It’s no secret that the artists of Weta Workshop who brought both Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to life are an insanely talented bunch, but have you ever wondered what they’ve been up to post Middle-earth? Aside from contributing to multiple other films and their own projects, several have been collaborating on a wonderful series of books showcasing their Fantasy and Science Fiction art: White Cloud Worlds. New Zealand’s Maori name is Aotearoa, which means “the land of the long white cloud,” and given that the art is all Kiwi-made, well, you get the picture! Several of the art pieces included were also inspired by Middle-earth.
The covers of Volumes 1 & 2
Books one and two have already been released, and book three is due out in November. This new volume is said to contain over 200 images, showcasing the work of 60 New Zealand artists, several of whom include such Middle-earth artists as:
Gus Hunter, Weta Workshop Designer, LOTR & The Hobbit
Ben Wootten, Weta Workshop Designer, LOTR
Paul Tobin, Weta Workshop Designer, The Hobbit
Jamie Beswarick, Weta Workshop Designer, LOTR & The Hobbit
Andrew Baker, Weta Workshop Designer, The Hobbit
Lindsey Crummett, Weta Workshop Designer, The Hobbit
One of my favorite creatures in all of Middle-earth is the Balrog. When this guy first popped on-screen in The Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring, my jaw dropped with just how cool he looked, and last year at Comic-Con the same thing happened when I saw this amazing piece. Part of the reborn The Lord of the Rings statue line, this time fans get a large version of this mind blowing creature. Coming in at 20.5″ high, with a weight of 33 pounds the Balrog is going to be a piece that will make everyone who sees your collection stop and look at it in awe. Shipping right now from all warehouses, the Balrog can be yours for $649 with an edition size of only 1500 pieces worldwide. Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s The Balrog: The Demon of Shadow and Flame”
Today, is the last of the three week run of Weta Workshop post Comic-Con extravaganza collectibles.We end this run with a very cool rider piece capturing Dain Ironfoot himself on that really awesome War Boar. Dain, who hopefully we get to see a bit more of in the extended edition because what we did get to see of him in the theatrical release was pretty cool, is presented in incredible detail. One of the other things I really liked about Dain, besides the incredible detail and likeness, was the metallic paint used on the armor. Fans can order Dain right now for a solid price of $449 with a pretty low edition size of just 800 pieces worldwide. You can expect Dain to arrive into your collection during the first quarter of 2016.
As we’ve mentioned before, Asmus Toys is doing 1:6 figures from both The Lord of the Rings as well as The Hobbit. Our friends at Sideshow Collectibles are helping fans get both Aragorn and Tauriel by distributing them to collectors. Both figures come with loads of items allowing you to create whatever poses you want. Plus, if you order Aragorn you get a special base with an Amon Hen theme. You can snag Aragorn for $199, and he is due to ship between September and December of this year. Tauriel will be shipping to collectors a little sooner, with a shipping scheduled for September or October of this year.
This week marks the second of the three week Weta post Comic-Con Extravaganza. Fans of Middle-earth now have the chance to add the Uruk-hai Swordsman who was part of Saruman’s army attack on Helm’s Deep to their collections. The Uruks were some of the coolest creatures we’ve seen in any movie, and this statue does such a fantastic job capturing all that amazing work by our friends at Weta. You can snag the Uruk-hai Swordsman for $299, he comes with an edition size of 1500 pieces world-wide.
Our good friends at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt this week released Tolkien’s wonderful translation of Beowulfin paperback – and to celebrate, they are offering YOU a chance to win a copy of the paperback, as well as a poster of the beautiful cover art (drawn by Tolkien himself).
To enter, all you have to do is click here and complete the entry form. The contest winner will be selected on August 18th – so don’t delay! (Alas, this US based competition is only open to those who are over 18 and who have a valid US address – sorry!)
If you didn’t grab a copy of Beowulf in hardback, now is your chance to own this fabulous translation by the Professor. You can read TORn staffers’ reviews of this edition here and here; suffice to say, it’s well worth adding to your library. Snap up a copy or try your luck to win the poster as well!
