Weta Workshop is kicking off the Summer in spectacular fashion with three brand-new Middle-earth collectibles that are sure to excite The Lord of the Rings fans and collectors alike.
Leading the charge is the long-awaited 1:6 Scale Gimli – Hunter of the Plains statue, which joins the Classic Series lineup, and finally completes the legendary Three Hunters display alongside Aragorn and Legolas. Capturing the fierce determination and indomitable spirit of the son of Glóin during the chase across Rohan, this beautifully crafted statue is a must-have for collectors who have been waiting to unite the iconic trio. Gimli is available for pre-order now for $399 and is expected to ship in Q1 of next year.
As we shared last week, fans can now start collecting figures from the 1978 Ralph Bakshi The Lord of the Rings animated film. The collectibles are made by our friends at Dark Horse Direct. Set One includes figures of Aragorn, Frodo, and Samwise – which are available right now to pre-order. We’re pleased to announce the folks at Dark Horse Direct have three more members of The Fellowship coming fans’ way.
Set Two of The Lord of the Rings series, which is available for pre-order starting today, includes Boromir son of Gondor, Merry, and Pippin. The size of the figures range from 5″ for the Hobbits to 7.5″ tall for Boromir. This set, like Set One, comes in with a price tag of $89 for all three statues. However, if you pre-order this set from Dark Horse Direct you can save $10 on your order; but that’s not even the best deal we have for you today in this announcement! When ordering both Set One and Set Two from Dark Horse Direct, fans can save $15! Set Two is due to ship in Q1 of next year.
One of the most popular Middle-earth exclusives at San Diego Comic Con every year is the amazing art that comes from our friend Jerry Vanderstelt. SDCC 2026 will be here in just a couple of months, and it’s time for fans who will be there to pre-order Vanderstelt’s SDCC 2026 Exclusive. Collectors can – for the first time ever – get Vanderstelt’s beautiful Rivendell art print in the 12×16 format. Only 400 fans who are going to be at SDCC can pre-order this right now and pick it up during Comic-Con, with the final 100 being saved to be sold during the show. Do not hesitate on getting this now, because it won’t last at the show – and at just $22, these pre-order ones will be gone long before SDCC rolls around!
Already a week has passed since Middle-earth March Madness for 2026 came to a close. Thanks to all who voted, discussed, debated, and generally played along! This year our theme was ‘Clash of the Collectibles’; our team of volunteer staffers offered their own favourite collectibles, and then we voted to get that down to 64 items, which became our opening bracket:
Three weeks and six rounds of voting ensued. With thousands of votes placed throughout the contest, we saw items we thought might go all the way – such as LEGO sets and Weta environments – fall in earlier rounds. Finally, just two items remained…
Stained glass vs DVDs
Talk about a David and Goliath match up! Some of the best selling DVDs of all time – the extended editions of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, in box set with collectible statues – versus hand-made, original designs from an independent artist, Geek Orthodox.
At first the contest seemed like it was going to be fairly one-sided, with the DVDs taking an early lead. Gradually, though, the stained glass came back. The final vote margin was 56% to 44% , with the winner being…
Congratulations to Geek Orthodox! A worthy champion, as a creator of unique, beautiful pieces – check them out here.
Here’s how the completed bracket looked:
Thanks again to all who joined the fun. If you have ideas for a future March Madness theme, please let us know – email spymaster@theonering.net See you same time, same place, next year!
Don’t forget, you can always join the discussion with fellow fans, at the Collectibles channel on our Discord.
Middle-earth March Madness for 2026 is drawing to a close. We started with 64 items in our ‘Clash of the Collectibles’ themed contest; now just two remain. And it’s time for you to vote for the one you would like to see crowned Grand Champion 2026!
Argonath vs Argonath
The first semi final was between the only statuary piece to make it this far (the Argonath bookends) and the DVD box sets of Peter Jackson’s movies – which could have meant any of the extended edition box sets which came with statues, but we used The Fellowship of the Ring set to illustrate the bracket. So it ended up being Pillars of the Kings vs the colossi of the River Anduin (with some DVDs thrown in for good measure…)
If you think it seems unlikely that people would vote for Argonath alone over bookends PLUS movies, you’d be right! This rather unfair match up saw the box sets take almost four fifths of the votes.
A much tougher battle in the other Semi Final
There were two artisanal pieces in this dual – the Red Book of Westmarch prop replica from Magnoli Props vs the stained glass art of Geek Orthodox. Both stunning, both highly desirable pieces to add to any collection. It was certainly a tough battle. In the end, perhaps folks voted for original art over replica; whatever the reason behind the choices, Geek Orthodox won by 55% to 45%.
How the bracket looks for our final show down:
Championship Round
How to decide?!
Those DVD box sets include all the wonders of Peter Jackson’s movies (in extended format). Surely a must-have for collectors? But what if you’re a book purist rather than a movie fan? Geek Orthodox’s gorgeous, original art presents a different view of Middle-earth, unconfined by PJ’s vision and instead going back to the Professor’s words for inspiration. If you had to pick just one – do you go with movies and statues in a box set, so you can revisit the New Zealand version of Tolkien’s realm any time you want? Or do you adorn your home with beautiful representations of the places you visit between the pages; perhaps making a cosy room feel like your own slice of the Shire, ready for you to curl up with a book and head back to Arda? From a collecting point of view, which is more – shall we say – precioussss….?
It’s a tough choice – and it’s YOUR choice! Time to vote! But how does it work, I hear you ask. Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket, region by region. Click on FINAL 4 (at the right hand side) to open the final match up – and there place your vote in the Championship round. Let’s get voting!
You have until 5.45pm PT on Tuesday April 14th t o vote in this final Round. We’ll close voting during TORn Tuesday and then reveal the WINNER. What will be crowned Grand Champion? Place your votes now!
Let us know YOUR thoughts – join the discussion with fellow fans, at the Collectibles channel on our Discord.
The final battles have been fought within the four regions, and now we reach the semi-final in this year’s Middle-earth March Madness – Clash of the Collectibles. Who were the winners in each of the categories?Let’s take a look:
Connecting to Middle-earth through favourite figures
The final in this region saw the Argonath bookends take on Prime 1’s Balrog vs Gandalf, a piece which had been a surprise victor over Weta Workshop’s Master Collection ‘The Fellowship’. This time, however, its luck had run out – the Argonath bookends won, though with a margin of just 8%.
Argonath bookends
Experiencing Middle-earth in Print and Music
This seemed a little unfair: DVD Box Sets vs the movie soundtracks. If you have the DVDs, you get the films AND the soundtrack, so surely it’s no contest? Maybe – but even so, almost one third of votes placed were for the soundtracks. Howard Shore’s music is beloved indeed. Nonetheless, the Box Sets move on to the Final Four.
Semi Final sees Argonath against Argonath
Inhabiting Middle-earth through Environments and Replicas
Weta Workshop‘s Rivendell took on the Red Book of Westmarch prop replica – two stunning pieces, but only one can make the Semi Final. It was a very tough battle – votes went almost 50/50, and in the end there was just 2% in it! The Red Book (West)marches into the Final Four.
The Red Book
Playing in Middle-earth with toys, games and other curiosities
That Hobbiton Green Dragon mug is absolutely lovely – but Geek Orthodox is on a roll, and proved victorious once again, securing three fifths of the vote.
More incredible stained glass art
How the bracket looks now:
Final Four
It’s Argonath against Argonath – bookends vs DVD box sets with statues. The outcome of that dual is obvious, surely…? The other semi final sees two mighty masterpieces face off – the Red Book prop replica from Magnoli vs the stunning stained glass of Geek Orthodox. That is a tough choice indeed! Which would you want to see in the Final?
Time to vote! But how does it work, I hear you ask. Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket, region by region. Click on FINAL FOUR (at the right hand side) to open the semi final pairings – and there place your vote. Let’s get voting!
You have until the end of the day Friday April 10th to vote in Round Five; Saturday April 11th we’ll launch the GRAND FINAL, the winner of which will be revealed on TORn Tuesday next week. Which of the Final Four do you want to see as Grand Champion? Place your votes now!
Let us know YOUR thoughts – join the discussion with fellow fans, at the Collectibles channel on our Discord.
Weta Workshop is kicking off the Summer in spectacular fashion with three brand-new Middle-earth collectibles that are sure to excite The Lord of the Rings fans and collectors alike.
