With only a few weeks before the San Diego Comic-Con, TheOneRing.net is excited to formally announce that we have been invited to present a “Hobbit” panel at SDCC. The website also has extensive plans to bring the experience to fans who can’t attend.

With a time slot that has become something of a tradition, the fansite will open the show on the first hour of the first day. Thursday, July 12, from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., in room 6DE, TORn will talk Hobbit. The room holds 1,000, and like every year, especially this year, a capacity crowd is expected with many unable to get in. Being the first event of the day also means that if the room is full early, we can start early and stretch our hour into more if possible. Another great feature of being the first event of the day, the convention is more liberal about giveaway items.

TORn will also be present at not one but two table locations on the 500,000 square foot dealers floor where supports can buy shirts, buttons and talk to a large contingent of staffer. (More details later, but one table next to Badali Jewelry and one table with Weta Workshop! Expect new tshirts, details to follow!)
But what to expect from a TORn presentation?
* It will be 100% re-written, not a duplicate of any previous presentation
* An audio and visual extravaganza (not people just talking)
* It is expected to feature video content from Weta Workshop
* It may contain pictures from New Zealand
* It will feature around 6 TORn staffers (the most ever) with several more in the audience if we need them
* Special guests have been invited
* Two panelists have been on “The Hobbit” set
* A significant segment of Q&A, time for fans
More about Comic-Con after the break including info for audience at home: Continue reading “TheOneRing.net, ‘Hobbit’ stuff at Comic-Con: Full details!”

“This city was once the jewel of our kingdom. A place of light, and beauty, and music. And so it shall be once more! Let the armies of Mordor know this: Never again will the land of my people fall into enemy hands. This city of Osgiliath has been reclaimed for Gondor!

-Boromir to the Gondorian Troops after taking back Osgiliath

A son of Gondor has arrived from Sideshow Collectibles. Boromir, Son of Denethor is the sixth statue from Sideshow’s growing and spectacular The Lord of the Rings statue line. Unlike the other statues in this line this one does come from a moment in the film that you can only see if you watch the extended version. They have captured Boromir’s stirring speech to the troops upon them taking back the western half of Osgiliath.

PACKAGING

The graphics on the box for Boromir follows the same path as previous releases from this series. You have the front and black panels, which are black with The Lord of the Rings and Boromir done in a shade of Silver. While on the sides of the box you get an image of the statue from two different angles. The material of the box is different though as the past boxes have been more of a matte finish where as this one is more glossy. Inside the box of course you have the protective foam with multiple areas for the many pieces that this statue comes with. Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Sideshow Collectibles’ Boromir Son of Denethor Statue Review”

Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced today that The Noble Collection has been granted rights to make products from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.” Noble will also be expanding their already fantastic “The Lord of the Rings” collection. Noble’s offerings will cover collectibles like prop replicas, artifacts, miniature-sized collectors swords and a full range of jewelry. Prices of these items will range from $20 to the neighborhood of $1000 with these items starting to ship in September of this year.

 BURBANK, Calif., – June 12, 2012 – Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) announced: (Read the full press release after the break) Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Noble Collection to make items from ‘The Hobbit’ and expand ‘LOTR’ line”

Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced tonight that Eaglemoss — makers of the collectible chess partworks and figurines — has the license to make these items for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.” This license also grants Eaglemoss the rights to make these collectibles for “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. These collectibles are due to ship during the fourth quarter of this year and they will come with a magazine as well as valuable chess tips.

Here is the full release from Warner Bros. and Eaglemoss:

Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) is proud to announce that it has awarded leading partworks producer Eaglemoss the global licensing rights to develop collections based on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Under the terms of the deal, the licensee also has the rights to develop products based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Eaglemoss to make collectible chess pieces for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’”

‘…There are Orcs, very many of them,’ he (Gandalf) said. `And some are large and evil: black Uruks of Mordor. For the moment they are hanging back, but there is something else there. A great cave-troll, I think, or more than one. There is no hope of escape that way…’

I think back on my relatively young life and can fondly recall a few events that I would consider highlights: My marriage to my beautiful wife; the birth of our daughter; TheOneRing.net Oscar Parties from 2002-2004; Finding my dream job with Sideshow; and that time I got to see 26 minutes of The Fellowship of the Ring at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. As you can read in my original report, I was blown away by the revelation of Peter Jackson’s vision of The Lord of the Rings on the big screen, especially when it came to the infamous Mines of Moria. Sure it was different from the books, but visual execution seemed to transmit my own visions of Middle-earth and put them on the big screen. So many years later, it is now my privilege to relive some of that sequence through the ‘Mines of Moria’ LEGO® Set, now available at most retailers.

As a preface to my review, I need to remind you all that I am not a LEGO® Set expert. My first experience with LEGO® Sets in many years was building the ‘Shelob Attacks‘ set I reviewed last month. So if I get some terminology wrong, please don’t hold it against me :P.

There are a few obvious differences between the  ‘Shelob Attacks’ LEGO® Set and ‘The Mines of Moria.’ First, and most obvious, is that the set is much larger and more complex. Whether it is the ‘action’ elements in the gate and right side piece, or it is adding the detailing stickers just in the right place, you will find this set takes anywhere from 3-4 hours to piece together. Let me say…that is not a bad thing! I’m quickly finding myself addicted to the enjoyment and plain old fun of LEGO® Sets again! (After the break I’ve got 84 pictures of the set!)

Continue reading “Product Review: ‘Mines of Moria’ LEGO® Set”