From December 13, fans with a 3D printer who use the Windows 8 Ads-inApps, or who have an XBox 360 will be able to download a blueprint of The Key To Erebor. And that means they’ll be able to print their own, at home.

Pretty neat.

According to Microsoft’s Owen Sageness, the company partnered with Warner Bros. to make the whole thing happen — and was also pivotal in developing some of the nifty “deep dive” functionality you’ve undoubtedly already seen on the official website for The Hobbit movies. If you haven’t, go check it out — it’s worth it just for the creepy first-person-perspective trip through Dol Guldur! Continue reading “3D print your own key to Erebor from December 13!”

Unexpected PartyIn expanding on Professor Tolkien’s text in his film adaptation, director Peter Jackson allows us to follow Gandalf the Grey into areas that remain secret to us within the text of The Hobbit. As we look forward seeing these events unfold before our eyes next month, this essay by Tedoras examines Gandalf’s journey into the dark fortress of Dol Guldur, what he found there, and the impact that this event had on the fate of Middle-earth. Continue reading “On the Finding of Thror’s Map and the Key to the Lonely Mountain”

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