Eowyn is up for pre-order. LE of 750. I believe it will ship this month - but don't hold me to it.

I thought for sure they would wait until the new site would be launched before putting her up. You'd want at least one new ME statue ready to kick things off. Maybe the Elven Warrior is waiting in the wings for that then? Something must be up with production of that statue as it seems like ages since it was previewed, and not even a whiff of a preorder since.

I think the elf will be on sale at SDCC time. Pretty sure Jack said it was leaving the factory a week ago.

Eowyn was ready for SDCC last year put was held back for some reason. So same timing as the Elf except one got announced and the other didn't.

I ordered her, even though 750 will probably still take a bit to sell out. I'm also wanting the Elven warrior as well. I got to see it at the last Wizard World in Portland, it's a must have. Can't wait to see what SDCC has in store.

Yeah, I'll be ordering her soon also, either tonight or tomorrow. I predict she will be low stock or even sold out within a month or two.

I'm already working on an idea to display her, Theoden, and a possible Eomer, along with the latter two's helms.

Interesting about the reveals, Idril. Of course Eowyn had to be in the works for some time; it’s just a little jarring when one statue is first shown many months ago and there's still no preorder, and another is revealed and up for preordering in about two weeks altogether.

Idril wrote:Eowyn is up for pre-order. LE of 750. I believe it will ship this month - but don't hold me to it.

For me, pre-order this night )

I'm afraid that, after recent purchases, whatever comes to SDCC is going to have to be put on hold for me. I still really want the High Elven Warrior Statue, as it is my favorite design, but we'll have to see. With a likely price tag of $275-300, it might just have to wait. Although, I do have some Weta dollars sitting around now, so that will work in my favor.

Weta always throws something unexpected at us at SDCC; the Balrog, for instance. I wonder what this year's surprise might be? Perhaps they have an LotR or Hobbit environment that they've kept under wraps. I doubt it would be LotR, though, since Minas Tirith and Grond just came out and are huge pieces. Then again, the LotR brand seems to be selling big, so it's possible. With the likelihood of a big Eomer statue, I would be surprised if they also produced a hitherto unforseen environment.

Dan Falconer has just advised Eomer on Firefoot is being done but will not be really for SDCC.. So good and bad news Buckeye.

But he also said something seriously big will be there. Since it isn't a mounted statue and we know no environmens will be there (except a new hobbit hole), my mind leans towards a new Cave Troll. Only because they redid the Balrog. I doubt it could be the Goblin King as I think there is a shift back to more LoTR as it is more popular than the Hobbit.

He also said someone will be wielding 2 swords........ Another Thranduil? Who else wielded two swords?

Idril wrote:Dan Falconer has just advised Eomer on Firefoot is being done but will not be really for SDCC.. So good and bad news Buckeye.

I'm seriously disappointed. It probably means it will be another full year or more until we see that piece.

Idril wrote:Dan Falconer has just advised Eomer on Firefoot is being done but will not be really for SDCC.. So good and bad news Buckeye.

But he also said something seriously big will be there. Since it isn't a mounted statue and we know no environmens will be there (except a new hobbit hole), my mind leans towards a new Cave Troll. Only because they redid the Balrog. I doubt it could be the Goblin King as I think there is a shift back to more LoTR as it is more popular than the Hobbit.

He also said someone will be wielding 2 swords........ Another Thranduil? Who else wielded two swords?

A cave troll? Seriously?

Not criticizing you at all, Idril, for suggesting it.
But your precognition instincts have always seemed pretty accurate, and if you are right, well, let us just say, "We are not impressed (with Weta.)"

I'm not a big poly collector (space factor again) and have to be really judicious in deciding what I get, so more likely than not I won't be buying whatever it is that will be showcased.

But a cave troll is hardly iconic, a holy grail collectible, something to unveil at a venue such as SDCC.
It would rank right up there with the UC RMC; i.e., something [relatively] obscure and for which no one has been asking.
If Eomer on Firefoot isn't ready because the time was spent on a cave troll, then Weta has a rather odd sense of priorities.

However, we shall soon know for certain...

I agree with you Deimos. I have no interest in a cave troll but I didn't have an interest in a new Balrog either. But it appears a lot do and I guess the driving factor for Weta would be how well the new Balrog sold. I know - just speculating. After all it is all about what Weta can sell.

There is another idea that you will be equally disinterested in - a Fell Beast bust to match the Smaug bust.

Neither prospect appeals to me whatsoever. So long as Weta listens to the screaming kiddies over at FoU, we will continue to get some head-scratching choices. I just hope it doesn't backfire on them: It's one thing to shout yourself hoarse while demanding massive statues like Thranduil on Elk, or Dwarven War Chariot with rams and dwarves, than it is to pay the absurd prices such things would command. If there is a troll coming, people had better have access to its troll hoard to pay for it.

Yes Val. There seems to be a lot of voices for lots of statues particularly BIG ones. Then there are lots of people complain that they can't afford it. Must have been a drought for their expected crop on the money tree. Either that or they think Weta can make it for a buck.

As for a Fell Beast bust. I will get that. The Smaug bust is magnificent.

Idril wrote:I agree with you Deimos. I have no interest in a cave troll but I didn't have an interest in a new Balrog either. But it appears a lot do and I guess the driving factor for Weta would be how well the new Balrog sold. I know - just speculating. After all it is all about what Weta can sell.

There is another idea that you will be equally disinterested in - a Fell Beast bust to match the Smaug bust.

omg...that is absolutely sidesplitting

Re the Balrog...it IS iconic, very much so. In fact, you could take the cave troll out of every scene that it's in an not significantly alter the story one iota, not even in the book.
When Frodo gets skewered by one in Moria, and Aragorn is nearly done in by another at the Morannon, there could easily be substituted some hulking Uruk-hai type orc.
That can't be done with the Balrog, especially after both it and Gandalf fall at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.
In other words, (even though I don't own the Balrog) I can fully understand (and agree with) a fan demand for it. It doesn't surprise me at all that it sold so well.

Not arguing at all about Weta giving fans what they want (provided it's profitable for Weta )--- it's only that because iconic Balrog is nowhere near the same as un-iconic cave troll, I really wonder how the bean counters at Weta assess "demand".
However, I can well understand a demand for the fell beast because of its unique association with the Morgul Lord and [other] Ringwraiths.

Idril wrote: He also said someone will be wielding 2 swords........ Another Thranduil? Who else wielded two swords?

Only Thranduil. That's one I was really hoping they would make. I just hope they don't do swirling robes, Cirque du Soleil look again.

Not real happy with Weta at the moment though. I got a shipping notice 4 weeks ago for Dain. Never got here and Weta support keeps saying they are checking with their US warehouse or I get an automated "we are closing your ticket after 5 days" thing. That's been going on for 3 weeks now. Their customer service seems to have dropped off the face of the earth.

I suppose Fili's two blades would be termed swords by Dwarven standards. The interesting follow-up to that thought is that the original Fili statue has been sold out for quite some time and lots of people missed out. I wonder if they are releasing a new one so that people can complete their collection? Kinda doubt it as the original is not that old, but then neither is the first Thranduil. Who knows?

Sorry to hear about your woes, Kit. Weta has a long legacy of great customer support people: Darren, Megan, and now Anthony. Unfortunately, I don't think they staff sufficiently at times, and the run up to SDCC always results in a bit of chaos over there. I hope your hear a certain pig snorting at your door soon.

They were great with the staff issue returns. Anthony is the one who is replying, but it seems he has no clue what is going on at the US distribution center Weta uses, and can't get them to respond.

Weta's new website is up (sort of) and I must say I am less than impressed. I know they've been working on this for some time, but there seems to be a ton of glitches and oddities still, such as my old Faramir order from the US warehouse that I had to cancel last year, which is now showing as not shipped yet?!?! Also, the new way items are sorted by category rather than release date, like they used to be, is not that great, and the new Weta dollars system has a few contradictions and jumped up quite a bit. Lastly, and I know it is not my monitor, but the whole thing is incredibly dark and difficult to see, and they use a horrible grey font that pretty much disappears into the background, making you squint to read. Who tests these things anyway?

Yeah it isn't so good from my iPad. Personally, it doesn't seem like an improvement to me.

Maybe I'll get used to it.

I've got an old order listed as not shipped too. I think a lot of people have

Wow, Weta is really going to try and hammer our wallets over the next few months. The reveals are coming in rapid-fire style, and I don't think they are nearly done. Obviously you can all go to FoU for more details, but for the sake of discussion in our quiet little corner, thus far we have:

Saruman at Dol Guldur
Galadriel at Dol Guldur
Witch-king at Dol Guldur
Boromir at Amon Hen
Lurtz at Amon Hen
Mini Gimli at Helm's Deep
A new hobbit hole

Add to that the Elven Warrior finally showing up on Weta's page, Eowyn up for preorder, and with Grond sure to follow, and this is going to be a year of declared bankruptcies for some folks, and who knows what's still to come?

There's rumours of a second Ringwraith for the Dol Guldur set, and a new Gandalf for that scene seems conspicuously absent. Add all these rumours about a troll, Mouth of Sauron, and possibly Eomer down the road and I already see a few houses being remortgaged. The new stuff looks gorgeous but I think Weta has really lost their heads by shoving so much in front of us all at once. Sure no one is being forced to buy all or any of it, but this is just a cruel form of torture on their part. With their prices continuously creeping up, and with shipping costs and taxes through the roof, the collecting business is truly becoming a hobby for the rich and privileged.

I saw pics last night of Grond and, yes, an armored troll as well. There's also a new item in the 1:4 helm line -- the Orc Lieutenant helm.

More pics are available here: http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2016/07 ... irst-look/

There is a lot of new stuff.

I'm excited about the resurrection of the helm line although I won't be buying the skully helm.

That new Wirchking is amazing. I am totally surprised by how much I love it as I don't collect the baddies really. I will be picking up Lurtz though. I love the fact he has the bow drawn.

Not liking Saruman that much and currently not sold on Galadriel either. I'll wait to see more pics of her but even at this early stage, I think I have talked myself out of that one.

What about the mini Gimli. It is just perfect! The best piece from the new releases.

And hey - I was right about that troll guess after all.

The troll is a huge disappointment, especially being just a random monster. Can't even say it's something specific, like the Cave Troll. Sure, the statue itself is nice but I don't see the overall appeal, especially with the price tag it will surely have.

I don't care about the helm line one bit.

Very disappointed there is no MoS or Eomer, though Idril said the latter is coming, it just wasn't ready for this event?

I'm on the fence about all the new statues. I was dreading the fact that Weta would start duplicating characters en masse, and it makes it difficult to decide because they look so good, yet there is no way I would replace the originals with them. Going to have to make some hard decisions, but for now, this is where I'm at in terms of buying:

Saruman: 50%
Galadriel: 75%
Witch-king: 90%
Boromir: 25%
Lurtz: 100%
Mini Gimli: 50%
Troll: 0%

Previously announced:

Elrond: 80%
Elven Warrior: 100%
Grond: 0%

As cool as all the new stuff looks I'm not interested in anything from the Hobbit. I do like the new Boromir and Lurtz, but hard to justify another Boromir, Lurtz is a strong contender though. Elven Warrior is still and must as with the mini helm and possibly Gimli. As I have been collecting hobbit holes I will get that eventually too. Grond is cool, but price will probably scare me away.

Valkrist wrote:... I'm on the fence about all the new statues. I was dreading the fact that Weta would start duplicating characters en masse, and it makes it difficult to decide because they look so good, yet there is no way I would replace the originals with them. Going to have to make some hard decisions.

So Val, if you buy Galadriel, what will you do with the other one, the one that has the Mirror with it (that Kyle made).
My question would apply to any of your statues that you end up having duplicates of.

N2, if he decides to get any of the new ones, would be in the same boat.
Both of you have severe space constraints. :-p

Well, I stated I would not be getting rid of my originals, and I stand by that statement. Galadriel and her mirror will stay right where they are, even if she gets a twin sister.

As for space, yeah, that is shrinking at the same rate as my common sense. It would be awesome to recreate the Dol Guldur scene with 1:6 statues, but since it looks like it will involve about six of them, with most in very dynamic action poses, the space required would be absurd. At best, I could try and pair them off, and even that would be extremely difficult. I do have an office at home where I could start putting statues, but my OCD compels me to keep everything in my collection room.

Valkrist wrote:I do have an office at home where I could start putting statues, but my OCD compels me to keep everything in my collection room.

Then my collection would push your OCD completely over the edge... I have items spread all over my townhouse. The only rooms without any LOTR/Hobbit pieces are the bathrooms and kitchen.

Buckeye wrote:

Valkrist wrote:I do have an office at home where I could start putting statues, but my OCD compels me to keep everything in my collection room.

Then my collection would push your OCD completely over the edge... I have items spread all over my townhouse. The only rooms without any LOTR/Hobbit pieces are the bathrooms and kitchen.

You mean...you mean...you mean to say that you don't yet have the Franklin Mint Steward's Chair Toilet Seat Cover??
Or the Noble Collection Rauros Falls Shower Curtain ??!

Oh my...those are absolutely "Must-Haves" for any collector's bathroom!
You'd best get them before the prices skyrocket on ebay!

LOL, Deimos!

Buckeye wrote:Then my collection would push your OCD completely over the edge... I have items spread all over my townhouse. The only rooms without any LOTR/Hobbit pieces are the bathrooms and kitchen.

Well, Buckeye, I don't know if you are married or have a partner that lives with you, but I do, which means my OCD helps the other half tolerate my obsession. If I let it spread to the rest of the house, then there's a problem. This is why I tried to get as big a collection room as I could, but I honestly thought that both UC and Weta would have stopped churning out stuff by now.

Buckeye wrote:

Valkrist wrote:I do have an office at home where I could start putting statues, but my OCD compels me to keep everything in my collection room.

Then my collection would push your OCD completely over the edge... I have items spread all over my townhouse. The only rooms without any LOTR/Hobbit pieces are the bathrooms and kitchen.

Woow that must give you a wonderful feeling walking in the house and see Lotr & Hobbit everywhere you look,lucky you.

Some pre orders are going up this afternoon, namely Boromir and Lurtz as well as the Elven Warrior.

So did they not have any new small items like pipes or jewelry or anything? Seems to only be statues and figures.

I never herd if there were going to be any smaller items or even props. I'm always down for more props, but I think the polyresin weapons don"t sell well so maybe they won"t be doing anymore?

I ordered the Elven warrior as it was limited to only 750, still undecided on Lurtz or Boromir though.

Getting Lurtz for sure, and the Elven Warrior. I'm falling off the fence on the new Boromir. I hate the face. Weta's actor likeness has improved leaps and bounds since the SSW days, but they failed with this one. The grimace and teeth are horrible, and I could forgive that if only it looked like Sean Bean, but it doesn't. I think the old statue looks a lot more like him.

Lurtz v Boromir set sold out in 50 minutes.

I haven't seen any non-statue items The variety seems to have been lost to poly stone

No Lurtz (I don't collect evil characters) or Boromir (I just acquired the long-desired Sideshow Boromir exclusive) for me. Eowyn is already pre-ordered, and I'm seriously considering the Elven Warrior. Am I just missing it or is there no size info for the Elven Warrior? What are the dimensions on that piece?

The sizes were posted by Erik from Weta in his thread, but for the Elven warrior it was only the box sizes and not the statue I really think they have some sorting to figure out with the new website. I also noticed that when you click on a photo to see it bigger that is just that, bigger image of the smaller one, no additional resolution.

The new site is terrible. Period.

Trying to go on it on my phone gives a ton of warnings about it being unsecure. Not exactly inspiring confidence.

Trigger pulled on Elven Warrior and Lurtz.

Ordering on the new site was relatively painless, although I noted two things: despite PayPal being mentioned as a form of payment, I saw no way to use it, and there were no flex-pay options either, leading me to believe that will be reserved for $599+ items only?

I was leaning toward preordering Saruman but the $339 price is irritating me to no end. I know the Hobbit license is a bit pricier, but Elrond is $299, so what gives? A $40 price increase in 6 months is too much to swallow. I hope Galadriel is not $339.

Just heard you can't use PayPal for pre-orders or part payments. Not sure why they would restrict it but sounds like you can only use it for in stock items.

I guess that makes sense because they have to deal with the non-refundable deposit, and then bill the customer the moment the item is in stock, which may not coincide with when the person has money in their PayPal account.

I am curious what the amount threshold is before being offered a payment plan. I do understand there being a minimum amount, but you should have an option to make payments when you are ordering multiples items. With statues at $300 a pop, if you order two or three, that's a ton of money that you will get hit with paying if those items are released in the same month. I get the feeling Weta rushed through a lot decisions lately and left a bit of a mess in its wake.

While I'm not a Weta customer, I've recently been preordering the crap out of a company called Chronicle Collectibles. They do Paypal preorders/payment plans. Not sure why Weta can't do the same. There's definitely the risk you pointed out Val, of them posting a charge when there's nothing in the Paypal account, but you'd run that risk with a debit card, too. I much prefer the Paypal option, especially for preorders because it allows me to change the payment method there, whereas pretty much every site I've ever ordered from makes it a nightmare to change payment methods on a preorder. Sounds to me like Weta just doesn't want to deal with the potential complaining customer when something does go sideways.

Usually if PayPal is an option, they offer 6 months no payments for $99 and up

Idril wrote:Lurtz v Boromir set sold out in 50 minutes. ....

Excuse my cynicism, but I wonder how many of each of those very limited statues were bought by dealers and /or "investors" who will very soon double or even triple the price.

Even though I had no plans to buy either, the practice is, as everyone knows , pretty common.
(And regardless of how legal such a practice may be, it is still reprehensible)

Deimos wrote:

Idril wrote:Lurtz v Boromir set sold out in 50 minutes. ....

Excuse my cynicism, but I wonder how many of each of those very limited statues were bought by dealers and /or "investors" who will very soon double or even triple the price.

Even though I had no plans to buy either, the practice is, as everyone knows , pretty common.
(And regardless of how legal such a practice may be, it is still reprehensible)

This will always be a major issue Deimos and this will continue for ever as long as there is a aftermarket regardless how expensive life will be.

Yeah, in less than a week after they ship, you will see that set of two statues on eBay for about $1200. Unfortunately, the only way to stop that would be for Weta to have sold them in person only to people at SDCC, and that would have been extremely unfair to those unable to attend ,

It's one of those things where, if you want one, be ready and jump on it, and if not, you just gotta look away and shrug. World's going to hell in a handbasket anyway, so what's a couple of statues in the big picture?

Deimos wrote:

Idril wrote:Lurtz v Boromir set sold out in 50 minutes. ....

Excuse my cynicism, but I wonder how many of each of those very limited statues were bought by dealers and /or "investors" who will very soon double or even triple the price.

Even though I had no plans to buy either, the practice is, as everyone knows , pretty common.
(And regardless of how legal such a practice may be, it is still reprehensible)

Definately possible. That is why I support Weta's 'no refund deposit'. It reduces the market players who order pieces in case they sell out on pre-order and cancel them if they don't.

I've also thought you should only be allowed to buy one per purchase. That might help a little too.

The NRD was certainly a step in the right direction. I could be wrong, but I think I remember reading somewhere a while back that Weta had a one (or maybe it was two) transaction limit for some collectibles. If not, it definitely should be applied to limited edition items at the very least. I assume if you are a reputable dealer, that you are permitted a small allotment, with the caveat that you can only stock a couple at a time, and reorder more for resale at a later time. If it's any comfort, I see places like Secret Compass and other online stores selling these statues for exactly the same price as Weta charges. The problem is that you can't stop someone from getting their five friends, with different credit cards and addresses, from ordering on your behalf so you can turn them around for a profit later. There will always be those who go the extra mile to fill their pockets at the expense of others.

My opinion is that weta doesn't care what happens with the statue's and who's buying them as long as they can sell there own statue's they made.