“They were by far the most powerful of his servants, and the most suitable for such a mission, since they were entirely enslaved to their Nine Rings, which he now himself held.”

Unfinished Tales, p. 338

IMG_0403As the saying goes there are always two sides to the same coin. The last statue that from Sideshow Collectibles The Lord of the Rings statue line was the Witch-king as we see him before Frodo puts on the ring. Now, we get the other side of that same coin with the exception of this is what we see from Frodo’s point of view after he puts on the ring. Both statues exclusive version come with him holding the Morgul Blade to give you the full effect of both points of view.

PACKAGING

The graphics on the outside of the box follow the same pattern set by the previous statues in this series. Following the trend as I mentioned about being the other side of the coin this box instead of being black is all white, with the exception of The Lord of the Rings being in gold and the character name in a silver. While the sides of the box you get an image of the statue from two different angles. The material of the box is continues the matte finish we saw with the last statue. The inside of the box saw the biggest change though from previous statues even the last Ringwraith statue. The flowing robes of the Witch-king caused Sideshow to create a big hole that made the Styrofoam adequate for the robes. There have been a few cases where despite the best efforts to make sure this statue arrived ok that it did show up broken.

SCULPTING

IMG_0553Gabriel Marquez was once again tasked with bringing a Ringwraith to life all while capturing the evil and power they posses. As was the case with the other statue the job done bringing this side of the character to life was superbly done. The complexity of this statue is actually much more difficult than his previous effort because of the massive flowing robes. The robes are very intricate and have been sculpted in a way that it has the feel of the Wraith world, but also has cloth look we’ve come to expect from the talent at Sideshow.

Unlike the previous statue there is a facial sculpt that must capture the likeness of the Witch-king as Frodo saw him after he put the ring on. When we see the Witch-king he looks he looks like a man long dead who is still lingering due to the power of Sauron, and this statue has captured that look as fantastically as can be done. You get great detail in the cheekbones and sunken eyes that the Witch-king has when you see him. His crown also looks like long worn metal that should have fallen apart years ago. The same can be said with his sword and if you get the exclusive the Morgul Blade that he stabs Frodo in the shoulder with.

PAINT

IMG_0566Normally, when you have a statue with a likeness you want a nice skin color that looks like someone who is still among the living. That is not the case though with the Witch-king since he is no a member of the Wraith world. His skin tone is the proper pale looking color we see on screen, while also matching the pictures of the costume outside of that scene. It very much gives you the feel this is someone who is no longer human and has long given himself to the will of Sauron. The robes have a great mix of grey, blue, and white to very much give that Wraith world feel you get from this particular moment. The previously mentioned metal parts would not have that worn feel they have within the sculpt if it wasn’t for the great job creating a worn metal paint look. So again the paint only helps add to the feel this piece has of someone who has been around for quite some time. The base is not to be left out of the discussion for how nicely this piece is painted giving that old run down look Wetathertop had when Strider and the Hobbits rested there.

Overall

IMG_0448The Witch-king costs $275 from Sideshow Collectibles for both the exclusive and regular versions of the statue. The exclusive has an edition size set at only 300 pieces while the regular has an edition size of 1000 pieces world wide. There is currently a wait list for the exclusive but the regular version is in stock. Do not let a collectible as well done as this one slip by so go to Sideshow’s site right now and purchase this statue!

SPECIFICATIONS

The Witch-king has an edition size of 300 pieces World Wide for the Exclusive and 1000 pieces World Wide for the Regular. The dimensions for the Witch-king are as followed: 18.5″ x 12″ x 12.5″ (H x W x D)

 

PHOTOS

A14-UC2940Our friends at United Cutlery have two brand new items that are now available to order through BUDK. The first item is the Helm of Sauron. This replica is created out of polystone then finished to match the prop we saw on screen during The Lord of the Rings, and the base that this helm sets on has been created from wood then made to look like the upper torso of Sauron. The helm can also be worn due to the padding on the inside of the replica. This piece will have an edition size of 1500 pieces world wide, comes with a price tag of $350, and will be shipping in July of 2013.

If you’re a fan of Gondor then this next item is for you! During The Battle of the Last Alliance this shield was carried by soldiers of Gondor as they fought Sauron for the fate of Middle-earth. This amazing replica from United Cutlery captures the fantastic design we saw during the prologue sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring. This fantastic item measures 42 1/2″ x 20 1/2 and comes with a awesome Gondorian Banner. You can pre-order this item right now for $250 and it also shipping in July of this year.

Hobbit_RADAGAST_6_TheBridgeDirect

The Bridge Direct fresh off the success of their line of figures for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey are releasing some information regarding when we might see wave two. This wave will commence under The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug which hit store shelves October 15th. This wave will have the same style of figures that we saw in wave one but we will see characters we did not see as well as new characters. The Bridge Direct also announced they will once again have an exclusive figure at Comic-Con in July of this year.

Update: We just received some awesome pictures of a few of the upcoming items. So a gallery has been added to this post.

Per the info we know so far for Wave Two:

3.75” SCALE ACTION FIGURES

o    New assortment includes Radagast, Thranduil, Azog, Beorn and Gandalf

o    Each figure features 12 points of articulation and replicates the authentic facial features, clothing, weapons and accessories of the character in painstaking detail.

o    SRP $7.99 each

3.75” SCALE ACTION FIGURE BOX SETS – Three New Packs!

    • Mirkwood Pack: Legolas, Tauriel, Thranduil, Fili and Kili
    • Thorin Oakenshield Adventure Pack: Nori, Ori, Dori, Gloin and Thorin
    • Bilbo Baggins Burglar Pack: Bifur, Bombur, Bofur, Oin and Exclusive 3.75″ Invisible Bilbo
    • SRP $29.99 each

6” SCALE COLLECTOR FIGURES

  • New assortment includes Radagast, Azog and Legolas
  • Each collector figure features intricate details replicating the character’s facial features, clothing, weapons and accessories.
  • SRP $14.99 each

gob1Gentle Giant tonight put up for pre-order the next Mini-bust in their line of collectibles based on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. As fans know Gentle Giant has already released or placed for pre-order Thorin (Comic-Con 2012 Exclusive), Dwalin (PGM 2012 Exclusive), Gandalf the Grey, and Gollum. Well, now the first bad guy is joining those ranks with The Goblin King! He is a massive bust coming in at 9″ high and a price of $99 for non-PGM members or $89 for PGM members. If you order directly from Gentle Giant you will also get the awesome looking Goblin Scribe Mini-Bust. Both of these items are not due to ship until the fourth quarter of this year.

hobbitgollumalrg2 Just this week with the arrival of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles, Creatures & Characters , fans got a sneak peek at an upcoming statue for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The character that was shown was Gollum, fully enraged at something down in his cave. Tonight, fans get to order this statue – and it’s a great companion, as you can see in the pictures, to the Bilbo statue previously released. Gollum comes in at $249 and will be shipping sometime in May/June. There is no announced edition size with this statue.

2hi3x40In the new publication The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Chronicles, Creatures & Characters, near the back of the book, it appears that Weta has pictures of products that you can order, and even some upcoming items. The one product catching the eyes of those who have received the book is what appears to be a statue of Gollum, from the ‘Riddles in the Dark’ sequence. This is the first 1:6th statue of Gollum, and it already looks to be a great representation of him ready to attack Bilbo as he leaves the cave. No word on price or availability, but as soon as we know, you will as well!