Book Review: Smaug - Unleashing the Dragon by Daniel Falconer

There's no denying that Peter Jackson's Smaug from the Hobbit films is an impressive work of cinematic magic. I was floored the first time the great dragon emerges from Thror's treasure hoard like a huge shark emerging from the ocean depths. The whole scene where Bilbo faces off against this ultimate villain was one of the highlights of the trilogy. So naturally I was excited to learn more about the art, design, and technology that went into bringing Smaug to life. Smaug: Unleashing the Dragon seemed custom made to satisfy my dragon curiosity, but sadly, fell short. In fact, reading this book really just reminded me of a famous quote from the villain of another famous movie trilogy:

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed."––Darth Vader, Star Wars: A New Hope

Jump past the break to get the full review.

Review: Weta Workshop Mini Epics Wave 1, Frodo and Gimli

Ever since Weta Workshop announced their new line of Mini Epics vinyl characters, I'd been eyeing them. So over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, when I saw that they were having a sale, I quickly ordered the Frodo and Gimli figures, which were the two characters from the first wave that I was most excited about. Jump past the break to see photos of the unboxing and get my reaction to this new line of collectibles.