Last September we shared with you the beautiful stamps and pins the good folks at NZ Post released, to celebrate twenty years since Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was released. Now a stunning pair of coins is available, celebrating those towers (or at least one version of what Tolkien may have meant by his ‘Two Towers’ title!) Here’s what NZ Post’s press release tells us:
After 12 long months of eagerly anticipating part two of the trilogy, in late December 2002 fans were rewarded with the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. After the unbridled success of The Fellowship of the Ring, which was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, the second instalment had a tough act to follow. Nevertheless, the enthusiastic audiences for the sequel ensured it was not only the highest grossing film of that year but, at the time of its release, the third-highest grossing film of all time.
The principal photography for all three The Lord of the Rings films took place in New Zealand from 11 October 1999 to 22 December 2000. New Zealand’s mountains, rivers, forests, fields and plains all played a part, and vast studio sets stood in for the more fantastical environments required to build the world of Middle-earth. Weta Digital, the creator of visual effects for the trilogy, doubled its staff for the vast post-production requirements presented by The Two Towers, with challenges that included a large-scale battle scene and the digital rendering of a speaking character.
Thousands of everyday New Zealanders played a part in contributing to this film – from a stadium full of cricket spectators recording an Uruk-hai war cry, to local equestrians riding their horses as extras in the plains of Rohan. Most Kiwis will recognise at least one place as their New Zealand, whether it’s a favourite walking spot near their home or a family holiday destination. The Two Towers is part of a larger legacy left by the trilogy, which gave countless New Zealanders unique experiences, memories to cherish and stories to tell for generations to come.
Minted from 0.999 silver, this set of coins features each of the towers alluded to in the film’s title – Orthanc, the stronghold of evil wizard Saruman, and Barad-dur, where the spirit of the Dark Lord Sauron resides. The coins have a black proof finish and selective colour highlights the detail of Sacha Lees’ artwork.
Set of two silver coins Features the two towers alluded to in the film’s title The obverse of each coin acknowledges New Zealand as the home of Middle- earth Designed by New Zealand artist Sacha Lees Each coin is minted from 1oz of 0.999 silver Low worldwide mintage of 499 sets Presented in an elegant display case with a certificate of authenticity.
Set of two brilliant uncirculated coins Features the two towers alluded to in the film’s title The obverse of each coin acknowledges New Zealand as the home of Middle- earth Designed by New Zealand artist Sacha Lees Low worldwide mintage of 1,000 sets Presented in a specially designed display pack.
As ever with NZ Post, these products are beautiful, and very collectible. The coins are available now on NZ Post’s website.
PureArts and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products are partnering on a cool The Lord of the Rings project. The Mouth of Sauron will be the third character to get the 1:1 treatment by the folks over at PureArts. This awesome helm will be made of polyresin, including the lower part of the Mouth of Sauron’s face, LED lit base, black cloth hood, and a PureArts exclusive Mouth of Sauron Metal Necklace. This helmet will be limited to only 150 pieces, so fans should expect the supply to dry up quickly. Pre-orders for this open on March 9th at 1 PM EST, with the piece having a price tag of $749. You will have time to save, as this does not ship until Q1 of next year.
If you ever wanted to walk through the grounds of Rivendell, it may now be in reach… albeit on a much smaller scale. LEGO has announced a new massive and superbly detailed new The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set.
The huge model contains 6,167 pieces, 15 minifigures, and is over 15 inches high and almost 30 inches wide. It’s split into 3 sections with a council ring, gazebo, river, bridge and more. There are numerous printed tiles and details, such as Elvish paintings, statues, the shards of Narsil, and Bilbo writing in his book ‘There and Back Again’. The entire Fellowship of the Ring are included as minifigures as well as Elron, Arwen, Bilbo and more.
The set is priced at US $499.99, CAN $669.99, UK £429.99 and EURO €499.99. LEGO VIP members can purchase the set starting March 5 while regular customers can purchase online or in LEGO stores starting March 8.
The amazing folks at Diamond Select Toys asked us if we would be interested in showing off some of their awesome figures as a preview. That was a quick yes, as their figures are very well done and are great collectibles for fans of Middle-earth.
If you went to, or watched, any coverage of Comic-Con from last summer, you would have seen the concepts of these two figures on display. Today, we’re pleased to share with you the final images for the new Boromir and Lurtz figures.
These figures are available for pre-order on Friday January 20th at the Diamond Select Toys website for $29.99 and you can expect to add these to your collections in the fall.
It hasn’t been ten years since TORn last caught up with Stephen Hunter, but it has – astonishingly – been ten years since the first of the three Hobbit movies premiered. Where has the time flown to?? We’ve been remembering press events, red carpets and theatre viewings; so we were delighted to have a chance to chat with Bombur himself, from his sunny home in Sydney, Australia.
Hunter has been very busy lately, with roles in projects such as Ruby’s Choice, Heartbreak High, and The Tourist, as well as his full work load as an acting coach. But that didn’t stop him taking the time to tell us when he last had a chance to catch up with Hobbit cast mates, show us some goodies he has from set, and share his thoughts on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Second breakfast with fellow dwarves in London, pub crawls with Sylvester McCoy, and Dwarvish lightsabers?! All will be revealed:
Our good friends at Sideshow were kind enough to send us one of the Iron Studios Cave Troll statues to review. This thing is massive, detailed, heavy, and has a real presence, especially for those doing the whole Balin’s Tomb scene. You can get this guy for $730 USD retail – but right now he is sold out through Sideshow. Keep an eye out on their site though, as it could come back in stock or the wait list may open up. We hope you enjoy the review and all the pics, showing off a very cool collectible.
