shop reviews
Sideshow's Lord of the Rings Medallions Reviewed
By Fatty
Nov 26, 2004, 05:13 GMT

At War of the Ring we will periodically have reviews or articles which don't really fit in any of our present sections. When this happens, we will put them up as Featured Articles. The first on is this review of the Sideshow/WETA Medallion Program and the products themselves.

So what is it all about? Well, WETA has produced a series of Lord of the Rings Medallions. There are 24 to collect altogether. The original casts were made by Weta Workshop, who worked on the movie. Each one depicts a scene from the movies. They are being released gradually over time as the forthcoming films are released. Additionally, the Medallions are limited to 10,000 copies for each piece and are signed by the original sculptor as a sign of quality.

So are they any good? I was fortunate enough to have enough spare cash to sign up for the Medallions. The sign-up procedure is simple enough, however, after this I did run into some problems. After waiting about 8 weeks, too long really (I should have contacted them sooner as they had debited my card), I sent an e-mail to inquire where my beauties had gone. I was surprised to get a response very quickly apologising for the delay and advising that they would soon be with me. True to their word, I received all four and the free helmet three days later. I believe this was partially my fault in the first place as I had signed up, cancelled, and then signed up again.

The packaging was simple white boxes, apart from the helmet which is a shelf product and comes in a retail box.All the items were well-protected and arrived in perfect condition, somewhat of a miracle given the treatment handed out by some of our postal workers!

The free helmet that comes with the first four is the Orc Squinter Helm. This 1/4-scale replica is quite a weighty object for its size. It feels like a piece of armour. It is very realistic, even down to rust and battle damage. The stand which comes with it is adequate and the helm can be rotated and angled as wanted. To top it off, the underside of the stand is printed with its name and and authentication stamp.

I was not keen on these helmets before, given their size, but now that I have one I would rather like some more. In fact, it is staring down at me this very minute from atop my monitor.

So, not too shabby so far. A bit of a glitch when ordering, which was confounded by my own lack of action. Some excellent customer service and the goods arriving thereafter promptly and undamaged.

The Medallions themselves are a real treat. The four which I have received so far are: The Nazgūl, The Industry of Isengard, The Last Alliance and The Orc of Moria. I believe that The Birth of the Uruk-haihas also been released, but I have not received it yet.

As stated earlier, the Medallions are carefully packaged in strong polystyrene and tissue paper. They are quite weighty, being made of a heavy weight polystone. The finish on them is antique bronze and it is fairly convincing. I would love one of these in real bronze, but I imagine the cost would be prohibitive. Perhaps they might make one in bronze, for real collectors.

The first one, "The Orcs of Moria," can be seen at left. It is carved in relief and is truly hideous, and I mean that as a compliment to the sculptor. It reflects the orcs shown in the movie quite well and is very detailed, right down to some facial piercing on the orc in the foreground.

The second one is "The Industry of Isengard." This depicts an Uruk-hai holding a pair of tongs. Clearly a blacksmith or metal worker. It is excellent, I think it is my favourite. It reminds me of some of the amazing propaganda art which came out of the Soviet Union in the early part of the last century. You know, the highly stylised paintings of the 'workers' bestriding the lands like colossus. OK, well, maybe not quite that, but you get the picture.

The third one, which I have so far, is "The Last Alliance," shown here on the left. It pictures a knight of Gondor in the foreground with banners and other soldiers about him. This is a nice one as well, though as an old battle-gamer, I have seen too many miniature figures dressed in similar armour. But maybe that is down to the people who designed the armour for this part of the film rather than the medallion itself. It is still excellent. I am sure this one will be many peoples' favourite.

The final one that I opened was the creepiest one of the lot. "The Nazgūl" is a relief of one of the nine on horseback. The horse's head is grotesque and the brooding figure riding it really captures the essence of Sauron's most deadly servants. Again, the attention to detail is excellent.

The cast quality on each of the sculptures I received is excellent. There are no mould lines or such and the detail is crisp. There are some marks and dents on the surrounding disc, but these are deliberate and add to the character of the Medallions, giving them a very antique feel. The polystone itself is an excellent alternative to bronze and allows for us buyers to own something very special at a good price. Finally, since most people will probably hang these on their walls, a key hole is provided on the back of each Medallion for this purpose. If you want to have them lying flat as a paper weight or such, that too is provided for with little rubber feet.

My only negative comment on the choice of materials is that they could be easily damaged if dropped or if they received a hard knock. But I am sure most of you will be very careful with them.

As I mentioned earlier, they are limited to a run of 10,000 copies per model. To authenticate this, each one comes with a certificate disc. On one side is a description of the piece and some details about the sculptor, which is a nice touch. The other side has the authentication describing the Medallion as a hand crafted item which has been approved by the original sculptor for quality. Each one is also numbered by hand and signed by the relevant sculptor.

In conclusion, I highly recommend The Medallion Program to anyone who enjoys collecting great pieces of sculpture. They are a treat to the eye and very reasonable in cost, considering what you get for your money. The little reservation I have about them is far outweighed by the great quality and attention to detail. Sideshow/Weta have truly done the movie justice. Indeed they feel more like something created for the book rather than the movie. Sadly, mine are back in their boxes, as we are moving house soon. I also need to persuade my wife as to the aesthetic qualities of my new collection!

Sadly the program was cancelled early, however you can still order the individual medallions when in stock. For details click here.

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