As we reported earlier, today is The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit day at Comic-Con 2012 (aka #HobbitCon) and LEGO® was kind enough to send us this exclusive image of a brand new ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ Playset! The set is called ‘An Unexpected Gathering’ and features Bag End with six mini-figures. As you can see in the image above, we have Bofur holding an axe, Bombur with a sausage and knife, Dwalin wielding a really large weapon and knife, Balin with chalice, Gandalf the Grey with walking staff, and Bilbo Baggins. As you can see the set is highly detailed with greenery, vegetables and much more. From the looks of the image we’ll have a nice inside component to play with as well. Stay tuned as we report more from Comic-Con 2012! [Live Coverage]
On July 5th we here at TORn exclusively announced that The Bridge Direct would have an exclusive at Comic-Con for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with their “Invisible” Bilbo Baggins figure. Well, today we are pleased to help the folks at The Bridge Direct announce and show off the details of their entire line of collectibles from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The three figures we’re pleased to show off are Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf The Grey, and of course Thorin Oakenshield. These figures will range in scale from 3.75″ figures, 6″ figures, 2-Packs, Battle Packs, and Deluxe figures. Fans will also be able to buy replica deluxe sword ($14.99) and a replica deluxe axe ($19.99) both of which will help fans recrate battle scenes from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. These collectibles will go on sale online in September of this year and will be found in stores a month later in October.
Read Below for the full release from The Bridge Direct on their upcoming line:
Today, only on TORn we’re pleased to introduce collectors to The Bridge DirectsThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey exclusive figure for this years San Diego Comic-Con. The figure will be of the character Bilbo Baggins himself! This version of the loveable Hobbit will be in his “invisible” state while wearing The One Ring. As you can see Bilbo comes in a great looking display box with what appears to be a scene from Gollum’s cave. This 6″ figure will be available at the Gentle Giant Booth #3513 and Entertainment Earth Booth #2343 for $25 all while limited to just 3,000 pieces world wide. We here at TORn are also pleased to announce that because of the awesomeness of The Bridge Direct we will be giving away not ONE but TWO of these figures. Starting today and running through the end of Comic-Con on July 15th at midnight PST. Send your entries to my email Elessar@theonering.net to get yourself in the running. Please include your name and shipping info in the email in case you are one of the lucky, random winners. As the subject of the email put: The Bridge Direct’s Hobbit Contest
The official press release after the break: (more…)
There is just one week until Comic Con 2012 starts with Preview Night on Wednesday, July 11. But aside from the TORn panel and WB’s panel for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, you may be wondering what else there is for a Hobbit fan to do. The Official SDCC website has put up schedules for panels, autograph sessions, films and portfolio reviews (aspiring artists, please take note). So here is your handy, dandy TORn guide to all things Hobbit and Lord of the Rings related at comic con this year (after the break)
Ringer fan Elf Overlord sends us news that Lego has uploaded the first part of an animated series promoting their Lego Lord of the Rings product line.
It’s an amusing and entertaining, but not very accurate, (editorial warning for understatement!) video retelling of the beginning of the Fellowship of the Rings.
Anyone hoping for Tom Bombadil and Goldberry is, as usual, doomed to disappointment.
Wrebbit and Coiledspring, creators of 3D puzzles of various Lord of the Rings sets (including Edoras, Orthanc and Minas Tirith) have announced they’re working on a new series inspired by the The Hobbit movies. No sneak-preview images yet, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed for something nice.
‘…There are Orcs, very many of them,’ he (Gandalf) said. `And some are large and evil: black Uruks of Mordor. For the moment they are hanging back, but there is something else there. A great cave-troll, I think, or more than one. There is no hope of escape that way…’
I think back on my relatively young life and can fondly recall a few events that I would consider highlights: My marriage to my beautiful wife; the birth of our daughter; TheOneRing.net Oscar Parties from 2002-2004; Finding my dream job with Sideshow; and that time I got to see 26 minutes of The Fellowship of the Ring at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. As you can read in my original report, I was blown away by the revelation of Peter Jackson’s vision of The Lord of the Rings on the big screen, especially when it came to the infamous Mines of Moria. Sure it was different from the books, but visual execution seemed to transmit my own visions of Middle-earth and put them on the big screen. So many years later, it is now my privilege to relive some of that sequence through the ‘Mines of Moria’ LEGO® Set, now available at most retailers.
As a preface to my review, I need to remind you all that I am not a LEGO® Set expert. My first experience with LEGO® Sets in many years was building the ‘Shelob Attacks‘ set I reviewed last month. So if I get some terminology wrong, please don’t hold it against me .
There are a few obvious differences between the ’Shelob Attacks’ LEGO® Set and ‘The Mines of Moria.’ First, and most obvious, is that the set is much larger and more complex. Whether it is the ‘action’ elements in the gate and right side piece, or it is adding the detailing stickers just in the right place, you will find this set takes anywhere from 3-4 hours to piece together. Let me say…that is not a bad thing! I’m quickly finding myself addicted to the enjoyment and plain old fun of LEGO® Sets again! (After the break I’ve got 84 pictures of the set!)
Have you ever pondered what a LEGO balrog might look like (and does it have wings?!) or longed to see a Lego Fellowship trot across the Bridge of Khazad Dum? If so, or even if not, today is your lucky day. The LOTR LEGO trailer has landed and not only is it full of cuteness that is a danger to fans’ wallets everywhere, it features 100% movie actor voices and only shows footage (LEGO style) from “Fellowship of the Ring.” We have no idea what all this means. Are these cut scenes? One game or three? Will we be able to mine for mithril? Is LEGO Boromir cuter than Legolas or Aragorn? In other film LEGO games, “Harry Potter,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Star Wars” for example, the characters never talk. We have no answers but we do have this trailer and it is cute.
…the most loathly shape that he had ever beheld…Most like a spider she was, but huger than the great hunting beasts…Great horns she had, and behind her short stalk-like neck was her huge swollen body, a vast bloated bag, swaying and sagging between her legs; its great bulk was black, blotched with livid marks, but the belly underneath was pale and luminous and gave forth a stench. Her legs were bent, with great knobbed joints high above her back, and hairs that stuck out like steel spines, and at each leg’s end there was a claw…
Shelob.
For every Tolkien fan, the name leaps from the pages (and screen) of Middle-earth to invade a commonly held fear in our everyday life – the fear of an impossibly large, eight-legged, creepy-crawly finding us in the dark. *shiver* According to Wikipedia, it is estimated that 55% of women and 18% of men are Arachnophobic. You can count me among those with a mild fear of spiders, which basically means I have to ‘act’ the role of father/husband when it comes disposing of them. I can’t very well unleash a high-pitched scream and run away now can I…
So when I first saw the ‘Shelob Attacks’ LEGO® Set at the 2012 Toy Fare, I have to admit…I was a bit creeped out. Yes, its LEGO® blocks, but the piece is still surprisingly life-like. In fact, one of the reporters getting the sneak peek at this set could not go within 5 feet of the display. Yes, he was that Arachnophobic!
Before we get to the meat of this review, I will warn you ahead of time, that I am in no way a LEGO® Set expert. To be honest, I haven’t touched the popular construction toys for possibly 10 years, so I’m a bit behind the times when it comes to the licensed themed sets. However, I can tell you, within 1 minute of opening the box, the wonderful memories of LEGO® set building came swooping back.
In preparation for a product review, I found myself last night eagerly unboxing one of two upcoming The Lord of the Rings LEGO® Sets. I was pleasantly surprised to find this mini-teaser in the back of the instruction pack for the ‘Shelob Attacks’ Set and thought I should share it quickly…so I posted it on our official TheOneRing.net Facebook. Well, it has gotten quite a stir over there, so I figured I should share it with you this morning. The ad confirms the long assumed notion that we would see a The Lord of the Rings LEGO® Video Game from long-time LEGO game producers Traveler’s Tales. So let this been 100% confirmation of the games existence, and I’d be willing to bet we’ll see a The Hobbit game in the future as well. As for my quickie review of the ‘Shelob Attacks’ LEGO Set: Building a gigantic realistic LEGO spider, complete with shooting string and eight extremely posable legs, was one of the most fun activities I’ve had in years! (Full review with pics will be coming soon!)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,as you all know, comes out in December 14, 2012. There is obvious build up to the movie ranging from the trailer, video blogs, the leaking of pictures, to random writings of what we think will happen, etc. Another aspect of the excitement for The Hobbit is collecting The Hobbit. This for me personally brings everything together, getting those awesome collectibles that tie my love for the book, movie, and the people I share that passion with together.
As of right now there are a few companies out there who have already announced products that tie into the movie or would fit within the movie. We know the folks at LEGO will be making those awesome sets for The Hobbit and have already showed some really great sets from The Lord of the Rings. Action figure collectors will have a chance to get the cast of characters from The Hobbit thanks to our friends at The Bridge Direct who have the license to create toys from the movie. If you love plushies and bobble-heads then Funko will have you covered. If you visit their web page you can see a list of the products they will be selling but right now its just items of Gandalf, Bilbo, and Gollum. We also hear that Warner Bros. Consumer Products have signed Ravensburger to create 2D and 3D puzzles and card games tied to the upcoming films, for distribution in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. (more…)
As we reported earlier, today is The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit day at Comic-Con 2012 (aka #HobbitCon) and LEGO® was kind enough to send us this exclusive image of a brand new ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ Playset! The set is called ‘An Unexpected Gathering’ and features Bag End with six mini-figures. As you can see in the image above, we have Bofur holding an axe, Bombur with a sausage and knife, Dwalin wielding a really large weapon and knife, Balin with chalice, Gandalf the Grey with walking staff, and Bilbo Baggins. As you can see the set is highly detailed with greenery, vegetables and much more. From the looks of the image we’ll have a nice inside component to play with as well. Stay tuned as we report more from Comic-Con 2012! [Live Coverage]
Lego has quickly followed up its first animated short with a new one, this time following the Fellowship through the mines of Moria. 
I think back on my relatively young life and can fondly recall a few events that I would consider highlights: My marriage to my beautiful wife; the birth of our daughter; TheOneRing.net Oscar Parties from 2002-2004; Finding my dream job with Sideshow; and that time I got to see 26 minutes of The Fellowship of the Ring at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. As you can read in my 
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For every Tolkien fan, the name leaps from the pages (and screen) of Middle-earth to invade a commonly held fear in our everyday life – the fear of an impossibly large, eight-legged, creepy-crawly finding us in the dark. *shiver* According to 
