There is a lot happening in the realm of Tolkien fandom and we might be a little guilty of not updating players or potential players with everything that is going on in the world of Lord of the Rings Online. Warners and Turbine have kept the game updated and rock-solid for years now and with the Riders of Rohan expansion, it looks as though that will continue. We feature here a promotional video and then the latest press release about the game. Enjoy the video after the break. Continue reading “LOTRO launches ‘Riders of Rohan’ expansion”
Month: October 2012
The last two items that United Cutlery has up for order right now are the staff which Gandalf will carry during The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Thorin Oakenshield’s Orcrist. Gandalf’s staff has been recreated using the exact prop Sir Ian McKellen used during filming. It measures an incredible 73″ tall and will come with an Elven style wall display showing his G-rune.
After escaping from three troll,s Thorin and company take shelter in what turns out to be the troll’s cave and hidden horde of loot which would include the sword Orcrist. This amazingly good looking sword has been recreated from the replica used by Richard Armitage during the filming of the movie. Orcrist measures 38 3/4” long and features a 25 7/8″ stainless steel blade which, of course, has the etched runes in the blade. Orcrist is due to ship in December of this year with a cost of $175 while Gandalf’s staff will also ship in December with a price tag of $140. Both items can be found at our friends at Budk.com!
The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Andy Serkis’ production company, The Imaginarium, has secured the film rights to George Orwell’s classic novel ‘Animal Farm’, as well as the Samantha Shannon series ‘The Bone Season’.
In discussing his approach to ‘Animal Farm’, Serkis says “I think we found a rather fresh way of looking at it. It is definitely using performance capture, but we are using an amalgamation of filming styles to create the environmments.” In addition to directing, Serkis also plans to act in the film.
To read the rest of the article (including his opinion of the 48 fps technology used in ‘The Hobbit’), head over to The Hollywood Reporter.
SPOILER WARNING! Our French partner site Tolkiendrim.com has scored some amazing high resolution imagery of Bolg – the imposing and horrific monstrosity from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey! The high resolution imagery show great details including dried blood (as Tolkiendrim.com suggests, possibly signs of cannibalism??) and some artifacts from his dwarven foes. View this full article to see the three images. [Tolkiendrim.com]
Continue reading “Tolkiendrim.com Hi-Res Photo of Bolg! – SPOILERS”
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
We got our first look at the young Bilbo Baggins statue at Comic-Con 2012. As was the case for Gandalf the Grey, and the non-exclusive version of Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo Baggins went up for Pre-Order October 1st, 2012 and is an open edition which allows fans a solid chance at getting all three of these amazing statues.
Bilbo Baggins is a 50-year-old Hobbit, comfortable with living in Bag End and enjoying his daily life. On April 25th, 2941 of the Third Age, that would all change with a visit from the wizard, Gandalf the Grey. After an unexpected party, Bilbo was convinced to join Thorin and company on their adventure to Erebor, setting in motion events that would change his life, and the fortune of Middle-earth, forever.
PACKAGING
The graphics on the box for Bilbo are similar to those of the Gandalf statue, having a very Middle-earth-like look and feel to them. As with the Gandalf box, there’s a shot of the character, graphics for the title of the movie, Weta logo and the name of the character. The sides present a couple of different looks with one side showing great shots of Bilbo from different angles, and the other side showing some of the additional products that will be coming out for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The back of the box contains a great story on Bilbo and his importance to the events of The Hobbit. Unlike the Gandalf statue, you have to plug Bilbo into a base which is stored inside the box (the Thorin base was outside of the box).
SCULPTING
Brigitte Wuest is the sculptor of Bilbo, a name that fans of Middle-earth well know for her many amazing works like the Theoden Statue, Morgul Lord and Gandalf the White on Shadowfax. As with those statues, she nailed Martin Freeman’s look as a young Bilbo Baggins, which is to say fans will be getting an amazing likeness. The detailing of Bilbo’s outfit is really fantastic and the whole outfit gives off a very real vibe to it, looking like something worn by someone going through what Bilbo goes through. Two of the nicer small details with Bilbo are the embroidery work on Bilbo’s scarf and the hair on his feet. Another great thing is the detailing of Sting and Sting’s scabbard, both impeccably done. The pose of the statue is also awesome: we get to see Bilbo not just being the nice Hobbit we know he is, but we get to see him as the hero he becomes over the course of The Hobbit. From top to bottom this statue is a must have for any collector.
PAINT
The paintwork on Bilbo is simply fantastic. As with Gandalf, you have great, clean lines and the details are brought out even more so by the wonderful paint job. As good as the skin tones are on Gandalf and Thorin I think Weta really did a superb job with Bilbo, taking their work to another level. The paint work on the clothes look worn (obviously from a little later in his journey), but shows the proper wear of someone out on a long and perilous journey. I also love the paint work on Sting, and the scabbard with both items looking very much like their on screen counterparts with none of the sculpting details being lost in the paint job. I really can’t say enough good things about the paint job on this piece and just how impressed I was when I opened this amazing statue.
Overall
Bilbo retails for $200 on Weta’s website. As with Gandalf the Grey and Thorin, Weta was very successful in creating a fantastic statue capturing this little Hobbit as we will watch him grow on screen. I really just love everything about this statue from the little embroidery work on his scarf, wear of the clothes, likeness, paint work, detail, pose, etc. I love this statue more than I did when I saw it all those months ago at Comic-Con and having it in my collection brings a big smile to my face. There is nothing to not like about this statue and collectors are lucky that this statue is an open edition. Definitely two thumbs up!
SPECIFICATIONS
Bilbo is an open edition with a retail price of $200.
PHOTOS
This month, J.W. looks at the new Hobbit Tribute magazine and holds a contest with a free issue as the prize. Meanwhile, in his mailbag section he answers questions about Tolkien and the movies Tolkien inspired.