Archive for the ‘Toys’ Category
November 28, 2014 at 2:55 am by Kelvarhin
Have you finished all of your Christmas shopping yet? Or are you yet to start? If you’re like us, you’ll definitely have a few more things on your list and what better way to complete the task than buying some Hobbity presents. TORn’s staffers deej, Elessar and Kelvarhin scoured the internet to find the perfect presents to celebrate the holidays and the release of “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” and we were astounded by how many wonderful choices there are. So, without further ado, here are some lovely gift suggestions for your favourite Hobbit fan (even if that happens to be you). Prices are in U.S. dollars, except the Golden Smaug Pop Figurine and the presentation pack of stamps.
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Posted in Books Publications, Calendars, Collectibles, DVDs, Headlines, Merchandise, Music, Other Merchandise, Posters Prints, Sideshow Collectibles, Toys, Weta Collectibles
October 28, 2014 at 10:56 pm by Kelvarhin
Calling all fans of Funko’s Pop figurines, the adorable Golden Smaug POP! Vinyl Figure is available for pre-order now.
From popvinyl.net:
Golden Smaug Incoming
Looks like Funko have got plans to release yet another addition to the new Hobbit POP Vinyl series. This time round Funko is shifting their focus on the Smaug POP Vinyl figurine, giving the dragon a golden metallic finish which is depicted from a scene in the new addition to the The Hobbit movie series, The Battle of Five Armies.
Pre-order your one here 
Posted in Collectibles, Headlines, Hobbit Movie, Merchandise, The Hobbit, Toys
October 27, 2014 at 3:17 am by Demosthenes
The final Lego sets for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies have been out for a little while now, so I thought it might be a good time to put them all in one place for folks to look over. Plus I wanted to indulge in a little speculation.
Lego Battle of the Five Armies set
Pieces: 472 | Minifigs: 7 | Packaging: Box | Instructions: Yes
Included minifigs: Dain II Ironfoot, Azog the Defiler, Thorin Oakenshield, 2 x Gundabad Orcs, Bard the Bowman, Gwaihir the Windlord, Legolas Greenleaf.
Order on Amazon.com
Spoiler analysis (highlight below to read)
Two stand-outs in this set, I think. The first is, of course, the Dain mini-fig, which TORn staffer MrCere discussed just the other week. The second is the actual location: it’s the titular battle, yet it’s sited firmly within Dale in this playset.
Yet, Peter Jackson’s draft battlemap depicts a much more widespread conflict that encompasses not just Dale, but the entire mountain of Erebor and its surrounds, with forces approaching from all directions. I continue to wonder whether the ruins of Dale will form some early, yet significant, skirmish, with a larger, climactic battle involving Beorn and Bolg on the plains in front of the front gate of Erebor itself. Also, despite the inclusion of the ballista, it doesn’t contain any of the large troll-like monsters we’ve seen in recent artwork.
Lego The Lonely Mountain set
Pieces: 866 | Minifigs 5 | Packaging: Box | Instructions: Yes
Included minifigs: Smaug the Dragon, Dwalin, Balin, Bilbo Baggins, Kili, Fili.
Order on Amazon.com
Spoiler analysis (highlight below to read)
This is a strange one: it really feels like a leftover from The Desolation of Smaug. I mean, Smaug is there and it features the mine/rail car set that was a big set-piece toward the climax of the film. Yet Fili and Kili — who stayed in Lake-town — are there. Maybe the Fili and Kili plotline came after Lego locked in this set? I dunno, it seems to defy logic that Smaug would re-enter Erebor in the final film: he’s off to a hot date with Bard and the Black Arrow (ballista bolt?)
Lego Witch-king Battle set
Pieces: 101 | Minifigs: 3 | Packaging: Box | Instructions: Yes
Included minifigs: Elrond, Galadriel, The Witch-king of Angmar.
Order on Amazon.com
Spoiler analysis (highlight below to read)
Official artwork has thus far paired Galadriel and Gandalf, and Elrond and Saruman. This set suggests something different.
I wonder whether this playset is an indication that there’s going to be a confrontation between Galadriel, Elrond and the Witch-king as a prelude to freeing Gandalf. Will the two elves arrive first, and take care of the Witch-king and free Gandalf before running into trouble against Sauron? Will Saruman then catch up with the trio and save the day?
The other thing to note is Galadriel’s possession of the Phial — also absent from the official artwork. Its light (that of the Silmaril the Earendil carries) could be potent in repelling the Witch-king.
Lego Attack on Lake-town set
Pieces: 313 | Minifigs: 5 | Packaging: Box | Instructions: Yes
Included minifigs: Bard the Bowman, Bain son of Bard, Tauriel, 2 x Gundabad Orcs.
Order on Amazon.com
Spoiler analysis (highlight below to read)
Finally, there’s the Attack on Lake-town playset. This features a couple of Gundabad Orcs as the antagonists. In the film, Bolg lead the previous attack on Lake-town, searching specifically for Thorin Oakenshield. He called the infiltration off when the orcs discovered he had gone. So, why would they attack it again? What, or whom, do they seek?
Does it have some relevance to Thrain’s revelation in the DOS: EE that “They are in league — the dragon and the one!”? If so, will Bolg’s underlings act at Smaug’s behest to attack Lake-town in tandem with his own assault? That could be why we see the Windlance in this set. Definitely raises lots of questions.
End spoiler analysis!
Posted in Collectibles, Hobbit Movie, LEGO, LEGO, Merchandise, The Hobbit, Toys
October 26, 2014 at 7:08 pm by Demosthenes
| Source: Lego Ideas| No Comments »
Ringer Peter writes to tell us of a push on the website Lego Ideas to get the toymaker to develop and produce an LOTR Minas Tirith set.
Lego Ideas is an initiative by the Lego company that allows fans and collectors to propose ideas for sets, and if they gather sufficient support, have them evaluated by a review board for their commercial potential. (more…)
Posted in Collectibles, Fans, LEGO, LEGO, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, Merchandise, Toys
July 22, 2014 at 7:41 pm by elessar
| Source: The Hollywood Reporter| No Comments »
Some of the coolest things you’ll see at Comic-Con are the Lego built characters either at their booth, other booths, and even outside of the convention center itself.
This year if you happen to make it to the Warner Bros. booth (#4545) you will get to see a Lego Smaug standing over six feet tall and weighing 411 pounds. Smaug took 625 hours to complete and includes 83,433 pieces. The folks at Lego also have some surprises for fans showing off new sets for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as well as an exclusive Bard figure. (more…)
Posted in Collectibles, Collectibles, ComicCon, Conventions, Events, Hobbit Movie, LEGO, LEGO, Luke Evans, Merchandise, Shop, Studios, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Toys, Warner Bros.
February 21, 2014 at 1:08 pm by greendragon
Following on from our posts earlier this week, we now have information from official press releases from Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Hungary and Germany. Here are the details:
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Posted in Blu-Ray, Collectibles, Collectibles, DVD/Blu-Ray, DVDs, Hobbit Movie, LEGO, Merchandise, Shop, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
December 5, 2013 at 7:24 am by Demosthenes
| Source: LEGO MOCpages| No Comments »
You might recall that we’ve previously profiled the incredible Middle-earth LEGO dioramas of Blake Baer here on TheOneRing.net.
Now he’s back with his biggest piece yet — a 56-inch-tall model of Erebor made from 80,000 pieces of LEGO that weighs close to 200 pounds! This time he’s working with fellow LEGO aficionado Jack Bittner.
When we saw the first movie last year, we loved it too much not to build a scene from it. Of course, we couldn’t build any thing less than the iconic dwarf city. So here it is, our third and latest collaboration (our first was Amon Hen, our second was Rivendell). We chose Erebor for many reasons, not the least of which was that we love building mountains [sarcasm]. This build was a ton of fun, and we hope you enjoy it. And now, it is our pleasure to present Erebor, the dwarven hall of kings.
We had the chance to ask Blake a few questions about his and Jack’s Erebor diorama. Here’s what he had to say:
TORn: How big is it? Is it your biggest yet?
Blake: It most certainly is our biggest yet at 56″ tall, and close to 80,000 pieces totaling close to 200 pounds of LEGO.
TORn: How long did it take?
Blake: It took my friend Jack Bittner and I close to 400 combined hours to get the model designed, built, photographed, edited, and uploaded.
TORn: How difficult was conceptualizing the design?
Blake: We had the movie to rely upon for reference, so a lot of the design stages was just us watching the movie, haha. It obviously isn’t an exact replica, but it captures the essence of Erebor. We had the general layout of where we wanted Dale, the rivers, the mountains, etc. to be, but much of that changed as we built. We didn’t work off of any blueprints, so we were converting directly from imaginations to bricks, so many changes occurred.
TORn: What inspired the concept?
Blake: Large amounts were drawn from the movie portrayal of the Hobbit. The style of the facade of the gates of Erebor, for example, were drawn from the movie. In addition, representing Dale as a Sicilian-style city with terracotta roofs was drawn from the movie.
TORn: Will you be showcasing it anywhere?
Blake: We currently don’t have any plans to put it on display, but we hope to keep it together for a while so that we can possibly take advantage of any possibilities that may arise. The public unveiling was at Brickfair, VA, earlier this summer, but Erebor hasn’t seen any action To get an idea of the scale, check out the photo below that Blake supplied us. Amazing!
You can see even more photos of Erebor by Blake and Jack on their Flickr account.
Posted in Creations, Fans, Headlines, Hobbit Movie, LEGO, The Hobbit
November 8, 2013 at 7:12 am by newsfrombree
LOTR LEGO® iOS Game – Moria
It is an exciting day for fans of LEGO® and The Lord of the Rings! As of right now, you can download the iOS game ‘LEGO® The Lord of the Rings’ from the Apple App Store! Check out the full release below as well as some screen caps. The game is only $4.99 and available for both iPhone and iPad. [Download]
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Posted in Collectibles, LEGO, LEGO, Lord of the Rings, LotR Cast News, LotR Movies, Movie Fellowship of the Ring, Movie Return of the King, Movie The Two Towers, Shop, Toys
October 4, 2013 at 5:14 pm by Demosthenes
One wonders how much Middle-earth’s Hobbits, wizards, elves and dwarves have contributed to the success and growth of the Lego company over recent years. It has now grown bigger than Hasbro, and become the second-largest toy company in the world.
The boss of Lego Group carries two business cards – one the usual kind and the other a Lego mini-figure in his likeness, complete with beard and glasses, with contact details on the back.
That kind of playful thinking has helped the Danish company become the world’s second-biggest toy maker as it clicks with fast-growing Asia and builds on its popular plastic bricks with video games and theme parks.
“We are seeing a society where the wealthier it becomes, the more room there is for what I call the business of play,” Chief Executive Jørgen Vig Knudstorp told Reuters in Singapore.
“In that I will include the role of play in education, the role of play in theme parks and family entertainment, the role of play in adult age.”
Video games are big business and Lego Group has “a major role through licensing arrangements” but the digital realm is a complement, not a replacement, for physical play, he said.
[Read More]
Posted in LEGO, LEGO, Lord of the Rings, Merchandise, The Hobbit, Toys, Video games
September 24, 2013 at 5:17 pm by Demosthenes
| Source: MOCpages| No Comments »
Lego MOC Helm’s Deep by Rich-K & Big J .
This huge Lego My Own Creation of Helm’s Deep is simply enormous. Created by Rich-K & Big J, it’s only 90% complete right now and uses some 150,000 bricks and features 1,700 mini-figures.
How big is it? Well, it weighs around 160 pounds (about 70 kilograms for us metric folk), and covers a pretty much an entire ping-pong table. The creators say it uses 24 grey 48 x 48 base plates. (more…)
Posted in Creations, Events, Fans, Headlines, LEGO, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, The Two Towers, Toys
August 7, 2013 at 12:38 pm by MrCere
Tom Bombadil has always been the most enigmatic of characters in the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. When he didn’t make the cut in the movies, despite not being central to the plot, many fans objected and wondered why. The answer is revealed below at last from the Brotherhood Workshop!
Tolkien wrote a few times about his character, especially in letters to those who asked. In one such letter to Peter Hastings he says in part,
“I don’t think Tom needs philosophizing about, and is not improved by it. But many have found him an odd or indeed discordant ingredient. In historical fact I put him in because I had already ‘invented’ him independently (he first appeared in the Oxford Magazine) and wanted an ‘adventure’ on the way. But I kept him in, and as he was, because he represents certain things otherwise left out. I do not mean him to be an allegory – or I should not have given him so particular, individual, and ridiculous a name – but ‘allegory’ is the only mode of exhibiting certain functions: he is then an ‘allegory’, or an exemplar, a particular embodying of pure (real) natural science: the spirit that desires knowledge of other things, their history and nature, because they are ‘other’ and wholly independent of the enquiring mind, a spirit coeval with the rational mind, and entirely unconcerned with ‘doing’ anything with the knowledge: Zoology and Botany not Cattle-breeding or Agriculture . Even the Elves hardly show this : they are primarily artists. Also T.B. exhibits another point in his attitude to the Ring, and its failure to affect him. You must concentrate on some pan, probably relatively small, of the World (Universe), whether to tell a tale, however long, or to learn anything however fundamental – and therefore much will from that ‘point of view’ be left out, distorted on the circumference, or seem a discordant oddity. The power of the Ring over all concerned, even the Wizards or Emissaries, is not a delusion – but it is not the whole picture, even of the then state and content of that pan of the Universe.”
To those wishing to read further, we recommend the “Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”. Also, check out some great LOTR LEGO sets. A couple of our favorites are The Mines of Moria and The Battle For Helm’s Deep.
Posted in Books Publications, J.R.R. Tolkien, LEGO, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, Merchandise, Tolkien, Toys, Toys
July 25, 2013 at 11:04 pm by elessar
During Comic-Con 2013 the folks at LEGO unvelied a brand new set for fans of Middle-earth and it comes from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The new set is called Lake Town Chase and comes with several mini-figures like: Bard, Thorin, Bilbo, a guard, and The Master of Lake Town. This set launches in December of this year with a retail price of $49.99 and has 334 pieces. Also, during the unveiling which was really cool with a glass case with misty glass was some great videos from The Lord of the Rings. LEGO has already given fans some really great sets from both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and this set is going to be another winner.
Posted in Collectibles, Collectibles, ComicCon, Conventions, Hobbit Movie, LEGO, LEGO, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, Merchandise, Movie Fellowship of the Ring, Movie Return of the King, Movie The Two Towers, Shop, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Toys, Toys
