The Goblin King from “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”Joe Letteri has helmed Weta Digital to work on three films with visual effects Oscar nominations in this year’s Academy Awards. Its work on “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” is the only film that had all the work done in one place while his team contributed to “The Avengers,” and “Prometheus.” The work done on just Gollum or just The Goblin King would be a great visual effects achievement in any film but it also included Azog and an incredible array of elements.
Letteri talked to The Hero Complex recently and the information is good but perhaps a retread for TORn readers. However, the piece also has three making of videos that are outstanding. The three characters mentioned above each get his own showcase and it highlights the talents of Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman and the digital and design team among others. Anyway, the story is right here and of course the visual effects team must be considered strong favorites on Oscar night. And for 2013 they get to tackle a dragon.
The visual effects nominees are certainly invited to our big-event party that looks to be simply amazing.
Only 40 days remain until hundreds of Tolkien fans journey to Hollywood and celebrate the words and works of J.R.R. Tolkien at ‘The One Expected Party!’ On Hollywood’s most magical night, we will happily host a great feast to celebrate not only the three Oscar nominations for ‘The Hobbit: AUJ,’ but also the entirety of Tolkien fandom. And oh, what a feast it will be! We are please to share with you our exclusive menu after the break. Tickets are still available for both the party on Feb 24th and our Hobbit themed art show on Feb 22nd. This is a weekend you simply cannot miss! [Party Tickets] [Art Show Tickets] [Party Website] Continue reading “Our Hall is Fair Once More, and the Feast Shall Indeed be Splendid!”
“By my beard! You are shorter and wider than last we met.”
-Dwalin to Balin as they meet up for the meeting at Bag End
Yet another one of the statues we saw at Comic-Con 2012 for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was for the character Dwalin. Dwalin joined Thorin, Gandalf, Bilbo, Balin, and Bombur (not yet released). Dwalin went up for sale the same day as his brother Balin, making them the fourth and fifth statues released.
In Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Hobbit, Dwalin was one of the many dwarves of the Lonely Mountain driven into exile by the dragon in the Third Age. Dwalin would join his brother Balin and Thrain in a group who would try to take back Erebor in 2841 of the Third Age. Dwalin would be one of the company who, one hundred years later, joined Thorin in trying to retake Erebor, and was successful in doing so. After the mountain was retaken, Dwalin would go on to be very successful with his brother Balin, and would live to be one of the oldest Dwarfs on record.
PACKAGING
The graphics on the box follow the same pattern we’ve seen with both Thorin and Balin, keeping the now familiar Dwarven design. Per the format we’ve come to know, the front of the box gives you a great shot of Dwalin, graphic work for the title of the movie, and of course the Weta logo. The sides of the box for Dwalin also present a familiar format with different looks at the statue on one side, while the other side of the box presents some of the various products you can get for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, such as the Balin statue, Thorin’s Map, Key to Erebor, and Bilbo’s Contract. The back of the box contains a great story on Dwalin, as well as information regarding details of the character and statue. The styrofoam on the inside is typical with what we’ve come used to getting with these statues, but does have a special compartment for his arms holding his axes.
SCULPTING
Greg Tozer is a name fans of Middle-earth collecting should know, if they own a certain statue of a Dark Lord of Mordor. That’s correct – the massive and awesome statue of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings statue line was created by Greg Tozer and David Tremont (who worked on Barad-Dûr). Dwalin is my favorite looking Dwarf design from The Hobbit, so I was super excited to get this into my collection. As is the case with his brother Balin, the likeness to Graham McTavish’s portrayal of Dwalin is fantastic. Not to be outdone is the work on the outfit of Dwalin; Mr. Tozer did a superb job of sculpting the fine details of the cloth part of his outfit with all the little lines in their place, and the fur of the outfit also wonderfully matches its onscreen counterpart. The leatherwork on the Dwalin statue is also exceptional. You have great detailed work in his chest guard and his belt, which lead into his sheath holding his knife. Dwalin, like any warrior, must have weapons which he takes into battle, and this warrior carries two nasty looking axes. These axes, named Ukhlat and Umraz, have all the Dwarven detail you see on the larger props in the movie, including the names carved into the axes. Any warrior must protect his hands, and Dwalin takes every precaution with two metal guards, which in the right situation could also be used as weapons. Finally, on his back, Dwalin has two holders for his axes, which are also sculpted very well.
PAINT
Dwalin continues the streak of very well painted statues from Weta Workshop. The skin tones use the proper paint mixture to not only make the statue look like a miniature Dwarf but also very like the character appeared on screen. The painting on Dwalin’s outfit is equally good. All the pieces of cloth, fur, and leather look as they should and as they did when we saw them in the movie. One of the great things about the cloth aspects of the paint is the proper green tint, giving homage to the green hood he wears in the book. As with both Thorin and Balin, the metal paint look to his axes makes them very much like used versions of something he’d carry if the statue were real. Much like with those two Dwarves, the Dwarven details of his axes are still there for the world to see. Finally, Dwalin has tattoos in support of his Dwarven heritage. These tattoos are decals, allowing fans to get great clean lines and show no blurring at all on the statue (both his head and on his hands).
Overall
Dwalin retails for $249, and while he is more expensive than his brother Balin, he is still a good deal. As I said earlier in this review, I love the design of Dwalin, from the tattoos and weapons, to just his overall look; he’s freaking cool! So for me, the $249 was easy for that reason alone. He looks great with the other four statues and if you can add him to your collection, I say go for it! Dwalin, like the other statues so far, is an open edition.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dwalin is an open edition statue with a retail price of $249. He’s also instock as of right now, so don’t delay.
Dimensions:
9.8″ x 9.1″ x 5.9″ (H x W x D)
25 cm x 23 cm x 15 cm
Probably one of the most controversial inclusions to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was Radagast the Browns bunny sled. Fans are pretty divided over whether they love its fantastical portrayal or absolutely hate it. One of our Message Board members, swordwhale, who’s a Recreational Musher, shares her views on Radagast’s Rhosgobel Rabbits Sled.
Radagast’s Racing Rhosgobel Rabbits:
A Recreational Musher Looks at the Realities of Bunny Sledding
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“Welcome, Master Baggins, to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield!”
-Balin to Bilbo as he welcomes him to the traveling company
At Comic-Con 2012 we saw six of the statues that will be released in Weta’s range of statues for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. One of the six statues at Comic-Con was of the character Balin who was a member of the traveling party and would later retake Moria (though many people’s introduction is of him in his tomb). Balin is the fourth statue released in this line. His brother, Dwalin, is the fifth (review to come) and he makes another fantastic addition to the growing line of sculptures associated with this great movie.
Balin was one of the many dwarves of the Lonely Mountain driven into exile by the dragon Smaug in the year 2770 of the Third Age. Balin would actually make two trips to try and retake the Erebor. One of a venture with Thrain (who was captured), and the second with Thorin Oakenshield in his successful quest to reclaim his legacy. After years of success once Erebor was reclaimed Balin cast his eyes on an even-greater prize — Khazad-dûm. He would be initially successful, but Balin’s new realm lasted a mere five years. The tragic fate of Balin and his kin remained a mystery until the Fellowship stumbled upon his tomb during their journey through Moria.
PACKAGING
The graphics on the box with Balin are similar to those that we saw on the box of Thorin. The front of the box features great design work down the side. It even looks very Dwarvish, though the design varies to the one used on Thorin or the Dwalin box. Also on the front you have a great shot of Balin, graphic work for the title of the movie, and of course the Weta logo. The sides present a couple of different looks with one showing great shots of Balin from different angles while the other side show some of the other products that will be coming out for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey like the Dwalin statue, Thorin’s Map, and the Key to Erebor. The back of the box contains a great story on Balin as well as information regarding details of the character and statue. The styrofoam packaging on the inside is typical of what we’ve come used to getting with these statues.
SCULPTING
Lindsey Crummett is a new name to me and I would imagine will be to most of you who have been collecting statues based on the characters of Middle-earth. However, after adding Balin to my collection I have to say I am eager to see what else Ms. Crummett has to show us. The spot-on likeness to Ken Stott’s portrayal of Balin is exceptional! The likeness is scary in a good way that it really feels as if he’s been ripped off the big screen and placed on a shelf. While the sculpt and likeness are excellent, Ms. Crummett did not miss a beat ensuring the rest of the statue was equally good. The embroidery work on his outfit is also very well done and you see the great Dwarvish design of his outfit, which looked beautiful on screen. The execution of Balin’s mace is also superb on this statue. The actual prop is finely detailed with Dwarvish designs. I imagine these must be difficult to transfer to a much smaller scale. Yet, having seen the larger prop replica and compared it to the statue, the quality of reproduction is fabulous. Even though we’re now five pieces into this line I’m still loving the Thror/Thorin’s map on the base. So glad that Weta decided to go with this design.
PAINT
The paintwork on Balin is strong and I believe the best in this line so far (not that I think any of them have had issues). The quality of the paint job brings out the clean lines and the detailed work on the statue. The skin tones are exceptional with the proper use of tones making it look very much like real skin. The job done on Balin’s outfit is equally as good. The paintwork is what helps this look like it was screen used, with the proper coloring matching the outfit worn by Ken Stott. Even his boots show wear through the the paintwork. They look like they’re dirty. As with Orcrist, Balin’s mace came out looking fantastic. You get a great bronze look to the weapon which it had on screen and it looks like its been used in the real world. Critically, the paint enhances the mace’s sculpted details rather than consuming them.
Overall
Balin retails for $230 — a fair price considering the exceptional quality of this statue. This is some of Weta’s best work all around on any single statue and if you enjoyed The Hobbit and the designs of the movie you will want to add to your collection. Even with this statue being an open edition I wouldn’t wait too long to get it, as you never know when the open period could be closed. If Balin and the other four statues are any indication of how this line is going, we’re in for a real treat with the remainder.
SPECIFICATIONS
Balin is an open edition statue with a retail price of $230. He’s also in stock as of right now so don’t delay.
Despite his everyday physical appearance mimicking that of a wizard in Middle-earth, it looks like Billy Connolly, playing Dain in ‘The Hobbit‘ films, is not a fan of Tolkien or Tolkien fans. In a statement to MSN UK Connolly admits:
“No I never read it. And I probably never will. It’s not my cup of tea. Youthful society when I was younger was divided into Tolkien and non-Tolkien and I was a non-Tolkien and I didn’t like the Tolkien people,” he said.
“They were all corduroy and limp wrists and we were all string band people, banjos and bluegrass players and blues players, chasing women about the place, having long hair and they were all talking about the ginks fighting the gonks.”
As a renown comedian, we are pretty sure Billy is having a spot of fun. After you check out the full article at MSN UK, we can get back to talking about ginks and fighting with gonks : / [Read more]
Probably one of the most controversial inclusions to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was Radagast the Browns bunny sled. Fans are pretty divided over whether they love its fantastical portrayal or absolutely hate it. One of our Message Board members, swordwhale, who’s a Recreational Musher, shares her views on Radagast’s Rhosgobel Rabbits Sled.
Despite his everyday physical appearance mimicking that of a wizard in Middle-earth, it looks like Billy Connolly, playing Dain in ‘The Hobbit‘ films, is not a fan of Tolkien or Tolkien fans. In a statement to MSN UK Connolly admits: