IMG_7814Comic-Con 2016 has come to and end. However, I’m here to let you know that we’re just getting started with the excitement over what we saw during last week’s event. In this article, we bring you pictures of the many items that could be found at the Weta Workshop booth. Weta had so many new items this year, and they were all amazing. I can’t wait to get so many of these into my collection. The new items making the show this year that fans can pre-order right now are: Lurtz at Amon Hen, Boromir at Amon Hen, Saruman the White at Dol Guldur, Elven Warrior, and Lady Eowyn of Rohan. Fans also have these superb items to look forward to Galadriel at Dol Guldur, War Troll, Skully Helm, Grond, Gimli at Helm’s Deep, The Witch King at Dol Guldur, and the 1:30 Dol Guldur Environment/mini-figures. Below you will find details of these statues with edition sizes and the names of the talented artist who bring you these collectibles. You will also find pictures taken during Comic-Con. I hope they bring you the excitement of event the way I saw it as I was drooling over these collectibles.

Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop Comic-Con Booth Coverage Part 1”

86-01-01919_LOTR_Boromir_1-6_002Today we’ve got a first look for you at some of the items that will be at the Weta Workshop booth during Comic-Con 2016. Both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are covered with pieces that will be in high demand when they go up for pre-order.

From The Lord of the Rings we get a duo of statues that help recreate one of the coolest yet saddest scenes in the trilogy with Lurtz taking down Boromir at Amon Hen.

The helmet line has also been rebooted in full glory with the Skully Helm from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. One piece not pictured below but we will get you pictures is the best version of Galadriel we’ve seen done.

From The Hobbit there is a great looking Saruman the White statue and a HUGE War Troll from The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Stay tuned as we have plenty of coverage of this weeks new items.

Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop Comic-Con 2016 First Look”

czech republic reinactment 2016
Courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

A long-standing Spring tradition was repeated this weekend in the Czech Republic. Hundreds of fans recreated a battle from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth literature. This year it was The Battle of the Five Armies from The Hobbit. Fans choose sides, join together, then march until they meet the enemy. Armed with plastic and/or foam-tipped weapons, the worst of the injuries from the battle that ensues are bumps and bruises. However, where costumes are concerned, the competition gets serious, producing some very impressive and intimating-looking warriors on both sides.  Check out this story, and great video footage, from the U.K. Telegraph, and let us know in our comment section, or on our Forums, which side you’d be on if you could join the battle. Would your choice be based on which side you’d like to fight on, which would be the best cosplay opportunity, or both? Read more…

Music_of_Howard_ShoreOur friend, Doug Adams, recently confirmed via twitter that the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s program later this month, The Film Music of Howard Shore, will include the premiere of The Hobbit: Four Movements Ra. This has been long awaited by fans as a logical progression from Shore’s The Lord of the Rings Symphony, released on CD in September 2011. No word yet on if and when it might be available on CD, but if you’re in or near the Pittsburgh area at the end of this month, the performances are scheduled for Friday, June 24 and Saturday, 25 at 8:00 p.m. with an afternoon concert scheduled for Sunday, June 26. In addition to music from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the performances will also include music from other Howard Shore scores such as The Aviator, Hugo and The Silence of the Lambs, and more. Get more information and purchase tickets here, on the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s website.

Update: thanks to Doug, we can now share the official press release for the event! Check it out below, and be sure to purchase your tickets soon if you’re lucky enough to be able to go. Also, don’t forget to send us your reports and pictures from the concert!

The Film Music of Howard Shore

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestraorld Premiere:

THE HOBBIT

FOUR MOVEMENTS FOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

with many more favorites from his outstanding career

June 24, 2016 – June 26, 2016 at Heinz Hall

Special Guest Howard Shore

 

Artists

Howard Shore, special guest

Ludwig Wicki, conductor

Jon Burlingame, interviewer

Lydia Kavina, Theremin

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concludes another spectacular Pops season with a one of a kind evening: an audience with the Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra celebrates the outstanding career and achievements of a true icon, with performances of his best known scores and live interviews, by acclaimed film music writer Jon Burlingame, with the composer from the stage. Audiences will thrill to the music from his legendary scores to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the world premiere of music from The Hobbit with scores from his films: The Aviator, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Silence of the Lambs, Hugo and many more. This is an epic evening filled with amazing music and the composer’s own insights.

A unique experience not to be missed!

June 24 at 8:00 pm

June 25 at 8:00 pm

June 26 at 2:30 pm

Buy Tickets: 412-392-4900

http://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/Shore

Heinz Hall | 600 Penn Ave | Pittsburgh, PA | 15222

HSPittsburgwebpostershort516

 

Weta CaveOne of the many things I love about our friends at Weta Workshop is they’re always trying to find ways to bring new collectibles based on the world of Middle-earth into our homes. Not only that, but they listen so well to the things fans want, and this is a line that has been gaining steam from what I’ve been seeing at places like The Flame of Udun. Showing up at Comic-Con 2016, these new 1:30 scale Middle-earth pieces will give fans a chance to create dioramas or mini-scenes from both The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. As you will see in this video, the first piece being done is capturing the events of Dol Guldur during The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. One thing of note when it comes to this line: you will be able to buy lots of these figures individually so you can create a scene however you’d like. There is also one surprise in this video of something we may see at Comic-Con this year. Let us know if you see it. Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s New 1:30 Range of Middle-earth Collectibles”

Peter Jackson Thank You Red Book
Thank You ‘Red Book’ sent to Peter Jackson

It’s been almost a year since The One Last Party, but we haven’t forgotten it, and we didn’t want Peter Jackson to think we’d forgotten about him either. As you may remember, one of the promises we made on the Indiegogo campaign was that we would send Peter a “thank you” card. To be exact, we said, “Your name will go on an EPIC ‘thank you’ card we will present or send to Peter Jackson, from fans everywhere, to express our appreciation for the immense effort he and his cast and crew have put into the epic journey of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films.”

After the campaign ended, the TORn staff began brainstorming how to get all the names on one card – there were a lot of them! We decided to create a keepsake ‘Red Book’ for Peter. TORn staffer and designer, Mithril (Nancy Steinman), found a gorgeous leather journal and then designed and illustrated the interior pages and bound them into the book. Out of the 194 pages of the journal, 180 of them were the list of names!

Peter now has his journal, but we thought all of you deserved something to remember that fantastic night, too (besides your gift bags), so Mithril reached out with some questions to one of the party planners who was absolutely instrumental in making the party happen. Following is the interview with TORn Senior Staffer greendragon, and scroll down to see some photos of the journal and the party.

Continue reading “The One Last Party – One Year Later”