‘…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!)
All the details are still being hammered out, but TheOneRing.net is working furiously to plan a trip for fellow fans to travel with us to New Zealand and attend the red carpet event in Wellington for the world premiere of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” on November 28.
Since the date was announced, TORn has been in contact with groups in New Zealand trying to arrange the best possible trip with finances, time away and itinerary as considerations. Highlights of the trip include:
* A visit to Hobbiton Movie Set near Matamata
* Lining the ‘Red Carpet’ for a world-class Wellington premiere party
* A visit to the Weta Cave
* A TORn & Red Carpet Tours costume party
* Other Wellington movie-related experiences, time permitting
Speaking of Red Carpet Tours, fans also have the option of joining a longer Hobbit tour with the trusted tour group long associated with TORn. You can read the itinerary here for the 14-day extravaganza.
TORn expects to finalize details and require a deposit in the neighborhood of $300 for the late-November event. Funds will be used to secure hotel rooms and make other binding travel arrangements. It is expected that the final price will include round-trip air from Los Angeles to New Zealand. Details will be announced as soon as possible but expect to leave just after U.S. Thanksgiving and return about a week later. UPDATE: Yes, there will be land-only prices available.
Stay tuned for details but make arrangements now for this one-in-a-lifetime event!
The day is here! The winner of an official The Hobbit “200 days to go” long sleeve black T-shirt is…
R. Greenleaf from CA
Congrats to you, Mr. Greenleaf! You will be receiving an email shortly. Usually we share only the first name and last initial of our winner, but when one has such a cool last name as ‘Greenleaf‘ we just had to share! (What are the odds that out of thousands of entrants, our random winner generator would choose a LOTR themed name!?)
Thanks to all those who entered. The accepted answer to the contest question was anything from horse, pony or plush toy. Please support the sponsor of this contest, actor Conan Stevens (Bolg in The Hobbit) and the upcoming web series ‘The Clandestine.’ Conan updates his blog quite often, so its a great site to track on a regular basis. [Official Blog] [The Clandestine]
Congrats to the following winners in our ‘One Man Lord of the Rings’ ticket giveaway!
3pm Show – Nikos F. 8pm Show – Jaynie T.
Winner should check their email for details. If you did not win, please consider supporting the New Jersey Performing Arts Center by attending this amazing show! I don’t think we’ve ever heard a bad review, so you are guaranteed to have a wonderful time. You can purchase tickets for this show right now! [Buy Tickets] [Entry Form]
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Reveals Guardians of Middle-earth, an Authentic Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Game for Console Systems Debuting Exclusively on Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network in Fall 2012
BURBANK, Calif.– May 30, 2012–
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announces Guardians of Middle-earth, a new multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by Monolith Productions, set to debut in fall 2012 exclusively for Xbox LIVE(R) Arcade for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation(R)Network. The game will feature tie-ins to the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey motion picture, directed by Peter Jackson and a production of New Line Cinema and MGM.
Guardians of Middle-earth brings up to 10 players together in five versus five competitive multiplayer battle arenas in the epic setting of Middle-earth. The game offers more than 20 iconic guardians, including Gandalf, Sauron, Gollum, Thrain and many more, for players to control in player versus player (PVP) matches. Gamers will have the ability to connect with other players via an in-game voice communication system, as well as access to a comprehensive online stat and leader board system where they can track friends’ victories and defeats, and more. Continue reading “Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Reveals Guardians of Middle-earth, an Authentic Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Game for Console Systems”
Here’s another giveaway at TheOneRing.net ending this week…and this one is a biggy! We are 100% sure you won’t find another opportunity to win an official The Hobbit “200 days to go” long sleeve black T-shirt, supplied to the crew at the end of filming of block one. This giveaway is made possible by actor Conan Stevens (Bolg in The Hobbit) and the upcoming web series ‘The Clandestine.’ Conan has literally taken the shirt off his back to give to one lucky fan! It could not be more easy to participate – Simply visit Bolg’s official blog(Get it? Conan plays Bolg…and its a Blog…), read the entry, and come back to TheOneRing.net to fill out the form below. To find out the answer to the contest question, you will need to watch the video on Conan’s site. (Since we have a lot of rated-G visitors, I will give you a small warning that the content of the video is playfully violent. Conan is, after all, a very large imposing actor who usually plays pretty violent roles!!) The giveaway ends at midnight on May 31st so enter asap! We’ve included a gallery of the shirt at the bottom of this post as well. Good luck!
And of course, lend your support and tune in for the new web series The Clandestine!
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.
