. Thanks so much to all of you who have supported this range, we consider these to be the best quality sculptures we have created. This will be our signature line for The Hobbit trilogy of movies and we have several more outstanding pieces in production. A lot of thought has gone into the poses, and how the various characters could be displayed together. We expect this will become clearer over time. We will most likely unveil the next sculpture in the range in July.
Some of you have asked why there are no creatures launched yet ? The reason is that most of the creatures are created in digital form for the films, and the digital work is normally finalized very late in the film making process. So therefore we could not start work on these creatures until very late last year. But never fear, they are coming !
The Hobbit – Environments
We had hoped to have launched an environment by now. We were actually building a few pieces last year. But once the decision was made to change from 2 to 3 movies, we had to put them on hold until the second movie is released.
The good news is that we do have 2 new environments in production now, so you will be seeing them at some stage soon.
The Hobbit – New Polystone Product Ranges !
Over the next few months, we will be launching some new smaller scale pieces, priced under US$100, including a few special pre-releases from the upcoming movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Look out for these at Comic Con!
The Hobbit – Prop Replicas
Our Staves have been extremely popular. The first production of both the Staff of Radagast the Brown and the Staff of Gandalf the Grey, sold out even before they arrived in our warehouses. The second and final production run will take place over the next few months and we hope to release these final pieces before the end of 2013. We strongly suggest pre-ordering to ensure you don’t miss out.
The Key to Erebor is our highest selling item. We have sold out our stocks twice and are struggling to keep up with production
Daniel Reeve has had a great time creating hand made Contracts and Maps.
Jewelry from Middle-earth
Our new range of Jewelry from Middle-earth has been a huge hit, especially The One Ring in gold plated tungsten carbide, created by Jens Hansen Gold and Silversmith. We continue to struggle to keep up with supply for this item, the Evenstar and the Elven Leaf Brooch
We have a new Stone Pendant launching in the next week. Keep an eye out for it
The Hobbit – Maps and Art Prints
We now have a room in our office dedicated to storing tubes with all the Maps and art prints created by the artists who worked on the movies. We will continue to expand this range and would be grateful for a poll to vote on the scenes you’d like to see from LOTR and The Hobbit.
If you are coming to Comic Con in July, this would be a great opportunity to get some of these art prints signed.
You can also expect to see something new from Daniel Reeve soon too
The Lord of the Rings
There are a couple of items in production from LOTR.
The Fellowship of the Ring – Set 2 starts arriving in our warehouses over the next month, and will be followed up by Set 3 in a few months time. All three sets look fantastic displayed together, with a mirror set behind them, as we have done in the Weta Cave
We will also be releasing a new sculpture of Arwen soon, as part of the range of smaller scale pieces; Gollum, Gandalf and Strider
Next shipment
Our next shipments arrive in our 3 warehouses in the US, UK and NZ over the next month, including new pieces such as:
The Fellowship of the Ring – Set 2
The Pipe of Fili the Dwarf
The Staff of Gandalf the Grey (already sold out)
Gollum Enraged
Changing Warehouses in the US
In late May / early June, we will be changing our warehouse in the US. So if you are planning to make any orders in the near future, we recommend making your order in the next 2 weeks.
And for customers in North America, we will be announcing a range of special offers early next week, to help us reduce our inventory before we move to the new warehouse. Watch out for this in our next newsletter !
As we announced the other day Asmus Toys has announced they will be making 1:6th figures based on The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Well, last night via their Facebook page they gave a preview of the character chosen to lead off their line of figures and that character is none other than the Morgul Lord himself. When will we see this figure? According to the preview on May 20th the Morgul Lord will show himself and fans can begin ordering. This is just the tip of the iceberg for Asmus Toys as they’ve announced via their website that their plan is for five years worth of figures with 20 figures already in production. These figures will be broken down into four different categories: Heroes of Middle-earth, Man of West, Army of Mordor, Armors in the battlefields.
Below are the full descriptions of each line from the Asmus Toys website:
Heroes of the Middle-earth will be the premier line of important characters. Presented by well know heroes such as Aragorn, Gandalf…etc, who will be built in top quality head sculpt, realistically accurate clothing, and mixed media accessories. Each hero will have its own custom base, and together they will be puzzled into a huge battle field diorama. Also, heroes don’t necessarily have to be the good guys.
Man of West and Army of Mordor will feature the soldiers from both side of the force. Some of the familiar faces we see in the movies but not as important as the heroes. Examples like Uruk-hai, Orcs and even Merry and Pippin.
Armors in the Battlefields is a series of products that will contain only the armors, weapons and clothing. Collectors can use whatever figure body you have at hand to custom a figure in a relatively cheaper price, in this way, collectors can put together an army in affordable budget. Examples such as Gondorian soilders, Orc armors..etc
“They were by far the most powerful of his servants, and the most suitable for such a mission, since they were entirely enslaved to their Nine Rings, which he now himself held.”
— Unfinished Tales, p. 338
As the saying goes there are always two sides to the same coin. The last statue that from Sideshow Collectibles The Lord of the Rings statue line was the Witch-king as we see him before Frodo puts on the ring. Now, we get the other side of that same coin with the exception of this is what we see from Frodo’s point of view after he puts on the ring. Both statues exclusive version come with him holding the Morgul Blade to give you the full effect of both points of view.
PACKAGING
The graphics on the outside of the box follow the same pattern set by the previous statues in this series. Following the trend as I mentioned about being the other side of the coin this box instead of being black is all white, with the exception of The Lord of the Rings being in gold and the character name in a silver. While the sides of the box you get an image of the statue from two different angles. The material of the box is continues the matte finish we saw with the last statue. The inside of the box saw the biggest change though from previous statues even the last Ringwraith statue. The flowing robes of the Witch-king caused Sideshow to create a big hole that made the Styrofoam adequate for the robes. There have been a few cases where despite the best efforts to make sure this statue arrived ok that it did show up broken.
SCULPTING
Gabriel Marquez was once again tasked with bringing a Ringwraith to life all while capturing the evil and power they posses. As was the case with the other statue the job done bringing this side of the character to life was superbly done. The complexity of this statue is actually much more difficult than his previous effort because of the massive flowing robes. The robes are very intricate and have been sculpted in a way that it has the feel of the Wraith world, but also has cloth look we’ve come to expect from the talent at Sideshow.
Unlike the previous statue there is a facial sculpt that must capture the likeness of the Witch-king as Frodo saw him after he put the ring on. When we see the Witch-king he looks he looks like a man long dead who is still lingering due to the power of Sauron, and this statue has captured that look as fantastically as can be done. You get great detail in the cheekbones and sunken eyes that the Witch-king has when you see him. His crown also looks like long worn metal that should have fallen apart years ago. The same can be said with his sword and if you get the exclusive the Morgul Blade that he stabs Frodo in the shoulder with.
PAINT
Normally, when you have a statue with a likeness you want a nice skin color that looks like someone who is still among the living. That is not the case though with the Witch-king since he is no a member of the Wraith world. His skin tone is the proper pale looking color we see on screen, while also matching the pictures of the costume outside of that scene. It very much gives you the feel this is someone who is no longer human and has long given himself to the will of Sauron. The robes have a great mix of grey, blue, and white to very much give that Wraith world feel you get from this particular moment. The previously mentioned metal parts would not have that worn feel they have within the sculpt if it wasn’t for the great job creating a worn metal paint look. So again the paint only helps add to the feel this piece has of someone who has been around for quite some time. The base is not to be left out of the discussion for how nicely this piece is painted giving that old run down look Wetathertop had when Strider and the Hobbits rested there.
Overall
The Witch-king costs $275 from Sideshow Collectibles for both the exclusive and regular versions of the statue. The exclusive has an edition size set at only 300 pieces while the regular has an edition size of 1000 pieces world wide. There is currently a wait list for the exclusive but the regular version is in stock. Do not let a collectible as well done as this one slip by so go to Sideshow’s site right now and purchase this statue!
SPECIFICATIONS
The Witch-king has an edition size of 300 pieces World Wide for the Exclusive and 1000 pieces World Wide for the Regular. The dimensions for the Witch-king are as followed: 18.5″ x 12″ x 12.5″ (H x W x D)
Finally, collect one of the most instantly recognizable and iconic buildings of The Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Tower of Orthanc! Build all 6 highly detailed floors filled with fascinating movie-related details including the attic, library, alchemy room, Saruman’s throne room, entrance hall and dungeon. This exclusive model stars in some of the most iconic scenes from The Lord of the Rings movies. Swoop down with the Great Eagle and rescue stranded Gandalf the Grey from his tower-top prison after his defeat at the hands of the white wizard, Saruman. Build the powerful, tree-like Ent, with poseable limbs and cool swinging arm function, then attack the Uruk-hai and Orc Pitmaster while Saruman and his servant Grima Wormtongue take refuge high in the tower. The Tower of Orthanc is a must-have model for any The Lord of the Rings collection! Includes a Great Eagle, buildable Ent figure and 5 minifigures with weapons: Saruman with kirtle outfit, Grima Wormtongue, Gandalf the Grey, an Uruk-hai and the Orc Pitmaster.
Follow the break for some amazing official imagery and full product details. [Shop LEGO Today!]
(10237) Tower of Orthanc Ages 14+. 2,359 pieces.
Build the The Lord of the Rings™ trilogy must-have model! US $199.99 CA $249.99 DE 199.99€ UK 169.99 £ DK 1699.00 DKK
• Includes a Great Eagle, buildable Ent figure and 5 minifigures with weapons: Saruman with kirtle outfit, Grima Wormtongue, Gandalf™ the Grey, an Uruk-hai™ and the Orc Pitmaster
• Features 6 highly detailed floors with lots of functions, including a folding staircase, LEGO® light brick palantir, opening entrance doors and a trap door
• Weapons include 5 staffs, knife, sword, shield and a long axe
• The attic features a folding staircase, the 3 staffs of the missing wizards, the 2 keys of the Two Towers, 2 maps and an Uruk-hai helmet, shield and sword
• The library features 2 books, 2 torches, 2 maps and 2 skulls
• The alchemy room features 2 torches, a bomb (being produced for the Battle of Helm’s Deep™), 2 potions, bottle, skull, gunpowder keg, pot, cauldron and a long axe
• Saruman’s throne room features lamps, 2 bookcases with 3 potions, map, letter and the powerful palantir with a LEGO light brick
• The entrance hall features opening doors, trap door, 2 large banners, chandelier, statue and 2 axes
• The creepy dungeon features a chain, 2 bones, 2 skulls and a rat
• Buildable Ent features poseable limbs for holding a minifigure and a cool swinging arm function
• Attack the tower with the cool buildable and poseable Ent!
• Swoop to the rescue with the Great Eagle!
• Activate the LEGO light brick and make the palantir glow!
• Set the trap door and banish unwanted guests to the dungeon!
• Prepare the bomb for the Battle of Helm’s DeepTM!
• Swing the Ent’s arms to smash or grab things with the poseable fingers!
• Measures over 28″ (73cm) high, 8″ (21cm) wide and 6″ (16cm) deep
• Ent stands over 9″ (23cm) tall
Available for sale directly through LEGO® beginning July 2013! Build your Hobbit and LOTR Collection today. [Shop LEGO Today!]
Our friends at United Cutlery have two brand new items that are now available to order through BUDK. The first item is the Helm of Sauron. This replica is created out of polystone then finished to match the prop we saw on screen during The Lord of the Rings, and the base that this helm sets on has been created from wood then made to look like the upper torso of Sauron. The helm can also be worn due to the padding on the inside of the replica. This piece will have an edition size of 1500 pieces world wide, comes with a price tag of $350, and will be shipping in July of 2013.
If you’re a fan of Gondor then this next item is for you! During The Battle of the Last Alliance this shield was carried by soldiers of Gondor as they fought Sauron for the fate of Middle-earth. This amazing replica from United Cutlery captures the fantastic design we saw during the prologue sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring. This fantastic item measures 42 1/2″ x 20 1/2 and comes with a awesome Gondorian Banner. You can pre-order this item right now for $250 and it also shipping in July of this year.
The Bridge Direct fresh off the success of their line of figures for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey are releasing some information regarding when we might see wave two. This wave will commence under The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug which hit store shelves October 15th. This wave will have the same style of figures that we saw in wave one but we will see characters we did not see as well as new characters. The Bridge Direct also announced they will once again have an exclusive figure at Comic-Con in July of this year.
Update: We just received some awesome pictures of a few of the upcoming items. So a gallery has been added to this post.
Per the info we know so far for Wave Two:
3.75” SCALE ACTION FIGURES
o New assortment includes Radagast, Thranduil, Azog, Beorn and Gandalf
o Each figure features 12 points of articulation and replicates the authentic facial features, clothing, weapons and accessories of the character in painstaking detail.
o SRP $7.99 each
3.75” SCALE ACTION FIGURE BOX SETS - Three New Packs!
Mirkwood Pack: Legolas, Tauriel, Thranduil, Fili and Kili
Thorin Oakenshield Adventure Pack: Nori, Ori, Dori, Gloin and Thorin
Bilbo Baggins Burglar Pack: Bifur, Bombur, Bofur, Oin and Exclusive 3.75″ Invisible Bilbo
SRP $29.99 each
6” SCALE COLLECTOR FIGURES
New assortment includes Radagast, Azog and Legolas
Each collector figure features intricate details replicating the character’s facial features, clothing, weapons and accessories.
If you’re going to be in Calgary, Canada this weekend and you’re a fan of the work Weta Workshop then make your way to The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo is this weekend April 26-28th. This will be Weta’s first time at the show! So if you’re a fan of Middle-earth, TinTin, and Dr. Grordbort’s make sure you visit booth number Z-603 where you can get Weta Treasure cards good for discounts and prizes via the Weta Website.
Weta Goes to Calgary
Woohoo – Weta will be attending the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo 2013.
When: April 26-28, 2013
Where: The BMO Centre, Stampede Park, Calgary, Alberta
The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo is the only festival in Calgary where you can get your sci-fi, film, television, fantasy, horror, comic book, gaming, and animation fix all in one incredible weekend. Join 60,000 other fans for this celebration of pop culture.
We are absolutely thrilled to have been invited by the organisers and we’ve been eagerly packing cool stuff from Middle-earth and beyond onto trucks and into planes to have a great range available to purchase at the Weta booth. Our booth number is Z-603 (Please Note: due to some international systems issues, we will only be able to accept cash at our booth – we cannot accept any payment cards).
This is our first ever show in Canada and we can’t wait to hook up with our fans and friends at the convention.
Richard Taylor and David Tremont will be at the Weta Booth along with Ri, Tim and Stacy.
This year the Calgary Expo will feature a variety of guests from different industries. From film and television stars to make-up artists, writers, comic book creators, cosplay specialists and much more – the Calgary Expo covers every corner of pop culture imaginable!
There will be over 600 exhibitors, artists, and special guests, all in one spot!
In 2005 we premiered our very own documentary feature film RINGERS: Lord of the Fans at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, where it was quickly snapped up by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for worldwide distribution on DVD and cable! It is finally available on iTunes after 7 years of hopeful waiting… you can also find it on Amazon Instant and on VUDU.
Winner of “Outstanding Achievement” Award at the
Shot with groundbreaking new digital technology in 24P, Ringers explores the real foundations of Middle-earth; a community of true fans who share a common bond. Moving beyond “cult classic” and over several different generations, the film unearths academics, musicians, authors, filmmakers, and a plethora of pop junkies — the people gathered under the banner of ‘Ringer.’ From the hippie counter-culture to the electronic age; from the Bakshi animated film to Jackson’s epic trilogy; this documentary brings together extensive footage from across the globe. With units in Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Bonn, Germany, Wellington, New Zealand, and Oxford, England, our cameras capture the most fascinating “Ringers” and Lord of the Rings events.
Welcome to the latest “Getting to know” – questions that need answering. It’s based on the old Getting to know you threads that I occasionally post on the message boards here on TORn, so those familiar with them will know that the questions can be a little crazy and the answers even crazier.
