Picture Credit: Prasanna Welangoda (who did a 3 hour shoot with these)
I met Aishwarya Tennekoon in 2015, when we first did Lanka Comic Con. I’d set up some upcycled cardboard as city ruins for a game. I was pretty proud of it - but it was basically garbage, thrown together in a day. Aishwarya meanwhile, came in with a scale model of Barad-dur.
It was the first of many cases where I’d be stunned - both by the quality of his work, and by his great humility about the whole thing. For him, this is just something he does. He would do it whether or not there was anyone to see.
He has been busy since then. He’s been learning how to draw for comics. He's travelled around Pettah, trying to find something to use for model grass. And he’s been building Lord of the Rings models - Hobbit holes, Nazguls, you know, the usual stuff.
Recently, he tried selling one on the Geek Collectors Page. People went nuts - I was quite annoyed, because I found out about it much too late. Encouraged by the reaction, he’s decided to make a bunch more, just to sell at the geek Xmas Market.
Here are some of the things you can expect. All of these are handmade. All of these are highly limited. And the fell beast with the rider? That's the only one there is.
He is pricing these to be accessible. You can buy a Bag End for 4,000/= (complete with Mahogany or Teak bases). The mounted Nazgul is going to 6,000 rupees. And Sauron? He’s just 4,000/=. The Nazgul on Fellbeast, which is 29 inches wide, is going for 12,000/=.
You can meet Aishwarya, talk to him about his work, and maybe hire him for a commission at the Geek Xmas Market.
Be early.
