Recommended music: Clint Mansell – Lux Aeterna [ re-orchestrated as “Requiem for a Tower” for the first The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers trailer in 2002]
It’s the 100th #TolkienThursday! To celebrate, let’s look at another ToyBiz Lord of the Rings figure from The Two Towers. This time, we’re featuring Helm’s Deep Aragorn!
At the Battle of Helm’s Deep, Aragorn transitions from being a “mere ranger” into a rightful king. Serving as a primary commander alongside Théoden, he provides the tactical grit and morale necessary to hold the Hornburg against Saruman’s 10,000 Uruk-hai. Not only does he inspire the fearful Rohirrim, but he leads and coordinates the wall defense during battle. Yes, I know the Elves weren’t there in the book, but they look cool added into this scene, and I’ll cover that more in a future post. 😄
The rain starts falling just before the first arrow is shot, creating a quiet moment that makes the Uruk-hai’s marching and chanting sound even scarier. Seeing thousands of Saruman’s troops through the dark, rainy night makes the defenders inside the Hornburg even more anxious. The rain isn’t just for atmosphere—it really adds to the tension and drama of the battle.
This Helm’s Deep Aragorn figure comes with the usual “with Sword-Slashing Action” label on the box. This version, featuring new battle armor, first appeared in the third wave of Half-Moon carded figures with Frodo and another Two Towers Aragorn. Later, it was included in the ‘Helm’s Deep Battle Set’ 5-pack and the first carded wave of The Two Towers figures. It seems this carded version didn’t sell as well after the Super Poseable Helm’s Deep Aragorn came out, so it was eventually bundled with two Return of the King figures in a “Mega Deal Value Pack” when stores like Toys’R’Us wanted to clear out old stock.
When you squeeze the figure’s legs together, the torso twists at the waist, and his right arm goes up for his sword-slashing action feature. I wish they’d done this with the left arm, as Viggo Mortensen seemed to prefer using his left hand for many action scenes, including hailing a volley of arrows at the Uruk-Hai. In the end, I feel like this is a must-have version of Aragorn and is one of the few times his hair is sculpted down onto the forehead, as the rain really does a number on the future king of Gondor’s hair. 😄
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