Our friends at Badali Jewelry are giving our readers a rare sneak peek at one of the first items in their newly licensed “The Hobbit” line of jewelry: Thror’s Key!
“It is easy to forget the the events of The Hobbit were hinged on a very simple object, a secret key that would open a secret door. This was Thrór’s Key. Thorin’s Dwarven party desired to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug, The Dragon, more then anything. The answer to the dwarves quest was a map, door and key created in secret by Thorin’s grandfather, Thrór. Gandalf presents Thorin with this secret key when the party joins together at Bilbo Baggins home. “Here it is!” he said, and handed to Thorin a key with a long barrel and intricate wards, made of silver. “Keep it safe!”
Engraved on the barrel of the key is the same phrase written in Dwarvish runes that are found on Thrór’s map: “Five Feet High The Door, And Three May Walk Abreast.” The key will be available in 2 different sizes, a 1 7/8″ Sterling Silver Necklace and a 2 7/8″ White Bronze Necklace or Key Chain. Note that this product is not yet available on their website. A limited inventory will be available at Comic-Con, with online sales to follow.
Award-winning composer Chance Thomas’s work should be familiar to anyone who’s played the Lord of the Rings Online Games: Shadows of Angmar and Mines of Moria. Those are just two examples in an impressive resume. His latest collaboration with LOTRO and Warner Bros. Entertainment is the soundtrack to the new online game Riders of Rohan, releasing September 5, 2012. Posted on Lord of The Rings Online’s YouTube site are three musical selections: “LOTRO Legacy”, “Shadow of the Argonath” and “Boromir’s Last Stand”. Be sure to click on “Show more” on the individual pages for “Shadow of the Argonath” and “Boromir’s Last Stand” to read Thomas’s insight into the composing of the music.
Additionally, the second in the series of behind the scenes videos: “Immersion through the look and sound of Rohan”, posted July 5th, has interviews with Thomas as well as Director Mitch Cohen, Director of Photography Scott Kevan and Senior World Designer Chris Pierson. The composer speaks to how he relied on painstaking research of the literature to create what he feels is “authentic” and true to Tolkien’s vision of the role of music in his stories. This video along with the first behind the scenes and various teasers and trailers for the game are available at LOTRO’s YouTube page. More musical tracks will be posted as the launch date approaches. In the meantime check out Chance Thomas’s official site to hear examples from some of the composer’s other works.
LEGO fans can finally get a look at some of ‘The Hobbit’ mini-figures. The figures will hit store shelves on December 1. Expect additional figures, as well as film-themed sets and some secret activities at Comic-Con in San Diego.
Left to Right: Gandalf, Dwalin, Bombur, Bofur, Bilbo and Balin
Fans of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey get another exclusive at this years Comic-Con. Gentle Giant is adding one more collectible to their plethora of exclusives by announcing today that Thorin Oakenshield will be joining the collectibles you can buy later this week. This bust has been digitally scanned to ensure the likeness of Richard Armitage, his outfit, and weapons are all film accurate. Each of these busts has also been hand painted to insure the highest quality collectible. Thorin can be purchased at Gentle Giants booth #3513 for $70 and online sales start during Preview Night at 6pm PST. So those of you in San Diego, be sure to act fast as Thorin has an edition size of only 500 pieces world wide.
Tonight, via their newsletter, Weta Workshop announced they will have not one but two exclusives at this years Comic-Con. The first exclusive is the very first statue in their 1:6th line of collectibles from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It is none other than Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield – with shield. This statue will be in full 1:6th scale with a price tag of $249 and an edition size of only 700 pieces world wide. The first 500 of these pieces will be sold at Comic-Con while the other 200 will be sold to those who can make it to the Weta Cave. A second version that doesn’t have the shield will be put up for sale this October to fans around the world. The second exclusive is the new print in the Middle-Earth print series, but it is the first based on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. This print captures the teaser image from The Hobbit, with Bilbo looking out the front door of Bag End. The print will have an edition size of 500 pieces world wide. The first 100 will be signed by artist Gus Hunter while the reaming 400 will be unsigned. More will be printed later in the year to be sold for those who cannot make it to Comic-Con. Both items will have a limit of 2 per person.
Sideshow Collectibles Online Comic-Con event is in full swing and day 13 brings us the first pre-order for a collectible from Middle-earth. The next statue in The Lord of the Rings statue line is the Twilight Witch-king statue! It is a superb looking mirror image of the Ringwraith statue released a while back. This statue gives fans a chance to pair this up with the Ringwraith and show what both Frodo as well as the other Hobbits/Strider saw while on Weathertop. This outstanding statue costs $275 with a $27 NRD but you have time to save up as this won’t release until March of 2013. [Pre-Order]