You had to look for it, but it was in AUJ in a few places. When Smaug attacks the front gate of Erebor in the prologue, Thrain carries it when he is running beside Thorin. This scene - I think it is in one of the flashbacks too.

So jealous. So. So. Jealous. It was in AUJ and DOS, the opening Erebor flashback in film 2 has him charging at Azog with it.

Yes, that is probably the best scene to get a full glimpse of it.

Time for a long overdue rewatch. Not my favourite set of movies, but lots of good stuff in there.

Did anyone else take advantage of the BUDK flash sale promo code last week? I snagged the Morgul Dagger for $34.99! It should be arriving today. I don't really care for the "bad guys'" weapons, but for $35 I think it would have been dumb not to get it.

JJByers wrote: Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:44 am Did anyone else take advantage of the BUDK flash sale promo code last week? I snagged the Morgul Dagger for $34.99! It should be arriving today. I don't really care for the "bad guys'" weapons, but for $35 I think it would have been dumb not to get it.

If anyone missed it. Castle Kon just had a MASSIVE order cancellation for these items. We slashed our prices from $95 to $50 + shipping. We now have quite a few left.

JJByers wrote: Did anyone else take advantage of the BUDK flash sale promo code last week? I snagged the Morgul Dagger for $34.99! It should be arriving today. I don't really care for the "bad guys'" weapons, but for $35 I think it would have been dumb not to get it.

I ordered two to the UK. One for my father as a gift, one to store unopened in the loft for 30 years

Jamie Shakespeare wrote: Mon Jan 22, 2018 6:00 am

JJByers wrote: Did anyone else take advantage of the BUDK flash sale promo code last week? I snagged the Morgul Dagger for $34.99! It should be arriving today. I don't really care for the "bad guys'" weapons, but for $35 I think it would have been dumb not to get it.

I ordered two to the UK. One for my father as a gift, one to store unopened in the loft for 30 years

Jaime you're everywhere I go lol. I'm printing out the spec sheet you sent me now hahaha. Thanks again man!

No worries at all! Hope its of some use !

Buckeye wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:40 pm

N2darkness wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2018 1:52 pm Sorry I don't have any info for you Xena, but I did notice today that UC had the Sword of Bard on their website (out of stock) so it should be available for order shortly. Looking forward to this!

It looks really good, too. I'm also looking forward to it. For those who haven't yet seen the UC pic: http://www.unitedcutlery.com/ProductDet ... 264&cat=HB

Hey just stumbled on this today! I'm so excited for this! It's definitely a unique looking sword within the collection. Just waiting for the chance to buy!

I hopped onto the Bud K site today just to see what items were still for sale and I was surprised to see that several items are now out of production and others seem to be very inexpensive. What's the status of the line these days? Has anything besides the Fili, Kili, and Legolas swords/knives gone out of production? Anything new in the pipeline?

I think in terms of health and popularity, the line is doing quite well, though releases have slowed down considerably the farther away we get from the movies. Everything that UC has produced seems to be running low except for the stalwarts like Glamdring, Sting, etc, which never seem to fall out of popularity and demand. I think UC is far more reluctant to carry lots of stock these days, so even on the unlimited items, I'm guessing the production runs are fairly short before being stopped altogether. With this US vs. China tariff trade war brewing now, I'm curious (and dismayed) to see how it will affect prices and any future projects going forward, to be honest.

As for what's still in the pipeline, not very much, sadly: Bard's sword should be almost out, and the only other item that Kit was working on, Gandalf's Moria Staff, has been placed on hold several times. Final status unknown for now. There were rumours of a helm, but Kit shot those down. Nothing else I know of.

Nothing new the works at the moment, but I know there is still ongoing production of the standards - Sting, Glam, and Anduril. I know they were making another run of Legolas knives too. I'm not sure if they have even started production of Bard's sword yet. The whole sword market seems to have been in a slump for the past year or so.

I doubt there will be anything new in the pipeline until the media buzz starts starts to kick in about the new LOTR series and the collector interest starts up again. That could be a year or more from now though.

Thanks for the update, gentlemen. I too am shaking my head over the trade war with China and hoping it doesn't have too much of an impact on our industry here. Kit, I had neglected to think about the new upcoming series. Do you anticipate that it will spur interest in new items from old films, or merely encourage the re-release of previously produced items?

I think the LOTR series will spur interest in the old and new products, just as the buzz that The Hobbit films were going to be made did when that started around 2010.

...and we have always had a "trade war" with China

2427Finally, something truly official re the UC Bard sword:
https://www.budk.com/The-Sword-of-Bard- ... ess--43397

Rev, just let me know when you're ready to officially take orders.

Me too Rev. I’ll take one ASAP

Me three!

Here's the fourth musketeer jumping on the Bard wagon!

I was planning on getting one myself but since I got the blue Glamdring scabbard my collecting kinda crashed to a halt entirely. Not to bash it or anything, but everyone praises its rarity and how beautiful and epic it is to have one. So when I finally won one at a decent price and it arrived, with so many years of hype and being put on a pedestal by the collector's community, it was pretty disappointing for me. I mean, its cool yeah, the leather compared to other functional items I own seems thin and cheap. The wood core is crazy thin, the leather around the chape wrinkled (which I knew it would be). I don't know... That scabbard shut down my spending though. Moreso when I see other collectors demanding high prices for theirs I'm thinking, "Why?" And I've seen the justification posts of, "To someone it may be worth $500 or $700." - "Its a buyer and seller's market! At the end of the day if you aren't a buyer you're a seller." (Who doesn't make a sale I might add.) Really I just feel like a majority of the "collectors" now are out to price gouge and make money, its not so much about the love of the franchise. Which basically killed community involvement for me as well. I think I regularly message 3 or 4 people still helping them hunt down items... I digress. Sorry

Anyway, as the release date draws closer maybe I will pick one up. I thought Luke Evans did a pretty good job as Bard, and while The Hobbit films to most are far off from the source content. I still found them quite enjoyable. Also at the end of the day, I feel like every purchase is a reason for United Cutlery to keep the license and try to move forward with it. Without them we'd all be stuck ordering knock offs from China off eBay lol.

I’ve been in the situation before, JJ. For me, it was Legolas’ fighting knives. I had been desperate to buy them ever since I was a kid but there are differences between the props and the UC replica that make them fall a little flat for me. It’s not solely down to UCs replica, naturally after wanting something for so long all it could ever do is disappoint.

This right here:

Lindir wrote: Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:40 pmnaturally after wanting something for so long all it could ever do is disappoint.

I bought that scabbard right when it was released, and for the very reasonable price that it cost back then. I've always liked it, but I'm also well aware of the shortcomings of many of UC's replicas. The point is, I was happy with what I got for what I paid back then. Going forward all these years and hearing that its a letdown of epic proportions that doesn't justify the high numbers people ask for it is not the least bit surprising. How can it not disappoint? It's a reasonably cheap replica, using average materials, probably coming about 90% close in terms of accuracy to the original. All the hype surrounding it now stems more from its relative rarity than anything else, which is why it's a bit unfair to slam the scabbard for not meeting expectations. We're not talking something from Weta's Master Swordsmith Collection... it's a UC replica, which yes, is still a 100 times better than some Chinese or Pakistani knockoff. I know from experience that when hunting down some of these supposed 'grails' that slipped through our fingers, one should take care to manage expectations.

Buckeye wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 9:46 am 2427Finally, something truly official re the UC Bard sword:
https://www.budk.com/The-Sword-of-Bard- ... ess--43397

Rev, just let me know when you're ready to officially take orders.

Rev's been rather quiet about the release ... I think he "fell into Mordor, where the shadows are." :-p

Thing are so slow on the collectible front that it's likely he's not even aware and may need a poke. We're assuming retailers have been notified, but even Derek from Smithblades has yet to send out a notice and he's usually on top of these things.

This sword has taken so long that I'll believe it when I see it. At this rate, the Moria staff should be due in 2025.

Kit, has the Mirkwood Polearm ceased production? I ask because I was looking through the website of the retailer I bought mine from and they’re listing it as sold out and no longer available. Glad I snatched mine up when I did.

Lindir wrote: Mon Jun 25, 2018 6:42 pm Kit, has the Mirkwood Polearm ceased production? I ask because I was looking through the website of the retailer I bought mine from and they’re listing it as sold out and no longer available. Glad I snatched mine up when I did.

Last I spoke with Budk it had been out of production, and they had 2 or 3 left on the shelf in the back. Thats BudK/United, can't speak for third party vendors.

Yes, almost all Hobbit items have ceased production including all Mirkwood items.

Also, for Bard's sword. I am taking pre-orders. I currently have 5 already ordered.

RevAnakin wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:50 pm Yes, almost all Hobbit items have ceased production including all Mirkwood items.

Also, for Bard's sword. I am taking pre-orders. I currently have 5 already ordered.

Rev, I sent you a second PM. Did you get it?

RevAnakin wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:50 pm Also, for Bard's sword. I am taking pre-orders. I currently have 5 already ordered.

Hey Rev, are you ordering these through BudK or UC direct? Just curious as I need to order mine as well and I just saw today that they are now limited to 600 only.

Rev, could you please confirm if the one I requested is one of those five you have on pre-order? I hope you can hang onto it for me as I won't be home to receive it until October.

Buckeye wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:07 pm

RevAnakin wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:50 pm Yes, almost all Hobbit items have ceased production including all Mirkwood items.

Also, for Bard's sword. I am taking pre-orders. I currently have 5 already ordered.

Rev, I sent you a second PM. Did you get it?

Yes, you already pre-ordered with BUDK. All good.

N2darkness wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:20 pm

RevAnakin wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:50 pm Also, for Bard's sword. I am taking pre-orders. I currently have 5 already ordered.

Hey Rev, are you ordering these through BudK or UC direct? Just curious as I need to order mine as well and I just saw today that they are now limited to 600 only.

I am ordering from UC directly. My price will be $190 plus shipping.

Valkrist wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:20 pm Rev, could you please confirm if the one I requested is one of those five you have on pre-order? I hope you can hang onto it for me as I won't be home to receive it until October.

Yessir, you are literally no 1/5 from before and it can be held until October.

Excellent! Thank you, my friend.

Got my Museum Collection Sting yesterday. I wonder if the 600 units is just due to lack of sales. Which I'd understand, why produce 2000 when potentially 1500 may get stuck in the warehouse doomed for clearance. Which is alot of the Hobbit stuff towards the end. I wasn't gonna be in a rush to get Bard's sword but the situation has certainly changed. Luckily I get paid tomorrow. Boromir's sword and Sting hit me quick outta nowhere.

Hey friends, just letting everyone know that UC is expecting an October drop date for these so any of those August dates floating around on eBay are totally false.

Hey Rev. Send you a message on messenger but please make sure I’m on the list.

Thanks

Rev just confirmed that I'm 2/5, right behind Val.

Idril wrote: Wed Aug 01, 2018 11:49 am Hey Rev. Send you a message on messenger but please make sure I’m on the list.

Thanks

Yes you are!

Valkrist wrote: Thu Jun 21, 2018 7:59 am This sword has taken so long that I'll believe it when I see it. At this rate, the Moria staff should be due in 2025.

They are going to miss getting it in before Christmas if they don't get me a pre-production sample soon! I was sent photos last week. It looked really good, but the metal part of the display is not complete yet, so I won't be sent a complete sample until then.

RevAnakin wrote: Wed Aug 01, 2018 4:55 am Hey friends, just letting everyone know that UC is expecting an October drop date for these so any of those August dates floating around on eBay are totally false.

I recently got a production email from the factory showing they had just completed the guards and pommels, so it's more likely end of October-early November. I expect there will only be one production run, so these will probably be the 'Boromir' sword of the Hobbit films.

Lindir wrote: Mon Jun 25, 2018 6:42 pm Kit, has the Mirkwood Polearm ceased production? I ask because I was looking through the website of the retailer I bought mine from and they’re listing it as sold out and no longer available. Glad I snatched mine up when I did.

Production was a few years ago. I think there were only two short runs.

Please let me know if I missed you. Also, for future reference, if I am not active here, I am always responding quickly to anything on the Castle Kon facebook page.

Current preorder list:

Current preorder list:

1. Raf (UCForums)
2. Deimos (UCForums)
3. Idril/Humphreys (UCForums)
4. Mykl
5. P. Ivan
6. Byers (UCForums)
7. Shakespeare
8. K. Robertson
9. Narog
10. DeLuca
11. Hopken
12. Edvin
13-15. Arne
16. Striders_Heir (UCForums)

Nasnandos wrote: Wed Aug 01, 2018 2:49 pm
They are going to miss getting it in before Christmas if they don't get me a pre-production sample soon! I was sent photos last week. It looked really good, but the metal part of the display is not complete yet, so I won't be sent a complete sample until then.

That's great news that is getting closer and your happy with the results. As for the metal parts? that must mean that the display will be different then the other staves?

It's the metal plate that's on the back of the displays that I was referring to, but the design is slightly different than The Hobbit staff displays, since this one is for LOTR.

I just got a photo of the metal plate for approval this morning, so hopefully I will see the complete sample next week.

Excellent news that the Moria Staff is moving forward, even if it seems like a snail's pace to us impatient peeps. Curious about the new plaque design. Hopefully it won't be too radical of a departure from the Hobbit ones like those were from the original LOTR ones. However, if you had a hand in designing them then I am confident we will get something that's very cool-looking.

It still fits in nicely with the Hobbit staff display size and look. I kept the mounting arms identical. It's just the base and rune graphics that are more LOTR tuned.

I would love it if we could go back and re-do the LOTR white staff and Saruman display staffs to match, as I hate those old metal displays!

Good to hear!

Yeah, those old mounts were ok and utilitarian back in the day, but they're very underwhelming compared to the new ones. Still, both are better than the ugly Weta mounts.

Sounds like UC is winding down the Hobbit/LOTR line for now with decreasing products and smaller runs then? Any hope, however faint for the LOTR Mirkwood bow or has that shipped sailed? I guess the future of the line now lies with the Amazon series...

Yes, at this point everything hinges on the Amazon thing.

First LED light sample. The light color looks a bit too cool to my eyes. Not sure I can get it changed at this point, but I think a warm white, 3000-3500k, is going to look better.

Nasnandos wrote: Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:35 am First LED light sample. The light color looks a bit too cool to my eyes. Not sure I can get it changed at this point, but I think a warm white, 3000-3500k, is going to look better.

GORGEOUS! I may sell my Radagast for this one