[quote=""Aragorn""]The truth is Weta is charging what they are charging because... They can. And they know it. Their pricing model for their statues and environments are quite reflective of industry standard. [/quote]
That pretty much sums it up right there.
The sad irony is, for all my ranting and fist-shaking, I watched yesterday as the first run of this new sculpture sold out already in one of the warehouses, and realized that, as I was predicting, it will soon be sold out altogether, and then your only chance of getting it will be on ebay for 3x or 4x the price.
With my tail between my legs, I ordered one. Not because I want to make money off it, but simply because I wanted this sculpture the moment I saw it previewed, and because I'm not going to get caught overpaying more than I already am.
It the end, it really boots nothing to complain about these things when deep down you had told yourself already that you would buy it. The compulsion takes hold, and the spectre of a sold out item and regret are powerful motivators. One effect this all has though is to make me want the end of all this to come sooner rather than later, because at this rate, it won't be long until these prices are no longer sustainable. Not unless you cut yourself down to one, maybe two statues per year.