Ringer TheHutt, editor of the Russian LotR and Hobbit site Henneth-Annun, laid his hands on this exclusive German release of “The Hobbit” trilogy. Not only are all three of the movies included in steelbook packaging, but there is also a bonus inclusion: “Bilbo’s Journal”, a notebook in the style of Bilbo’s diary which eventually became the Red Book of Westmarch.
The German BluRays contain English audio, subtitles and menus, and the BluRays are region-free, meaning they are playable worldwide. There is a 2D and a 3D version of this set.
The trilogy is contained in a sturdy glossy slipcase. The title is embossed. The lower part with the German FSK age rating logo is a removable techsheet. When purchasing in a MediaMarkt retail store, there was a coin from the European premiere of The Hobbit 2 in Berlin as a gift.
The tech sheet is attached with some glue dots which are easily removable. The discs are region free and contain English and German in DTS-HDMA 7.1.
The spine. The title is embossed here as well.
The other spine (open). There are 3 steelbooks and Bilbo’s Journal in the slipcase. The fit is quite tight. OCD terror! Behold the placement of the titles and the studio logos. They don’t really fit at all.
The back side shows a fragment of the Map of Middle-Earth, with the Misty Mountains.
The single steelbooks are revealed: Front of AUJ: Bilbo with Gollum in his cave. While the back has 
Gandalf the Grey.
The German discs are the only ones worldwide with color disc labels. The inside of the steelbook is printed with the map of Middle-Earth.
Part 2: “The Desolation of Smaug”. Gandalf in Dol Guldur takes the front cover while Tauriel, Legolas 
and Thranduil in the Elven fortress in Mirkwood are on the back.
The discs are once again printed in color. The inside shows Bilbo in Mirkwood.
Part 3: “The Battle of the Five Armies”. Bard is facing Smaug on the front, while Bilbo in Dale, just about 
to put on the Ring is on the back.
The discs are printed in color. The inside shows a panorama view of burning Laketown.
And now for the most important part of this set: a notebook in the design of Bilbo’s Diary which was to become the Red Book of Westmarch. The front side looks really good.
The back side is rather plain.
There are some surprises inside: there is Bilbo’s portrait, as well as some doodles from his diary.
The next page contains Thorin’s map.
The rest of the pages are empty and are adorned with ornaments from the handle of Bilbo’s sword, Sting.
And another map: Map of Wilderland. The maps, the doodles and the portrait were drawn by Daniel Reeve, calligrapher of the films.
Still, the front views of the single steelbooks look quite good together.
