“Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Isengard and Mordor? To stand against the might of Sauron and Saruman and the union of the Two Towers?”
– Saruman to Sauron during The Two Towers
At Comic-Con 2011 the folks at Weta announced and displayed the newest environment to land in our collections. Then 
on July 31st 2011 this amazing collectible went up for pre-order to those wishing to purchase this collectible. If you were one of the first 400 people to order Orthanc, you would end up with a numbered addition, and a special gold-plated Eye of Sauron pin commemorating the day of sale. Originally, this collectible was named Orthanc Pre-Ruin but Weta and TheOneRing.net teamed up to give it an even cooler name. The winning name chosen by Weta was Orthanc – Black Tower of Isengard. This version of Orthanc shows this place as we see it when Gandalf the Grey arrives to talk with Saruman upon realizing that The One Ring has been found. This memorable moment has been amazingly captured by Weta. Follow after the break for my complete review.
Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s Orthanc – Black Tower of Isengard”
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Weta Workshop’s first helm in the relaunch of the 1:4 helm series is none other than the Uruk-hai General’s Helm. This is one of Weta Workshop’s helms, that if you have seen the Weta Collector’s Guide book, was under consideration before the line ended several years ago. Now, fans get a chance to get going again on collecting these awesome collectibles. Shipping for the Uruk-hai General’s Helm will not be until quarter three of this year allowing you time to make sure you have your fifty dollars ready. Make sure you order now though because at a 500 piece edition size this is sure to go fast. [Click Here]
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With just one day left in the second round of our Middle-earth March Madness, it is time to summarize the competition and do a little cheerleading for the characters.
The first match up in the Rankin/Bass division is between Gandalf (1) and Feanor (4) and is running extremely close. You best get your votes in, this one could go either way. The second match up in the Rankin/Bass division is Galadriel (2) versus Smaug (6). Again, this one is extremely close, will it be the Lady of the Golden Wood, or Smaug the Golden, their fate is in your hands, so vote now.
In the Ralph Bakshi division, the first match up is between Bilbo (1) and Gollum (4). Bilbo has a little lead, but it is not to say Gollum couldn’t sneak up and take this contest, so get your votes out. The second match up in this division has Thorin (3) up against Aragorn (2) and it appears at the moment the current lead hero is besting the previous lead hero, so pick your favorite hero and vote, vote, vote.
Checking in on the Tolkien Family Division, Legolas (1) is taking on Pippin (4) and as you might expect, the Elf Prince has a comfortable lead. Pippin fans, where are you? The other contest in this division pits Faramir (3) against Frodo (2). Currently, the Gondorian heir to the Stewardship who could not be swayed by the ring is beating the Ringbearer, please vote for your favorite in this contest.
And finally, in the Peter Jackson division, Glorfindel (1) is up against Merry (5) and the Elf lord is handily beating out the Esquire of Rohan. Make sure this one ends the way you want it, so vote now to ensure your favorite wins. And the last contest is between Samwise (2) and Boromir (3) with Samwise beating out everyone’s favorite Son of Gondor. How will it all end, only you can determine that by voting.
Middle-earth March Madness second round voting
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In last nights newsletter the folks from Weta announced the 1:4 helm line is going to be making a return. This line originally covered many of the awesome designs we saw during the course of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The first new helm will pre-order later this month! At this time we’re teased with this photo and can only guess what awesomeness Weta has in store for us. Stay tuned and as soon as we get more information we will let you know.
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Last Summer, as a lead up to the release of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Edition on BluRay, TheOneRing.net was invited to participate in the official BluRay release party. TORn was responsible for facilitating the Costume Contest, with the grand prize being a Free Trip to New Zealand, hosted by WETA. As was reported then, numerous people competed in some truly wonderful costumes, but alas, only one could win, and that was The Balrog Showgirl herself, Nicole Roberts. As hosts, WETA has been documenting her visit with photos and a story, so check it out on their news page.
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It’s been just over a week and I’ve finally been able to gather my thoughts enough to bring you a full write-up of all the fun and games which happened at the Coolidge Theatre in Boston, when Viggo Mortensen came to town! We have three parts of TORn’s write-up to bring you, plus links to some wonderful footage from other sources. If you’re a Viggo fan, you’re in for a treat!
To begin with, on Sunday 4th March The Coolidge hosted a screening of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. As fans know, it is always special when you get to see these films on the big screen, surrounded by fellow geeks; and there are few better cinemas for atmosphere than The Coolidge. It is an independent movie house which is everything a cinema should be – wonderful, knowledgeable staff, beautiful decor, comfy seats and wide-ranging programming. Whenever they can, the folks at The Coolidge show movies on 35mm film – they still have actual projectionists working away to bring you what you see on the big screen! (This meant that, whilst we saw the extended editions of Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers, Return of the King was the theatrical edition. The 35mm prints of the extended editions for the first two movies were made for ‘Trilogy Tuesday’ in 2003, when Return of the King was released; so there are no 35mm prints of the RotK EE in existence.)
Following the release of the blu-rays last December, we have started to get used to seeing these movies in crystal clear, vibrant hi-def. For me, however, the original prints have a richness and softness which is lacking in the sharpness of high-definition. 35mm offers a depth of vision, an almost golden or sepia warmth, which seems appropriate for Middle-earth. The Coolidge’s main theatre also has wonderful sound, so my seat vibrated as the balrog roared and I felt the need to cover my ears at the Witch King’s piercing shriek – perfect! The sold-out house of fans – almost 450 of us! – all seemed to enjoy revisiting these old friends as much as I did.
Continue reading “All the scoop on Viggo Mortensen’s visit to Boston – Part 1 of 3”
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