That looks amazing!

Also going to cost an arm and two legs to ship. Not looking forward to that.

In other news, four of the items I ordered during Black Friday all arrived yesterday. On the not-so-bright side, seven other items remain in 'Processing' limbo. I seriously don't understand how and why Weta has become so lax and disorganized. All of these items are in stock. Have been for months, even years in some cases. They sure are quick enough to take your money, but ship things on time? Nah, why bother?

For anyone who has ordered the Witchking, Lurtz or Boromir - Weta has just advised they have arrived at all the warehouses. cc's will be charged next Wednesday.

Also good news for those who love the mini-helm line. The mini Dain helm has sold out on pre-order. Likelihood of the line continuing are looking good.

Thanks for the head's up, Idril. Guess my Lurtz will be arriving sometime in January then. Great news on the helm line also, although I am going to be very selective with those ones.

Didn't know where else to post this: could someone with a few minutes to spare log out of their account on the Flame of Udun forum and then try to open and view any thread in the Weta section, please?

All day today, on separate devices, I have been unable to read any threads although I can still see all the thread titles, poster names, and time of last post. Every other section and thread in that forum works perfectly fine, but when I try to view one of the Weta ones, I either get a blank page or a "Sorry, you are not authorized to view this page" message. I would be very disappointed to learn that Weta suddenly decided to make that an exclusive area. I don't have an account there and don't really want to create one so to test this, you would have to view it as a guest.

Thanks in advance for indulging my curiosity.

Valkrist wrote:Didn't know where else to post this: could someone with a few minutes to spare log out of their account on the Flame of Udun forum and then try to open and view any thread in the Weta section, please?

All day today, on separate devices, I have been unable to read any threads although I can still see all the thread titles, poster names, and time of last post. Every other section and thread in that forum works perfectly fine, but when I try to view one of the Weta ones, I either get a blank page or a "Sorry, you are not authorized to view this page" message. I would be very disappointed to learn that Weta suddenly decided to make that an exclusive area. I don't have an account there and don't really want to create one so to test this, you would have to view it as a guest.

Thanks in advance for indulging my curiosity.

It's everything in the Weta section. Whether I'm logged in or not, I can't see anything. Nothing but errors.

Thanks, SH. Still puzzling, but I'm obviously relieved that it's not an exclusivity issue. I wonder if anyone has notified the Admins there that something is going on. All the other sections seem ok, but I did notice that no new posts have been made to the Weta section since this morning, Also, the new Weta thread about reporting QC issues to Anthony via the forum is missing even though it should be at the top of the list.

I told them there was a permissions problem. Even Weta can't get in although it appears Stig can. Anyway Anthony said he has asked the IT dept to fix

Sounds like one of the Admins was doing some maintenance or trying to resolve an issue in that section and accidentally mucked up the permissions settings. I know firsthand what a pain those controls can be.

Galadriel just sold out under pre-order. Not due for delivery till May.

Egads! I was waiting to order her after shipping began. Luckily, and due to lurking at FoU, I heard the hue and cry that she'd gone to low stock status a few weeks ago. It was a no-brainer that I had to jump on it then and there and it appears I wasn't wrong. Exactly the same scenario with Dain last year.

I had not paid much attention to the new Weta statues, mainly because I knew I wouldn't be getting any of them.
So I had no idea what the Galadriel statue looked like.
And so I went to find out.

WOW. it looks exactly like Cate Blanchett Spot on likeness.
I even like the pose.

Whoever ordered it besides Idril and Val, (N2 maybe?) it will be a stunning addition to anyone's collection.
A really, really nice piece.

I think N2 has sworn off on any statues from the Hobbit, so yeah, likely just Idril and I, and possibly Kit also?

I too only ordered her when she went low stock. I still hadn't decided whether to get her or not but couldn't live with the regret if I loved the in hand pics.

Valkrist wrote:I think N2 has sworn off on any statues from the Hobbit, so yeah, likely just Idril and I, and possibly Kit also?

He got King Thror and, if memory serves, he also got Bard (?).
Unless you mean anything after those two.
I do know he DIDN'T get pretend-fake-character-PJ's-pander-to-adolescent-males Tauriel :-p

I pre-ordered Galadriel the first week it was available. I'm really happy I did so.

Deimos wrote:

Valkrist wrote:I think N2 has sworn off on any statues from the Hobbit, so yeah, likely just Idril and I, and possibly Kit also?

He got King Thror and, if memory serves, he also got Bard (?).
Unless you mean anything after those two.
I do know he DIDN'T get pretend-fake-character-PJ's-pander-to-adolescent-males Tauriel :-p

Your correct, no more Hobbit pieces for me. The only ones I picked up were Radagast, Thranduil, Smaug, Bilbo, Gollum and Thror. I'm not sure the Hobbit holes count as there in both movies, but they are under the Hobbit license.

Yeah, I knew you'd gotten those but cut off the purchases after that.

Deimos, I didn't get Tauriel either but I did pick up Lurtz. I find him to be the more plausible invention of the two in that he serves a role that advances the plot and puts a face to the Uruk-hai force in the books that they battle at Amon Hen.

I didn't get that CGI monstrosity, Azog, either.

Valkrist wrote:Yeah, I knew you'd gotten those but cut off the purchases after that.

Deimos, I didn't get Tauriel either but I did pick up Lurtz. I find him to be the more plausible invention of the two in that he serves a role that advances the plot and puts a face to the Uruk-hai force in the books that they battle at Amon Hen.

I didn't get that CGI monstrosity, Azog, either.

Oh, I have no problem whatsoever with Lurtz, either the old one or the new one (and I think both statues look great.)
As you say, he is representative of the Uruk-hai.
He has different name in the book ( Ugluk) and he says something like , "I slew the great warrior."
So PJ got that close enough
And if I were into bad guy collectibles, I would have gotten one of them, at least.
It's that nauseating Kili/Tauriel/Legolas triangle that is sooooooo baaaaaad....(where IS that vomiting smiley when you need it?....)

N2darkness wrote:Your correct, no more Hobbit pieces for me. The only ones I picked up were Radagast, Thranduil, Smaug, Bilbo, Gollum and Thror. I'm not sure the Hobbit holes count as there in both movies, but they are under the Hobbit license.

So you didn't get Bard?.... going from memory, I was almost certain you did....would've put money on it, in fact (but not too much )

Ugluk is also in the movies and he is named as such, so there is no mistaking who he is. I think PJ replaced him with Lurtz in the leadership role so as to give the Fellowship (and the audience) a small sense of victory and payback for his death in exchange for Boromir's. We get to see Aragorn avenge Boromir by slaying Lurtz and this satisfies our need for justice in the moment. Ugluk then takes over and leads the remnants of the band as they carry the Hobbits to Isengard. He is the one that faces up to Grishnak and tells him the Hobbits are not for eating. His death later at the hands of Eomer's war party would have less satisfying, thus Lurtz had to die earlier in his place.

Sorry for the digression.

Valkrist wrote:Ugluk is also in the movies and he is named as such, so there is no mistaking who he is. I think PJ replaced him with Lurtz in the leadership role so as to give the Fellowship (and the audience) a small sense of victory and payback for his death in exchange for Boromir's. We get to see Aragorn avenge Boromir by slaying Lurtz and this satisfies our need for justice in the moment. Ugluk then takes over and leads the remnants of the band as they carry the Hobbits to Isengard. He is the one that faces up to Grishnak and tells him the Hobbits are not for eating. His death later at the hands of Eomer's war party would have less satisfying, thus Lurtz had to die earlier in his place.

Sorry for the digression.

OK...yeah, I remember the 2 different characters now that you mention it.
It's just that... (wait for it).... they all look alike to me .

But it still makes sense. The slight modification is not like making up an entire sub-plot.
OK...we've already been down this road many times, so I'm not going to beat that horse that won't stay dead.

Deimos, I hear ya on the dead-horse issue, but I'm glad you agree with me on those points. :

Going back to the statues, N2, I know space is dire, but I'm actually surprised you don't have Bard or Thorin, considering their importance to the story. I definitely know of your preference for LOTR over the subsequent Hobbit movies (actually, I think that's true for all of us here,) but from a book standpoint, you can't deny those two are indelible characters, certainly much more than Thror, although I will agree that from an artistic perspective, the latter's statue is phenomenal.

Speaking of book characters, I often find myself conflicted about getting Bolg: he is the villain at the end of the book story, and I consider him important in that regard. Once Smaug is gone, he is the bad guy. However, the movie altered that so much, and I dislike Bolg's design so much that I ultimately can't bring myself to pull the trigger on him. In my mind, I always see him as playing second fiddle to Azog, and then dying in that dumb Cirque du Soleil fight with Legolas, forever ruining Beorn's big moment. In fact, I pretty much hate every fake CGI goblin design in the Hobbit trilogy. Give me the Uruk-hai and Orc practical masks and prosthetics of LOTR any day.

See, now I've gone back to the movies again. At least it relates to why we buy certain statues and not others.

Valkrist wrote: Going back to the statues, N2, I know space is dire, but I'm actually surprised you don't have Bard or Thorin, considering their importance to the story. I definitely know of your preference for LOTR over the subsequent Hobbit movies (actually, I think that's true for all of us here,) but from a book standpoint, you can't deny those two are indelible characters, certainly much more than Thror, although I will agree that from an artistic perspective, the latter's statue is phenomenal.

I haven't really ever been a book purest and have gravitated heavily to the design esthetic of LOTR more so than the Hobbit. I really got swept up in the initial Hobbit fever and had high hopes until the over processed CG and inflated story started to drive me away. As you said, Thror has a very great piece and commanding, same with Smaug. As for Bard and Thorin I never had any great connection with the characters, but I will admit the statue of Bard is rather cool looking. Truthfully, if I was to keep just one Hobbit pice it would either be Smaug or Radagast (just to have all 3 wizards in statue form) and if time comes to make room the Hobbit pieces are first to go. I don't have plans for many more statues unless something is too good to pass up or something custom as I plan on concentrating mostly on props and replicas.

In case you don't already know, and if you happen to collect Hobbit holes, the new #16 is up for ordering.

Having said that, Weta's 'new' website continues its track record of being absolutely abysmal and actually completing the ordering process for this new item seems impossible at the moment. Sigh. Way to go, Weta.

Yeah. Don't know what's going on. Apparently plenty of stock and some people managed to order before it crapped out.

Idril wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2017 12:30 pm Yeah. Don't know what's going on. Apparently plenty of stock and some people managed to order before it crapped out.

I know it's really a case of at this point but... someone really needs to get fired over that poor excuse of a website. It really hasn't done anything right since it's inception almost a year ago, and has caused not only multiple headaches for customers, but also for the poor employees at Weta just trying to do their job. It's mind-boggling how in this day and age, a self-respecting company like that can't get even the simplest of online functions to work sometimes.

Pretty sure they paid an independent U.K. company to develop and support. I hope they have performance/functionality clauses in that contract.

I would definitely be asking for a refund at this point. The whole thing has turned into a bad joke. I haven't had the status of any of my orders updated correctly since the new site went live, and the PayPal function may as well not even be there. Someone at Weta got taken for a ride on this deal.

In unsurprising news, my irritation with Weta's service continues.

I did finally manage to order the new Hobbit hole, which I believe is now on the way. However, I did preorder the mini Witchking helm months ago, and they charged me for the full balance on the 23rd. They did this without any email notice, and though hordes of other people have received their helms already, I've not received a shipping notice either. Since the website is less than useless in figuring out what the status of any given order is, I have to gear up for yet another frustrating and tiresome email chain with Anthony in the support dept. I really don't envy that guy his job, but it just seems his company is determined to keep him at a disadvantage here. Once I have enough Weta dollars to buy Eomer (when he comes out in 2035) I am done ordering from them and will go with third party retailers instead.

Valkrist wrote: Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:40 pm In unsurprising news, my irritation with Weta's service continues.

I did finally manage to order the new Hobbit hole, which I believe is now on the way. However, I did preorder the mini Witchking helm months ago, and they charged me for the full balance on the 23rd. They did this without any email notice, and though hordes of other people have received their helms already, I've not received a shipping notice either. Since the website is less than useless in figuring out what the status of any given order is, I have to gear up for yet another frustrating and tiresome email chain with Anthony in the support dept. I really don't envy that guy his job, but it just seems his company is determined to keep him at a disadvantage here. Once I have enough Weta dollars to buy Eomer (when he comes out in 2035) I am done ordering from them and will go with third party retailers instead.

Had to read that twice before I caught it...pathetically funny.

lol... yeah, I'm sure Buckeye can relate and appreciate the humour as well.

I mean, I know Eomer is widely *rumored* to be making an appearance at SDCC this year, but consider what's happened with Grond (revealed an eternity ago and then zero news,) and the War Troll (going down the same road after nearly a year lost in the weeds.) It's easy to see that Weta is biting off more than it can chew with its bigger pieces these days. 2035 for Eomer? Nah. 2020? There's a chance, but only if he does ride in this year as a prototype.

I desperately want Eomer on Firefoot, but the painfully slow development and release process for these Weta figures has me worried. At the current pace I'm afraid I'll be jobless and unable to afford Eomer when it becomes available.

Buckeye wrote: Sun Apr 02, 2017 3:42 am I desperately want Eomer on Firefoot, but the painfully slow development and release process for these Weta figures has me worried. At the current pace I'm afraid I'll be jobless and unable to afford Eomer when it becomes available.

You and I both.

At least the Weta dollars can help defray some of that cost, but I'll need the Troll for that. All I have left on preorder is Galadriel and I'm pretty much done after that, unless they somehow manage to come out with the two statues I still want: Beorn and Gil-galad. What I really want though, is to stop having to agonize over Weta's brutal ordering/payment/shipping issues. They just can't get their crap together on these issues.

My new Hobbit hole showed up a couple of weeks ago, but as for my mini Witch-king helm, after a month of having been charged and the helm continuing to be AWOL, as predicted, I had to yell at Anthony and ask what was going on. I'll give the guy credit for resolving things but he must be hating his job by now because I know I'm far from being alone in contacting him at least once a month (I know it's less but it seems that way.) As usual, the US warehouse can't seem to tell its head from its posterior and the helm was never shipped despite Weta telling them to ship it. So it took Anthony yelling at them in turn and promising me that the helm would be shipped within 48 hours. His word proved as good as it has in the past and the helm is finally on the way, but man... why does this keep happening?

Since dealing with Weta for nearly ten years now, I had to contact Anthony's predecessors, Darren and Megan one time each. With Anthony, I feel like I've known him all his life. That's sad.

So, besides Idril and for sure not N2, anyone else here getting the new mini Mirkwood Helm? It will be a pass for me. I just want the other eight Nazgul helms to be released. There's a guy at FoU that keeps lamenting the fact more LOTR mini helms are not released and I'm dying to ask him which ones exactly does he expect Weta to release seeing as they have all been pretty much done already? I honestly can't think of a single helm they haven't done for those movies. All the major characters were covered, as were all the generic soldier ones, including a ton of orc helms. I think the Skull helm was pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel for them to release something LOTR-related.

I don't own any of the mini helms, but there are a few, like Mouth of Sauron, I've thought about getting on the after market.

Well, I take that back, I do own the mini crown of Ellesar, but I got that as a freebie on another order.

https://www.wetanz.com/shop/weapons/the ... of-boromir

Time to sell the house...

Uh... yeah... thanks, but no thanks.

I would have tried to get a Thranduil sword

Idril wrote: Wed May 10, 2017 5:49 pm I would have tried to get a Thranduil sword

That would be a beauty indeed, but still too rich for my blood, as is any entry in this line. Curiously, this Boromir sword has dark red leather for a grip, whereas the UC version has black. Most of the photos I can find online seem to show red so looks like Weta got it right versus UC.

On the topic of new releases, I see they've put up another mini-helm: Gundabad Orc. Another easy pass for me. This new line of helms feels very cheap and flimsy compared to the old ones.

I'm passing on the new helm too. I'll get the book and hope to get Dan to sign it in November.

The new book is also available for pre-order.
https://www.wetanz.com/shop/books-movie ... ?ref=brand

Very excited for this book - I've had it on pre-order since July last year. Love the cover design and can't wait to get my hands on it

I'll probably get it as well. I'm sure most of the content is rehashed from previous publications and many things we've already seen and heard in the video documentaries, but it will be a nice trip down memory lane nonetheless. If anything, those prop papers alone are almost worth the price of the book itself to just put in my display.

I placed my pre-order this morning.

Buckeye wrote: Thu May 11, 2017 9:31 am I placed my pre-order this morning.

Me too!

Pre-ordered as well. Didn't want to chance missing out on the limited time offer of free goodies.

Now all I need is for N2 to make me that Hobbit notice board in the picture so I can affix all those notices on it.

Me too!

Valkrist wrote: Thu May 11, 2017 10:16 am Pre-ordered as well. Didn't want to chance missing out on the limited time offer of free goodies.

Now all I need is for N2 to make me that Hobbit notice board in the picture so I can affix all those notices on it.

I can make it, you just have to find room for it.

I didn't want to be left out, so ... Preordered!

N2darkness wrote: Thu May 11, 2017 11:28 am

Valkrist wrote: Thu May 11, 2017 10:16 am Pre-ordered as well. Didn't want to chance missing out on the limited time offer of free goodies.

Now all I need is for N2 to make me that Hobbit notice board in the picture so I can affix all those notices on it.

I can make it, you just have to find room for it.

Challenge accepted! But you'll have to have it ready in time if I come visit this summer, along with the Prancing Pony and Green Dragon signs.