“You shall be The Fellowship of the Ring.”
-Elrond to the Fellowship at the Council of Elrond
Of the many things at Comic-Con 2012 Weta had three items that fans like myself had been waiting years to finally see. That amazing scene of The Fellowship cresting the hill has been long called for by fans to be turned into a collectible. Well, in June of this year the long wait for something representing this was over. Weta Workshop announced a three part set capturing this long awaited moment and set one has arrived. On the heels of set two going up for order its time to review set one.
PACKAGING
Graphically the box for set one is similar to what we’ve seen before with past items from Weta. The Lord of the Rings logo appears once again on the front of the box with a great group shot of The Fellowship as they make their trek across Middle-earth. In the center of the box you have a great picture of the piece number one of this set. On one side of the box you get a great picture of set one while the other contains multiple great images of items that you can find on Weta’s website. The back of the box has one final image of set one a nice story about this piece and what it took to bring it to life.
SCULPTING
A team of Weta artists was tasked with finally bringing one of the most demanded pieces to our collections. Based on how the pieces looked at Comic-Con and how set one came out in production they did a great job. One of the biggest challenges in a piece this size is the likenesses. The team at Weta was successful in making sure that each character in set one, which contains Gandalf the Grey, Frodo, and Legolas bears close resemblance to the actors that played them. Detail-wise, this piece is as good as anything you will find. Hair detail on Gandalf, Legolas, and Frodo is there and you even get individual hairs, you get great detail in Sting’s hilt, Glamdring’s hilt, Gandalf’s staff (even has the G-rune), and the detail in Legolas alone is really very good when you look at the size of these statues. The clothing of each character is not without detail either as each outfit is done successfully so that their outfits look like cloth. Finally, the base is as good as anything with its great rock, grass, and even detail in the dirt.
PAINT
As hard as it would be to sculpt a piece of this size the biggest character is only 5.5 inches tall would be to make sure the paint works with the sculpts. Well, Weta did not miss anything with this piece and it really helps set this piece at the highest level a collector could want. Skin tone on the three characters is on par with a statue two or three times the size. Another possible issue with a statue of this size is how the little details can be covered and that does not happen with this statue. As I said the hair, details in things like Sting, Legolas outfit, etc are all enhanced by the paintwork on this statue. The base is even brought to life and feels real with the sculpt and paint working together. Simply put, it’s a fantastic piece and the paint/sculpt work hand-in-hand to create something special
Overall
Set one costs $199 via Weta’s web site as does set two, which is up for Pre-Order now. As I said at the start of this little review this is something I know many of us have been waiting years for so now is the time to jump on these items before they vanish. I know for me personally this is something I’ve dreamt of owning for years and to finally have it coming to the collection piece-by-piece is simply fantastic. In other words this a must have item I think for any fan of Middle-earth!
SPECIFICATIONS: The Fellowship Set 1 is an open edition and comes in at: 5.5″ x 7.5″ x 5.1″ (H x W x D)
14 cm x 19 cm x 13 cm
PHOTOS
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In June of this year the folks at Weta Workshop answered a long-standing request from the fans of Middle-earth with the release of Set One of The Fellowship of the Ring three-part set. Well, on the heels of the debut of Set One (review of said set coming soon), Weta has announced Set Two.
As you know the first set contained Gandalf, Frodo, and Legolas all of whom look really fantastic. Set Two gives fans four more characters on our way to completing the Fellowship with Boromir, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin. Like Set One this set will cost $200 and will not be shipping until quarter two of next year. Start saving now!
[Pre-order]
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On Sunday, we reported that Regal Cinemas are hosting a Lord of the Rings marathon screening across the US on 8th December. We can now confirm that AMC Cinemas will also be hosting a marathon on Saturday 8th December. Cinemark is joining the fun with screenings on both December 8 and 9.
Timings are a little different from those listed for Regal Cinemas – and may vary from cinema to cinema for AMC. Timings given for a Boston AMC theatre, for example, were The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at 10 a.m., The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 2.20 p.m. and ending with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at 7:00 p.m. All three movies will be the Extended Editions.
Cinemark reports a uniform 11 a.m. start times for Fellowship and a ROTK start time at 7:35. They are also offering concessions discounts. Ticket prices are $25, matching AMC’s, but $30 for its handful of XD or extreme digital auditoriums. Check with your local AMC to see if they are taking part. Theater listings for Cinemark can be found right here. Between the three chains, most fans will be covered so see you in Middle-earth!
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“I can avoid being seen if I wish; but to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift.”
-Strider to Frodo while at The Prancing Pony in Bree
Continuing the trend of fantastic mini-statues from The Lord of the Rings, the artists at Weta have created a great version of Strider. This is the third statue in a beautiful line, which includes Gandalf The Grey and Gollum. This version of Strider captures the character as we first meet him in Bree, sitting by himself, watching the comings and goings of those at The Prancing Pony.
PACKAGING
The graphics on the front of the box for Strider have the same elegant look we’ve come to know from the collectibles Weta has created for The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings logo appears in the upper left hand corner, while a screen capture of Strider from The Fellowship of the Ring is in the upper right hand corner. In the center of the box you have a great picture of the piece itself, with the name of the collectible under the screen capture of Strider. On one side of the box there is a further picture of Strider, while the other contains multiple images of items that you can find on Weta’s website. The back of the box has one final image of Strider, with a bit more information on the collectible and the sculptor.
SCULPTING
Sculptor Steven Saunders created the Gandalf in this line of statues, as well as the Gandalf from The Hobbit line of statues; so we’ve seen his skills in being able to deliver a great collectible. The likeness to Viggo Mortensen is really well done, especially for a small statue with a head that has to fit in a hood. The texture of the cloak in which Strider has concealed himself is astonishing, giving a real look of draped cloth. We also get a great little sculpted pipe, which we see Strider smoking as he surveys The Prancing Pony. The extraordinary detail of this statue is continued in the bench Strider is sitting on; the natural lines and markings of the wood are perfectly captured.
PAINT
The paintwork on Strider is as good as the sculpting. The greens of Strider’s outfit match exactly what we saw on screen in Bree. The skin tone once again shows that Weta can get it done when it comes to making skin look very natural. One would expect the eyes on this statue, being small, to be an issue – but the painters did a fantastic job capturing Viggo’s eyes. Strider’s beard has the proper, worn look you would expect on a guy who lives out in the wild!
Overall
Strider costs $75 retail via Weta’s website, which is a steal for something as superb as this collectible. So do yourself a favor and hop over to Weta’s site and place your order now for a fantastic Strider statue!
SPECIFICATIONS
Strider is an open edition. The specifications for Strider are as follows: 5.3″ x 4.3″ x 4.1″ (H x W x D)
13.5 cm x 11 cm x 10.5 cm
PHOTOS
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For Sideshow Collectibles the month of October means their annual Spooktacular event. Now the event brings Ringers a chance to order the best Premium Format Sideshow has ever made. The Dark Lord Sauron has been turned into a massive 3 foot tall Premium Format figure. Sauron will cost you $900 and will not be shipping until July of 2013, so fans will have time to save those pennies or use Sideshow’s super friendly flex-pay plan (up to 8 payments for Sauron). As we saw at Comic-Con this past July, this piece is amazingly large and impressive – worthy of the centerpiece for any The Lord of the Rings collection. [Sauron]
Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Sideshow Collectibles Sauron Premium Format”
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Here at TheOneRing.net we have a long history of ‘swamping’ polls – showcasing the full power of Ringers worldwide. Well, today we have a special poll from the folks at People’s Choice. They have come up with a list of 10 Nominees for a ‘Favorite Movie Fan Following’ category, and we ‘Ringers’ are among the choices. Sure those other fan bases are great and all, but we hope you hold a special place in your hearts for the Ringer community. (BTW – Anyone know the first use of Ringers to refer to the Tolkien fan community? We’d love to hear what you think in the comments) Jump over to their nominations page and cast your vote today! [Vote Ringers!]
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Of the many things at Comic-Con 2012 Weta had three items that fans like myself had been waiting years to finally see. That amazing scene of The Fellowship cresting the hill has been long called for by fans to be turned into a collectible. Well, in June of this year the long wait for something representing this was over. Weta Workshop announced a three part set capturing this long awaited moment and set one has arrived. On the heels of set two going up for order its time to review set one.
A team of Weta artists was tasked with finally bringing one of the most demanded pieces to our collections. Based on how the pieces looked at Comic-Con and how set one came out in production they did a great job. One of the biggest challenges in a piece this size is the likenesses. The team at Weta was successful in making sure that each character in set one, which contains Gandalf the Grey, Frodo, and Legolas bears close resemblance to the actors that played them. Detail-wise, this piece is as good as anything you will find. Hair detail on Gandalf, Legolas, and Frodo is there and you even get individual hairs, you get great detail in Sting’s hilt, Glamdring’s hilt, Gandalf’s staff (even has the G-rune), and the detail in Legolas alone is really very good when you look at the size of these statues. The clothing of each character is not without detail either as each outfit is done successfully so that their outfits look like cloth. Finally, the base is as good as anything with its great rock, grass, and even detail in the dirt.
As hard as it would be to sculpt a piece of this size the biggest character is only 5.5 inches tall would be to make sure the paint works with the sculpts. Well, Weta did not miss anything with this piece and it really helps set this piece at the highest level a collector could want. Skin tone on the three characters is on par with a statue two or three times the size. Another possible issue with a statue of this size is how the little details can be covered and that does not happen with this statue. As I said the hair, details in things like Sting, Legolas outfit, etc are all enhanced by the paintwork on this statue. The base is even brought to life and feels real with the sculpt and paint working together. Simply put, it’s a fantastic piece and the paint/sculpt work hand-in-hand to create something special
