I got the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition DVDs for Christmas and have been spending my (free) time rewatching the trilogy. This, of course, has caused me to restart work on some Lord of the Rings stuff. I think a neat little game could be had in doing a Fellowship versus the Watcher in the Water scenario at the gates to Moria.
modeling
Making Balsa Look Like Timbers
Ryan Scow has an article on making balsa strips look like realistic timbers.
Scratch Build Modular Catwalks
Here’s a video with advice on building modular catwalks. The techniques also can be used for a variety of science fiction projects.
Scratchbuilding Weapons For 1/64 Battle Cars
If you’re into post apocalyptic games such as Gaslands or Battlecars, you may find this guide to scratch building weapons for 1/64 battlecars useful.
Modeling Ruins
Wyloch has some good tips here for modeling ruined corners. Corners are among the strongest parts of a building, so they will naturally be prominent parts of ruins.