Today 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.
Between now and August 13, The Dukes theater in Lancashire, U.K., will be performing J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit as their summer season’s ‘walkabout’ outdoor show. The audience will literally follow along as Bilbo Baggins joins Gandalf, Thorin, and his company of dwarves on their mission, quest, thing, to regain their long-lost treasure from the dragon Smaug. From the Westmorland Gazette:
Since 1987, The Dukes walkabout shows have transformed Williamson Park into Neverland, Oz, Ancient Greece and now Middle Earth.
“I feel like the park chose The Hobbit,” explained The Dukes artistic director, Joe Sumsion. “There are some shows – and this is one of them – where people’s instant reaction is to say that will be great in the park. It’s the natural environment for it. The strongest elements in the book are its humour and charm. We plan to capture this, offering an intimate experience where the audience can get really close to all these fascinating characters and creatures.”
According to the Gazette article, there’s also a Lord the The Rings and The Hobbit movie connection in that Andy Serkis began his professional acting career at The Dukes, performing in its first outdoor performance in 1987. Performances of The Hobbit are at 7:15 p.m. nightly except for Sundays. Visit The Dukes website for more information and to purchase tickets.
In the ‘pretty darn cool’ department, an ‘authentic’ Hobbit hole in Orondo Washington, U.S.A., is now available to rent. While we’ve reported on similar things before, the accommodations at this dwelling come compete with rustic furniture, a nice little garden, an absolutely gorgeous mountain view and, yes, shampoo. Whether you use the shampoo on your head, your feet, or both, is up to you.
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…
One 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”
Hobbits for Kids in Care is an initiative of The Brisbane Tolkien Fellowship in Queensland Australia.
Their aim is to donate Hobbit Books to present as gifts to children who are in Foster and Statutory Care. They aim to achieve a target of 1500 Hobbit Books before October 15, 2016. The books will be presented at their Annual Dinner Dance to The Pyjama Foundation.