Packaging..........
External: The shipping box is a very similar to the boxes shipped from Sideshow/WETA except that there is no internal box holding the piece. The box is clearly labeled with care to relflect the delicate nature of the contents within. Included and attached to the top of the box is the envelope containing the certificate of Authenticity and a nice letter congratulating you on your purchase...as well as your billing statement and a slew of other Danbury Mint offers. The box is roughly 20" long and about 12" wide and 12" tall.
Internal: Upon ppening the box, we see the clambshell styled styrofoam case that is holding the Barad-Dur environment. This is a typical mechanism for shipping items like this and it a very sturdy method in this case. The base of the environment is wrapped in plastic to protect the base from the styrofoam. Also included is a nice clambshell to hold the Eye of Sauron and an EXTRA LED bulb...great added bonus!
Unpacking: Opening the clamshell is easy and within is the items described above. The clabshell for the Eye and spare LED is loctaed in a small compartment and also included is the required 'inspected by...' certificate. You can see from the above imagery that the piece is soundly fit into its styrofoam home and can be moved and shipped with relative easy and security!
Certificates and Letter: Attached to the outside of the box is an envelope containing all of the certificates and a letter welcoming you to ownership of the Dark Tower. Also included are some nice instructions on how to remove the LED should it burn out and how to replace it with the spare bulb. These are some nice added touches to the piece as a whole! The Certificate of Authenticity is great...it has YOUR NAME on the card with a SERIAL number for your piece. About the only drawback is that the actual piece itself does not have a matching Serial Number with it...but this is a very small drawback.
Molding/Sculpt..........
The Overall Sculpt: The scupt is fantastic...it really is. It looks very much like the Barad-Dur from the movies. The folks at Danbury Mint went the extra mile to include as many details as possible. The color scheme is very interesting...and here is the only slight drawback to this piece...in our opinion. While the variation in color is a welcome change from the typical Sideshow/WETA single color blandness on some of their environments, it can be a slight distraction from the overall paint scheme of the entire piece. But, with that said, the colors are subtle enough to bring out the great details in the environment as a whole! The subtle blues, purples, and greens are a great addition and add to the evil nature of the tower itself. The details on the rock formations are superb and rival anything that Sideshow/WETA has put out to date.
The Details: The details are the meat of the sculpt. The team at Danbury Mint who did the sculpting went to great lengths to capture EVERY tiny detail of the Dark Tower of Sauron...Barad-Dur. From the spires at the peak of the tower to the minute little spires on each of the lower tower, the details are done to excruciating detail. You can from the many angles above that the details are what make this peice really stand out as an exceptional addition to any collection for the Lord of the Rings fan. The Lava...what an awesome paint application here...it really flows and the fact that they went to the extra point of making it NOT shiny really brings out the fact that they didn't just want capitalize on the Lord of the Rings hype, but that they really wanted to create a great peice and a highly sought after collectible from the realm of Middle-earth.
Display Base: Another slight draw-back to this peice is the name plate on the front of the base. The fact that it has a large gold emblemed "Barad-Dur" on the base is a slight distraction to the overall piece and completely unnecessary to the overall environment. If someone does not know which tower this is...then it makes for a good conversation piece. The underside of the base has the housing for the batteries for the LED and the small certificate with the piece details.
Paint Application..........
The Paint Scheme: The application of the paint is absolutely right on from the details in the Lava flows to the bridges and towers...this piece really captures the essence of all evil in Middle-earth. While some of the various colors are slightly distracting from some angles, the colors flow together to create a very unusual and pleasant effect on the eye and overall image of the entire piece. You will not be disappointed in this piece AT ALL...you will want to have one...trust us...you will not want to miss out in this...and for only around $100...it is truly a STEAL!!
The Special Features..........
The Electronic EYE: The Eye of Sauron is pretty cool and a simple addition to the piece. The LED is fairly well hidden, but takes away from the piece when lit-up as you can see from the imagery above and below. The LED tends to shine a bit brighter than the EYE does and can distract the onlooker from the what should be the focus...the Eye of Sauron...not the little LED lighting it up. You can see from the images the two basic SHADES that the MULTICOLORED LED brings out in the Eye of Sauron. A very RED/ORANGE color and a slightly GREEN/YELLOW color. A great addition to the overall piece.
OVERALL..........
The Dark Tower of Sauron is not to be missed. If you collect any of the Sideshow/WETA environments, this is another piece to add to your collection. While it stands alone and on its own very admirably, it will be a welcome addition to any collectors collection. Ordering details:
