So every so often I get asked whether I would entertain reviewing one of the old Sideshow/Weta pieces. So, I decided to go ahead and review one, which turned out to be quite a bit of fun. I decided to take a look-back at the Theoden statue, one of my favorites from the original line. Theoden came out in 2003 and has an edition size of 2000 pieces. During that time you cold get Theoden brand new for $125. Obviously this piece is sold out now, but you can track him down on eBay. Watch my review now for loads of information on this classic piece.
Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Sideshow/Weta Theoden Statue Review”

Amazon Prime’s Twitter and Facebook accounts have just dropped a new video introducing fans to the team of creators behind their new “Lord of the Rings” Prequel Series!

This includes such faces as showrunners J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay, as well the vast team of accomplished writers, producers, director J.A. Bayona, our beloved Tolkien artist John Howe and renowned Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey (yours truly would be lying if he didn’t say these last two fill him particularly with joy!).

Continue reading “Amazon Prime Introduces their “Fellowship” of Creators”

One of the many great things about The Lord of the Rings is the extreme depth of characters you will find. For some collectors their favorite character may just fall into a secondary character status. Our friends at Weta Workshop know this and aren’t afraid to tackle someone who didn’t get a lot of screen time. Today’s review is a perfect example of this with Haldir. While Haldir didn’t get a lot of screen time his impact on the story shouldn’t be thought of as minor. This statue was done right and fans of Haldir should be proud to own him. You can still get him for $399 from the US and EU warehouses and with an edition of 750 there aren’t going to be too many of him left.

Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s Haldir Statue Review”

The Incredible Art Gallery in San Jose is hosting a free, three-day Fantasy art show featuring Tolkien-inspired art, among others.

Free Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Disney, Star Wars. Marvel & Game of Thrones Art Event featuring Nationally Recognized Fine Artists Christopher Clark Art & Kat Tatz at Hyatt Place San Jose/Downtown 282 Almaden Blvd, San Jose, CA 95113.

FREE Admission & Attendees will receive a FREE 9″ x 11″ Lord of the Rings print (Limit 1 per 2 attendees). Artists will sign & add paint highlights/embellishments to purchased artwork making each piece unique & one of a kind.

There will be a huge exhibit of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, DC Comics, Game of Thrones & Alice in Wonderland art on display & available to purchase along with Show Specials. Original oil on canvas paintings will also be available for purchase.

Event is Kid Friendly. Cosplayers are welcome! Cosplay With Pride will be present for free photo opportunities.

Sounds like a fantastic opportunity for residents of the Bay Area! Link to the Facebook event page here.

The 1978 animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, created by acclaimed filmmaker Ralph Bakshi, is celebrating its 40th Anniversary, and the director took time to speak at length with The Hollywood Reporter about the journey to get the film made, beginning with his love of Tolkien and how the novels influenced one of his earlier projects.

“As far as realistic adult fantasy, Tolkien certainly was the best I’d ever read,” says Bakshi, who regularly consumed sci-fi and fantasy like Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian pulp novels in the ‘50s. “There was a very big fantasy kick going on in the underground and in popular culture [in the ‘60s and ‘70s]. That kick eventually had me make the picture Wizards.”

The $1.3 million budgeted, politically acute Wizards incorporated a number of Tolkienesque characters in its post-apocalyptic setting, from fairies and elves and dwarves to the title characters themselves.

Continue reading “Ralph Bakshi looks back at “The Lord of the Rings” for its 40th Anniversary”

One of my favorite lines from our freinds at Weta Workshop is the mini-statue line. As I’ve mentioned before, these statues are really super well done, and done at a price that allows for collectors on a budget to get some Middle-earth goodness.

A statue of Samwise was long over due, as he has not had one from Weta since the Sam and Bill statue 17 years ago. Samwise comes in with a price tag of $79 and is a short pre-order with a shipping due date of just this month.