Yeah, I'm excited at the possibilities. I just hope they keep them affordable, well spaced apart (1-2 months,) and if they are LE runs, then make them at least 1000+.

Top three picks for me would be: Eomer on Firefoot, Pippin in Fellowship clothes, and Gil-galad.

If they made a Lurtz in armour, I would have to break my personal rule about buying statues of characters that weren't in the books (Tauriel, I'm looking at you!)

Some of those bad guys I might even buy, and I only break that rule at great exceptions. A Haradrim Archer, Dunlending Soldier, maybe even an Uruk Pikesman. I'm hoping that these are cheaper because the Lord of the Rings is much older than the brand new Hobbit line. I voted for Eomer on Firefoot, Theoden on Snowmane, Pippin in Fellowship attire, Bilbo, Faramir, Second Age Elven Warrior, and Haldir.

Tim from Weta announced last night that they have made their choice. The first LotR piece to be made will be Faramir!

Nice! Not the one I would have picked or even will necessarily buy, but it's a gaping hole in a lot of people's collections, right next to Eomer.

I know I can go look myself but how high did Faramir rank in the polls?

[http://www.wetacollectors.com/forum/sho ... hp?t=40509

Yeah, very close to Eomer. But there's big support for Eomer to be made on Firefoot, something I'd love to see but have no room for.

Azog the Defiler on Warg has arrived for preorder at a whopping $699!!!

http://www.wetanz.com/azog/

It is described as being both a bigger and heavier sculpt than Barad-dur, and as an owner of the latter, I can tell you Azog will be nothing short of a monstrosity in terms of size and space needed to display.

At that price, I will be staying well clear of it. Besides, I completely hate what they've done with Azog in the movies, both in altered history and horrible CGI, so all the more reason to not mourn the fact I won't be buying him.

That thing must be HUGE! 30 lbs?!?! Why don't they make things a bit smaller so it costs less $$$. These collectibles are becoming only for the super rich.

The problem with this one is that it is done to scale with the other statues released, which is 1:6. While I like this for consistency, the prices are getting uber-ridiculous. The various LOTR mounted sculpts of the past cost nowhere near that much and this does not bode well for the possibility of Eomer on Firefoot.

[quote=""Valkrist""]Azog the Defiler on Warg has arrived for preorder at a whopping $699!!!

http://www.wetanz.com/azog/

It is described as being both a bigger and heavier sculpt than Barad-dur, and as an owner of the latter, I can tell you Azog will be nothing short of a monstrosity in terms of size and space needed to display.

At that price, I will be staying well clear of it. Besides, I completely hate what they've done with Azog in the movies, both in altered history and horrible CGI, so all the more reason to not mourn the fact I won't be buying him. [/quote]

You took the words right out of my mouth, as I totally agree with you on Azog in the movies. Not a character I need in my collection, but Thranduil and Radagast I'll definitely be picking up. And if we think that Azog is e xp ensive, just wait till the inevitable Smaug statue comes, probably gonna cost close to a $1000 at this rate.

That warg is gargantuan. Two feet long! It is a monstrous piece and I really hope all the mounted pieces aren't that big. I'm also a little terrified of the price tag on Smaug.

Just for comparison's sake and to see if they are being consistent, how big was Gothmog mounted on the hyena warg from LOTR?

I'd completely forgotten about Smaug. I hope he's not released until Q4 2014 or later.

Val, this post may interest you: http://www.wetacollectors.com/forum/sho ... stcount=98

Interesting.

I can only surmise the white warg is much bigger than Gothmog's hyena. Come to think of it, Gothmog himself was a smaller orc than Azog, at least their movie versions. The books never really described what race Gothmog was in ROTK. Come to think of it, wargs were never supposed to be that large, being described at around the size of a pony and ridden only by smaller goblins. I guess PJ decided to upgrade them to horse size.

Well, Weta frequently references the fact that Azog's warg was bigger than the average Warg...so I guess PJ particularly played this one up.

I know many of you have stressed your distaste for the WETA weapons for the Hobbit , since they are not steel . However , for those who may be interested , I finally ordered the Dwalin Axes after much debate . Anyone whom has them seemed very pleased with them , and I am sure that WETA would be the only ones to make the item . My point is I paid $299 from Redford Films , that is their current price on the website . Everywhere else they are still $399 . So I thought I'd grab them at that price and let you guys all know . I have not received them yet , but when I do , I will be sure to post my opinion . So far I am very pleased with Balin's Mace and the knifes of Nori and Fili .

Thanks for the heads-up, Magneticone!

Apart from the company, hearing about discounts like this is one of my favorite things about being part of forums like these.

Very pleased with the purchase of Dwalin's Axes . Received them today and they are very big and sturdy , not overly heavy . That's a good thing and e xp lains how he could carry them and swing them like he did , the same materials . Happy with the price overall , you are getting two large axes , not one weapon for $299 . I paid $220 delivered for Balin's Mace and was very happy with that , but I like the look and feel of the axes better . Hope some of you enjoy the same savings that I did here .

My latest acquisitions....some more posters for my dorm, some friends down the hall, and way too much homework. Would anybody like some leftover homework? There's plenty enough to go around.

[quote=""Fingolfin""]My latest acquisitions....some more posters for my dorm, some friends down the hall, and way too much homework. Would anybody like some leftover homework? There's plenty enough to go around. [/quote]

And your latest (and most significant) loss? SLEEP!!!

Just so everyone knows , if you didn't find out already Tauriel's Daggers are available from WETA , $149 , looks like some are available for immediate shipping . Haven't decided what I am doing yet , hoping UC makes them

I didn't get the daggers as I'm waiting to see what other things UC has up it's sleeves, but I did order Thranduil today though, LE of 1000 and kind of e xp ect it to sell out in the next few months if not sooner.

As much visibility as they have already gotten in the teaser clips a few months back, and in the new trailer, I'm surprised anyone would think they would not be made by UC.

That said, the photos of Weta's prop replica look dead on to what the props look like. Nice!

I saw those last night. The daggers look great but I too am holding out for UC versions. I wonder how they'll be handled? Maybes the blade is played? But I'm not sure you can plate stainless steel.

I hope UC releases some info soon so we know what to e xp ect. Last year they were the first company to announce replicas for the film.

Sounds good Kit

I think the daggers will look good with Legolas Fighting Knives ! !

Thranduil ordered as well, even though I truly hate Weta's new high prices. The statue is simply too gorgeous to pass up since it is a LE run. Bye-bye Weta dollars.

Passing on the plastic daggers until UC comes up with a sturdier version. Without confirming it, Kit is pretty much telling us they are on the way.

[quote=""Magneticone""]I think the daggers will look good with Legolas Fighting Knives ! ![/quote]

I remember when I first saw them a few years back, I thought to myself - a set of those would look stunning right next to my Legolas fighting knives on a matching display

[quote=""Valkrist""]Passing on the plastic daggers until UC comes up with a sturdier version.[/quote]

My thoughts exactly. Her bow on the other hand, might be a different story.

[quote=""Nasnandos""]I remember when I first saw them a few years back, I thought to myself - a set of those would look stunning right next to my Legolas fighting knives on a matching display [/quote]


A few years ago... I am both envious and not of you Kit... you get to be in on a lot of the behind the scenes on the collecting front, but you have sooo many secrets to keep!

Kit, do you know if there were ever any steel versions of Tauriel's daggers made for the movie? or were they just urethane?

They look really good, I can't wait for the UC versions

So you pulled the trigger on Thranduil, Val? I love that statue but there's no way I'm paying those kinds of prices. I'll get him down the road.

[quote=""Lindir""]Kit, do you know if there were ever any steel versions of Tauriel's daggers made for the movie? or were they just urethane?

They look really good, I can't wait for the UC versions [/quote]

I had not bought any of the Weta Urethane replicas yet, so I pulled the trigger on the Tauriel daggers. I want to see how close they are to the props. They should be essentially identical, because that is what they film with. The only difference may be getting the quality of the paint job on the production version to match what the prop painters at Weta workshop did on the original. They are truly masterful artists in that area. What I see in the website photos looks spot on though.

As far as steel versions made for the movie - not that I am aware of. Everything I have seen is made of PU. Of course, I thought that about the Kili and Fili swords too, but there was a youtube made by some reporter who visited Weta, and he got to hold the PU versions they were shooting with, then they showed him a steel blade version of each. Those were probably the master props used to pull molds from to make the PU shooting props. I think a lot of these things were just sculpted in clay to make the master though.

I have most of the WETA weapons and have been very pleased with the appearance of the items and as you say Kit , they are as close to screen used props as you can get . Made using the same molds and same teams for paint . I am curious what your impression will be of the daggers , I am assuming they will be very similar to the knives of Nori and Fili. I haven't decided which version I will buy , but the WETA being limited I am tempted .
Just remembering the difficulties matching the handle colors of the Legolas Knives and how critical some were being of that , I wonder if that will be an issue with Tauriel's Daggers . That should not be an issue with WETA's replicas .

They are made in China, not NZ, so not the same teams for painting, but I'm sure they had an actual prop to cast and copy the paint colors and effects. I can see one color difference in the Weta photos, but I'm not even going to comment until I see the real thing. Well, I can't comment anyway, because the film has not been released, so I need to shut up.

[quote=""Fingolfin""]So you pulled the trigger on Thranduil, Val? I love that statue but there's no way I'm paying those kinds of prices. I'll get him down the road.[/quote]

Yeah, I just had to, Fin. Being limited to 1000 and that nice of a statue, I have a feeling he will go as fast as Azog did. Also, once they are gone you will see them start to pop up on eBay for twice the price for the next couple of years. I don't want to wait that long for a bargain and I'm tired of playing the aftermarket game.

[quote=""Nasnandos""]I had not bought any of the Weta Urethane replicas yet, so I pulled the trigger on the Tauriel daggers. I want to see how close they are to the props. They should be essentially identical, because that is what they film with. The only difference may be getting the quality of the paint job on the production version to match what the prop painters at Weta workshop did on the original. They are truly masterful artists in that area. What I see in the website photos looks spot on though.

As far as steel versions made for the movie - not that I am aware of. Everything I have seen is made of PU. Of course, I thought that about the Kili and Fili swords too, but there was a youtube made by some reporter who visited Weta, and he got to hold the PU versions they were shooting with, then they showed him a steel blade version of each. Those were probably the master props used to pull molds from to make the PU shooting props. I think a lot of these things were just sculpted in clay to make the master though.[/quote]

Will you post photos of the weta daggers when you receive them?

I think I have seen the video you mentioned Kit. If it was the same one that I saw, then they talked about Thorin's dwarven sword and how it was sculpted in 3D software to save time and then it was printed and molded I believe. I can't remember what the blade was made out of though, but they had a softer version as well.

Is anyone here planning to buy both the Weta versions and UC versions? It will be interesting to see comparison photos when they both are released. I am tempted by the Weta ones but I'd rather spend my money on UC items. Also I like the feel of the UC metal replicas, that feeling obviously won't be in the Weta versions although I've read they have a good weight to them.

Val, I hope you like the Thranduil statue I was tempted by it but I'm in the same boat as Fin. It's to e xp ensive for me

Tauriel's bow! Finally a bow prop made by a major company. I think I'm going to have to splurge on that one. Plus the wife already fell in love with it.

[quote=""RevAnakin""]Tauriel's bow! Finally a bow prop made by a major company. I think I'm going to have to splurge on that one. Plus the wife already fell in love with it.[/quote]
That's a major good thing that your wife allready fall in love with it,it makes buying a lot easier.

Ugh.

This bow presents a couple of major dilemmas for me. First, it is the weapon of a character that is not only invented, but whose sole purpose seems to be to cater to Hollywood conventionality, and to follow repetitive and tiresome cinematic formulas. For that reason alone, I very much hesitate to consider it a collectible that I would add to my corner of Middle-earth. Much like I am going to avoid her statue, I am having trouble reconciling anything to do with her with my collection prerequisites.

Secondly, this weapon replica is once again brought to us by Weta and not UC. Now, I know it is a bow, and unlike my personal distaste for other Weta replicas released thus far which are made of polyurethane, this is one type of weapon which I fully e xp ected to be made from that material. Further more, I would fully e xp ect that if UC makes one of their own, that it will be made along similar lines. Problem is, of course, that UC has made no such announcement yet, if ever.

The quality of Weta replicas is not in question, but when given the choice, I would prefer to support UC, and also because it adds more internal consistency to my collection. Question now is, will UC risk making their own, having been beaten to the market once again by Weta? Out of all the weapons Weta has released thus far, only Tauriel's daggers seem to have a chance of being repeated by UC, according to Kit's hints. Yet, will they do this bow?

At any rate, this may all be a moot point if I cannot get past my earlier point. Despite the actual plausibility of the existence of a character like Tauriel in the realm of Mirkwood, much about what she represents, coupled with her non-existence in the books presents a considerable barrier for me to surpass. Sure I could buy this bow and her daggers and simply call them "Avari weapons," but I would always know who they are supposed to belong to.

Much to ponder, but in the meantime, I must consider that as a Limited Edition, this bow may not be available for very long, and thus suffer the same fate as many other collectibles that I passed on.

1) I think it depends on how quickly these Weta bows fly off the shelves. If it shelf warms then I suspect UC will not be inclined to put time and effort playing catch up. There are so many other hobbit prop possibilities like working out how to make a full metal Thranduil blade which if practicable from a mass manufacturing perspective will attract lots of buyers. That being said, I could be wrong and UC may very well get in on some Tauriel Bow and arrow action. And if they do I can't say its a bad thing as I'm keen for there to be some competition between UC and Weta to keep everyone on their toes and bringing us the best stuff possible.

2) Regarding Tauriel as a character, and whether you should buy her props, my personal opinion is that you should only get her stuff if you got space to display. I am almost certainly not getting anything Tauriel related due to space cinsideration and the fact that I don't see Tauriel's stuff as something to build my collection around as opposed to something like maybe Thranduil's sword where I may consider getting the sword, crown and really build a display around those choice items. Tauriel's items could fit in with that elven characters of middle hobbit movies theme but like I said, space becomes a big issue and if I have to cut out a character it is probably going to be Tauriel. But it remains to be seen if I still hold that opinion come December.



[quote=""Valkrist""]Ugh.

This bow presents a couple of major dilemmas for me. First, it is the weapon of a character that is not only invented, but whose sole purpose seems to be to cater to Hollywood conventionality, and to follow repetitive and tiresome cinematic formulas. For that reason alone, I very much hesitate to consider it a collectible that I would add to my corner of Middle-earth. Much like I am going to avoid her statue, I am having trouble reconciling anything to do with her with my collection prerequisites.

Secondly, this weapon replica is once again brought to us by Weta and not UC. Now, I know it is a bow, and unlike my personal distaste for other Weta replicas released thus far which are made of polyurethane, this is one type of weapon which I fully e xp ected to be made from that material. Further more, I would fully e xp ect that if UC makes one of their own, that it will be made along similar lines. Problem is, of course, that UC has made no such announcement yet, if ever.

The quality of Weta replicas is not in question, but when given the choice, I would prefer to support UC, and also because it adds more internal consistency to my collection. Question now is, will UC risk making their own, having been beaten to the market once again by Weta? Out of all the weapons Weta has released thus far, only Tauriel's daggers seem to have a chance of being repeated by UC, according to Kit's hints. Yet, will they do this bow?

At any rate, this may all be a moot point if I cannot get past my earlier point. Despite the actual plausibility of the existence of a character like Tauriel in the realm of Mirkwood, much about what she represents, coupled with her non-existence in the books presents a considerable barrier for me to surpass. Sure I could buy this bow and her daggers and simply call them "Avari weapons," but I would always know who they are supposed to belong to.

Much to ponder, but in the meantime, I must consider that as a Limited Edition, this bow may not be available for very long, and thus suffer the same fate as many other collectibles that I passed on.[/quote]

I think I hinted a while back that United had the license for bows (that was in the original press release I believe) and would be making bows. We also have this prop...hint, hint.

Not sure what the hold up is, but I know they have a press release coming.

Very wise words, Aragorn.

I had not considered the display space issue, and that is certainly a major factor given that it is disappearing fast and I anticipate that there is still so much more to come. Adding that factor to the mix, it makes it even less likely that I would buy Tauriel's bow now since it will require quite a bit of wall real estate. This isn't to say I wouldn't give more serious consideration if UC suddenly came out with their own version, but given that the character it belongs to is very much near the bottom of my interest-radar, this very well may seal its fate as far as I'm concerned.

Shame, because it is a really beautiful piece. However unlikely, should it ever make it into my collection, I would display it as a 'generic' Avari bow. For those not familiar with that term, it signifies 'dark elf' and is also used to designate the wood-elves of Thranduil's realm not of Sindarin origin. For an elven weapons display only, it would fit in perfectly with non-character specific replicas, like the Galadhrim bow from Elbenwald.

Oh, and just before I hit 'submit reply', there is Kit teasing us with the very real possibility that UC will indeed be making this bow. Time will tell if I change my mind. Just wish my house could grow new walls for all this stuff.

From the photos of the bow that we've seen previously it always looked green, but the weta replica is brown with a hint of green around the handle.

I'm waiting for UCs version. I just hope that if they are limited editions it won't be a small number of them. Tauriels daggers and her bow will make a fine display

just pre ordered both Tauriels daggers and bow.

To be honest I am a bit frustrated because with my mentality, if i start a collection with Weta for the hobbit weapons, I have to finish it. The same goes for UC.

So I hope I do not find myself with doubles of almost all Weta and UC weapons, especially having paid so much for what is safe to say 'glorified plastic' replicas and then paying almost the same for ones made from the correct material.

Kit - I (and my wallet) would be much appreciated if you could provide any clarification as to whether all of the items that Weta are producing, UC will be producing as well. Because I think I may need to sell my soul to pay for all this!

Sorry, I can't officially state anything United is making since they have not officially announced them yet. I'm sure they would have loved to let everyone know back on the 15th, which was supposed to be the official release date for licensees...

[quote=""Nasnandos""]Sorry, I can't officially state anything United is making since they have not officially announced them yet. I'm sure they would have loved to let everyone know back on the 15th, which was supposed to be the official release date for licensees...[/quote]

Noble hasn't announced anything else new either. Maybes something happened and Warner Brothers changed the date perhaps? Maybes Weta was only allowed to unveil their products on that date. Just guessing though

The date has not changed, but nothing can be released until WB gives approval, so there is not much a licensee can do until then.

Always some kind of politics getting in the way. I may actually look into the UC bow at some point, depending on price. I just can't afford Weta prices at all anymore, everything has skyrocketed. Kit, you'll have to let us know how you like the Weta daggers. I'm still not convinced on urethane blades but everyone seems to like them!

The Tauriel knives should be here in the next few days.

This type of collectible probably only appeals to the real prop collectors, who are used to props being rubber. It's understandable that some may be turned off by them and see them as toys since they are not "real". I look at them the same way I would scale model of Rick Deckard's hand gun, or a Star Wars blaster.

I remember being extremely disappointed when I handled my first prop knife back in the early 1990's, a Total Recall knife. It looked like crap, as did most of the later movie props I worked with. Things have come a long way since then, and out of all the props I have handle through the years, Weta's were by far the best. Even if these replicas only get 85% correct in color and detail to those, that's still really good.

[quote=""Nasnandos""]The Tauriel knives should be here in the next few days.[/quote]

Hi Kit...I'm guessing this means you ordered a set from Weta not that you are announcing that UC's version will be released in a few days?