The Lord of the Rings (1980s)

     [Ash nazg durbatulūk, ash nazg gimbatul,
     Ash nazg thrakatulūk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.]

     [One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
     One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.]

In 1984 Games Workshop aquired the rights to create a range of miniatures based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Figures currently in my collection are marked with an X and tagged with strikethrough, and are awaiting paint-stripping / photography.

BOXED SETS

BME1: Fellowship of the Ring

BME2: Nazgul on Winged Beast

BME3: Balrog: Encounter at Khazad-dūm

photos




Thanks to David Mosely for these photos.

MISCELLANY

Various Games Workshop publications around the period these figures were released contain articles and adverts relating to the range.

White Dwarf #53 (May 1984)

While not strictly related to the miniatures range, this issue of White Dwarf contains the "Minas Tirith" Scenario - detailing the Battle of Pelennior fields for Warhammer Fantasy Battle 1st Edition, including statistics for all the Characters and Rank and File combatants, with photographs of an impressive table-top and maps. This is the only official Warhammer Lord of the Rings adaptation published. The cover of this issue shows a batallion of Orcs with a banner of a White Hand, and a "<" rune.

Owned

Warlock Magazine #7 (January 1985)

Features the box artwork from The Fellowship of the Ring Boxed Set (by John Blanche) on the cover and a 1-page article by Rick Priestly describing the range on page 47. While something of a puff-peice, the article is significant as it discusses John Blanche doing concept drawings for Woses, Spiders of Mirkwood, Pukelmen, Variags, Rangers, Black Nœmen—reans, Galadriel, Celeborn, Wormtongue, Brand, Thingol and Radaghast the Brown, none of which were released (except the Rangers). As several of the Lord of the Rings miniatures do show up in later lines, it is entirely possible that some of this concept art was used to create non Lord of the Rings models after Citadel lost the liscense.

Owned: cover missing.

Potential Additions

Some speculation regarding the 'missing' Lord of the Rings miniatures:

Middle Earth Role Playing

Games Workshop produced a boxed set of Iron Crown Enterprises MERP with 28mm floorplans (of a Troll cave and an Inn) with box art by Christos Achillos.

Owned

LINKS

For all enquiries, please email Zhu