Review and Lots of Pics of Weta's Thorin's Map replica from The Hobbit

jedimarkj

Sr Member
A couple of weeks ago I received Thror’s Map from Weta, and thought I would do a short review of it.

I ordered the much pricier prop replica version of the map rather than the lower priced parchment
although I do have it on order and will update this thread with comparison shots.

The original prop was created by Daniel Reeve, Weta artist and calligrapher extraordinaire.
He actually does all the wrinkling and creasing on the replica which is pretty awesome and really quite well done.

Although very similar, The Hobbit version of the map is quite different from the one you
see in The Fellowship of the Ring that Gandalf picks up. There are also a number of changes from the original book map.
For instance, Thrain has been replaced with Thror, Mirkwood with Greenwood, etc.
There is also the addition of Ravenhill on the map…

The map comes with nothing else save a COA that is signed by Daniel Reeve.

The map is printed rather than hand drawn. The map is printed on “190gsm Rough S&W watercolour paper” according to
the website, which is thick and definitely has a great weight to it. It also has a great texture and feel to it. The weathering
details/stains are also printed on rather than done by hand although they do look natural. The only thing done by hand are
all the folds and the wrinkling and creasing. The torn edges of the map are too “clean” and “perfect” in my opinion and
should have been done by hand or at the least, weathered further to get a more natural look to it.

The back of the map is printed in black with the exception of the moon runes which can be seen on the front
of the map by when you shine a light at the back. It was a pretty clever way to do the moon runes.
The price is something some would probably balk at and I wouldn’t blame you. I’m still getting used to paying so
much for a paper prop myself. It’s great that the original artist did all the creasing and bending, but $200 for a printed
paper prop that didn’t even come with a display/frame is a bit much, in my humble opinion. The price would be much
easier to swallow if it were a limited edition replica and came with the display frame that’s available at Weta’s retail store and was shown at SDCC…

It is a still a great prop and, overall, I am quite happy with it being in my collection.

Below are some of the pictures under some natural lighting. Enjoy!


The map is well protected when it is shipped. It is placed in a plastic sleeve and covered with tissue paper. It also shipped in a very sturd box.
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Here is a shot of the front and back of the map plus the area where the hidden message is seen when see under the light of the moon.
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Some shots of the Smaug and the Lonely Mountain:
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Here are some shots of the maps and the weathering, stains and paper detail:
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Here are comparison shots as well as a gif comparing the replica with the map you see in one of the trailers. Interesting to note some of the differences...
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I also took a shot comparing the size of Weta's replica with the various replicas made of Thror's Map from The Fellowship of the Ring.
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Official LOTR maps or is one ot them a jheilman map? It would be interesting for me too se a comparision between WETA and the jhailman map...

Thanks for the review...
 
Very good review! Excellent photos, thank you for sharing.
I gave the "plain" One Ring on order, really looking forward to it.
 
Thanks for sharing and spending the time to review and photograph.

I was really excited by the option to have the map hand 'weathered' by Daniel, and would of pulled the trigger has it not been for the fact that i do not have the funds just now, however...

The folds and creases were not what i was expecting, it looks to 'manufactured' the back shot i think shows the best angle, of how 'perfectly flat' the map is and the folds are too sharp at the corners. I can't help but feel that it should of been scrunched up a little and some tearing done around the edges.

Whilst i still think it is wonderful, is it worth going for this one, or would you be better off buying the cheaper version and weathering yourself??
 
Mark,

WOW, what an awesome review! Thanks for taking the time to offer up such wonderful pictures and your thoughts! :thumbsup

I too ordered this along with Bilbo's Contract, but haven't had time to really even look at them yet.

I'm with you, I really wish they'd have offered this framed. I didn't see the framed version at SDCC, but it sounds great. On their site, Weta offers some advice on mounting a small LED light strip in the frame powered by batteries. Have you considered this?

Have you thought about ordering the Contract? I'm trying to think of a way to display that beast too! :)

thanks again

brad
 
My apologies for the über-long post but just to answer some questions:

onkelpsycho said:
Official LOTR maps or is one ot them a jheilman map? It would be interesting for me too se a comparision between WETA and the jhailman map...

The other maps were made by talented members of the RPF. The small one was done in Hobbit scale and was actually drawn and weathered by hand... Many of you are correct regarding the middle one; it is jheilman's great work.
I'll get some comparison pics for you onkelpsycho and Treadwell ASAP.

eyeofsauron said:
im curious as to how the dimensions are of the map seems like the previous versions you own are a lot smaller

I thought I had posted dimensions but anyway, the map measures per Weta's website: 12.6" x 16.3" / 32 cm x 41.5 cm

Contec said:
Is it 1:1 to a hobbit or 1:1 to a human size.
Contec, I am thinking that this is a 1:1 scale prop per human size but I cannot really say with absolute certainty. It's an excellent question though if this was the scaled prop for the hobbit/dwarf stand-ins or the one used by the actual human actors...

GI7DY said:
Whilst i still think it is wonderful, is it worth going for this one, or would you be better off buying the cheaper version and weathering yourself??
Gi7dy, I'll have a more detailed response for you when I get the parchment version but it is an excellent question. I would like to see how it compares with this more expensive prop replica version. I will definitely have comparison pics and such of it when it arrives...
I would like to think that the weathering could be replicated on the parchment version and that the distracting copyright notice can be removed somehow (light sanding perhaps?)

darthwhitey said:
Have you thought about ordering the Contract?
Brad, the Contract was definitely something I was waiting for to purchase but I absolutely balked at the cost when it was finally revealed. I will be waiting on the lesser priced version by Weta and the Noble Collection version before making my mind on whether I should save up and fork over the dough... To be frank though, I think I will ending up buying the cheaper version of the replica as I just can't justify spending nearly $500 for a prop that will [presumably] only appear fairly early on in the film and never be shown again.

I would love to get your thoughts on the Contract though and whether you think the cost is justified.

The LED frame that is described on Weta's website was the frame that shown at SDCC and I have been toying with the idea of trying to do a similar frame myself...
 
Nice Review and great pics jedimarkj :) Many thanks for both of them!

I meanwhile worked on my own version of this map, and redrawn (traced) it entirly from excisting pics and screencaps. Scanned and reworked in PS to get the best possible results.

Here is a small example, made from the first test print:
HobbitMap1.jpg


I've managed to get one finished last week. Will take pictures soonest possible to show you the results ;)
 
jedimarkj said:
The small one was done in Hobbit scale and was actually drawn and weathered by hand
Wouldn't that be just the opposite? The small one for human size and the large one for Hobbit size?

Good question... My head hurts lol.

You are right though. This small Hobbit scaled map would be used by the human actors... but it was advertised as Hobbit scaled to me.
 
Nice Review and great pics jedimarkj :) Many thanks for both of them!

I meanwhile worked on my own version of this map, and redrawn (traced) it entirly from excisting pics and screencaps. Scanned and reworked in PS to get the best possible results.

Here is a small example, made from the first test print:
HobbitMap1.jpg


I've managed to get one finished last week. Will take pictures soonest possible to show you the results ;)

Great work Murdoc! I very much look forward to seeing your map!!
 
Nice review. I'm thinking of getting one of the less expensive versions. My version of the Fellowship map was 13" x 10" based on analyzing screenshots with Gandalf. So, mine is human sized. This one, I'm guessing, is dwarf/Hobbit scale. Daniel made two different scale maps for Fellowship as well, but only the smaller map was used in the brief clip.

I can't sell any, but I'm really tempted to make my own version of this one with weathered edges. That's always a big giveaway when the paper edge isn't worn down. But, I completely understand why they can't do that on a mass-produced product. And, at that price, I can't expect anyone to add more weathering to their own :wackomaps.

Listening to the new Hobbit soundtrack as I type. It's online now. :thumbsup
 
As i did not want to start a new thread for just a few pics, i hope it is ok to post them here to show my final version (so far). jedimarkj pls. advise if you want me to take them out here. I do not want to hi-jack your thread.

So her is my own version of that map:

Hobbitmap.jpg


Hobbitmapdetail.jpg


What i will try to do now is to replicate the "moon-runes", just as seen and posted above.
 
If you don't mind my asking, is there a really cheap way I can get one of these? I will be carrying it around for my Bilbo costume but I don't need anything that would be museum quality. lol

Ya know? What's the best way to get one of these on the cheap?
 
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