|
Community Links |
Social Groups |
Pictures & Albums |
Members List |
Search Forums |
Advanced Search |
Go to Page... |
|
Thread Tools |
07-06-2015, 01:25 AM | #1 |
Mayor of Geek Creek
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho
Posts: 4,752
|
"There were toys the like of which they had never seen before, all beautiful and some obviously magical." -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring I became a Tolkien nerd this year. A bit belated, I suppose. But while I always enjoyed reading The Hobbit, the Rings movies struck me as silly and self-serious, and consequently I had no interest whatsoever in reading the novels. Still, when my friend Mike Whiteley gave me a complete boxed set nine-pack of the ToyBiz Fellowship in 2012, I certainly wasn't going to say no! Incidentally (not that this detail was incidental at the time!), I was homeless when Mike gave me the Fellowship toys. Here is a blog post paying tribute to my friend and his generosity, which was a rare bright point during a dark, dark period: https://twofistedtoytalk.wordpress.c...-the-whiteley/ Regardless of my wariness for the Rings franchise, one toy I always adored was the ToyBiz Deluxe Treebeard. However, I never used him in a Rings context. Instead, I used him as A GIANT FRIGGIN' TREE PERSON. I mean, he just looks so cool, and he scales nicely with G.I. Joe figures, among other things. Last month, I finally utilized him as Treebeard: That's Bridge Direct's Bilbo atop Treebeard. I initially had no use for the wee Bilbo, because mass retail paint has become the bane of my existence. However, I have come to appreciate him somewhat. The face sculpt is actually very nice, it's just that the heavy-handed and too-simple paint work obscures the sculpt. I especially like that he's fat, as a hobbit should be. However, if Bridge Direct's Bilbo was the only one available, I wouldn't be putting together this ridiculous post. No, folks, I'm here because of NECA. Mind you, despite having read The Hobbit three times, I had (and indeed still have) no interest in seeing the movies. I abhor the heavy use of CGI, and I detest the decision to adapt one slim, simple novel into a bloated trilogy. If I ever do see the movies, it'll be because my eleven-year-old daughter asks to see them; I just finished reading the novel to her. Since I had no interest in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit or its aesthetic, I likewise had no plans to buy NECA's Bilbo. However, I am a sucker for a good sale, and when the GameStop website had NECA Bilbo reduced to $10, I thought, "Sure, he'd be fun to photograph, I suppose." Only twice before has a toy so unexpectedly derailed and consumed my hobby. This first occurred a decade ago, when on the recommendation of Michael Crawford I purchased a Sigma 6 Snake Eyes. I'd planned to place him and Storm Shadow on a shelf and call it a day; within a month I had sold literally every toy I owned, so as to focus exclusively on Sigma 6. The second instance was just over a year ago, when I bought a NECA Tonto from Hastings and proceeded to photograph little else for a year. And now, as my weary friends and followers on Flickr and Facebook can attest, I am obsessed with NECA Bilbo. I. Love. This. Toy. Like I said at the close of my Hobbit Week on Flickr back in April, I hope I haven't unduly taxed your capacity for photos of hobbits holding sticks! I should note that Bilbo's only accessory is his sword, Sting; I supplied the rest of his gear. The walking stick is just a wee branch I found in the canyon; the ring, despite being oversized, is a Lego accessory (Tolkien helpfully notes that the ring changes size at will, ha ha); the scrolls and map I created (the map I found online and edited and printed; the strange language on the scrolls is gnomish text from Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl); the cloak is a cape from a cheesy Mattel Superman Returns figure; the axe and watch are from Hot Toys Tonto. Such is my love for this Bilbo toy that I just finished reading The Hobbit for a fourth time, this time to my daughter, as noted above. I also, finally, at long last, read Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and absolutely adored it. I am now watching the Peter Jackson Rings trilogy again, this time with my daughter. The movies definitely have their shortcomings, but I am enjoying them much more now than I did before. My love for NECA Bilbo also led me to purchase NECA's Gollum, who is if anything an even greater figure than Bilbo! From there, some hasty research led to the discovery of an "Epic Scale" (basically quarter-scale) Gandalf produced by NECA ten years ago... and regularly demanding $150-$300 on the secondary market. And my dad made my year by winning one on eBay for me! (He got a comparatively excellent deal at $80 or so). Gandalf, too, for all his inadequate, early-NECA articulation, is a masterpiece. Now I need to talk myself out of buying the Epic Scale Legolas and Aragorn, and in the meantime my next two purchases will be a pair of one-sixth-scale Star Wars creatures for Bilbo to ride, and lord knows when the obsession will wane. Finally, if anyone has photos of Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit toys from Sideshow or ToyBiz or NECA or Bridge Direct or Asmus Toys or Lego or any other manufacturer, please feel free to share them! And if you are intrigued by these figures but you'd like a more objective analysis before committing to buying, here is Michael Crawford's review of NECA Bilbo: Review and photos of Bilbo Hobbit 1/4 scale action figure by NECA And Michael Crawford's review of NECA Gollum: Review and photos of Lord of the Rings Gollum 1/4 scale figure by NECA And Michael Crawford's review of NECA Gandalf: Wizard World Chicago exclusive Death Jr. action figures - Another Toy Review by Michael Crawford, Captain Toy Thanks, everybody, for checking out my photos and my long-winded commentary! Last edited by Monte Williams; 09-07-2019 at 05:23 PM.. |
07-06-2015, 08:29 AM | #2 |
He says he's not dead
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Middle Tennessee
Posts: 1,511
|
Awesome pictures, as usual.
__________________
Feedback http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...devildawg.html For Sale http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...-s-t-list.html |
07-06-2015, 12:13 PM | #3 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Long Island
Posts: 541
|
Well written and amazing pics but wouldnt expect anything less from you. (Eric)
__________________
B/S/T - http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...145-b-s-t.html My Feedback - http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-omega145.html |
07-09-2015, 10:48 PM | #4 |
Mayor of Geek Creek
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho
Posts: 4,752
|
Quote:
Thank you, gentlemen! I appreciate your generous comments. Alas, due to Peter Jackson fatigue or a dislike of the toy or some other issue altogether, I seem to be essentially the only geek on the internet who is excited about this figure! Oh well... I recently visited an amazing toy store in Boise, about two hours away, and traded them a handful of my more high-end toys for a metric buttload of random nonsense, including a sixth-scale Star Wars dewback! I'm planning to get the sixth-scale Kaadu, too, which I had a few years ago before bestowing it upon a friend before my move overseas: I like to think Bilbo will look cool riding that weird critter. |
07-09-2015, 11:13 PM | #5 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Georgia
Posts: 14,837
|
Awesome "Riddles in the Dark" pics!!!! I would love to see pics if you ever got the NECA Balrog!!! I always wanted to get one, but it takes up too much space. It's kind of like the FLAGG of Tolkien toys.
__________________
Feedback Thread: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-feedback.html B/T Thread: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...-b-t-list.html |
07-09-2015, 11:45 PM | #6 |
Mayor of Geek Creek
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho
Posts: 4,752
|
I only recently learned of the existence of the NECA Balrog, Zone, and I immediately thought it'd be great to photograph it, especially if I could find a very small Gandalf figure to stand alongside it.
And then I checked prices on eBay... No Balrog for me! Ha ha ha... Thanks for the kind words! |
07-10-2015, 12:06 AM | #7 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Georgia
Posts: 14,837
|
I remember seeing a pic of the Toybiz 6" Gandalf fitting in its hand.
__________________
Feedback Thread: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-feedback.html B/T Thread: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...-b-t-list.html |
07-10-2015, 09:36 AM | #8 |
Mayor of Geek Creek
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho
Posts: 4,752
|
|
07-15-2015, 12:08 PM | #9 |
Mayor of Geek Creek
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho
Posts: 4,752
|
Photos deleted from Flickr.
Last edited by Monte Williams; 09-07-2019 at 05:25 PM.. |
07-15-2015, 01:35 PM | #10 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Georgia
Posts: 14,837
|
Nice!!! Likes like New Zealan ... I mean Middle Earth.
__________________
Feedback Thread: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-feedback.html B/T Thread: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...-b-t-list.html |
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Non G.I. Joe Geek Creek's All-Purpose Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Kitbashes and Photos Thread! | Monte Williams | G.I. Joe Customs Finished Projects | 235 | 12-28-2021 07:19 PM |
Figures Geek Creek Kitbashes | Monte Williams | G.I. Joe Customs Finished Projects | 1398 | 11-24-2018 01:57 AM |
Figures Geek Creek Presents... G.I. Joe. | Monte Williams | G.I. Joe Customs Finished Projects | 31 | 11-08-2016 10:47 AM |
Geek Creek Presents: Sigma 6 | Monte Williams | G.I. Joe Sigma 6 Toys | 42 | 03-04-2016 10:59 PM |
Geek Creek Carpool: Wreakin' H.A.V.O.C. | Monte Williams | G.I. Joe Toys Vintage Discussion | 17 | 11-02-2013 02:27 PM |
|
|