Recommended music: Georges Bizet – Carmen, Act 1: Habanera “L’Amour est un oiseau rebelle”
On this #TolkienThursday, we’re thankful to have a look at the ToyBiz The Lord of the Rings Return of the King Arod!
In The Two Towers, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas meet the Riders of Rohan for the first time. Eomer gives them two horses to make up for the supposed deaths of Merry and Pippin at the hands of the Orcs and to help them reach Meduseld in Edoras more quickly. Since Garulf, the original rider, died in battle, Aragorn gets Hasufel. Legolas is given Arod, a smaller, lighter, and spirited horse. Gimli does not get his own horse, but he rides behind Legolas after Arod’s reins and saddle are removed.
Arod’s story is a little different in the books compared to the Peter Jackson movies, but the horse appears in many later scenes when Legolas needs a ride. Arod takes Legolas to Edoras, the Paths of the Dead, and, in the books, carries Legolas and Gimli back from Minas Tirith after the War of the Ring.
ToyBiz released this Arod figure as part of a deluxe horse-and-rider set with Legolas, though the horse is unnamed on the box. While the blue packaging accurately features The Return of the King, I have always chosen to display this horse with my figures from The Two Towers.
While the white paint shows some yellowing, the detail and articulation on the ToyBiz horses still hold up, even after 20 years. The scale matches the figures well, and the “deluxe horse galloping action” works with a button hidden on the horse’s hindquarters. This horse is great for army-building since it is plain enough for any Rohirrim figure to ride.
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