The Home Of Weta Collectors Eighth Edition

[jlcmsu]

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=010705sauron

Link to the final pics of Sauron. Get him now before its too late.

[Mighty_Squid]

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=010705sauron

Link to the final pics of Sauron. Get him now before its too late.

Looks really cool!

I have NO MONEY!!!!!

AHHHHHHHH!!!!

[jlcmsu]

Yeah, its an awesome statue thats for sure. One of the best if not the best SSW has done ever IMO.

If you can find a way to get this I would.

[Sharkie]

Yeah, its an awesome statue thats for sure. One of the best if not the best SSW has done ever IMO.

If you can find a way to get this I would.

Yeah it's totally worth getting. I read on another forum that they didn't put the elvish writing on the ring of Sauron. I wonder why. It's not like they couldn't do it. I have seen harder stuff done on some of their statues.

[jlcmsu]

Well, look at it this way if they had it would have looked pretty bad being that small. It will look great in person have no fear on that.


Also since my last post the Pippin statue has come out which I'm glad he completes my Fellowship. My #1 goal being a fan of LOTR since the start of this line.

[*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*]

That Pippin statue is pretty horrible. What a shame, as he had lots of potential. ROTK had amazing imagery, and many great scenes for him.




*E*

[Mighty_Squid]

Yeah that Pippin is rather sad but I'm not a huge fan of the busts.

[*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*]

I was always very dismissive of them, but I really liked the Lady Galadriel and High Elven Infantryman ones. They're what got me into Sideshow at all. I only have six now, I think, but they are all fantastic. Besides, LG and HEI are among them! So I am happy.

The only one I was ever iffy on what Prince Isildur - amazed by the armour, but thought the face was a bad likeness - however, when it arrived in the mail, my dad was raving about how much it looked like Harry Sinclair. I've warmed up to it. If I ever tire of it not being perfect, I'll just sell it. No problems!

Squiddy, I can tell you that Sideshow has only gotten better over the years, especially with their statues (off the top of my head, I can't remember many new busts coming out these days... the ones that have, though, are really really good). I'm not a big fan of the FOTR busts, and most of the TTT ones don't interest me at all, but you can find some really fantastic ones among them. I have all the busts I really wanted, and the only reason I'd consider getting any more was because I'm looking at collectibles all the time, and the more I see these busts, the more I consider getting them "just because", if you understand me. But in my opinion, only a small percentage is worth getting. All have something good about them, of course, but I am not one of those people who need a complete set. I have three of the four Last Alliance guys, but I've no intention of ever getting that ugly Elrond one. Gil-galad looks fab next to Galadriel and that's fine with me.




*E*

[chucks888]

Some better pics of Pippin I took at The One Ring celebration:

ORC 05 gallery

Looks better than it does on Sideshow's pics I think. And in real life it certainly does. I ordered mine!

Chuck
The Shadow and Flame Sideshow Weta forum

[*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*]

You guys order everything, though.

I think Pippin is nice for what he is, but I would have prefered a less horrified look on his face, and a more heroic pose.

Your pictures of Eowyn as Dernhelm, however, are really good. I had problems with her face on Sideshow's site, but I had pre-ordered one for only $94 so I thought I'd wait and see what she looks like in person. Your piccies certainly do her more justice than Sideshow did.

I wish I had realized the Gondorian Helm collection was as limited as it was, and that you had to order all four of them, and not just the ones you prefered. Those puppies are gonna look awesome together. My only mini-helms are Theoden's, the Royal Rohan guard's, a Galadhrim warhelm, and the orc hide helmet. They look great together, even if they're not similarly themed. Guess I should look around eBay or something.

Sauron still makes me weep. Too. Damn. Expensive.

Btw, in my last post when I wrote "just because", I spelled it c. u. z. but it appears as "because". Did TORC install an automatic grammar machine or something? Or is the slang word "because" considered vulgar? I don't get it.

EDIT: It did it again! Cee you zee........ that's all I'm trying to spell. Not "because", I'm trying to spell c.u.z. Geez!

EDITED again: Just wanted to ask something, and hope you experts can help me. Wasn't there an Elendil bust released years ago that was a limited edition and has been sold out for a long time? When I heard about this Last Alliance group, I wondered if this was a new Elendil, or if they were just re-releasing the one they made a while ago. What's the story on this? The old one looked more black and silver in color, while the new one has a lot of red in it.




*E*

[Radagast-the-Ruddy]

So what's the verdict on Pippin? Get it or no. I'm not too sure about the face either. I'm afraid he looks kind of goofy. Is the witch-king just supposed to have appeared or something?

Recent items received:

Boromir. Very nice statue, once I finally got a stand that fit (still a bit shaky).

Pippin Helm. Nice.

Elendil Bust. Brilliant.

Balrog, Flame of Udun. Quite nice, better than the Fell Beast, which in resembles quite a bit in size and shape.

[*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*]

That's what I thought, Raddy. Their rock perches seem like a cop-out for making the figures themselves smaller. Heh, but really, I think the Balrog is fantastic, and soooo much bigger than I thought. I was expecting eight inches, and he's more like twelve.

I love how dirty that sounded.

Anyway, at least the Balrog has a lot of girth, what with the wings somewhat outstretched, and his fiery backbone. The fell beast is very contained, and there is too much rock for my liking. I would still love to own one, however, but all that's available is the really expensive kind, so no dice for *E*! I'm actually trying to go for a $260 Galadhrim Archer because I've been looking for one for over a year, and the chances of finding him get smaller and smaller. I was saving that money for a Sauron helm and/or gauntlet from United Cutlery, but they are far less rare than the archer. I also came across a costume card I've been dying to own. All of these damn things are too much money, so I guess I'm not as healthy a collector as I'd like to think. Oh well.

Hmm, I forgot to mention my Tolkien Town horror story.

Exactly a year ago, I ordered five items from TT, one of which arrived right away, and another was on back-order, but came about a month or two later. In July, I wrote to them and told them that I hadn't received three of the other items, two of which were basically action figures, so I didn't understand the hold-up. They sent my Eowyn ToyBiz figure right away, and I continued waiting for the Lurtz Applause figure, and my Gandalf the White bust. Yes, I am very patient. If I weren't, I'd go mad. Tolkien Town told me that they'd send these last two figures, but they must have gotten lost in the mail. This initially ticked me off so badly because I imagined some jerkwad postal worker playing around with my stuff but I understand that things can be lost for any number of reasons, not just theft. But it also made me angry thinking that it went to the wrong address and some random jerk out there is displaying his free limited edition Gandalf bust. ARGH!!! I am getting mad again.

Anyway, just before Christmas, I get this letter from Tolkien Town. They couldn't find another Gandalf bust nor Lurtz figure for me, so they're refunding my $68 US. By cheque.

Oh, the ways in which this p*ssed me off. Let me count.

1)I'm not getting my Gandalf bust.
2)I've waited a year to get these five items. One of them arrived after six months, another two won't be arriving after all.
3)Because I thought I was getting a Gandalf bust, I didn't continue looking for it around the internet (nor on eBay when I joined this summer). I could have used those twelve months to look for a moderately priced bust. Thought I'd hit the jackpot by getting it from Tolkien Town for just $48. In the time since I ordered it, the item has been sold out, and the price has gone sky-high. You can't find one anywhere (if at all) for less than $200. $68 will not cover this by a longshot. I don't care if I'm getting a refund, they have COST me over a hundred dollars.
4) Lurtz is also very hard to find.
5) Minor quibbling here, but having to wait for a cheque to come in the mail is like pouring salt on an open wound. It'd take a couple weeks to get here. Or who knows with these guys? Maybe a year from now I'll have to tell them that the cheque never made it throught the mail.
6) The Canadian dollar has been doing really well, unlike when I initially bought and paid for these items, so I won't even be getting back the same amount that I paid for them.
7) The smarmy bastages even did the "Sorry for the inconvenience and come visit us again at TolkienTown.com!" thing. Yeah! I'll be sure to visit you guys again, after the way things turned out! Absofrickinlutely! I'd better order stuff now so that it'll arrive in time for Christmas!

Ugh. I am so, so, so upset about this. There's mistakes and unfortunes, but waiting a year for an item that they turn around and tell you they're not going to give to you is a bit much, imo. Simply the worst experience I've ever had with collectibles.




*E*

[Radagast-the-Ruddy]

Wow, I didn't realize Gandalf had gone up that much. That's one of the few I bought that has appreciated a lot. I think the Ringwraith bust is another. I think January of last year was the last shot at a number of pieces, without paying big prices. That was the time I could gave bought a Merry statue for sixty dollars! But after that they seemed to increase the edition sizes so much that the pieces are not so appreciable. I missed the Gondorian Helms too, it seems like they must have sold out in about a week. I forgot to mention that I got a Smeagol bust for a decent price, you know the comic con one. But then they made a lot of those. Looks great with Sam and Frodo, but it always looks like it will topple over.

[*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*]

It's the most expensive bust that I'm aware of.

Mmm yeah, the Minas Morgul environment sold out about as fast as the Gondorian helm collection did. Now that one I really wanted.

EDIT: Dang, that Galadhrim Archer is gone now. :( I tipped off one of you nerds, didn't I?




*E*

[chucks888]

Regarding Elendil bust, he only saw release once.

Galadhrim archer where? I consider getting him once in a while but, never seriously. If I see him for $200 on ebay, maybe.

Chuck
The Shadow and Flame forum

[*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*]

The one being sold in the Last Alliance set is the same that came out a few years ago, then? I remember that there was an old Elendil bust because when I was looking at the mini-helms, I chose Isildur's over Elendil's because I figured why get just the helm when I could get the bust - which is a helm, plus a face, and a bit of costume. But it always seemed to be black and silver in color. This Last Alliance one has more red than I remember the other having, and I can make out gold lining much better.

eBay currently has two archers - one in Australia and another in France, I believe. Don't remember their current prices, just that they were too much for me so I didn't even bother adding them to my watch list.




*E*

[Radagast-the-Ruddy]

I think that's terrible what happened to so many people with the Minas Morgul environment. And it's so much nicer than the Minas Tirith, which I thought looked like a Christmas tree ornament.

[chucks888]

No no the Elendil was never released before- there was a prototype for a long time, and people thought that it just got shelved forever until they released it finally. Same with the other last alliance busts.

The Shadow and Flame forum

[jlcmsu]

Well, I got my GTW/SF today and I have to say this piece has a WOW factor of 10 at least IMO. The detail in it is awesome as always but some things really stand out big time for me. Glamdring is awesome with how shiny it is its the best looking sword they have done so far IMO. The Broach on Gandalf is very shiny as well and look very nice. Gandalf Himself looks great the skin color, the color of his outfit are both well done IMO. The most impressive thing about the statue is Shadowfax! I mean what an awesome looking horse its a real jaw dropper how nice Shadowfax is! I'm very impressed by how good Shadowfax is and how awesome this statue is. I'd get if you where on the fence about it thats for sure. Although despite expecting something so large with his height the statue is bigger than I expected and the base is much bigger than I expected. This may force me to only have Sauron and GTW/SF on this one shelf. My number is 2959/8500

The Pippin statue is great. It captures his character when he decided to stand up for ME but also shows the fear of him trying to help Gandalf off as you can see in this pic I will attach. The statue is far far far from horrible!!!! Thats just rubbish to say it is

http://www.lordoftheringsguide.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=10183[/url]

[*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*]

I don't believe so. I never said his facial expression didn't capture something in the film, I'm just not interested in what it is. Would have greatly prefered a more heroic pose. The terror in his face, though arguably powerful, comes across as a bit silly. I could put him next to the Arwen statue and have a good chuckle.

Raddy, I was looking forward to Minas Morgul because it is very hard to make out in the film. That ghostly green glow and all. Minas Tirith gets tons of money shots, and you get a great sense of the city throughout the course of ROTK. Minas Morgul is always seen from far away, or in very small sections, and because of the luminesence it is hard to get exactly where and what everything is. Would have loved to put the Weta environment up to close inspection.

Chucks, I guess that will have to do. I am very sure this puppy had a "sold out" listing for as long as I knew. Matters not - I love the one I have, regardless of it's release date.




*E*

[jlcmsu]

I don't believe so. I never said his facial expression didn't capture something in the film, I'm just not interested in what it is. Would have greatly prefered a more heroic pose. The terror in his face, though arguably powerful, comes across as a bit silly. I could put him next to the Arwen statue and have a good chuckle.
*E*

I guess. I don't agree that its silly at all but 2 each their own I guess. Its a very nice statue. You might chuckle but I'll be smiling while my Fellowship is complete and I accepted the statue for what it is and could get past what I wanted it to be.

[*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*]

And I shall be happy with the extra money in my pocket.

Besides, it'll just go into a collection of swords, statues, costume cards, shields, busts, action figures, jewelry, and helms. Each of which I love, and bought because they appealed to me.




*E*

[jlcmsu]

it's all good

[*E*V*E*N*S*T*A*R*]

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=020405gala

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

I didn't know they were making a Galadriel statue. :Q:Q:Q:Q:Q:Q:Q:Q

IT'S GORGEOUS!!!

How come it isn't on Sideshow's main page? Nor in any newsletter? I only found it in a banner ad on some eBay store, and that is the FIRST that has ever come to my attention.

I'm buying this regardless of price. I can only hope it isn't yet another $300 one, because I think that is purely taking advantage of us.

Now, for my opinion of the statue - the bottom half is a little too similar to Arwen Evenstar's for my liking, however, I love the paint used for the dress color. It's like metallic silver or something. Really great effect. I imagine the paintjob was hard to decide on the look of because Galadriel glows so much in the films that when you take away FX, you are left with something quite different. I guess this sounds silly considering anyone who's been to the traveling exhibit can attest to the luminescence of her gown, but remember how much lighting is fixed upon it. I'm just sayin' is all.

Anyway, I think that Galadriel's elven shimmer can't be duplicated, but it has been fantastically interpreted in this statue.

I probably could have done without her seemingly pouring the water on herself, rather than away from her body, but that is a minor quibble. Really, this statue was something I had been hoping for all along, and to see it up there on Sideshow's website like that is really exciting. It's right out of my imagination!

Bring on the details and pre-ordering.

EDIT: oh, yes - JL, I had meant to appologize if I appeared short in those earlier posts. I wasn't trying to start anything with you (certainly not - I remember when you first came to this forum and I think you're great), I just have trouble thinking like you die-hard Weta people sometimes. I mean no offense, it's just that I feel it's hard to get a straight opinion out of them because they LOVE everything that Sideshow does. Know what I mean?

These are the kind of people who take out a second mortgage on their home so that they can get the new statue. I am far from a healthy collector, but I am certainly picky, and I dabble in all the areas, not just SW. That's why I don't really come here much, because I know that everyone is just going to praise the new items unanimously. It sort of becomes one-note, if you understand me.

I've really warmed up to Sideshow over the years, and I believe they've upped their quality to a staggering amount in the last few months, but they're still not perfect, and sometimes it is overwhelming to be in the presence of people who are racing to buy every single product SW comes out with. Part of my frustration with Sideshow and its fans lies with the ones who buy up several figures, keep one, and then sell the rest for twice the cost. I don't think I should be punished for not being a fierce collector, but that seems to be how things are with SW. *shrugs* It's a very crazy way of life.

Well, it's after 5 a.m. so I should head to bed. Take care, all, and may Sideshow bring you all that good stuff!




*E*

[jlcmsu]

I didn't know they were making a Galadriel statue. :Q:Q:Q:Q:Q:Q:Q:Q

IT'S GORGEOUS!!!

How come it isn't on Sideshow's main page? Nor in any newsletter? I only found it in a banner ad on some eBay store, and that is the FIRST that has ever come to my attention.

I'm buying this regardless of price. I can only hope it isn't yet another $300 one, because I think that is purely taking advantage of us.

Now, for my opinion of the statue - the bottom half is a little too similar to Arwen Evenstar's for my liking, however, I love the paint used for the dress color. It's like metallic silver or something. Really great effect. I imagine the paintjob was hard to decide on the look of because Galadriel glows so much in the films that when you take away FX, you are left with something quite different. I guess this sounds silly considering anyone who's been to the traveling exhibit can attest to the luminescence of her gown, but remember how much lighting is fixed upon it. I'm just sayin' is all.

Anyway, I think that Galadriel's elven shimmer can't be duplicated, but it has been fantastically interpreted in this statue.

I probably could have done without her seemingly pouring the water on herself, rather than away from her body, but that is a minor quibble. Really, this statue was something I had been hoping for all along, and to see it up there on Sideshow's website like that is really exciting. It's right out of my imagination!

Bring on the details and pre-ordering.

A link was in the newsletter that came out last night at least it was in the one I got.Their is a article in the newsletter as well that goes on why they don't have the mirror mainly cost to us being the reason.

Yes, the statue is really well done. Very elegant and beautiful IMO. Captures the Essence of Galdariel big time which is one of the reasons I will be getting it. I wouldn't expect it to be more than $125-$130 so don't worry on that.

EDIT: oh, yes - JL, I had meant to appologize if I appeared short in those earlier posts. I wasn't trying to start anything with you (certainly not - I remember when you first came to this forum and I think you're great), I just have trouble thinking like you die-hard Weta people sometimes. I mean no offense, it's just that I feel it's hard to get a straight opinion out of them because they LOVE everything that Sideshow does. Know what I mean?

Its all good E. Nothing wrong with defending your position strongly. Thank you I always try to be extremely nice to people on these boards. No, its fine everyone cant like everything I understand that its more of a tone in a post that gets me going. I totally understand what your saying for me I just like all the statues because they do a wonderful job IMO capturing the story. There are certain things from some of the statues I like less than some. Like I said its all good IMO.

These are the kind of people who take out a second mortgage on their home so that they can get the new statue. I am far from a healthy collector, but I am certainly picky, and I dabble in all the areas, not just SSW. That's why I don't really come here much, because I know that everyone is just going to praise the new items unanimously. It sort of becomes one-note, if you understand me.

Yeah, I have seen some of the crazy things collectors will do on some of these boards. Well, come to a couple of the other boards I post at and you won't see just praise about every piece. Really, though all the stuff they do is nice and for me I find it hard to say bad things about the stuff because they are so well done. I get what your saying though.

J

[Erbrethil]

Hi havent been able to post here for a while been so busy with work and stuff, but I have manged to add quite a few statues in the last few months
Elessar, Morgul Lord, Gandalf on Shadowfax just gorgeous!!, Legolas, Gimli. Credit Card needs a rest now.

Cant wait for Galadriel I think that looks a stunning statue. Sauron as well although lord knows where im going to put it.

I also managed to find some time to put my Tolkien pages online, I hope to add some pics of my Weta statues soon.

Here is the link if anyone wants to see.

http://www.grey-havens.org

Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo!

[chucks888]

Very cool, let us know when you add your weta pics.



I am currently holding a giveaway right now(from Sideshow Weta) for an "Arms of the Hobbits" weapons set, if anyone is interested. All details here:

http://charles-song.com/giveaway.html

cheers

[jlcmsu]

Man, has this place fallen or what? Sad really.

Man, since my last post I've added a lot to my collection and we've seen the end of the SSW line. Its ok it was a fun ride while it lasted. I have so many great memories of this place and other boards. That will last a lifetime along with just being a fan of LOTR and Tolkien.

[Radagast-the-Ruddy]

Well, I got the Weathertop and Bucklebury Ferry environments and think they are very nice. They would make great paperweights too, especially Weathertop. The Weathertop is more substantial, more like Moria, so I'm not surprised to see that was the one that sold out. Waiting on Amon Hen, my last WETA purchase ever, in all likelihood. Bye, everyone!

[jlcmsu]

Sauron will be here shortly folks. I saw him at SDCC this year and he is one that will knock your socks off.