'Lord of the Rings' megafans staged a huge re-enactment of a climactic battle

Hyper-dedicated fans of J.R.R. Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" series - including the prequel, "The Hobbit" - got together to stage a homemade version of the climactic Battle of the Five Armies. These photos, taken in the Czech Republic, show off the incredible attention to detail of their weapons and armor, and luckily Reuters was there to capture it all.

This level of LARPing, aka live action role playing, takes serious dedication. The cosplayers have crafted axes and spears, and wear dense metal armor with painted heraldry drawn straight from the books.

Plus, it looked like a ton of fun.

"Czech" out the cosplayers and their incredible weapons and armor below.