Ultimate Collectors' Forums

Valkrist wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 7:21 am Hi Kit,

I have to assume you've seen this announcement? https://www.purearts.com/products/lord- ... ve-edition

Will this in any way affect UC's plans to release an updated version of the old Witch-king Helm? I believe you said some modifications would be made because the old mold is gone, and it probably wouldn't have the hood anymore, but will the PureArts version change things? You mentioned the original run was never completed, so in a way UC could say it's their 'obligation' to finish it off, but on the other hand, this wouldn't be the first time a competitor being first to market with a product put a stop to their own plans. I believe the Crown of Elessar was one such, as was Deathless also?

I'm sure finding out that Noble was doing a crown too had a lot to do with cancelling that project at the old UC. It was just one a several that never got off the ground though. I wanted it cancelled because it was taking forever, the tooling quality was not up to snuff, and it was taking time away from other weapon replicas that were supposed to be the main focus of the line.

I don't know if the current UC crew knows about the Purearts replica - I have not brought it up yet - but I doubt they care. It did not matter to them that Noble and Weta were making replicas of some of the same Hobbit props that UC made. Deathless was not replicated because the blade was too long and thick to cast in steel. We had no interest in altering the design and look of it like Noble did. I suppose UC could have done a polyresin statue version, but it was only in part of film 1, and we were already into film three products by the time we started thinking that direction.

I don't like Purearts display base, but their helm proto looks good. A bit smaller than scale though. It's interesting that their spikes are going to be removable and magnetized. That's a change I suggested to UC to lessen shipping damage and make the packing smaller to reduce the shipping cost.

Very interesting info there, thanks.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of overdone bases either, such as what Prime 1 does with their LOTR statues. The focus should be on the main piece, not the carnival sideshow going on underneath. Plus, I'm not sure I feel comfortable about a huge helmet full of spikes hovering just above a fragile small replica of a city.

They say this helm is 1:1 so I'm curious where you're picking up visual cues that it's actually a bit smaller. The idea of the magnetized spikes is definitely something UC should consider, although it might not be a popular feature with many collectors who want their replicas to be as whole and integral as possible. I just boxed my UC Wiki helm a few days ago and nearly impaled myself a few times, and man... that box is just massive. I'd forgotten how big it was, buried as it was in the depths of my storage. I can't even imagine what it would cost to ship that beast today with current shipping costs.

Valkrist wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 7:10 am They say this helm is 1:1 so I'm curious where you're picking up visual cues that it's actually a bit smaller.

I know the size of the prop well because I owned one for may years, and the UC replica is the same prop scale. Purearts made a video last week with an actual prototype of their version. When they guy in the video picks it up, it looks smaller than the prop scale. Maybe he is just a really big dude.

Hi Kit, is there any reason why UC never made the Erebor guard helmet? For me it was easily the best design to come out of the Hobbit.

Lots of reasons, but primarily because we did not know for sure if that was even going to appear in AUJ. We had to start developing the products over a year before we had seen film 1. We had no scripts, just photos of the prop weapons and armor made for the two films when we started. There was not really any context for what would get screen time, what was going to appear in which film, or where the film story break occurred. I had someone on the inside unofficially giving me info on what part of the story would be in film 1, so that helped a lot, but it was all just a guessing game at what would really get screen time. We focused on key character weapons, as that was the safest, but I did get props from Weta for some of the helms, including that one. It's in my office next to the original version of Dain's helm.

I wanted to make that helm, but after seeing AUJ I scrapped it. We had to focus on replicas from film 2 at that point. The helm got little screen time in AUJ and we were told it was also going to appear in film 3, so we though we could do it then, but they came up with all new Dwarven armor for film 3. Remember, a third film had just been added after AUJ came out and the story expanded. We were constantly behind and trying to keep up with character and weapon changes.

Several of the props we planned to make were scrapped and never even appeared in the films. I would guess about 1/3 of the props we started development on we had to scrap and jump on to the "new" version, or drop altogether. After the third film was released, we did talk about going back and doing some of the other props, but Hobbit sales were lackluster at that point and did not warrant it.

Nasnandos wrote: Wed Oct 12, 2022 6:36 am Lots of reasons, but primarily because we did not know for sure if that was even going to appear in AUJ. We had to start developing the products over a year before we had seen film 1. We had no scripts, just photos of the prop weapons and armor made for the two films when we started. There was not really any context for what would get screen time, what was going to appear in which film, or where the film story break occurred. I had someone on the inside unofficially giving me info on what part of the story would be in film 1, so that helped a lot, but it was all just a guessing game at what would really get screen time. We focused on key character weapons, as that was the safest, but I did get props from Weta for some of the helms, including that one. It's in my office next to the original version of Dain's helm.

I wanted to make that helm, but after seeing AUJ I scrapped it. We had to focus on replicas from film 2 at that point. The helm got little screen time in AUJ and we were told it was also going to appear in film 3, so we though we could do it then, but they came up with all new Dwarven armor for film 3. Remember, a third film had just been added after AUJ came out and the story expanded. We were constantly behind and trying to keep up with character and weapon changes.

Several of the props we planned to make were scrapped and never even appeared in the films. I would guess about 1/3 of the props we started development on we had to scrap and jump on to the "new" version, or drop altogether. After the third film was released, we did talk about going back and doing some of the other props, but Hobbit sales were lackluster at that point and did not warrant it.

Ah that makes sense, thank you for your explanation, hopefully one day it can be made as it looks very cool imo. But who knows how well it would sell, as the Hobbit wasn't as well recieved as the LOTR, although I will say that the RoP is making the Hobbit look alright haha

I don't think there have been any sort of official announcements, but does anyone else here really want to see some UC replicas from RoP? Sure the show had flaws, but overall I enjoyed it, and I would really love to see a replica of Finrod's Dagger, Morgoth's Sword Hilt (as dumb as that key to open a dam thing was the hilt looked pretty cool), or (most importantly to me) Faenor's Hammer.

DracoAdamantus wrote: Tue Oct 18, 2022 3:23 pm I don't think there have been any sort of official announcements, but does anyone else here really want to see some UC replicas from RoP? Sure the show had flaws, but overall I enjoyed it, and I would really love to see a replica of Finrod's Dagger, Morgoth's Sword Hilt (as dumb as that key to open a dam thing was the hilt looked pretty cool), or (most importantly to me) Faenor's Hammer.

No announcements that I'm aware of. I think a few pages back Kit mentioned briefly that Amazon has yet to make the licensing rights available, but I'm probably misremembering as usual. Either way, I'm not sure whether UC would be interested in tackling that or not.

Edit: Forgot to add that, personally, I too have less than zero interest in this show or anything else associated with it, including any replicas or statues that may be forthcoming. Eaglefriend below summed up why, and to give an example, I've always wanted a replica of Morgoth's Iron Crown or Fingolfin's sword, Ringil, but even if those artifacts had been briefly glimpsed on this show, I still would have no interest in them because for me, it is merely masquerading as something that occurs in Middle-earth but is really only a work of poorly-written fiction very loosely based on anything Tolkien wrote.

DracoAdamantus wrote: Tue Oct 18, 2022 3:23 pm I don't think there have been any sort of official announcements, but does anyone else here really want to see some UC replicas from RoP? Sure the show had flaws, but overall I enjoyed it, and I would really love to see a replica of Finrod's Dagger, Morgoth's Sword Hilt (as dumb as that key to open a dam thing was the hilt looked pretty cool), or (most importantly to me) Faenor's Hammer.

To be honest I watched the show and I didn't like anything about it but I'm glad for people like you who enjoyed it that you got something from it.

If the show had visual continuity with LOTR at least in terms of weapons design, despite me not liking the show, I would consider buying some replicas. But since this show is, in my mind, its own thing completely separated from LOTR and Tolkien I have less than zero interest in any replica from it.

If UC decided to make replicas from the show I wouldn't be against it. If there is enaugh people who liked RoP and want replicas then great. The more business for UC the better. That way they could always add some new items from LOTR...I'm looking at you Denethor's sword
So it's a win win for me.

Looks like the Elendil helm is in stock at Budk if anyone wants to pick it up. Also saw the Glamdring white scabbard but no estimated date yet.

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 4:37 am Looks like the Elendil helm is in stock at Budk if anyone wants to pick it up. Also saw the Glamdring white scabbard but no estimated date yet.

As in the white scabbard is coming back!?! If that's the case thank goodness, I've been checking in on eBay every now and then and it's always so expensive.

DracoAdamantus wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 5:29 am

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 4:37 am Looks like the Elendil helm is in stock at Budk if anyone wants to pick it up. Also saw the Glamdring white scabbard but no estimated date yet.

As in the white scabbard is coming back!?! If that's the case thank goodness, I've been checking in on eBay every now and then and it's always so expensive.

Yes sir! Kit had mentioned it a few months ago that UC was going to reissue it.

Seeing how much UC has been reissuing their older LOTR replicas, I've stopped trying to hunt down a lot of the rarer items I don't have yet in the hopes that they will be reissued as well.

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 4:37 am Looks like the Elendil helm is in stock at Budk if anyone wants to pick it up. Also saw the Glamdring white scabbard but no estimated date yet.

Isildur's and the Infantry helmet are also back and in stock as well.

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 5:40 am
Seeing how much UC has been reissuing their older LOTR replicas, I've stopped trying to hunt down a lot of the rarer items I don't have yet in the hopes that they will be reissued as well.

I think that's a very safe bet.

Other than Gimli's Battle Axe and Walking Axe (and LE items, hopefully), I think that everything in UC's past inventory is fair game at this point. That's for LOTR, of course. I don't think any of the Hobbit replicas will be making a comeback.

N2darkness wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:32 am

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 4:37 am Looks like the Elendil helm is in stock at Budk if anyone wants to pick it up. Also saw the Glamdring white scabbard but no estimated date yet.

Isildur's and the Infantry helmet are also back and in stock as well.

Yes, you're right. The Isildur helm is supposed to be back in stock today. Do you have a link for the Infantry helm? I didn't see it listed although I do remember seeing it before.

Valkrist wrote:

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 5:40 am
Seeing how much UC has been reissuing their older LOTR replicas, I've stopped trying to hunt down a lot of the rarer items I don't have yet in the hopes that they will be reissued as well.

I think that's a very safe bet.

Other than Gimli's Battle Axe and Walking Axe (and LE items, hopefully), I think that everything in UC's past inventory is fair game at this point. That's for LOTR, of course. I don't think any of the Hobbit replicas will be making a comeback.

The molds on the Battle Axe and Walking Axe are damaged right? Too bad. I still don't have a Walking Axe but I did luckily buy a Battle Axe a few years ago.

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:41 am
Yes, you're right. The Isildur helm is supposed to be back in stock today. Do you have a link for the Infantry helm? I didn't see it listed although I do remember seeing it before.

https://www.budk.com/Gondorian-Infantry ... ition-9329

You have to get creative when searching for items on BudK's site. Search "helm" and they will all come up. I search "Lord", "LOTR" and individual item numbers like UC3522 (Eomer's scabbard) as they are not under the licence tab.

N2darkness wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 7:01 am

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:41 am
Yes, you're right. The Isildur helm is supposed to be back in stock today. Do you have a link for the Infantry helm? I didn't see it listed although I do remember seeing it before.

https://www.budk.com/Gondorian-Infantry ... ition-9329

You have to get creative when searching for items on BudK's site. Search "helm" and they will all come up. I search "Lord", "LOTR" and individual item numbers like UC3522 (Eomer's scabbard) as they are not under the licence tab.

Thank you! Yeah, I've had to do that in the past too. I just hope the helm doesn't end up having poor sales because of a listing issue.

Do we know if the Gimli helm was a completed run or not?

Valkrist wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:34 am

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 5:40 am
Seeing how much UC has been reissuing their older LOTR replicas, I've stopped trying to hunt down a lot of the rarer items I don't have yet in the hopes that they will be reissued as well.

I think that's a very safe bet.

Other than Gimli's Battle Axe and Walking Axe (and LE items, hopefully), I think that everything in UC's past inventory is fair game at this point. That's for LOTR, of course. I don't think any of the Hobbit replicas will be making a comeback.

Why specifically those two? Difficulty to produce?

It's also very funny that the battle axe and walking axe are the only two that likely won't be coming back, because those were the first two I ever added to my collection and kicked off this addiction. I found them at a pawn shop just a year ago for $200 a piece. I had no idea how much of a steal that was until I looked them up on eBay a few days later.

Valkrist wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:34 am

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 5:40 am
Seeing how much UC has been reissuing their older LOTR replicas, I've stopped trying to hunt down a lot of the rarer items I don't have yet in the hopes that they will be reissued as well.

I think that's a very safe bet.

Other than Gimli's Battle Axe and Walking Axe (and LE items, hopefully), I think that everything in UC's past inventory is fair game at this point. That's for LOTR, of course. I don't think any of the Hobbit replicas will be making a comeback.

That's good, I've really been wanting to find a set of Legolas' knives and the scabbards, Strider's Elven Knife, and Strider's scabbards, but they are few and far between and always bank-breaking.

As Ronin mentioned above and Kit has confirmed before, the molds and tooling for those two axes were damaged after the original runs and to create new ones would be more costly than UC wants to get into.

Valkrist wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 11:34 am As Ronin mentioned above and Kit has confirmed before, the molds and tooling for those two axes were damaged after the original runs and to create new ones would be more costly than UC wants to get into.

Ahh gotcha!

On a side note, who exactly is Kit? I’m relatively new to these forums and see the name thrown around a lot. I assume they work for/with UC, what’s their position?

DracoAdamantus wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 1:31 pm
Ahh gotcha!

On a side note, who exactly is Kit? I’m relatively new to these forums and see the name thrown around a lot. I assume they work for/with UC, what’s their position?

http://www.kitrae.net/

He's a sword designer and contractor for UC

And goes by the user name Nasnandos here.

He does most if not all of the design work on the LOTR/Hobbit line as well as his own personal line of fantasy weapons.

What the man said.

Kit Rae is a fixture around here, going all the way back to the beginning of this forum.

N2darkness wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 2:57 pm

DracoAdamantus wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 1:31 pm
Ahh gotcha!

On a side note, who exactly is Kit? I’m relatively new to these forums and see the name thrown around a lot. I assume they work for/with UC, what’s their position?

http://www.kitrae.net/

He's a sword designer and contractor for UC

And goes by the user name Nasnandos here.

He does most if not all of the design work on the LOTR/Hobbit line as well as his own personal line of fantasy weapons.

Oh Kit Rae, I know some of his stuff! I just didn’t know he also did the UC weapons, that’s awesome!

So I have a new question about UC swords in general. Kit probably knows the answer for sure, but any information anyone has is good.

So I recently acquired a LE Shards of Narsil second hand, and did some light refinishing on the surface poly to remove the scratches on the wood. During the buffing the tip of the sword got polished up a bit, and it’s not just texture, it looks like there is some sort of wax or surface coating on the metal to give it a slightly more dull gray sheen. I’d like to touch it up and blend that finish, as it’s fairly noticeable on the wall. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just less noticeable. Does anyone have any idea what sort of coating is used on these swords to give them that sheen?

DracoAdamantus wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 11:23 am

Valkrist wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:34 am

Ronin wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 5:40 am
Seeing how much UC has been reissuing their older LOTR replicas, I've stopped trying to hunt down a lot of the rarer items I don't have yet in the hopes that they will be reissued as well.

I think that's a very safe bet.

Other than Gimli's Battle Axe and Walking Axe (and LE items, hopefully), I think that everything in UC's past inventory is fair game at this point. That's for LOTR, of course. I don't think any of the Hobbit replicas will be making a comeback.

That's good, I've really been wanting to find a set of Legolas' knives and the scabbards, Strider's Elven Knife, and Strider's scabbards, but they are few and far between and always bank-breaking.

The Legolas knives are a mainstay from United Cutlery and are always in production. It's just a matter of how often they're restocked. I just checked and they should be in stock soon. The scabbards haven't been available in a long time but I suspect given how many scabbard reissues we've recently had, it's a safe bet they'll be back too. Kit did mention that UC may reissue the Strider scabbard next. As far as the Elven knife, I believe UC is bringing it back as well.

All of us who were late to the collecting game are getting a second chance at a lot of great pieces.

One thing I feel that sucks about the reissues is that invariably there is something slightly different about them that makes them subpar to the original release.

To cite one of many examples, the Gondorian helm now has these two unsightly rivets right above the nose guard. They were not there on the original.

Valkrist wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 10:04 am One thing I feel that sucks about the reissues is that invariably there is something slightly different about them that makes them subpar to the original release.

To cite one of many examples, the Gondorian helm now has these two unsightly rivets right above the nose guard. They were not there on the original.

Damn, you're right! I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out. Well, that sucks but appreciated.

Yeah, that's the downside of these reissues. Also, when they switch to resin materials over wood and metal. On the other hand, you sometimes get accuracy improvements too.

Speaking of, is it possible those rivets were present on the original prop helms too?

Ronin wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 10:15 am
Speaking of, is it possible those rivets were present on the original prop helms too?

Not in any screencap that I just looked up, so no, I'd say they are not present on the originals.

And yeah, you touched on another pet peeve of mine with the reissues, with the recent mention that the the reissue of the Legolas Knives would have resin handles instead of wood. I get the need to keep production costs down nowadays, but it makes me appreciate having the original pieces all that much more.

Ronin wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 8:58 am

DracoAdamantus wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 11:23 am

Valkrist wrote: Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:34 am

I think that's a very safe bet.

Other than Gimli's Battle Axe and Walking Axe (and LE items, hopefully), I think that everything in UC's past inventory is fair game at this point. That's for LOTR, of course. I don't think any of the Hobbit replicas will be making a comeback.

That's good, I've really been wanting to find a set of Legolas' knives and the scabbards, Strider's Elven Knife, and Strider's scabbards, but they are few and far between and always bank-breaking.

The Legolas knives are a mainstay from United Cutlery and are always in production. It's just a matter of how often they're restocked. I just checked and they should be in stock soon. The scabbards haven't been available in a long time but I suspect given how many scabbard reissues we've recently had, it's a safe bet they'll be back too. Kit did mention that UC may reissue the Strider scabbard next. As far as the Elven knife, I believe UC is bringing it back as well.

All of us who were late to the collecting game are getting a second chance at a lot of great pieces.

Late to the collecting game is the perfect way to describe me haha. I’d wanted to start for years but I was either a child or broke college student until two years ago.

Valkrist wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 10:34 am

Ronin wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 10:15 am
Speaking of, is it possible those rivets were present on the original prop helms too?

Not in any screencap that I just looked up, so no, I'd say they are not present on the originals.

And yeah, you touched on another pet peeve of mine with the reissues, with the recent mention that the the reissue of the Legolas Knives would have resin handles instead of wood. I get the need to keep production costs down nowadays, but it makes me appreciate having the original pieces all that much more.

I hear ya, Val. I say this with the realization that not everyone can afford premium replicas and statues but, speaking for myself, I wouldn't mind paying the extra cost it would take to keep more authentic materials. Of course there are pieces like the Sauron mace that wouldn't be practical to do in metal which is understandable.

I think Hadhafang is also getting a resin handle for the next run?

That is unfortunate news about the Gondorian Infantry Helmet, I stopped looking for a first edition when I pre ordered the second edition from Castle Kon. I didn't know about the rivet though. I'm sure Kit explained why that was added, does anyone remember what he said?

Ronin wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 10:15 am Speaking of, is it possible those rivets were present on the original prop helms too?

They were not.

TMcLim wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 10:54 am That is unfortunate news about the Gondorian Infantry Helmet, I stopped looking for a first edition when I pre ordered the second edition from Castle Kon. I didn't know about the rivet though. I'm sure Kit explained why that was added, does anyone remember what he said?

I'm not sure why they added those, but it was possibly because it was easier to make, which is no excuse. They were wrong on the 2015 run too.

Before this latest production run I reminded UC bout the rivet changes which were made on all the helms in 2015, so they sent me approval samples before production for all three. All had the same issues from the 2015 run, so I pointed each out and supplied images from the original runs for reference. I have not seen the new production yet, but it seems they ignored me - Windlass, not UC.

Valkrist wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 10:04 am One thing I feel that sucks about the reissues is that invariably there is something slightly different about them that makes them subpar to the original release.

I am always seeing differences whenever I happen to see old LOTR items from current production. I was just sent a prototype of the blue bladed Sting and noticed the plastic grip was about 6mm longer that the original Sting, and thinner. The blade was also shaped slightly different than before, giving the whole sword a somewhat stretched look. I checked with the factory and this is all from current tooling, so I guess Sting has looked this way for many years!

Nasnandos wrote: Tue Nov 01, 2022 5:02 am

Valkrist wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 10:04 am One thing I feel that sucks about the reissues is that invariably there is something slightly different about them that makes them subpar to the original release.

I am always seeing differences whenever I happen to see old LOTR items from current production. I was just sent a prototype of the blue bladed Sting and noticed the plastic grip was about 6mm longer that the original Sting, and thinner. The blade was also shaped slightly different than before, giving the whole sword a somewhat stretched look. I checked with the factory and this is all from current tooling, so I guess Sting has looked this way for many years!

That's a shame. I guess that's part of doing business overseas? Lack of quality control or the lack of a budget to fix these errors? I mean these are collectibles and tight tolerances aren't necessary, but consistency from run to run should be checked? It sounds like if you don't request a production sample, no one else is checking, and even if a discrepancy is found, the factory doesn't do anything about it. UC and Budk (one and the same) are just waiting for the customer to find the issues. When I contacted BudK on my Eomer spear, they told me that there is a guy that does sample checks, but wouldn't open any item that had banding on them (this one didn't have them) even after I specifically asked for my replacement to be checked, they didn't.

It feels like as production ramps up and more items are produced quality drops. We're seeing the same thing with Weta as they can't maintain the quality they once had.


I'm curious on the blue Sting prototype though, seems like this has been another slow development piece.

N2darkness wrote: Tue Nov 01, 2022 6:13 am That's a shame. I guess that's part of doing business overseas? Lack of quality control or the lack of a budget to fix these errors?

It's partly due to the fact that the current UC does not have samples of the original products like the old UC had, nor do they have the staff to check and compare every new production run even if they did. We barely had staff at the old UC to do that. I have one of nearly everything, so they usually consult me when things are changed. I don't think I was ever sent a Sting injection molded grip to approve, so it's probably a matter of them not even knowing it was slightly different. That and the fact that most collectors don't know either means things like that rarely come to light.

N2darkness wrote: Tue Nov 01, 2022 6:13 am It sounds like if you don't request a production sample, no one else is checking, and even if a discrepancy is found, the factory doesn't do anything about it.

No, just one particular factory. Well, I shouldn't say that. They did fix a couple of things I pointed out on one of those helmets, just not everything.

N2darkness wrote: Tue Nov 01, 2022 6:13 am When I contacted BudK on my Eomer spear, they told me that there is a guy that does sample checks, but wouldn't open any item that had banding on them (this one didn't have them) even after I specifically asked for my replacement to be checked, they didn't.

I don't know much about the Budk side of the company, but I have always heard they do not check replacements. The UC warehouse does it's it's a serious issue for certain products. Otherwise it's usually random spot checks from a shipment.

N2darkness wrote: Tue Nov 01, 2022 6:13 amIt feels like as production ramps up and more items are produced quality drops.

QC issues have always been there since I first started in this industry. I'm not sure if it is any better or worse now than it has ever been, but I have seen an uptick in specific types of QC issues the past two years that I can directly trace to pandemic quarantine restrictions. Requiring a 2 week quarantine every time you leave China means there were almost no factory inspections going on in that time. I think all that has eased up in the the last month or so.

N2darkness wrote: Tue Nov 01, 2022 6:13 am I'm curious on the blue Sting prototype though, seems like this has been another slow development piece.

Incredibly slow, considering it was just adding a transparent color coat to the blade, something UC does on many other products. The issue is a China vs Taiwan thing, and it's also what has caused the delay in the MC Anduril. I don't want to get into it much, but suffice it to say that parts or processes for each product come from both countries, but are assembled in one. That is an absolute nightmare to deal with in the current political situation, so it required some workarounds. The gist of it is that it took about a year to get a first Sting color test sample, and the color is not quite right. UC may just scrap it at this point, but it's still in development.

Nasnandos wrote: Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:19 am Incredibly slow, considering it was just adding a transparent color coat to the blade, something UC does on many other products. The issue is a China vs Taiwan thing, and it's also what has caused the delay in the MC Anduril. I don't want to get into it much, but suffice it to say that parts or processes for each product come from both countries, but are assembled in one. That is an absolute nightmare to deal with in the current political situation, so it required some workarounds. The gist of it is that it took about a year to get a first Sting color test sample, and the color is not quite right. UC may just scrap it at this point, but it's still in development.

Wow, thanks for some answers as well as more insight into the manufacturing.

It sounds like UC is a very small company and mostly just a design and distribution place which I'm sure keeps the costs low, but hard to oversee all the small details. What a lot of US companies have become unfortunately.

Also sounds rather difficult to get things done when dealing with multiple factories in difference countries. Some items like cast polyresin pieces are sculpted, prototyped and into production way quicker than anything requiring metal tooling. But probably depends on where it's made.

Once again, shame the blue Sting might be a bust. Will the engraving be updated on the standard version at least?

Nasnandos wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 5:41 pm

Ronin wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 10:15 am Speaking of, is it possible those rivets were present on the original prop helms too?

They were not.

TMcLim wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 10:54 am That is unfortunate news about the Gondorian Infantry Helmet, I stopped looking for a first edition when I pre ordered the second edition from Castle Kon. I didn't know about the rivet though. I'm sure Kit explained why that was added, does anyone remember what he said?

I'm not sure why they added those, but it was possibly because it was easier to make, which is no excuse. They were wrong on the 2015 run too.

Before this latest production run I reminded UC bout the rivet changes which were made on all the helms in 2015, so they sent me approval samples before production for all three. All had the same issues from the 2015 run, so I pointed each out and supplied images from the original runs for reference. I have not seen the new production yet, but it seems they ignored me - Windlass, not UC.

That is unfortunate, would have been nice to have had an explanation at least, but I suppose we will both have to wait for that haha. A shame to hear that the blue Sting is having problems, hopefully it can be solved.

It would be very disappointing indeed if blue Sting didn't make the final cut.

This has probably been asked and answered before but will the new MC Anduril fit the old Anduril scabbard?

Valkrist wrote: Tue Nov 01, 2022 11:19 am It would be very disappointing indeed if blue Sting didn't make the final cut.

This has probably been asked and answered before but will the new MC Anduril fit the old Anduril scabbard?

Kit did answer this before, the new blade has the same die as the standard version and the scabbard will also fit the new blade.

Thank you sir, excellent news. I promise to remember that from now on. Someone asked over at FoU and I was like, hey, I know that... or... hold on a sec...

I did not have any LOTR themed decorations in my yard this Halloween, but I could not resist adding some Hobbit feet to one of my porch corpses.

Hahaha... so that's what happened to Lobelia Sackville-Baggins!

She is a bit large for a Baggins, but if I could find a half sized plastic skeleton to modify, I could make that happen

I have always wanted to have a dead Orc in the yard with my glowing Noble Sting sticking in it. I may add that next year, but I wonder how many kids would even recognize it. I know the adults would, but I never see kids dressed in LOTR themed costumes any more.

Nasnandos wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 5:41 pm

Ronin wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 10:15 am Speaking of, is it possible those rivets were present on the original prop helms too?

They were not.

TMcLim wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 10:54 am That is unfortunate news about the Gondorian Infantry Helmet, I stopped looking for a first edition when I pre ordered the second edition from Castle Kon. I didn't know about the rivet though. I'm sure Kit explained why that was added, does anyone remember what he said?

I'm not sure why they added those, but it was possibly because it was easier to make, which is no excuse. They were wrong on the 2015 run too.

Before this latest production run I reminded UC bout the rivet changes which were made on all the helms in 2015, so they sent me approval samples before production for all three. All had the same issues from the 2015 run, so I pointed each out and supplied images from the original runs for reference. I have not seen the new production yet, but it seems they ignored me - Windlass, not UC.

Dang, the other helms have issues too?

Nasnandos wrote: She is a bit large for a Baggins, but if I could find a half sized plastic skeleton to modify, I could make that happen

I have always wanted to have a dead Orc in the yard with my glowing Noble Sting sticking in it. I may add that next year, but I wonder how many kids would even recognize it. I know the adults would, but I never see kids dressed in LOTR themed costumes any more.

That's incredible......you guys still get kids? I haven't seen a trick or treater in our neighborhood in 3 years. Kind of sad. All the kids on our street grew up. Or maybe they're visiting more bountiful neighborhoods.

I think Kit means that all Gondor helm reissues going as far back as the 2015 run have the dumb rivets.

The very first run of the Gondor helm prior to that, does not.

Valkrist wrote: Wed Nov 02, 2022 7:39 am I think Kit means that all Gondor helm reissues going as far back as the 2015 run have the dumb rivets.

The very first run of the Gondor helm prior to that, does not.

Right. but Kit also mentioned the other helms had rivet changes that were wrong from 2015 that were supposed to be corrected.

I hate to have to pass on these this time around but, it's hard to buy them knowing they're an inferior version even if only slightly.

I would just watch ebay like a hawk. One of the originals is bound to pop up at some point, and the price should actually be quite low due to the wave of reissues out there. One thing to remember though is that this is a LE item, so eventually they will stop.

Yeah, I was thinking that. Maybe the prices of the older ones will go down some.

I don't know how many are left in each edition of the helms and how many more production runs will be needed to complete them but hopefully if more production runs are indeed needed, all issues can be corrected. Now if only Windlass would actually do what Kit is asking of them...