Wow, they must have used $100 worth of epoxy sculpt to do that. This may be a little challenging of a project to undertake, but if I do Val you'll be the first person I call.

[quote=""Nerdanel""]Val - am I allowed to link directly to a person's deviantart account? Wasn't sure what the rules were regarding that if I haven't asked their permission.

It would be so, so cool if UC attempted it. Would look great with Aeglos if we could ever talk someone into making it. And yes, you were correct. Here it is in progress with the boss being added:


And mounted to the wall:
[/quote]

Did anyone happen to notice THE WALL also?

That is a map of Middle Earth.

Good golly lolly, who ever this person is they sure are talented.

Jesus! @#$@#$ !@$$#%@ . That's seriously one of the most beautiful custom jobs I've ever seen on a Middle-Earth Product. Right up there with Thrand's Helm of Eomer and the Kropserkel Nazgul.

[quote=""Fingolfin""]Jesus! @#$@#$ !@$$#%@ . That's seriously one of the most beautiful custom jobs I've ever seen on a Middle-Earth Product. Right up there with Thrand's Helm of Eomer and the Kropserkel Nazgul. [/quote]

Really, Fin? Really???
You would rate the K. Nazgul get-up higher than N2D's Shield of Boromir? Shame on you!
You are hereby banned from the forums for 24 hours!

Yep, I was floored when I found that picture. Really lovely craftsmanship. He/she have done a couple of other projects to make you green with envy, though I'm sure if this is the place to post them.

HANDMADE Lothlorien bow styled after the HCG version


Seriously though, I would LOVE to get a Gil-galad shield. Stunning.

[quote=""Deimos""]Really, Fin? Really???
You would rate the K. Nazgul get-up higher than N2D's Shield of Boromir? Shame on you!
You are hereby banned from the forums for 24 hours! [/quote]

Thanks Deimos! but I think the Kropserkel items are amazing and definitely top my shield. Thranduil's items are a close 2nd as well.

Sooooooo, after seeing Kit's comparison photos of the legolas knives LOTR vs DOS....I decided I HAVE to get the new version...

It came in the mail today and I thought you all should know that these knives are SO much better looking than the lord of the rings version. You HAVE to get them! Also, if you have the HCG lothlorien bow....these new knives look really good with that bow! excellent.

however, when I opened the package, one of the knives was loose in the box and had dents in the wood from being shuffled around. I also had a nice long drip of clear coat on the handle, and there was some black dirt that was dried underneath the clear coat on the handle...so I am sending it back to get new ones. BUT these seriously are great knives!

[quote=""N2darkness""]Thanks Deimos! but I think the Kropserkel items are amazing and definitely top my shield. Thranduil's items are a close 2nd as well.[/quote]

OK...can't argue about personal preference.
But if someone gave me (HAHA yeah, right :rolleye a K. Nazgul replica costume, I would give it to you (it being an evil thing which I would not want in my collection) and you, in exchange for it, would make for me a Shield of Boromir.
Deal?

Has anyone heard anything about their Orcrist scabbard being shipped yet? Budk is showing that its in stock now so was wondering if anyone would post photos when they receive theirs

Mine should be shipping Monday or Tuesday. I'll post some if no one beats me to it.

[quote=""Deimos""]OK...can't argue about personal preference.
But if someone gave me (HAHA yeah, right :rolleye a K. Nazgul replica costume, I would give it to you (it being an evil thing which I would not want in my collection) and you, in exchange for it, would make for me a Shield of Boromir.
Deal? [/quote]

Deal!

I've had my scabbard on pre-order for awhile now so it should be shipping anytime as well. I'll definitely post photos when it arrives.

[quote=""Deimos""]Really, Fin? Really???
You would rate the K. Nazgul get-up higher than N2D's Shield of Boromir? Shame on you!
You are hereby banned from the forums for 24 hours! [/quote]

I'm going to go hide my head under a sheet somewhere...the shame! THE SHAME!!


Yes the Boromir Shield is up there too, it's just recent and I had temporarily forgotten to include it in comparison.


Also, that bow is fantastic.

N2's shield of Boromir is definitely one of my favorite fan-made replicas. Such a wonderful display of talent and craftsmanship! I wish I had that kind of skill.

On a completely different subject, does anyone know how the sales were for Hadhafang back in the day? I'm curious, considering Elrond's potentially e xp anded role in the next film, if UC might consider rereleasing Hadhafang. This is one item I've held off on that's still fairly easy to come by, but it would be pretty neat if UC would reboot it with a more display-friendly plaque...and better still, a scabbard.

[quote=""Lindir""]I guess I didn't look hard enough

Thanks for those photos Kit I really like the design of Legolas' green bow/ the Mirkwood guard bow.

I'm interested in UC's bow construction. In past discussions you e xp lained how some items have a polyresin shell that is filled with foam to reduce weight. Will the bows be constructed in this manner or are they solid polyresin pieces, with the steel core of course.

Do you think that these could be made out of wood and made to fire real arrows? You'd have to find a talented enough bow maker though who could carve all the fine details, but I was wondering if the shapes and design of the bows would stop them from being functional in the sense that they could be used as real weapons.

I'm also hoping that if Legolas' bow sells well, we'll get that Mirkwood quiver of his [/quote]

justin steinmetz has plans to make the leg bow and market it thru medeival collectibles

[quote=""rick cottontree""]justin steinmetz has plans to make the leg bow and market it thru medeival collectibles[/quote]

That looks really cool

Where did you get the photo and where can I find more information about him and his work?

[quote=""Lindir""]That looks really cool

Where did you get the photo and where can I find more information about him and his work?[/quote]

I could be mistaken, but believe he is associated with GI Bow:
http://www.gibow.com/shop/index.php?mai ... e6htikpbq4

[quote=""Lindir""]That looks really cool

Where did you get the photo and where can I find more information about him and his work?[/quote]

its a pic he posted on facebook - his web site is gibow.com

Oh fantastic, he is an excellent craftsman!

[quote=""rick cottontree""]justin steinmetz has plans to make the leg bow and market it thru medeival collectibles[/quote]

Definitely going to buy that JS bow...will be real wood and fully functional.

I can make the arrows myself (and to my DL)

Thanks for the info and the photo, Rick...made my day.

I've heard mixed reviews about GI Bow....excellent quality but unreliable business practices. But that was a long time ago, and I might be confusing that with another company. But at any rate, that thing looks awesome!

[quote=""Fingolfin""]I've heard mixed reviews about GI Bow....excellent quality but unreliable business practices. But that was a long time ago, and I might be confusing that with another company. But at any rate, that thing looks awesome![/quote]

You heard right, Fin....super product , [still] horrid customer service.
Read about it too many times on too many trad archery sites.
And yet, I'll still buy from him because no one makes affordable fantasy bows like he does.

(Don't know how Rick fares with him...maybe he has an inside track...)

Yes, I've heard the same things, enough to make me want to stay away, but I emphasize here that this is only from hearing other people, not personal e xp erience.

Furthermore, I would gently remind anyone that is buying bows like his that due to being fully functional, you *should* not be displaying them while strung or you will ruin your bow over time. If you have the money, buy the UC version for display purposes, and buy Justin's bow if you have a need to go out and shoot something for real.

[quote=""Valkrist""]Yes, I've heard the same things, enough to make me want to stay away, but I emphasize here that this is only from hearing other people, not personal e xp erience. [/quote]

I should have qualified my post...My e xp erience with GIBows is personal...have bought two bows from him....Excellent bows.

Forget customer service...he never responds either to emails or voice mails. And I have yet to e xp erience a live person EVER answering the phone.

[quote=""Valkrist""] Furthermore, I would gently remind anyone that is buying bows like his that due to being fully functional, you *should* not be displaying them while strung or you will ruin your bow over time. If you have the money, buy the UC version for display purposes, and buy Justin's bow if you have a need to go out and shoot something for real.[/quote]

A timely reminder, Val.

I have to laugh at the memory of one member --I think it was RevAnakin-- who seemed a bit disappointed that, should he buy a fully functional LOTR bow, he would have to display it pretty much as "a stick" .

[quote=""Deimos""]I have to laugh at the memory of one member --I think it was RevAnakin-- who seemed a bit disappointed that, should he buy a fully functional LOTR bow, he would have to display it pretty much as "a stick" . [/quote]

Yep. Most people don't seem to realize that once the string is removed and all the tension is gone from the bow's limbs, the whole thing becomes nearly a straight line and bears very little resemblance to that desirable and attractive curved shape it has while strung. People just assume that is the natural shape of the bow, but it's not. If you're ok having a "stick" on display, then go for it.

I am aware of the fact that a functional bow is meant to be stored/displayed unstrung which is why I'm going for the UC version first and then may consider the functional bow in the future.

But in order to justify the cost, I have to think of when I'd ever have real need to use a bow and I really can't see me ever needing it (unless there is a massive Orc attack or Zombie Apocalypse) so I think a display piece would be better suited for me.

It's definitely one of those "to each his own" things but I've never fully understood the demand for a movie prop replica to be functional. There are a lot of great functional bows on the market as it is. If I showed up at my local archery range with a Lothlorien Galadhrim bow, I would probably be laughed out of the place.

[quote=""MorgulMike""]It's definitely one of those "to each his own" things but I've never fully understood the demand for a movie prop replica to be functional. There are a lot of great functional bows on the market as it is. If I showed up at my local archery range with a Lothlorien Galadhrim bow, I would probably be laughed out of the place.[/quote]

'Zactly.....but the Loth bow would be pretty impressive for LARP (even if one has to shoot foam tipped/blunted arrows)

Got my Orcrist scabbard today and it's pretty nice. A brief summary and pictures are posted in the 'Latest Acquired' thread.

showthread.php?t=4334&page=235

got my orcrist scabbard today and the tip is broken

[quote=""rick cottontree""]got my orcrist scabbard today and the tip is broken[/quote]
Sorry to hear about this Rick.
Would you be so kind as to take a photo of it so we can see what the details are of what is being purchased?
I'm curious about what the materials are, I assume it is cold cast metal/resin, and as you may be aware I'm planning to work with this medium.

[quote=""rick cottontree""]got my orcrist scabbard today and the tip is broken[/quote]

I'd love to see pictures too, if possible. Sorry to hear about this. This confirms what I'd feared - the material is too brittle to support much weight/pressure. If it can break off in a padded shipping box...yikes. Imagine if it accidently tipped over = game over.

[quote=""Nerdanel""]I'd love to see pictures too, if possible. Sorry to hear about this. This confirms what I'd feared - the material is too brittle to support much weight/pressure. If it can break off in a padded shipping box...yikes. Imagine if it accidently tipped over = game over.[/quote]

reply put in report your latest thread

[quote=""Lindir""]This could be a prototype, or a one from the production run but still its earlier than e xp ected:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8xSoSbC ... 4-overview[/quote]

Thanks for the link Lindir! Did you catch that bit at the end? He says it is limited... and yet he didn't give an edition size. It doesn't say limited on the website, so I wonder how accurate that info is.

Although it won't have the satisfying 'heft' to it, I actually think it looks pretty good. Unfortunately, I bet that's a prototype and what we will end up with will undoubtedly have some cut corners.

That mace turned out better than i e xp ected! I too hope the regular production run stays true. But this gives me high e xp ectations for the awesomeness of Sauron's mace

Where I was once excited beyond words for Sauron's Mace, I am now filled with fear at the possibility of yet another quality fiasco from UC due to their recent and continuing trend of epic fails. If they bungle up this dream item of mine I'm pretty much done with them as a customer.

[quote=""Valkrist""]Where I was once excited beyond words for Sauron's Mace, I am now filled with fear at the possibility of yet another quality fiasco from UC due to their recent and continuing trend of epic fails. If they bungle up this dream item of mine I'm pretty much done with them as a customer.[/quote]

I'm hoping they'll have ironed out all the kinks by then Val

[quote=""Valkrist""]Where I was once excited beyond words for Sauron's Mace, I am now filled with fear at the possibility of yet another quality fiasco from UC due to their recent and continuing trend of epic fails. If they bungle up this dream item of mine I'm pretty much done with them as a customer.[/quote]
I'd be in the same boat if there were any other source for Sauron's Mace.

Even if there are (god forbid) horrid defects with it, I think I'll end up returning the thing until I get one that is the way it should be.

As I'm right there with both of you on this, its a dream prop or holy grail if you will and you want it to be perfect.

I was think about all of these newer releases from the Hobbit, UC is just following suit with its source material. Not quite as good as the previous trilogy, same world just a little off and some things made up or changed.

Looking at all my LOTR replicas, and then dealing with Kili’s Sword and reading about others’ e xp eriences with the Hobbit replicas just makes me shake my head in disgust.

On the very distant chance that the Silmarillion is made into a mini-series (similar to GoT) I have two ardent desires:
1) the Three Stooges (Jacskson, Walsh and Boyens) are not allowed anywhere near it for any reason, and
2) the studio producing it finds another company than UC to make any replicas.

[quote=""Deimos""]
the studio producing it finds another company than UC to make any replicas.[/quote]

Who would you prefer to produce the replicas Deimos? Master Cutlery make awful replicas that fall apart really quickly (my Eragon swords are proof of that) Windlass do make good swords, but from what I've read about their licensed replicas from Assassin's creed and Conan, we don't want them making replicas. I read that the swords had hollow hilt pieces that were extremely fragile and just looked as though they were painted. The two items I bought from their Assassins creed line were awful and not worth their price at all.

Not everyone can afford Albion swords, although they would be amazing. It seems to me that UC are the best choice even though they have their shortcomings. From the Hobbit line, only two products have had problems: Kili's sword and the Orcrist scabbard. Everything else has been perfect, with the odd exception of course.

I'm remaining optimistic for their future products. Thranduil's staff and sword and Tauriel's bow are three pieces that I'm really looking forward to from their upcoming wave of replicas hopefully they'll get their polyresin factory sorted and they'll turn out great. Sauron's mace should be amazing as well

[quote=""Fingolfin""]I've heard mixed reviews about GI Bow....excellent quality but unreliable business practices. But that was a long time ago, and I might be confusing that with another company. But at any rate, that thing looks awesome![/quote]

Well, I can chime in here as to his business practices...

He had also made a replica of the High Elven bow of Haldir. He sold 1 such (and claimed it would be his last) to a member here on the forums. Then I noted he had another one on his website in a series of project pics. I contacted him and he offered the bow to me for a good price and was even making a slight mod to it for me. I paid him and waited. And waited. And emailed. And waited. And emailed. And waited. And threatened to cancel my CC transaction. Only then did he reply stating he was having a lot of family issues. He offered an additional discount, but this was approx 3-4 weeks after he promised me the bow. After having no reply or contact for that long, I was extremely uncomfortable. He stated he would understand if I preferred to simply cancel the sale so I did and put in the cancel request for my CC payment. He never responded to them so I had to wait the full 30 days or whatever for the provisional credit to become permanent. So, in short, I would never attempt to buy from this guy again after that e xp erience. I'm sure he was dealing with some personal issues, but that does not excuse failing to simply reply to my ever-increasingly concerned emails to let me know what was up. It was his thoughtlessness and lack of regard for a paying (paid in full) customer who had never done business with him that I found unforgivable. That's my 2 cents....spend it as ye may.

All companies have QC problems when they're dealing with such a massive number of replicas coming out. Don't get me wrong, I understand the frustrations here, but as Lindir said, there really isn't another company that will produce the numbers of replicas, at an affordable price, and in a timely manner. I'm still waiting for eFX to release replicas from The Avengers two years after they announced them...

For all their flaws, UC is still the best company out there to handle the license. At least they admit/alter future products to fix QC issues. I've dealt with other companies that refuse to take responsibility for the garbage they put out.

[quote=""Lindir""]Who would you prefer to produce the replicas Deimos? Master Cutlery make awful replicas that fall apart really quickly (my Eragon swords are proof of that) Windlass do make good swords, but from what I've read about their licensed replicas from Assassin's creed and Conan, we don't want them making replicas. I read that the swords had hollow hilt pieces that were extremely fragile and just looked as though they were painted. The two items I bought from their Assassins creed line were awful and not worth their price at all.

.....It seems to me that UC are the best choice even though they have their shortcomings. From the Hobbit line, only two products have had problems: Kili's sword and the Orcrist scabbard. Everything else has been perfect, with the odd exception of course. [/quote]

Welll..... I will quibble a bit on your assertion that only two of the UC Hobbit swords had problems...Fili sword owners had some problems.

But the real issue with UC is (and as others have mentioned, especially Val), at one point do we, as customers, stop accepting an increasingly sub-standard product?
Lindir, the UC line is gradually starting to look as bad as Windlass.
At some point we will get UC swords with hollow hilts, crummy paint jobs and corkscrew blades...oh, wait, we've already nailed 2 out of 3 (you didn't mention Windlass blades being bent).

Like Val, I'm personally ready to jettison UC as a supplier of replica weapons...don't know yet where I'll go but I can't see throwing good money after bad.

I'm still ok with UC. As with the whole, "PJ is an idiot who ruined The Hobbit," mentality, I'm good with the movies. I love Tolkien. And I love Middle-Earth. If the weapons reproduced are less than par compared to the LotR run, I'm not thrilled, but I'm more than satisfied. Maybe I'll change my tune when I receive the Orcrist scabbard tomorrow. I do believe that there aren't a lot of better options to take over the license. So, do I slightly customize what I receive to make it more screen accurate, or do I wait until people like Indy, Thandy, or N2 find the time to produce something? I'll take both options. I'll customize my UC items (of course returning the maimed items for better quality versions), and I'll gladly buy the things our friends make. My two cents

I'm not certain, but weren't the retail of these pieces much higher when they were released? I seem to remember seeing them being sold for around MSRP when the movies were running. That said, UC would have had higher e xp ectations for sales and therefore would have justified higher production costs. Unfortunately, as we all know, not all their swords/shields/scabbards/etc sold as e xp ected and they eventually went bankrupt. As such, in order to continue making replicas and keep the lights on, they must have realized they had to change something in that equation. With the prices now being much lower than the original pieces' original prices, it is understandable that the quality might suffer.

And to top it all off, the economic state of our world isn't exactly the best right now. These are just my thoughts and not excuses or justifications for any poor quality control or products. Am I making any sense or am I way off?

I think when LOTR was coming out, there weren't as many online stores, I remember seeing LOTR swords locally (back when there was a local shop) at MSRP, but as the online retailers really took off and flooded the market, you started to see the prices drop. The UC catalogs as well as UC retailers still use MSRP, and those retailers just try and make it seem like you are saving money with their big MSRP price crossed out with "Our Price" underneath.

Well, turns out we weren't the only folks who weren't pleased with the quality of some recent UC releases. While I suppose this could be someone from the forums here, I found this lone review on the BudK website for the Orcrist Scabbard:

Worst LOTR/ Hobbit replica ive bought yet Rating

1
I own 9 LOTR and Hobbit replicas that I've purchased from BUDK. I've been more than satisfied with all of them till this one came along. This one is so cheaply made it makes me sick. I spent the same amount on the strider scabbard which is gorgeous. I was so excited to receive this product just to open it and find cheap plastic laminate wood. Crummy looking metal stamping and a big MADE IN CHINA sticker on the back. This was so bad I don't even want to hang it on my wall with the rest of my replicas. United should be ashamed to put their name on this product. This will be the last LOTR/Hobbit replica I buy unless I see their production quality go up. The sword does not even tightly fit in the scabbard like the Sting or strider sword does with its Scabbard. The writing on the sword isn't even dyed the same color as what's on the Scabbard so together it looks terrible. I never review anything I buy, but this was so bad I had to put it out there to keep people from making the mistake I did in buying this product.

Yikes, more of the same sentiments. Hopefully mine will show up tomorrow and I can give it my verdict.

I get what you guys are saying and I'm not trying to lead some kind of revolt against UC. All things considered, they have released an amazing amount of very nice replicas that will grace our walls for years to come. I'm merely pointing out that it can be a dangerous combination when a company allows quality to continue to suffer in favour of saving money and when its customers grow so complacent that they will not complain and simply accept anything that's put in front of them because they see no alternative. This only signals to the company that it is ok to behave this way because we shrug and continue to hope for the best. Without consequence, there is no accountability or incentive to improve. I'm still willing to continue buying their products, but that is predicated on their ability to correct this current course they are on. I think the next set of products from UC bears close watching and we should all remind ourselves that blind loyalty should not overcome personal standards. United Cutlery needs to prove to me that they still have some pride in their products and that customer satisfaction remains on their radar. For that to happen, someone at the factory that deals with quality control needs to follow directions better and most of all, care about their job.

It certainly seems like most people are unhappy with the Orcrist scabbard. I'm interested in hearing what Kit has to say on it. I wonder if he'd be willing to show us comparison photos of the production version next to the prototype, if he still has it that is.

Such a shame. It was the piece I was really looking forward to as I love the design. Here's hoping they'll take all this feedback on board and correct it and employ better QC standards for future items.

I have to say Val, I am on the same page as you. I'm tempted to cancel my pre-orders and wait to see how they turn out. But I'm concerned that, if they are limited editions, then they'll go before I get a chance to pick them up

I wish UC would tell us if they are limited or not.

Could someone please post a picture of this Made in China sticker that everyone is complaining about? I hate it when companies do stuff like this. Yeah, we get it: you saved a ton of money by making this cheaply in China, now thanks for ruining our collectible while letting us know that!

The part I don't get is that if people are calling it a "sticker" rather than a stamp or engraving, can it not be peeled off?