TheOneRing.net is honored that among the over 30 artists contributing work to ‘An Unexpected Art Show’, Jerry VanderStelt will be attending in person! Celebrating The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ will feature inspired art pieces — from paintings, drawings, and illustrations to prints — from a variety of artists.
Jerry VanderStelt is an acclaimed artist who has done various licensed print work for The Lord of the Rings and other properties like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Star Trek. Jerry has also been teasing us for weeks now, finally revealing his incredible licensed print for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (pending approval.) We will be auctioning off three limited edition lithographs from his The Lord of the Rings trilogy series. Jerry will also be on hand to sell his limited edition prints, giclées as well as canvas edition prints.
Join us for ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ in Los Angeles, California on Friday, February 22, from 7 PM to 1 AM. All ages are welcome to attend. A limited number of tickets are available for $15 online and $20 at the door. ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ will be held at Lot 613, a blank-canvas special events space in the Historic Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, located at 613 Imperial Street. It’s all part of our Oscar Celebration weekend culminating with ‘The One Expected Party‘!
Purchase art show tickets today! — Party tickets are also still available!
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“Welcome, Master Baggins, to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield!”
-Balin to Bilbo as he welcomes him to the traveling company
At Comic-Con 2012 we saw six of the statues that will be released in Weta’s range of statues for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. One of the six statues at Comic-Con was of the character Balin who was a member of the traveling party and would later retake Moria (though many people’s introduction is of him in his tomb). Balin is the fourth statue released in this line. His brother, Dwalin, is the fifth (review to come) and he makes another fantastic addition to the growing line of sculptures associated with this great movie.
Balin was one of the many dwarves of the Lonely Mountain driven into exile by the dragon Smaug in the year 2770 of the Third Age. Balin would actually make two trips to try and retake the Erebor. One of a venture with Thrain (who was captured), and the second with Thorin Oakenshield in his successful quest to reclaim his legacy. After years of success once Erebor was reclaimed Balin cast his eyes on an even-greater prize — Khazad-dûm. He would be initially successful, but Balin’s new realm lasted a mere five years. The tragic fate of Balin and his kin remained a mystery until the Fellowship stumbled upon his tomb during their journey through Moria.
PACKAGING
The graphics on the box with Balin are similar to those that we saw on the box of Thorin. The front of the box features great design work down the side. It even looks very Dwarvish, though the design varies to the one used on Thorin or the Dwalin box. Also on the front you have a great shot of Balin, graphic work for the title of the movie, and of course the Weta logo. The sides present a couple of different looks with one showing great shots of Balin from different angles while the other side show some of the other products that will be coming out for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey like the Dwalin statue, Thorin’s Map, and the Key to Erebor. The back of the box contains a great story on Balin as well as information regarding details of the character and statue. The styrofoam packaging on the inside is typical of what we’ve come used to getting with these statues.
SCULPTING
Lindsey Crummett is a new name to me and I would imagine will be to most of you who have been collecting statues based on the characters of Middle-earth. However, after adding Balin to my collection I have to say I am eager to see what else Ms. Crummett has to show us. The spot-on likeness to Ken Stott’s portrayal of Balin is exceptional! The likeness is scary in a good way that it really feels as if he’s been ripped off the big screen and placed on a shelf. While the sculpt and likeness are excellent, Ms. Crummett did not miss a beat ensuring the rest of the statue was equally good. The embroidery work on his outfit is also very well done and you see the great Dwarvish design of his outfit, which looked beautiful on screen. The execution of Balin’s mace is also superb on this statue. The actual prop is finely detailed with Dwarvish designs. I imagine these must be difficult to transfer to a much smaller scale. Yet, having seen the larger prop replica and compared it to the statue, the quality of reproduction is fabulous. Even though we’re now five pieces into this line I’m still loving the Thror/Thorin’s map on the base. So glad that Weta decided to go with this design.
PAINT
The paintwork on Balin is strong and I believe the best in this line so far (not that I think any of them have had issues). The quality of the paint job brings out the clean lines and the detailed work on the statue. The skin tones are exceptional with the proper use of tones making it look very much like real skin. The job done on Balin’s outfit is equally as good. The paintwork is what helps this look like it was screen used, with the proper coloring matching the outfit worn by Ken Stott. Even his boots show wear through the the paintwork. They look like they’re dirty. As with Orcrist, Balin’s mace came out looking fantastic. You get a great bronze look to the weapon which it had on screen and it looks like its been used in the real world. Critically, the paint enhances the mace’s sculpted details rather than consuming them.
Overall
Balin retails for $230 — a fair price considering the exceptional quality of this statue. This is some of Weta’s best work all around on any single statue and if you enjoyed The Hobbit and the designs of the movie you will want to add to your collection. Even with this statue being an open edition I wouldn’t wait too long to get it, as you never know when the open period could be closed. If Balin and the other four statues are any indication of how this line is going, we’re in for a real treat with the remainder.
SPECIFICATIONS
Balin is an open edition statue with a retail price of $230. He’s also in stock as of right now so don’t delay.
PHOTOS
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Today marks the final contest in the ‘contest extravaganza’ brought to us by our friends at The Noble Collection. The final collectible giveaway is a sterling silver version of The One Ring from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The ring has been laser inscribed with the elvish writing that only fire can tell. The ring comes in a beautiful wooden box and sports a 20″ chain that will allow you to show it off as a proud fan of Middle-earth. You can grab this ring now from The Noble Collection for a stellar price of only $129, or you can enter the contest and try your luck. This final contest starts today and will run through December 28th at midnight PST.
To enter, simply fill out this FORM.
NB: One entry per person per email for this contest. Alas entry is for US residents only. Good luck!
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Thanks to the amazing artist Jerry Vanderstelt, we’ve been teasing for a few weeks now bits and pieces of what would be on his print for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Today, thanks to WB and Jerry, we get to show you – the fans – what the print will look like, pending licensor approval. As you can see, this beautiful print captures many of the biggest moments from the film, and will look exceptional on the wall next to his superb The Lord of the Rings prints. As soon as Jerry is given the green light to put this print up for sale, you can expect we will let you know!
Here are Jerry’s comments on the reveal:
Here we go 🙂 The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey artwork has been sent into Warner Bros. and I was given permission to show the entire piece. This art is subject to approval, but likely everything will remain as you see it. Enjoy!
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Our friends at The Noble Collection have a special contest for you on this Christmas Eve. Today’s contest is for their awesome sterling silver pendant capturing the Dragon Smaug as he is portrayed on Thorin’s Map. The Smaug Pendant retails for a very affordable price of $79 and is in-stock right now.
To enter, simply fill out this FORM. The contest runs from now to December 25nd at midnight PST.
NB: One entry per person per email for this contest. Alas entry is for US residents only. Good luck!
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Continuing the great giveaways celebrating the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey our friends at The Noble Collection provided us with “Swords of The Hobbit” letter opener set for our last giveaway. Tonight, we’re pleased to announce the winner of this awesome prize. The winner is…
Emily F. Congrats Emily on your win and we hope you enjoy this fantastic set!
Following up that contest we’ve got another fantastic chance for you to win a great collectible. The fourth contest from The Noble Collection gives you the chance to add The One Ring to your collection. The prop replica of The One Ring comes in its own special metal display case to protect your precious and can be had for $59.
To enter, simply fill out this FORM. The contest runs from now to December 22nd at midnight PST.
NB: One entry per person per email for this contest. Alas entry is for US residents only. Good luck!
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