Adam Savage unboxing video for Sauron and WK helms from Purearts

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SADD8A8K5ws

There are some cool aspects to these, but personally I think the UC Sauron helm (I have one of those) is much better. For one thing, UC's is the full helm while Purearts is little more than a face mask. Purearts WK helm looks cool but it looks like it is easy to knock off the magnetically attached bits.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

Re: Adam Savage unboxing video for Sauron and WK helms from Purearts

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I saw this video the other day. I think they both look very nice but yes I was also disappointed with the open back on Sauron’s helmet, not sure why they did that?

I think though that their Sauron helmet looks better painted than the UC one but that’s reflected in the price. They’re also doing a mouth of Sauron mask - https://www.purearts.com/products/lord- ... ve-edition
"All those moments will be lost, in time... like tears, in the rain..."

Re: Adam Savage unboxing video for Sauron and WK helms from Purearts

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Lindir wrote: Fri Apr 21, 2023 5:56 pm I saw this video the other day. I think they both look very nice but yes I was also disappointed with the open back on Sauron’s helmet, not sure why they did that?

I think though that their Sauron helmet looks better painted than the UC one but that’s reflected in the price. They’re also doing a mouth of Sauron mask - https://www.purearts.com/products/lord- ... ve-edition
I thought the detail on their Sauron helm looked very good and different from the one I have, but not necessarily better. This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I've never unboxed mine since I moved into my new house… And that was 16 years ago Thursday. I couldn't even tell you who made it. For some reason I don't think it was UC, but I'll have to go down to the basement later today and check.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

Re: Adam Savage unboxing video for Sauron and WK helms from Purearts

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I’ll admit that I’m tempted by the WK helm. The UC helm is good, but the cowl/good doesn’t come down far enough in front so it looks a bit off. I assume this was a deliberate choice to make the badge on the stand visible, but it does impact the presentation.

The Mouth of Sauron has details that I had either never noticed or had forgotten, and if it were just the helm I would consider it. As it also has the actual mouth, the design is off putting enough that it’s not for me. I guess that means everyone who designed that character did their jobs well!

Re: Adam Savage unboxing video for Sauron and WK helms from Purearts

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Olorin wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2023 3:27 am
Lindir wrote: Fri Apr 21, 2023 5:56 pm I saw this video the other day. I think they both look very nice but yes I was also disappointed with the open back on Sauron’s helmet, not sure why they did that?

I think though that their Sauron helmet looks better painted than the UC one but that’s reflected in the price. They’re also doing a mouth of Sauron mask - https://www.purearts.com/products/lord- ... ve-edition
I thought the detail on their Sauron helm looked very good and different from the one I have, but not necessarily better. This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I've never unboxed mine since I moved into my new house… And that was 16 years ago Thursday. I couldn't even tell you who made it. For some reason I don't think it was UC, but I'll have to go down to the basement later today and check.

I don’t know how the new run compared to the old one, but I definitely feel that the Purearts looks better painted than the one I have at the very least, which is from the newer run. I don’t know how accurate it is to the prop though in its paint application.

At times I feel that mine looks a little Halloween-y in that it’s very heavily dry brushed like the cheap halloween props you can pick up although that’s not entirely fair to the UC helmet because the paint job is still way better than those cheap props. But it evokes that sort of feeling when I see it.
"All those moments will be lost, in time... like tears, in the rain..."

Re: Adam Savage unboxing video for Sauron and WK helms from Purearts

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OK, Jasmine finally moved and I went to the basement and looked at the helm. Fortunately I kept it in not only its original packing but also the original shipping container, as in pulling the huge heavy thing off the top shelf of the storage rack, I lost my tenuous hold on it and flung it across the room. Anyway, mine is indeed UC. And oh yeah, the detailing is so very much better on the Purearts version. It may only be the front of the helmet, but at least they got the scrollwork right. There is almost none of that on the UC, and what texture there is, is mostly recreation of rough-cast iron. I'm actually rather sorry now that I went and unboxed this thing again. Of course, unless I buy a bigger house and feel like I can display all my memorabilia again, I suppose it doesn't matter much.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

Re: Adam Savage unboxing video for Sauron and WK helms from Purearts

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I still love the UC pieces, but you can definitely see a difference in paint quality.
pfrith87 wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2023 3:48 am I’ll admit that I’m tempted by the WK helm. The UC helm is good, but the cowl/good doesn’t come down far enough in front so it looks a bit off. I assume this was a deliberate choice to make the badge on the stand visible, but it does impact the presentation.

The Mouth of Sauron has details that I had either never noticed or had forgotten, and if it were just the helm I would consider it. As it also has the actual mouth, the design is off putting enough that it’s not for me. I guess that means everyone who designed that character did their jobs well!
I agree it is off putting but in the way it was in the movie which is cool. I can’t justify dropping so much on a piece though, so I’ll probably never pick up these Purearts pieces but I still appreciate them, but they’re very much for a different audience than the UC pieces.
"All those moments will be lost, in time... like tears, in the rain..."

Re: Adam Savage unboxing video for Sauron and WK helms from Purearts

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Lindir wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2023 4:51 am I don’t know how the new run compared to the old one, but I definitely feel that the Purearts looks better painted than the one I have at the very least, which is from the newer run. I don’t know how accurate it is to the prop though in its paint application.

At times I feel that mine looks a little Halloween-y in that it’s very heavily dry brushed like the cheap halloween props you can pick up although that’s not entirely fair to the UC helmet because the paint job is still way better than those cheap props. But it evokes that sort of feeling when I see it.
The later run of UC Sauron helms was definitely not as nice as the original. The mold details and paint were subpar IMO. Where the Pure Arts has the intaglio details raised too much, the 2nd UC had them too obscured and too textured. Neither one has the correct paint coloring of the prop. The original UC helm had the coloring correct on some of the early production, but I saw some later ones where the subtle blues and purple iron colors were lost and it just looked like silver dry brushing.

UC has been wanting me to work up a premium version with a new sculpt and paint for a few years now, but I'm not sure when that will actually happen.
KRDS

Re: Adam Savage unboxing video for Sauron and WK helms from Purearts

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Ronin wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 3:24 am Hmmm interesting. I still haven't opened my Sauron helm from the last run UC made. Maybe I'll sell it while the demand is high and bank on UC making a premium version. I think the odds are good on UC following through with it. A new Witch King helm is still in the works, right?
Yes, that will happen, and the improved Sauron helm will definitely happen, I just don't know the timeline. I have the feeling the Sauron helm will be on the market first, as the development is essentially done. There was some talk about doing a large ME scale helm, but it's going to be more like the actor scale and include a banner.

There will be some other minor shape accuracy improvements, like the shape of the eye holes and length of the spikes. Considering no one seems to complain that every time Weta does a Sauron helm that the shape is different from the one before it, and none of them match the prop shape, I doubt it will be anything the people who own the UC original will be interested in. It's probably just going to appeal to first timers and people like you who may want something with better detailing than that second UC version.
KRDS
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