Hey All. I was wondering if anyone could please post pics of their Gandalf the White staff, the newer resin one, I have the metal version and I am not happy with it. I have not yet seen the resin one though. What exactly is different besides the crown being made of resin? The design? the shade of paint?the size? Thanks for your help

I too have the metal version and hate it because all the paint is cracked and chipped where the crown joins the shaft. It was recently rumoured that UC would be rereleasing the White Staff (resin version) as part of their reviving of some of the LOTR line, but so far there has been no further announcement. I want a resin one to replace my metal one, but I also read that even the resin ones were not 100% free of defects. As for design differences, I've seen that the tips of the lattice-work on the crown come closer together at the top in the resin version, making it closer to the prop.

Thanks for your help. I too have read somewhere that UC would be re-releasing the staves but it also said that is might not happen as Gandalf is a Grey wizard in the hobbit and not a white wizard so it should be very unlikely. I actually need 3 staves because we are putting on a production here in SA, buti cannot seem to find any

I also thought it was odd that UC would release the White Staff again when it has no bearing on the events of The Hobbit, but UC's own Kit Rae e xp lained that the return of some of the LOTR items really has nothing to do with the upcoming movies.

Here, check out his own words in post #39 of this thread for confirmation: http://www.ucforums.com/showthread.php?t=5389&page=2

Well I hope that they do in fact release the White staves so that I can get my hands on one

Yeah I had the metal one too however I had a friend of mine who owns a car body shop to fill the cracks and respray the entire thing for me. This made it more white and not like that horrible cream colour.

Now my staff looks amazing and is just like brand new and the right colour (i feel). If you wanna see pictures of it just let me know and ill take a few and put them on this thread

and he only charged me £20 for it! BARGAIN!

So yeah if i was you just search a local car body shop and they will be more than capable of restoring it to the right colour and fixing the crack issues. Honestly mine looks 100x better than before. and it is cheaper than forking out for a new one.

hope this helps

Oh yes please. I would like very much to see pictures of it. I will definitely do that but I stll want the new resin version because I am not happy with the deisgn. I like the accuracy in the resin version better than the metal one

Here is my resin staff:

I must say that the resin crowned staff is a truly stunning piece, Arwyniel. How much did you pay for it?

It's been so long now, I don't remember for sure. Probably around $100.

I believe I paid $55 for mine. It's all about who has the deal!

Is anyone selling it currently? The resin version?

Does anyone know where I could get 3 of the resin version Gandalf the white staff and 1 of the Saruman staff?

Ebay is your friend! Good luck.

as requested - this is my staff that i had repaired at a local body shop

looks great huh?

2 more pictures:

They both looking very nice,congrats.

not bad eh for £20?

trust me, contact a local car body shop and they can make your gandalf staff look perfect in just a few days

I think I would be too embarrassed to walk into an autobody shop and ask someone to fix my staff. After the weird stares, I think they would just say, "uh... we fix cars here, not sticks."

I wish I knew someone with their own shop. That would be another matter altogether.

That does look very nicely done, Khal! Very good idea, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't know the owner lol.

luckily i did know the owner very well lol

[quote=""Valkrist""]I think I would be too embarrassed to walk into an autobody shop and ask someone to fix my staff. After the weird stares, I think they would just say, "uh... we fix cars here, not sticks."....[/quote]

Perfect description of what would happen...I can see the collective "eye-roll" of every guy in that shop.

[quote=""Deimos""]Perfect description of what would happen...I can see the collective "eye-roll" of every guy in that shop. [/quote]

That collective eye-roll, I get it a lot when I say my sword cleaners and wax is better than what they sell at the gun shops. All the rednecks are like, "Son, a sword is miles away from a gun." Oh, how I love educating the un-educated!

[quote=""Valkrist""]I...I wish I knew someone with their own shop. That would be another matter altogether.[/quote]

Now, I could be mistaken (wouldn't be the first time ) but it seems to me that if anyone here on the forums could instruct one [one of us, I mean...not a professional bodywork guy) on how to repair the metal version of Gandalf's staff it would be Thranduil.

Maybe Khal's buddy welded it or maybe he just used some bondo like stuff.
I mean it's not like the staff has to withstand a confrontation with the Morgul Lord.

Soooo...Yoohoo! Thrandy! All settled in from your move?
Care to weigh in on this discussion? I'll bet you have some pretty good ideas.

[quote=""Deimos""]Now, I could be mistaken (wouldn't be the first time ) but it seems to me that if anyone here on the forums could instruct one [one of us, I mean...not a professional bodywork guy) on how to repair the metal version of Gandalf's staff it would be Thranduil.

Maybe Khal's buddy welded it or maybe he just used some bondo like stuff.
I mean it's not like the staff has to withstand a confrontation with the Morgul Lord.

Soooo...Yoohoo! Thrandy! All settled in from your move?
Care to weigh in on this discussion? I'll bet you have some pretty good ideas.[/quote]
Not quite settled yet, change of game plan; Thought I'd be renting an apartment or house but ended up buying a mobile home instead. Being in the home improvement business lends itself to the fixer upper I bought.

Now I know it's easy to assume it must be a total dump, but it's not any where near as bad as you may think when I say this:
$350 bucks.
I now have the place that will truly become My Middle Earth.

As far as this discussion goes; I used to do autobody way back when, and I think most would not roll their eyes at you if you presented it by saying, "You guys are all I could think of turning to for such a repair." I think they'd understand completely, though they may charge a lot more than you would want to spend. If they are swamped with cars to fix, you might get an eye roll, but if they aren't too busy, most would welcome the change of pace, and respect your decision to turn to them.

If any of you have this staff and can post some pics for me to see the problem, I can make a better assessment of what needs to be done. Perhaps I can offer some DIY advice, or fix them for you. I'm not sure what shipping and return would cost. If the problem isn't too bad, I'd fix them free of charge.

[quote=""Thranduil""]
If any of you have this staff and can post some pics for me to see the problem, I can make a better assessment of what needs to be done. [/quote]

Here's my staff, picked up cheap due to the damage. Have a general idea on what to do but just need some time.

Wow... I thought mine looked bad!

In my case, there is cracking in the paint all along where the crown is joined to the shaft. There are no chunks of paint lifted right off, and the head isn't lifted like it's about to come off.

I did make an attempt to repaint the affected area but botched it up by picking up the wrong shade of white. Now the whole thing needs to be repainted, but not before those hairline cracks are filled in somehow.

On the whole, I would just prefer to get the resin staff sans defects.

It actually wasn't that bad when I got it, these pics are after I already chipped away the loose paint. So it wasn't really that bad. Having done drywall/plaster and the like, I guess habit kicked in and I removed all the bad stuff before fixing instead of just covering it up.

Are you sure that it is the metal version? Becuase from what I see, it looks like the resin one

I ma seriously confused now!!! Which 1 is the metal and which one is the resin version? I am lloking for the more screen accurate one, the one where those 3 vines that lead out of the staff meet at the top? Is that meatl or resin. Somebody please SHOW me the difference. Thanks

Wow, I never realized there was such a difference in the design between the two.

I know. Does anyone know for sure which version is which?

The one with the three vines that meet at the top is the accurate resin-headed version

Thanks so much

Jaman is correct. The bottom picture of the two links you sent is the resin one and the more accurate one.

Don't look at the part that has the lattice-work, but see the individual, thicker vine in between, all by itself? Those are supposed to go all the way to the top. On the metal version, they end halfway up.

So the picture I attached in my previous post as version 2 is correct? This is the resin one?

[quote=""Gandalf The White""]So the picture I attached in my previous post as version 2 is correct? This is the resin one?[/quote]

Correct. 202.jpg

Thanks you for all your kind hepl, Valkrist

1st picture is the metal version and the 2nd is the resin more accurate version.

Edit:


Sorry, late to the party and didn't check new posts.

The thickness of that paint tells me it's probably an epoxy paint. So while the urethane version is the accurate one, I'm under the impression that both versions suffer from this cracking problem??

I also assume the head is a urethane casting that slips over the staff. If the "legs" that flow down the staff are flexible in any way, then this is what causes the cracking. Any wiggle in the head would cause the legs to lift up off the staff surface.

DIY advice to fix it.
Using bondo would be ideal if you can remove the head. Scuffing the underside of the legs as well as the area they sit on the rod with a course sand paper will give the bondo a good bite into the surfaces. A popsicle stick works well for mixing the bondo and applying it. Work it into both surfaces before reattaching the head. Temperature determines setting time for the bondo, so don't use a lot of hardner if it's good 70 degrees in the area you do the fix. Make sure you have good ventilation and e xp ect the odor to permeate the room for a while.

Upon reattachment allow the bondo to set enough for it to be rubbery. Use a razor knife to trim the excess off. Before the bondo gets really hard you can clean off residue with a cloth dampened with acetone or lacquer thinner. Scuff the repair area with some steel wool, 0 grade would be about right. A high build primer will help you get all the surfaces even including filling paint chip areas. Multiple coats will be necessary, sand the high areas of the primer with 220, scuff primer with steel wool between coats.

When you are satisfied with the surfaces and ready to paint, scuff the entire staff with 0 or 00 steel wool. Hanging the staff from one of the vine openings will allow you to paint nonstop without touching surfaces.

In the event the head is not removable you'll have to work the bondo under the legs and into the cracks.

Feel free to ask any questions. I'm at odds without having a staff to examine personally.

Hope this helps.

Check on shipping/return costs to zip code 48326 Auburn Hills MI if you want me to tackle the fix for you. No charge for fixes themselves.

That's good and all, but do you have any step by step advice?

Just kidding (obviously). But wow; thanks for the great post!

[quote=""Thranduil""]...
Feel free to ask any questions. I'm at odds without having a staff to examine personally.

Hope this helps.

Check on shipping/return costs to zip code 48326 Auburn Hills MI if you want me to tackle the fix for you. No charge for fixes themselves.[/quote]

That's our Thrandy! As always, generous and helpul to a fault.

Well if they used the same paint the does the resin version have any paint cracks?

And how solid is the shaft once its srewed on? If you aplly pressure to the upper part while its together, are there any chances of it breaking?

And is there any chance of the head breaking off the shaft?

I've never heard of any issues with the resin staff's paint, and I know many people who own it and have seen a resin one in person. Also, like anything else, if you apply enough pressure to it, it will probably break. After all, it's made of resin. But unless you really go whacking things pretty hard with it, it probably isn't going to break on you.



In other news...back in Michigan, Thrandrew?

But I thought the shaft was suppoosed to be made of wood?

I was referring to your question about the head breaking off. What exactly are you planning to do with these?

Nothing fancy, just a simple re-enactment of Gandalf's moves on the walls of Minas Tirith

Well, if you are going to be hitting things with it, I seriously recommend building another one to LARP with. I would hate to see you spend how ever much money just to have it break. If you are just swinging it around, I think you are fine, but I certainly wouldn't strike anything with my resin one.