As many of you may know when we did our magazine for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey we took submissions from collectors around the world. A few of these ended up appearing in the magazine allowing people all over the world to see some of what you’ve taken time show off your love for Middle-earth. Recently, I was able to finally able to set up my collection and be able to really appreciate many of the pieces I’ve managed to add. Thankfully the room my stuff in now is large enough to show off everything I’ve got with room to spare for new items from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Even if I’m still getting items out of storage to show off. This collection through ups and downs (selling items) started back in 2003 and continues on for a while. It’s my way of allowing people see what Middle-earth means to me and explain why they’re missing out on such a great universe. I hope you enjoy taking a peek into my collection and what it looks like after its been reviewed.
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“I made a promise, Mr Frodo. A promise! ‘Don’t you leave him Samwise Gamgee.’ And I don’t mean to! I don’t mean to.”
— Samwise Gamgee to Frodo
The Fellowship of the Ring
Last year at Comic-Con 2012 two Hobbits made an appearance as one of the newest entries to Sideshow Collectibles The Lord of the Rings statue line. The two Hobbits fans got a glimpse at were the Ringbearer himself and the most loyal friend you could ever have Samwise Gamgee. These two make their appearance in this line as we see them towards the end of The Return of the King in the Orc armor they get from Cirith Ungol. The regular release for this statue gets you two amazing head sculpts of Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, while the exclusive gets you these two headsculpts wearing the Orc helmets they find with the armor.
PACKAGING
Graphically the box of the Frodo/Sam statue follows the same path as previous releases from this series. You have the front and back panels, which are black with The Lord of the Rings and Frodo/Sam done in a shade of Silver. While on the sides of the box you get an image of the statue from two different angles. The material on the outside of the box continues the matte finish we’ve seen with the last several boxes in this line. The Styrofoam on the inside has once again done its job of making sure the statue makes it intact, and to help with the multiple sculpts they’ve been wrapped separately in a cushion wrap.
SCULPTING
Gabriel Marquez and the uber talented Trevor Grove were tasked with bringing Frodo/Sam to life. These are two of the best likenesses I’ve seen of either character in the years I’ve been collecting Middle-earth. What’s great about the Frodo sculpt besides the likeness is the pain/agony Frodo is going through by this point in the story. We know that the Ring has finally worn him down and this very much comes through in the final product. Samwise is loyal and loves Frodo. Its one of the best things about the character because he is willing to give his life to make sure Frodo succeeds. I think this comes through in spades with the Samwise sculpt. He has that look of protection on his face as if something is about to come at Frodo and keep him from finishing the task.
Sideshow has a great history of making the costumes the characters wore in the movies translate into polystone. This is another case where they were successful in making that happen. The Orc costumes have tons of leatherwork involved and not brand new leatherwork either. This comes across very nicely in the sculpt of both the leather and the chainmail with both having knicks, dents, and holes to make it look worn. One thing I love about the sculpt is the gloves. I love how they’re sculpted where the fingers do not fill the gloves. If you ordered the exclusive you get both sculpts wearing the Orc helms they steal from Cirith Ungol. These helms look worn and just like we saw on screen during the movie. You also don’t loose the likeness with the Sam helmeted sculpt nor the feeling of agony from Frodo’s eyes. You also get a couple of weapons with this statue with those being the Orc sword and of course Sting which Samwise carries. Finally, the base is really well done with the rocks giving you the feel that they’re crossing The Plains of Gorgoth.
PAINT
As I said earlier the sculpts are really well done, but that can be lost if the paint is not done very good. That did not happen with this statue as the skin tone is fantastic and has the proper amount of dirt/ash to complete the look both characters had at that point. The eyes are also well done on both statues with Frodo being exceptional allowing the emotional rise/fall he’s going through to come through in the sculpt. Another great job was done on the outfit of the two characters with the worn looked sculpted being enhanced to look worn by the paint job. These outfits very much feel the way they looked on screen that some Orc has been living in for sometime. The same can be said for the Orc sword with it looking rusted and worn from years of just being out in the elements. You can say the same for the base with the look you see of Mordor coming through loud and clear.
Overall
Frodo and Sam come in with a price tag of $275 which for two statues in one is a really solid deal. The exclusive has an edition size set at only 500 pieces while the regular has an edition size of 1000 pieces world wide. Both items are currently in-stock but do not miss a chance to own this fantastic statue!
“I’m glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee…here at the end of all things.”
– Frodo to Sam after the destruction of The One Ring
The Return of the King
SPECIFICATIONS
Frodo and Sam have an edition size of 500 pieces World Wide for the Exclusive and 1000 pieces World Wide for the Regular. The dimensions for the Frodo/Sam are as followed: 14″ x 8.75″ x 8.5″ (H x W x D)
PHOTOS
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“They were by far the most powerful of his servants, and the most suitable for such a mission, since they were entirely enslaved to their Nine Rings, which he now himself held.”
— Unfinished Tales, p. 338
As the saying goes there are always two sides to the same coin. The last statue that from Sideshow Collectibles The Lord of the Rings statue line was the Witch-king as we see him before Frodo puts on the ring. Now, we get the other side of that same coin with the exception of this is what we see from Frodo’s point of view after he puts on the ring. Both statues exclusive version come with him holding the Morgul Blade to give you the full effect of both points of view.
PACKAGING
The graphics on the outside of the box follow the same pattern set by the previous statues in this series. Following the trend as I mentioned about being the other side of the coin this box instead of being black is all white, with the exception of The Lord of the Rings being in gold and the character name in a silver. While the sides of the box you get an image of the statue from two different angles. The material of the box is continues the matte finish we saw with the last statue. The inside of the box saw the biggest change though from previous statues even the last Ringwraith statue. The flowing robes of the Witch-king caused Sideshow to create a big hole that made the Styrofoam adequate for the robes. There have been a few cases where despite the best efforts to make sure this statue arrived ok that it did show up broken.
SCULPTING
Gabriel Marquez was once again tasked with bringing a Ringwraith to life all while capturing the evil and power they posses. As was the case with the other statue the job done bringing this side of the character to life was superbly done. The complexity of this statue is actually much more difficult than his previous effort because of the massive flowing robes. The robes are very intricate and have been sculpted in a way that it has the feel of the Wraith world, but also has cloth look we’ve come to expect from the talent at Sideshow.
Unlike the previous statue there is a facial sculpt that must capture the likeness of the Witch-king as Frodo saw him after he put the ring on. When we see the Witch-king he looks he looks like a man long dead who is still lingering due to the power of Sauron, and this statue has captured that look as fantastically as can be done. You get great detail in the cheekbones and sunken eyes that the Witch-king has when you see him. His crown also looks like long worn metal that should have fallen apart years ago. The same can be said with his sword and if you get the exclusive the Morgul Blade that he stabs Frodo in the shoulder with.
PAINT
Normally, when you have a statue with a likeness you want a nice skin color that looks like someone who is still among the living. That is not the case though with the Witch-king since he is no a member of the Wraith world. His skin tone is the proper pale looking color we see on screen, while also matching the pictures of the costume outside of that scene. It very much gives you the feel this is someone who is no longer human and has long given himself to the will of Sauron. The robes have a great mix of grey, blue, and white to very much give that Wraith world feel you get from this particular moment. The previously mentioned metal parts would not have that worn feel they have within the sculpt if it wasn’t for the great job creating a worn metal paint look. So again the paint only helps add to the feel this piece has of someone who has been around for quite some time. The base is not to be left out of the discussion for how nicely this piece is painted giving that old run down look Wetathertop had when Strider and the Hobbits rested there.
Overall
The Witch-king costs $275 from Sideshow Collectibles for both the exclusive and regular versions of the statue. The exclusive has an edition size set at only 300 pieces while the regular has an edition size of 1000 pieces world wide. There is currently a wait list for the exclusive but the regular version is in stock. Do not let a collectible as well done as this one slip by so go to Sideshow’s site right now and purchase this statue!
SPECIFICATIONS
The Witch-king has an edition size of 300 pieces World Wide for the Exclusive and 1000 pieces World Wide for the Regular. The dimensions for the Witch-king are as followed: 18.5″ x 12″ x 12.5″ (H x W x D)
PHOTOS
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Only days away from the Tolkien event of the year and we are pleased to announce our latest sponsor for ‘The One Expected Party’ – Sideshow Collectibles! Sideshow is not just a long-time friend of TheOneRing.net, they are also manufacturers of some of the best Tolkien related collectibles available!
Sideshow Collectibles
More than 15 years ago, Sideshow Collectibles embarked on a mission of connecting people with their favorite icons from the worlds of film, television and comic books. This innocent quest has since blossomed into a unique celebration of popular culture, made possible by a worldwide devoted community committed to the art and lifestyle of collecting.
Sideshow Experience is an insight into our travels, a showcasing of creative endeavors, personal expression, and meaningful relationships developed through this unusual journey.
Sideshow does business online at SideshowCollectibles.com
Sideshow is pulling all the stops to help support our event. From loaning us a life-size troll, Gollum and a few other decorative pieces, they are also generously donating some extremely unique collectibles for our silent auctions and giveaways. We mentioned previously the Artist Proof Balrog, but we are now also pleased to announced a few other hand signed pieces of fine art: Gandalf On Gwaihir Over Helm’s Deep Artist Proof by Alan Lee (signed by Alan Lee, Richard Taylor, and Ian McKellen); Barad-Dur by John Howe (signed Richard Taylor, Peter Jackson and John Howe); and Rivendell Artist Proof by Alan Lee (signed by Richard Taylor, Alan Lee and Peter Jackson). Yea – those are some impressive pieces and available at the party!
Tickets are still available to the public, so don’t miss out! This will be one party you simply cannot miss!
[Purchase Tickets] [Art Show Tickets] [Sideshow Collectibles]
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We are only 20 days away from ‘The One Expected Party‘ and we are very excited to share with you the preliminary list of auction and raffle items coming to the party. By far the highlight of the event will be a 2002 Sideshow/Weta Collectibles Balrog Statue – Artist Proof. Yes, THAT Balrog statue – the one that has sold on eBay for a small fortune. We’ve also got a Gollum statue from Weta Collectibles signed by Andy Serkis himself! And if you are looking for even more collectibles from the early 2000s…how about the Houghton Mifflin ‘No Admittance Except on Party Business’ – Bookends? Check out the Raffles/Auctions page for more items, but I’m sure we’ll have more to share as we get closer to the event. Remember, tickets are still available for both the party and ‘The Unexpected Art Show‘ – so snag your tickets today! [Auction/Raffle Listing] [Party Tickets] [Art Show Tickets]
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Today is a day full of surprises. Our friends from Sideshow Collectibles have announced they have a license to make products from The Hobbit. At this time we do not know everything that is in store, but looking at their previous works it could be Premium Formats, Dioramas, Legendary Scale Figures, etc.. As soon as we know we will pass this along to you the fans. For now we can dream of the goodness to come. [Learn More]
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As many of you may know when we did our magazine for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey we took submissions from collectors around the world. A few of these ended up appearing in the magazine allowing people all over the world to see some of what you’ve taken time show off your love for Middle-earth. Recently, I was able to finally able to set up my collection and be able to really appreciate many of the pieces I’ve managed to add. Thankfully the room my stuff in now is large enough to show off everything I’ve got with room to spare for new items from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Even if I’m still getting items out of storage to show off. This collection through ups and downs (selling items) started back in 2003 and continues on for a while. It’s my way of allowing people see what Middle-earth means to me and explain why they’re missing out on such a great universe. I hope you enjoy taking a peek into my collection and what it looks like after its been reviewed.
