Weta’s first character depiction since their return to LOTR is finally here– Gollum. Primarily conceived for Weta Cave visitors based on feedback (no doubt heavily influenced by the life-size displays there), this marks the third time Gollum has made an appearance as a Weta statue– and the first time he’s done so on a ‘proper’ black oval base. An exclusive will feature a Weta Cave plaque along with a little weta bug crawling on the rocks. Caveat? Only available to aforementioned Weta Cave visitors!

The regular version is expected to be available sometime soon for the rest of us. In the meantime see our pics from Comic-Con and fresh pics from New Zealand forumer JacKo of the Weta Cave exclusive!

ES: Open | (Weta Cave) Exclusive: $79.99NZD | Regular: TBD

9 pics posted in our forum! Click through!

If Bag End alone wasn’t enough to quite signal a trend, the resurgence of LOTR environments can now be firmly acknowledged as Weta confirms pending commencement on Rivendell.

Thanks everyone for your input

Now is the last chance for any further suggestions / thoughts

We will start work on Rivendell very soon

Thoughts / suggestions? Add them to our on-going Rivendell thread, brimming with stuff like this popular fan photoshop mock-up by forum member Indiana Fett:

A treasure trove of in-hand Weta and John Howe’s Smaug the Golden images have been posted on our forum! The great dragon awakens in style as forum members Jen, LOTR Fan, and N2darkness have posted over 50 pics of this hotly anticipated piece newly seated in their collections.

Still on the fence? Weta’s Tim Launder tells us that the price on this piece will soon increase– a good incentive to presently make up your mind. In the meantime–

Click through and see for yourself!

(50+ photos)

With the ship date of their premium format still looming, Sideshow has launched yet another Gandalf the Grey, this time in maquette form.

With its large base, this was bound to be even more expensive than their first effort, Aragorn. And it is so, to the tune of an additional $15. The biggest surprise for me perhaps is in the choice of exclusive, not a head swap this time, but a differently positioned left arm and staff. Being that the scene clearly recalls the iconic moment where Gandalf faces off at the bridge sans hat, this comes as almost a little jarring.

Then there is the matter of Sideshow likely cannibalizing its own sales with collectors choosing one format over another and not both in most cases. All the same, this slightly dramatic take on the wizard has rubbed some collectors the wrong way, citing concerns over its pose and highly positioned hat. Stay tuned for our showfloor pics direct from Comic-Con.

[Update] Backstage pass video posted.
[Update #2] At two weeks on the dot of pre-ordering, the exclusive Gandalf has finally sold out. A relatively slow pace compared to the 2 days it took Aragorn to achieve the same feat. Hard yet to draw a conclusion with the ES still TBD. Stay tuned….

Sell out time: 2 weeks
ES: 400 | Exclusive: $249.99 | Regular: $239.99

Despite its lofty and truly unprecedented pricetag of $235 for a 1/6 scale statue, Sideshow’s Aragorn maquette (exclusive) has reached the coveted ’sold out’ status in roughly 2 days. The regular edition meanwhile, soldiers on, as they usually do.

[Update] Edition size for the ES has been published at 550. Backstage pass video posted.

Sell out time: 2 days
ES: 550 (EX) | Exclusive: $234.99 | Regular: $224.99

A new Orthanc environment? A larger Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul? Barad-dur and Grond? If this comes across as another fanboy’s wet dream list, you could hardly be blamed— and yet all of these fantasy options (and more) appear on a new list of proposed environments from Weta themselves. Collect yourselves and take in the delicious details for yourself on our Weta forum.

Better yet– vote on which possible environment tickles your fancy the most! Weta is using this opportunity to gauge fan interest. Don’t miss out.

Sell out time: 1 day

The response to Sideshow’s gallery unveiling of their Morgul Lord premium format can only be described as disastrous, with a great many up in arms over the twisting action pose and even more vocally, the exclusive flamed-up blade variant.

Unfortunately, this comes just as their new Aragorn maquette was garnering big praise— itself similarly trashed just a few days prior based on its teaser– a perfect illustration of the roller coaster nature of the collecting public.

What are your thoughts on Sideshow’s latest LOTR PF? Join in the discussion on our forum.

Weta’s has put The Prancing Pony for pre-order, which if you’re keeping count, marks their third LOTR environment since their return to the license– after The Argonath and Bag End.

Although it matches the edition size of The Argonath (500) along with its $199 price, it seems almost uncomfortably high after the remarkable $125 price-point achieved with the open edition of Bag End. Granted this environment seems the most complex yet, with minute details that threaten to break off, one wonders if a balance could’ve been struck at $150-$175.

With The Argonath already fairly sought after in the after-market, one hopes Weta can maintain this forward momentum.

[Update] Tim from Weta tells us the Pony is going at a good clip:

Please note : pre-orders on the Prancing Pony are going fast. If you want to be sure of getting one of the 500 available, then we suggest you pre-order on the website very soon

Cheers

Tim

Breaking announcement today via theonering.net:

Guillermo Del Toro announced today that he is no longer directing the two movies based on J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, but will continue to co-write the screenplays. Out of respect to the legions of loyal Tolkien fans, both Guillermo and Peter Jackson wanted to break the news to The One Ring first. They are both committed to protecting The Hobbit and will do everything in their power to ensure the films are everything that the fans want them to be.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life”, says Guillermo. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wlsh the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director”.

Read the entire story at theonering.net.