Thanks for the pics, Kit! It does look very cool, shame that it's marred by production issues. I'm just glad it exists after all the trouble it went through. How long has it been since it was announced and some retailers began taking preorders, nearly two years?

Rev, how many were you able to order?

P.S.

Hi everyone, I'm alive and mostly well! Nice to see you all again, going to continue doing my best to keep up with the discussion during my semester.

I created the CAD drawings in early 2013 and did all the finishing work on the blade and handle for the original factory to copy in early 2014. I don't remember when it was originally announced to the public, but it had to be over 2 years ago!

Fingolfin wrote:Thanks for the pics, Kit! It does look very cool, shame that it's marred by production issues. I'm just glad it exists after all the trouble it went through. How long has it been since it was announced and some retailers began taking preorders, nearly two years?

Rev, how many were you able to order?

P.S.

Hi everyone, I'm alive and mostly well! Nice to see you all again, going to continue doing my best to keep up with the discussion during my semester.

I was able to order four.

I got one for my showroom, one for Val, one for an Aussie, and an extra, but they all... turned out like this:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id= ... 0VILVpIWFk

This is just brutal. I honestly fail to understand how United Cutlery or BudK think that it is even remotely acceptable to expect their customers to be ok with this. It looks like there was absolutely zero quality control on the factory floor; the guy in charge of packaging figured he'd get a raise by shipping these things in what amounts to a wet paper bag; and no one on this end of things even bothered to make sure these polearms were fit to be shipped out to retailers and customers. Well, good luck with the avalanche of returns.

After waiting so long for this item to become a reality, I now have to give up on the thought of ever owning one. I simply cannot, in good conscience, ask Rev (or any other retailer) to continue wasting his time by ordering more of these until one is found that is within the acceptable range. If out of four, not even one is passable, then this is a game that no one wants to play, least of all myself.

Given that the next batch of UC replicas are ones that I'm really looking forward to, I sincerely hope UC pays a little bit more attention. This is more than concerning and makes me worry for the future. Too many corners cut in the name of the almighty dollar. Very frustrating, to say the absolute least.

What worries me more, Val, is that this is quality control. ie, these are the best pieces to make it out. The rejects are even worse.

It really is a shame. I expected this piece to cost more than the average LOTR/Hobbit sword, and when I saw it was $200 I was impressed. Now I kinda see why. I'd be willing to pay more for quality---we collectors do it all the time.

Much like you, Val, I was looking forward to this. I haven't bought a sword in a very long time and this was going to be a first for probably a year now. But now I might hold off/skip this one.

Neither of the two I got were what I would call acceptable. I received two more and they had the same issues as the ones above, so they are going back. I assume the entire run is like this. It's more than just a lousy packaging issue. I'm sure United has already decided this, but I'm recommending they never use this new factory again.

My polearm also has similar flaws, but I'm going to keep it anyway because I have no confidence that a replacement would be any better. I did the same thing with Kili's sword a few years ago.

Well, that is a real shame. Hopefully they won't go with that factory, as I have no doubt that these were the good samples to come out of the production line. I don't even want to know what the bad ones look like.

*tumbleweeds*

Now that the disappointment over the Elven polearm has come and gone, any more updates on upcoming items? I feel as if at least one of Dain's items would be out by now. I just hope the additional wait is a sign that UC is trying to make sure everything comes out right this time? One can hope.

I've kind of moved on, personally. I was really psyched for the polearm and would have probably used that as a mental excuse to snag some of the other items I've been eyeing. But with the poor reviews/pictures I'm not really willing to gamble on ordering something and getting into the mailing business by sending it back and forth a few times to get it right. I've done that too much with UC of late. I'll be excited for you guys if any new items are announced, but I think I'm good with my LOTR/Hobbit weapon stash now.

The first shipment of the Dain Helm and Hammer production should be in transit from the factory, but I don't know when they will be shipping from United. Some time in the next month, I expect, but don't quote me on that.

The Thranduil Sword Hanger tooling is still not finished, so I don't expect that to be shipping for a long while yet. Other than that, I have not heard the status of any of the other LOTR or TH products I worked on for United. Due to health issues of family members I have had to cancel my last few meetings with them, so I'm not up to speed on things.

Here's a little sneak peek.

Wow, that looks really, really nice!

Thanks for the update, Kit. Best wishes to you and your family, and my hopes that everything turns out ok.

GuardianWolf wrote:I've kind of moved on, personally. I was really psyched for the polearm and would have probably used that as a mental excuse to snag some of the other items I've been eyeing. But with the poor reviews/pictures I'm not really willing to gamble on ordering something and getting into the mailing business by sending it back and forth a few times to get it right. I've done that too much with UC of late. I'll be excited for you guys if any new items are announced, but I think I'm good with my LOTR/Hobbit weapon stash now.

Even with the quality issues the Elven Polearm has, I don't regret the purchase. It looks GREAT mounted on the wall (I hung mine horizontally) and its terrific design catches my eye every single day.

Yeah, Buckeye, I'm with you 100% on that. I'm still working with Rev on picking up a polearm that isn't too terrible. I just gotta have one.

Best wishes to you and your family, Kit. Thranduil's frog/scabbard looks very promising! One day I'll have enough money to buy it, along with the sword.

BudK just posted the Dain helm and warhammer on their web site.
http://www.budk.com/Helm-of-Dain-Ironfoot-36172
http://www.budk.com/War-Hammer-of-Dain-Ironfoot-36171

I guess they got there sooner than I thought!

I just got word today that a certain bowman's sword is finally going forward into the schedule at United too

Nasnandos wrote:...I just got word today that a certain bowman's sword is finally going forward into the schedule at United too

Woohoo! That is great news, Kit.

Hoping , hoping, hoping it turns out well with no quality related problems.
Will be the first new sword for me in about 5 years.

Deimos wrote:

Nasnandos wrote:...I just got word today that a certain bowman's sword is finally going forward into the schedule at United too

Woohoo! That is great news, Kit.

Hoping , hoping, hoping it turns out well with no quality related problems.
Will be the first new sword for me in about 5 years.

Yes, great news! That sword is on my must have list.

Nice. thanks Kit.

That is a great choice.

Apparently BUDK have Dain's hammer and helm in stock. Anyone tempted?

Great news, Kit. For whatever hand you had in convincing them Bard's sword deserved to be made, thank you!

Idril, I intend to get both Dain's Helm and Hammer, but I am so wiped out after Black Friday that it will have to wait until the new year.

I also noticed that BudK has dropped the price of the Rivendell Elf Helm by another $100.
http://www.budk.com/Rivendell-Elf-Helm-29738

oh how I would love to get items at these prices .... The Rivendell elf helm, the Black arrow, the sword of Thranduil & the elven pole arm would cost me $660 Thru BUDK, here in the UK I'm looking to buy them all, and the price here for those items is .... $1183 plus shipping! This is why my collection can't grow ...... If only UC had more distributors in the UK to create competition. Rant over aha, if anyone knows of any European distributors, I'd love to know. BUDK international shipping is way overpriced too.

Jamie Shakespeare wrote:oh how I would love to get items at these prices .... If only UC had more distributors in the UK to create competition. Rant over aha, if anyone knows of any European distributors, I'd love to know. BUDK international shipping is way overpriced too.

Jamie, check out our own RevAnakin.
He's not quite a "European distributor" but he does ship international.
You'd still have import duties to pay, I guess, but Rev's prices and shipping costs are pretty reasonable.

Deimos wrote:

Jamie Shakespeare wrote:oh how I would love to get items at these prices .... If only UC had more distributors in the UK to create competition. Rant over aha, if anyone knows of any European distributors, I'd love to know. BUDK international shipping is way overpriced too.

Jamie, check out our own RevAnakin.
He's not quite a "European distributor" but he does ship international.
You'd still have import duties to pay, I guess, but Rev's prices and shipping costs are pretty reasonable.

Many thanks for the shout out Deimos!

Yes, I ship everywhere where legal and I only charge you what I get charged for shipping (rounded up to the nearest $5 to help cover fees and such). As for pricing, I typically come in at around 10% off BUDK pricing as well, so please email me at CastleKon@gmail.com for any quotes and the like.

Also, just another plug. I shall be placing another big order at the beginning of the year. Mainly to get myself a copy of Dain's gear and I have already received emails about interest in those.

BUDK's prices for Dain's gear will be beaten by $25.

Therefore:

BUDK Dain Hammer = $250 --> Castle Kon = $225
BUDK Dain Helm = $350 --> Castle Kon = $325

Nasnandos wrote:I guess they got there sooner than I thought!

I just got word today that a certain bowman's sword is finally going forward into the schedule at United too

Last month was super busy and somehow I missed this... Fantastic news! This will be my first 'new' purchase in years assuming it turns out well!

I got in 2 each of the production Dain helm and hammer. The finish and painting on both is excellent, nearly identical to the pre-production samples. The helm is really impressive.

Unfortunately, both war hammers have a crack right through the middle of the shaft. It's not just my usual bad luck either, as I have heard others have received them with a crack in the exact same place. Seems to be a resin curing issue, similar to what happened with many of the the Weta and United Hobbit staffs.

That's sad to hear. I hadn't plan on buying either of them, but have seen photos of the broken hammer. I had also read that these would be rather limited and probably the only shipment they would be getting, don't know how true that is though.

I also got the new United Cutlery catalog yesterday and the only other new item was Thranduil's frog. I was hoping for either Bard's sword, the Moria staff or Legolas's Mirkwood bow. I hope we see them all this year as they are really the only things I'm interested in at the moment.

Any other new items in development?

Last I heard, the bow and staff are on hold until dealers clear inventory of the other bows and staffs - apparently no one wants anything new in those categories at the moment. Bard's sword is the only new item in development that I am involved in currently, other than Thranduil's sword hanger. A final off-tooling sample of that is supposed to be on the way to me.

I hadn't heard the news about the Hammer, that's sad. I wonder if UC will try to address the issue in further runs or, like N2 said, they are all out and you just have to be lucky and find one that isn't cracked. I just have to wonder, if the problem is so prevalent, why wasn't it caught with the pre-production samples? I get that with resin curing issues, it probably happens well after the object has been finished, but shouldn't there be a standard waiting time to observe if an issue like this will occur?

Kit, the sword is looking good. I'm assuming that's a CAD rendition, or is it an actual prototype?

Not too sad about the bow as I really have no room for it, but I do hope the Moria staff gets made. It's the last one in the staff collection and a hole that needs to be filled in people's collection wish lists. The stupid $$$ amounts the NC staff goes for on ebay should tell UC that there is a demand for it out there.

I agree, it's sad that they are sitting on these items that are very much in demand because "Hobbit" items aren't selling. I really don't think United knows how much demand for more LOTR items there are. If I was into social media more I would be petitioning more get these items to see the light of day.

Valkrist wrote:if the problem is so prevalent, why wasn't it caught with the pre-production samples?

That did not happen with any of the pre-production samples. I still have the first and last one here in the shop. Never happened with any of Hobbit staff samples either, yet many were cracked when they arrived. This resin only take about 24 hours to cure, and these are in the factory for weeks during the painting stages after that. It is baffling, but there are lots of other things that can affect how it cures too.

Valkrist wrote:I'm assuming that's a CAD rendition, or is it an actual prototype?

That's the final CAD model. It's in tooling now.

N2darkness wrote:I agree, it's sad that they are sitting on these items that are very much in demand because "Hobbit" items aren't selling. I really don't think United knows how much demand for more LOTR items there are. If I was into social media more I would be petitioning more get these items to see the light of day.

I actually completely agree with them that now is not the time, or rather late last year was not the time. I would rather they come out when the market is completely ready and they will have the best chance possible to sell. The last thing I wan to see is them come in and sit there in the warehouses, then go on blowout six months later.

Thanks for the insight, Kit. I'm wondering if it has to do with cold temperatures again. Going back all the way to the glue used on the pommel for Strider's Elven Knife, this wouldn't be the first time UC had problems with temperatures. I'm sure all these items sitting in cold containers being shipped to the US can't help. Almost makes me think UC shouldn't ship anything in the winter... lol

Kit, with no more movies on the way and the craze dying down, when would you envision that the time will be right again for these collectibles? I think even Weta is having trouble moving a lot of their products and I see their LE numbers shrinking as a result of this. I know everything works in cycles, but I'm just afraid that if UC lets the forges cool now, that it will take a lot to get them fired up again, if ever.

Nasnandos wrote:

N2darkness wrote:I agree, it's sad that they are sitting on these items that are very much in demand because "Hobbit" items aren't selling. I really don't think United knows how much demand for more LOTR items there are. If I was into social media more I would be petitioning more get these items to see the light of day.

I actually completely agree with them that now is not the time, or rather late last year was not the time. I would rather they come out when the market is completely ready and they will have the best chance possible to sell. The last thing I wan to see is them come in and sit there in the warehouses, then go on blowout six months later.

I also agree that that's the best business move to do. I just think that if they would have done them in a different order (the more popular items first) that it would have paved the way for the other items to do better. I just fear that with the lack luster response to these items (the ones now being heavily discounted) and the QC issues of a lot of the polyresin items that they could get shelved indefinitely. I really hope that's not the case and also I'm impatient.

I agree with what you're saying, N2, but I think UC was more focused on the Hobbit line since those movies were more recent and there was a new license agreement to make some money back on. I don't blame UC for releasing items in the order they did. It made sense; it's just that the Hobbit line (and movies) hasn't proven as popular as LOTR, and now we pay the price.

As for being impatient, that's just one of the many traits you and I have in common.

Well, they have a license with a guarantee of sales to fulfill, so they wont just stop making new items.

Licensed collectible sales typically drop off the face of the earth about two years after a film's release, and TH is following suit exactly like what I saw the year following ROTK. The collector following will remain tiny, but it's still enough to justify the license. We also just came off an election year in the US, and I know from experience that collectible sales are typically dead during an election year. This one was no exception. I have also heard from dealers I talk to directly that they definitely do not want any more bows or staffs right now. I would quote what one dealer told me when I said Leggy's bow and the Moria staff were in the works last year, but this is a family forum

They want swords!

Nasnandos wrote:They want swords!

Guthwine (Eomer)! Haldir! Faramir!

The only LOTR characters of note left that got no love in terms of hardware. I can't think of any Hobbit weapons I want to see except Bard's bow and bows seem to be done for a long time.

Don't forget Denethor's sword, Val!

I'm still holding onto that tiny tiny tiny fragment of hope that UC will do Haldir's sword but make it under the museum collection line and it will have a hand forged blade. I can dream right?

I didn't forget Denethor. I almost put his name down, but his sword is glimpsed only briefly once or twice, and is never drawn from its scabbard. If UC chickened out on a much higher profile blade like Guthwine that actually got serious screen time, you can bet that Denethor's sword has a less than 0% chance of ever being made.

The same odds go for an MC Haldir sword. The MC line is well and truly dead as the UC of today is all about reducing production costs and using cheaper materials and labour wherever possible. The market for a sword made like that and belonging to a secondary character would only draw the attention of a very tiny handful of people. Even if UC produced two versions, like in the old days, I would only go for the non MC version, as I'm sure most other buyers would.

Anyway, I'm sure Kit is tired of hearing the same wishful thinking and belly aching from us all the time. It's never really gotten us anywhere and it's not his decision anyway.

Bit late to the party but due to the new forum layout- just saw it.

Agreeing here with wanting these swords. Just like to add - I saw Denethors sword and scabbard on Weta's weapon wall a couple of years ago. Even amongst all the Lotr weapons it stood out like a beacon. That and the Legolas sword (like his white knives but as a sword) I would have tucked into my coat if at all possible.

Just got my Mirkwood and Dain helms. Too busy to open them before the weekend.

Also picked up a Gimli helm from an Aussie guy last month. I used to have one and now I have again. This means my helm collection is complete except for new items and my never ending search for a citadel helm

The Dain helm box is huge! Almost as big as the Sauron helm box.

For anyone that does not receive Derek's newsletter, looks like Thranduil's frog scabbard will be available by the end of May. Of course, he's been given optimistic dates before, but given Kit's last update on this item a while back, this date seems reasonable. Here are the specs. Derek's price is $65.

Thranduil is a powerful Elf-Lord and a legendary fighter. King of the Woodland Realm, he rules over the northern lands of the great forest known as Mirkwood. The design of Thranduil’s sword and sling is both elegant and deadly, combining nature with Elven artistry. The sling left the sword blade completely exposed when worn, striking fear into Thranduil’s enemies at the sight of naked Elven steel. This authentically detailed replica is a reproduction of the actual filming prop used in the motion picture, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. It has been authentically finished and decorated to duplicate the original movie prop and it is crafted from cast metal with faux leather straps and cast metal fittings. It comes ready to mount on a wall with a decorative metal display hook and includes a certificate of authenticity.

· Cast metal with antique silver finish

· Embossed faux leather straps

· Protective, black felt-lined interior

· Presented with a wall display hook

· Includes certificate of authenticity

· Overall length: 16 1/2”

I received the email too, and have done nothing with it. I should really get it, but I just feel kinda meh about it all.

Arwyniel wrote: Fri Apr 21, 2017 2:33 am I received the email too, and have done nothing with it. I should really get it, but I just feel kinda meh about it all.

It looks horribly impractical. Like Orcrist, you would slice your fingers off in a moment of distraction due to the curvature of the blade and open slit on the scabbard. Still, the completist in me is jumping up and down and I do think it looks like a lovely piece. Knowing all about UC's infamously inaccurate release dates, I will simply wait until it is actually out and then order one from Rev.

Anyone heard anything further about the handle fissure issues on Dain's Hammer? Idril, any problems with yours? Still waiting on photos of that and the helm...

Valkrist wrote: Fri Apr 21, 2017 5:36 am

It looks horribly impractical. Like Orcrist, you would slice your fingers off in a moment of distraction due to the curvature of the blade and open slit on the scabbard. Still, the completist in me is jumping up and down and I do think it looks like a lovely piece. Knowing all about UC's infamously inaccurate release dates, I will simply wait until it is actually out and then order one from Rev.

But for the elf-King Thranduil, he would never be distracted enough to be injured by his exposed blade

BladeCollector wrote: Fri Apr 21, 2017 7:00 am

Valkrist wrote: Fri Apr 21, 2017 5:36 am

It looks horribly impractical. Like Orcrist, you would slice your fingers off in a moment of distraction due to the curvature of the blade and open slit on the scabbard. Still, the completist in me is jumping up and down and I do think it looks like a lovely piece. Knowing all about UC's infamously inaccurate release dates, I will simply wait until it is actually out and then order one from Rev.

But for the elf-King Thranduil, he would never be distracted enough to be injured by his exposed blade

That was my thought too. Thranduil would never cut himself so what does it matter. I plan on getting two - just incase I decide I need two later on.

My hammer is perfect. No issues at all. I'll post a funny pic.

Forgot about posting the pic of the helm. It is huge with that feathering. Would you like a pic with another helm for scale? If so - which one?

I'm delighted with the news that I now have the complete helm collection. Funny after years of collecting I have only recently realized my enormous love of swords is actually slightly less than my love of armour.

Good to hear about the hammer, and congrats on finishing the helm collection, Idril.

Dain's helm is the only official one I'm missing, but I'm very much on the fence about getting it. For one, the helms are really expensive and I can't afford it right now. Second, I love armour just like you do but horizontal space is much harder to come by than wall space. I keep hearing about how massive this thing is, and I simply don't have the space for it unless I put it on the floor, which is likely where the hammer will go if I ever get it.

Valkrist wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2017 5:47 am For anyone that does not receive Derek's newsletter, looks like Thranduil's frog scabbard will be available by the end of May. Of course, he's been given optimistic dates before, but given Kit's last update on this item a while back, this date seems reasonable. Here are the specs.

United is still waiting on packaging approval from WB, so I don't think these have even gone into full production yet. Definitely won't be shipping next month unless United is air shipping some in, which I highly doubt.