The Dragon is upon us! It’s only Thursday and yet, even though DragonCon doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, there was merriment and partying even last night here in the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. Deej and greendragon are at DragonCon to represent TORn, and we’re looking forward to a fun weekend with our fellow fans! Here’s what’s going on:
Even though the Tolkien Track has sailed into the West, there will still be lots of Middle-earth related happenings over the course of the convention. Check out the High Fantasy Track schedule for details! Some highlights:
Friday 10am: ‘Namarie: Farewell Tolkien Track’. TORn staff will be joining Track staff to reminisce and celebrate the Tolkien Track – and look forward to the continuation of friendships and community, for many years to come, even without the Track.
Friday 7pm: ‘Elf Choir’ – come along and join in!
Saturday 4pm: ‘Preciousss Moments with Gollum and Sméagol’ – lead by Constance Wagner, whose very popular panels are always fascinating and insightful.
Saturday 5.30pm: ‘Beren and Luthien’ – a closer look at the latest Tolkien publication.
Monday 10am: ‘Still Tolkien About It: 80 Years of Middle-earth’. Join TORn staffers deej and greendragon, together with scholar Constance Wagner, to look back on the past 80 years since The Hobbit was first published. What has made Middle-earth such an enduring passion – and to what can we look forward?
All of the above are in the High Fantasy Track Room – L401-403 in the Marriott (where the Tolkien Track was in the past).
In addition, on Friday night we have, of course, the ever popular Evening at Bree! This will be held in the Hilton Grand Ballroom West, from 8.30pm – be sure to get in line early! We have a party of special magnificence planned this year! Bands Toucan Dubh and the Brobdingnagian Bards will be providing live music, followed by a dance party hosted by our very own DJ, deej. We’ll also have the costume contest and the performance by the Elf Choir, plus this year you can expect one or two special surprises. With the theme of ‘Class of 3018 Prom – Enchantment under the Mountain’, we’ll say farewell to the graduating Tolkien Track seniors; and your host Prom Bombadil will be there to make the evening go with a ring a dong dillo!
On Sunday night you can hear the Brobdingnagian Bards again, playing Hobbit Drinking Songs in the Hilton Crystal Ballroom from 8.30pm.
And of course TORn has a table! Come and find us in our usual spot in the Hyatt. For shirts this year we’re bringing back an old favourite – the Lake-town Fire Department – and we have a fabulous new design, encouraging the races of Middle-earth to Coexist. We also have new buttons, fans, and lots of prizes you could win. Come and check out all the goodies – and be sure to say hi to deej and greendragon!
There may not be a Tolkien Track, but Tolkien fans are here in force, and we’re ready for a great weekend of fun and companionship. Half the Shire’s been invited – hope to see you, too!
If space in your collection is at a premium then the mini line of statues from our friends at Weta Workshop has to be one of your go to lines. These great statues carry all the detail you expect from Weta Workshop but are scaled down into a smaller statue.
Tonight we get a new statue joining the line, this time from the bad guy side of Middle-earth. As the Fellowship made its way through Moria, Pippin set off a series of events and The Fellowship would have to face off against the Orcs of Moria. The Moria Orc mini depicts this Orc crawling on one of the beautiful pillars in Moria.
Fans who want to add this Orc can do so as he is currently in-stock and can be had for $125. Also, as you all know Weta has been running a contest for their uber cool 1:30 Dol Guldur signed by Richard Taylor, Leonard Ellis, and Dave Tremont. This contest has just seven days left and all the questions are now posted. Make sure you enter the 1:30 Dol Guldur Signed Set before it closes August 31st.
The Fellowship in Hollin Oil Painting on Panel 65” x 34” ( 165cm x 87cm)
Many of our readers will be familiar with the superb work of artist Donato Giancola, whose stunning paintings have graced the covers of many books, including editions of both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. He’s a good friend of TORn’s, and some of you may have met him at one of our ‘Ringers Take Manhattan’ parties.
This weekend, Giancola will be appearing as Artist Guest of Honour at GenCon in Indianapolis. He’ll also be appearing at New York ComicCon in October. He has recently completed a fabulous new work set in Middle-earth: The Fellowship in Hollin. Here’s what Donato had to say about creating this landscape:
Last night we got two new jaw dropping pre-orders from our friends at Weta Workshop. The first is a piece we originally saw during Comic-Con 2016, the War Troll. This amazing large beast is one of the best creature pieces by Weta Workshop. He’s a massive 20″ tall and comes in at over 20lbs. Fans that are interested in ordering this one will want to get their orders in fast, as it has an edition size of only 400 pieces.
The second piece is stunning and one of the most wanted versions of this character. Thorin in his regal armor is a piece I have constantly been asked if I thought was coming since doing Collecting The Precious. I am happy to say fans can now add King Thorin as he is sits on the reclaimed Dwarven Throne inside Erebor. As I said this thing is stunning to look at and will be a must have piece for any collector. If you have the King Thror on Throne then this will give you a fantastic bookend of where the Dwarves were at in Erebor during The Hobbit. King Thorin is limited to 750 pieces worldwide and comes in with a price tag of $449. Both pieces are listed as shipping in October/December of this year.
One of the best things about our friends at Weta Workshop is that they listen to fans to get an idea of the pieces we would like to see. At the Weta Collector’s forum, Flame of Udun, a list of the previous top vote earners has been assembled into a poll to see what might be the most desired pieces. The poll will be open for two weeks so we can get as many votes as possible to send some good data to Weta on what we’d like to see. I know it’s going to be very tough but please vote for a maximum of two (2) only and remember to only vote for items you would definitely purchase. So if you’ve wanted to be able to help give Weta a hint at something you’d buy this is a perfect chance.
We’re just out of Comic-Con and Weta keeps on delivering new and amazing pieces for us fans to add to our collections. One of the things we’d not seen so far from The Hobbit Trilogy line is one of the many soldiers who aide Sauron, Azog, and Bolg. This has been taken care of with the latest release announcement of the Dol Guldur Orc Soldier. This Orc is brutal, with the blood on his armour, as well as the severed Dwarf heads on the pikes on his back. Fans will want to act quickly to grab this Orc as he’s limited to only 500 pieces with a price tag of $449.
The other new pre-order continues the Dol Guldur 1:30 Scale Collection. Fans can now add the North Courtyard allowing them to continue to build this scene and giving them more scope to recreate this scene in whatever way they want. In-line with the South Courtyard this piece will be limited to 500 pieces and comes in at $149.
As you will recall, Weta has been doing questions in intervals and the winner will receive an autographed set of the 1:30 Dol Guldur set. The fifth and final question has just been released – which means the clock is ticking. Get your entries in before August 31 to go in the draw! Enter the Dol Guldur 1:30 Set Contest.
The Dragon is upon us! It’s only Thursday and yet, even though DragonCon doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, there was merriment and partying even last night here in the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. Deej and greendragon are at DragonCon to represent TORn, and we’re looking forward to a fun weekend with our fellow fans! Here’s what’s going on:
On Sunday night you can hear the Brobdingnagian Bards again, playing Hobbit Drinking Songs in the Hilton Crystal Ballroom from 8.30pm.
