Last year we teamed up with the folks at Star Ace Toys to talk about their Defo-Real Ringwraith. Well, we’re pleased to do it again, this time we’re talking about their Defo-Real Deluxe Balrog. This version of the Balrog is stylized, similar to the way the Ringwraith has been done. It’s a very fun twist on one of the coolest Middle-earth creatures. The cherry on top is if you get the deluxe version, you also get a very cool mini Gandalf, so you can recreate Gandalf and the Balrog battling it out on the Balrog’s very own Moria base. The Balrog is in-stock, ready for purchase, from Sideshow Collectibles for $105. So check out the review and then go take a chance on this very cool Balrog.
Yesterday this amazing looking collectible of the Witch-king and Frodo at Weathertop went up for pre-order from our friends at Weta Workshop. Today, only 24 hours later, this statue is already showing as being “low on stock”. So while it won’t ship until March, I would not hesitate in ordering this collectible ASAP, as the 700 pieces in this edition size won’t be lasting long. Also, don’t forget about Weta’s payment plan system making it even easier for fans to snag this superb piece of art.
Back in 2017 I shared my collection with all of you fellow Ringers. Over the course of the last three years I have had many of you asking, “how’s my collection?” or “will you show an update of how things are looking?” So I decided that I would start this summer off with a video that shows how my collection is going. I hope you all enjoy a look at where my collection is right now, and I appreciate the time you take to watch it.
Calling all creative fans of Middle-earth! Our good friends at Oscha Slings, purveyors of items of great beauty, are holding a contest!
This is your chance to create a unique Lord of the Rings or Hobbit themed design to be woven into a scarf, shawl, baby sling or throw. Whatever realm of Middle-earth inspires you, now is your chance! The only limitation is that it must be book inspired rather than movie inspired. You have a month to create your design; then submit it via the google form below, by midnight BST on 26th July 2020.
To view the existing range and get inspiration visit Oscha Slings. Oscha are looking for a new pattern that they haven’t done before, and something that is clearly iconic of Middle-earth. They welcome entries that have a strong illustrative style, beautiful line work, and creativity! You’ll find more guidance about what makes a good design in the Terms and Conditions at the google form.
Be sure to read the guidelines and Terms and Conditions carefully on the form before submitting your entry! Click here to enter.
The folks at Oscha say they can’t wait to see what you come up with; and we look forward to seeing it, too! Get those pencils out and get doodling!
Six rounds, with well over 5,000 votes in each round; much impassioned discussion in chat rooms and on Facebook threads; multiple live results shows; and now it’s done. Middle-earth March Madness 2020 drew to a close last night; if you missed the live results show, you can catch it here. (Last night the panelists looked back on the past nine years of Middle-earth March Madness, and also discussed some of our least favourite scenes in Peter Jackson’s movies, before the big reveal of this year’s winner!) Or simply read on, to find out which scene was declared Grand Champion 2020.
This year’s theme was ‘Film Scenes’, and we started off with a selection of 64 favourite moments from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, chosen and voted on for seeding by TORn staffers. These were divided into four categroies: Scenic, Laughter, Tearjerkers and Drama/Action. Staff chose considerably more Lord of the Rings moments than Hobbit moments as favourites, and only one Hobbit scene (Bilbo saying farewell to the dwarves) made it out of Round One. (It was defeated in Round Two by Boromir’s death.) Perhaps the most notable upset in Round One was the defeat in the Tearjerker group of the number one seed, the Grey Havens, by the number 16 seed, ‘You bow to no one’. This latter scene went all the way to the Semi Final, suggesting that it should perhaps have started with a higher seed; but clearly it wasn’t a high favourite amongst the staff who voted on seeding. (What do TORn staff know…?! I’m still shocked that the ‘Dare we risk a little more light’ moment in the great hall of Moria didn’t make it past the first round!)
Our two eventual finalists were the winner of the Scenic bracket, ‘Lighting the Beacons’, vs the Drama/Action champion, ‘The Charge of the Rohirrim’. Feelings ran high for this one, with many fans expressing their love for one side of the other. As more and more comments appeared on Facebook, however, it seemed pretty clearly that voting was going more to one side – and in the end, it wasn’t a particularly close battle. The victorious scene took 68% of the vote.
And so, we can reveal the Grand Champion of Middle-earth March Madness 2020:
…
The stirring speech by King Theoden, and the heroic plunge into battle, defeated the call for aid which lead directly to that moment, as Rohan comes to help Gondor – making the Charge of the Rohirrim this year’s overall winner.
Here is the final bracket for 2020:
We also announced last night the winner of the fabulous Balrog statue, from our friends at Sideshow. Congratulations to A. Fuentes; look out for an email coming your way! Thanks again to Sideshow for letting us do such a great giveaway.
And thanks to all of YOU, for having some March Madness fun with us over these last couple of weeks. Don’t forget, you can still catch last night’s live results show, here. We’re already thinking about what our theme next year might be… Meanwhile, stay tuned for more fun and live events from TORn, as we get through these strange, locked-down days together. Your friends are with you! Fear no darkness!
And then there were two… Middle-earth March Madness 2020 began just over two weeks ago, and here we are, arrived at the FINAL. We started out with 64 scenes from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, divided into four categories: Tearjerkers, Scenic, Laughter, and Drama/Action. Five rounds later, and just two scenes remain, to battle for the title of Grand Champion 2020.
Once again we had almost 5,500 people vote in the last round; if you missed last night’s live results show, you can watch it here. (Panelists on last night’s show also discussed what they would choose for their own personal top four scenes from PJ’s movies; see if your choices coincide with theirs!)
In Round Five, we saw the Laughter division winner take on the champion from the Drama/Action category: ‘Would you like me to find you a box?’ vs The Charge of the Rohirrim. Comedy, it turned out, was no match for an epic battle sequence; the Rohirrim took almost three quarters of the vote to secure their place in the final.
But Theoden shouldn’t be cheering too soon; the Rohirrim face a very tough opponent in the Final. The other Semi Final was between the Scenic and Tearjerker brackets, and this was a really closely fought contest. It went right down to the wire, with strong feelings on both sides; the final vote split was 51% to 49%! By this narrowest of margins, Lighting the Beacons defeated ‘You bow to no one’; so it is Gondor’s call for aid which goes through to this year’s final.
Here is the bracket as it currently stands:
Feelings are likely to run high for this face off. Which epic sequence gets YOUR vote? You have until 10pm TOMORROW night (Wednesday 15th) to make your voice heard, so don’t delay! We’re also still taking entries for our GIVEAWAY of an awesome Balrog statue, from our friends at Sideshow. Vote again, submit your details again, and be in with a second chance to win!
We’ll have our final LIVE RESULTS SHOW tomorrow night at 10pm ET; you can find that, as ever, on our facebook page. Hope to see you there; or check back here on Thursday morning to find out who is Middle-earth March Madness Grand Champion 2020. VOTE NOW!
Last year we teamed up with the folks at Star Ace Toys to talk about their Defo-Real Ringwraith. Well, we’re pleased to do it again, this time we’re talking about their Defo-Real Deluxe Balrog. This version of the Balrog is stylized, similar to the way the Ringwraith has been done. It’s a very fun twist on one of the coolest Middle-earth creatures. The cherry on top is if you get the deluxe version, you also get a very cool mini Gandalf, so you can recreate Gandalf and the Balrog battling it out on the Balrog’s very own Moria base. The Balrog is in-stock, ready for purchase, from Sideshow Collectibles for $105. So check out the review and then go take a chance on this very cool Balrog.
