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I'll be interested to see the full sculpt, but I'm completely happy and content with my SSW Aragorn maquette.

Added note: I also have the King Elessar and Black Gates pieces. So I see no need for yet another Aragorn.

Oh I have no doubt it will look awesome, and the likeness is about 85% for me. I have the SSW Strider and King Elessar and this could still tempt me.

No, what I meant was the timing of the sneak photo, on the heels of a sell-out. Sorry, I know it sounds cynical but Weta are totally dealing crack out of a back alley at this point, and we're lining up like drones to buy it.

Edit: just remembered I also have Aragorn at the Black Gates. Currently he is tied with Gandalf for statue representations in my house. If I were to buy this one, I'd have four Aragorns.

Just got an email that the Arwen w/ Frodo statue is shipping (or something along those lines).
No, I did not order it and everyone here knows why; i.e., for the same reason they didn't order it ... a gag-me-with-a-spoon uncanonical PJ "Let's make scenes with more women in them " invention.
And I will forever remember Idril's description of [Liv Tyler's] Arwen: "ol' horse-face".
Omg....that will never be bettered.

OK, so given all that I have just written, why [do you ask] am I posting about a UCforum loathed statue?
And the answer is...... because it is by far the best sculpt of a horse I have ever seen in the new Weta polystone.
I'm not comparing to any of the old SSW equines...they may be very good.
But this one has been properly proportioned to its rider, unlike the MoS which is grossly out of proportion to its rider...way too small, 2/3 the size it should be.
And Eomer on Firefoot is not much better...horse is still too small.
Ringwraith at the Ford?....Nope...still too small.
I live in AZ.....I'm around horses (3 right up the street) and around people ON horses. Too bad the sculptors didn't go out an look at real people (preferably men over 6 ft) on horseback and take some pics before they did the sculpts.

But whoever did Arwen and Frodo on Asfaloth got it right, riders and horse all in the correct proportions.
And honestly, much as I don't like the movie Arwen, whoever did her face got it right.... looks just like "ol' horse face".

Oh my. Did I really say that

Tbh. She is so very beautiful. Sorry Liv

I was just commenting on the sculpt at FoU the other day. The neck in particular is amazing. That is exactly how a horse neck is.... the oh so strong muscle underneath the ripples of skin and hair.

I too have been around horses all my life. At most owing 5 at once. In MoS’s defense - The horse is bowing down under the weight of Mouth. Like he is fiercely trying to not collapse and being close to loosing.

Edit: a friends is actually getting shipped to my place so I will get to see it. Maybe by this weekend. So I’ll let you know what it looks like in the horse-flesh

I just wish there were more consistency in these things. It doesn't mean I would buy it (or any of the others) but, well , to beat a dead horse (haha) it's more than annoying to know that whenever Weta releases a new statue it's going to be crap shoot as to how faithful the object is to what we have seen on screen.

(Yes, you did say that about Liv T/ Arwen but I'm thinking it was at least 2 years ago. )

Deimos wrote: Mon Feb 18, 2019 4:43 pm And the answer is...... because it is by far the best sculpt of a horse I have ever seen in the new Weta polystone.

That is exactly why I did buy this one. I'm not a big fan of Arwen in this scene either, but I have a thing for sculpts with horses, especially good ones.

Honestly, when I read Idril calling Arwen 'horse face', I always thought she was referring to Liv Tyler's likeness on the old SSW statue, which admittedly isn't one of the best. I would think it odd that she wouldn't think Liv is pretty when she is using her face as an avatar! That would be some irony right there.

As for the new statue, the coolness of the horse aside, I just don't get all the gushing over the likeness. I think people just trip over themselves these days to praise Weta statues and any words of dissent are met with scorn and hostility. I'm sorry, but I think the likeness on the new Arwen is awful. Not the worst, but not even close to the best. It's weird because it totally looks like her from the side, then from the front it looks like someone else altogether, and what's with the pink glitter goo in her mouth? Looks like she's about to blow a bubble on her gum.

Thanks Val. Now that makes sense and I remember it now. I was referring to the old SSW statue. It is awful.

OK...I stand corrected on the "horse face " reference.
As far as the Arwen likeness on the new statue, I've only seen a pic from the side (the main PR pic), and as you (Val) say, it does look like her.
I'd not looked at the other pics when I posted my opinion.

lol, Idril... I'm happy I was correct in my interpretation of your comment.

Deimos, my dear lady, I hope you know I wasn't referring to you when I said what I did. As we both agree, the profile of that statue is spot on and when I saw that picture first (as you did) I even experienced a brief moment of "Dang! If I could get over my distaste for this scene, I would buy that statue in a heartbeat." Then I saw the front and the notion was quickly dispelled.

Now here's your chance to berate me for my ignorance, but... aren't horse breeds varied in many ways, including size? I'm not insinuating that the Mouth is mounted on a Shetland Pony, but even bowed from his weight, it could simply be a smaller type of horse, no? And Firefoot also?

Yes of course Val, many different sizes and heights of horses. I guess we mostly think of fine boned Thoroughbred types cause we get racing horses thrust in our faces. Unless you have something to do with horses now a days, that is about all you see.

However, the Knights of old could never have ridden a fine boned horse (even if Thoroughbred’s existed in those days - which they didn’t). Due to the weight of the armour alone, they rode heavy horses. Much like the warm bloods you see now. Sort of a cross between a shire (or plough horse) and a small horse. So they are heavy set. Much like the MoS horse statue. If you look at the Bayeux tapestry (which is 800 years old or so ) - the horse that King Harold is riding (and all the knights in fact), are quite small. Their feet come down to the horses knees.

Thank you for the explanation, Idril, and yes, I remember that tapestry (and other period illustrations) well. Honestly, when I think of knights in full armour, I think of a Clydesdale. Eomer is certainly not wearing anything as heavy as full plate, but both he and Théoden are fairly well armoured. Do you think they got it wrong with the Firefoot statue? I wonder now if the scenes in which we see Faramir and the Gondor soldiers at full gallop while wearing plate armour are even correct... would the horses we see be able to bear that kind of weight, at that speed, and over that great a distance? If you are wearing prop armour, sure, but real armour...?

Side question: I noticed on the RWOS statue that the sword the wraith bears is the sword of the Witch-king. I suppose we are to assume it is him and not one of the other four who were in the Shire at the time of that scene? I forget if that is the correct sword for that moment in the movie. I thought his sword was supposed to be unique and the other wraiths have the other two types (the one that UC made and the one with the finger hole) but then I swear I saw stills from the movie and there is more than one sword that looks like the Witch-king's?!?

Valkrist wrote: Thu Feb 21, 2019 6:44 am Side question: I noticed on the RWOS statue that the sword the wraith bears is the sword of the Witch-king. I suppose we are to assume it is him and not one of the other four who were in the Shire at the time of that scene? I forget if that is the correct sword for that moment in the movie. I thought his sword was supposed to be unique and the other wraiths have the other two types (the one that UC made and the one with the finger hole) but then I swear I saw stills from the movie and there is more than one sword that looks like the Witch-king's?!?

I did some checking and watched a few scenes from FOTR. The rider that the hobbits hide from near the tree has the Ringwraith sword and standard gauntlets. At Weathertop the Witchking has his gauntlets (spiked knuckles) and can be scene when he pulls out the Morgul dagger. You can also spot 2 Witchking swords when all the wraiths pull out there swords before Frodo puts on the ring and same at the Ford. The SSW RWOS to me is not the Witchking as it has the standard wraith gauntlets and the Witchking sword, so it's supposed to be one of the others or they got some of the details incorrect if that is the case.

Thanks for confirming I'm not going nuts, N2.

It's a shame that the RWOS statue does not appear to be from the scene when the hobbits hide under the tree then. It also seems to confirm that what we call the 'Witch-king sword' was not unique to him. I wonder if Kit could shed some light on this.

In regard to the Rohan horses. If memory servers me Tolkien described them as fleet footed or something like that. That does not sound like a heavy horse to me. They are strong but not fast (in horse terms) - too much weight. While we think of the Rohan soldiers as armoured- I wouldn’t think that was metal. I imagine with all those farms and horses, the armour was toughened animal hide. That is my conjecture only. I feel PJ got the Rohan armour pretty spot on in that way. Of course, leather armour is in no way as heavy. Plus these horse soldiers wanted to be mobile and despatched to the far flung corners of their land quickly. These horses must have been lighter in build and taller for a longer stride. So perhaps something similar to an Australian stock horse. Sort of a thoroughbred but with stronger legs.

So in short - no, I think Firefoot (and the statue) was probably a type of horse the Rohan would have ridden.

As for the Gondor charge....... movie magic....... A horse like Faramir was riding could only have run like that carrying him and the armour a short distance. I guess ok for the book because Tolkien states there were few horses in Gondor. What ones they had were used to carry messages. So again, horses that can run for hours. Not war horses. But PJ is stuck with the majority of people’s idea of a horse. You start putting Faramir on a stout and somewhat short looking horse - people will think it is odd. So back to the thoroughbreds....... If it was real, most of those horse would have fallen with broken cannon (shin) bones long before they took on the orcs. An interesting true story from here. Decades ago there was a rescue in a quite rough and hard ground area. Coppers were offered horses as it was even too rough for motorbikes. The thoroughbred’s they rode were all lame within a couple of hours. The stock horses were out from daylight to dusk, day after day.

Your "stock" horses are probably the equivalent of the American Quarter-horse, which was originally bred for herding livestock out on the range...very hardy and measuring about 15 hands (do you all use "hands" [4 inches] ) as a measurement? If not, the measurement is from the ground to the withers.

I rewatched the MofS scene and the horse is larger (relative its rider) than what is sculpted , but the sculpt is not 2/3 its correct size (imo) as I originally thought (going from memory) , ...more like 3/4...closer but still no cigar. And yet, the MofS is Numenorean so he could be a really big boy.
But to me the sculpt just looks wrong.

Also look at the scene when Aragorn , Gimli and Legolas first meet Eomer and the riders....note where the stirrups fall of almost all the riders relative the belly of the horses. It was that scene that convinced me the sculptor missed getting the proportions right with Eomer on Firefoot.. Again pretty close, and better than the MoS sculpt, but .....not...quite....there.

Oh well, I didn't buy any of them so for those of you that did, all that matters is that YOU are happy with them.

Yes Deimos. The Aust Stock horse is probably like the quarter horse. Not quite as solid as them and slightly taller on average. Yes we use hands as a height. I think stock horses are supposed to be between 15hh and 16hh.

I didn’t buy Eomer but recent pics of him have me feeling a little bit like I’d like to. It seems outstanding when you see it with other statues in peoples collections.

Btw - I owned two part Appaloosa/quarter horse horses. They were brothers...... the apple of my eye and so intelligent.

The Arwen on horse arrived today so I snapped a few iPhone pix. Basically the same as what we see in the Weta pix. Near perfect paint job. I absolutely hate the water and planned on prying that part off the base, but the wife likes it. It may have an 'accident' while she is gone one day, and just mysterious;y vanish.

Nice photos, Kit, and congrats on the purchase. I passed on it due to my dislike of the scene, and I also don't like Arwen's facial likeness from the front, though I'll say the profile is her 100%. As for the water, I mind this one a lot less than I do the water on the new Ringwraith. I think Weta is overcomplicating their statues a bit lately.

I asked you way back but you never replied: did you get Treebeard.

Congrats on the new poly Kit! Your Old Toby barrel looks great as does your treasure chest. I'd love to the rest of the items you have made if your willing to share.

Valkrist wrote: Wed Mar 13, 2019 3:27 pm I asked you way back but you never replied: did you get Treebeard.

As much as I really wanted Treebeard, that statue was going to need to be enclosed in a huge display. It's not something that I would ever want to attempt to dust. I just don't have the room to add a display that big at home or the office. I briefly considered getting one anyway, just to store so that maybe I would display it one day. With it being very limited, and considering so many people wanted one, that just seemed a selfish thing to do, so I passed.

Ah, that's a real shame. Honestly, I'm in the same boat as you in terms of space and display options but I simply couldn't live with myself if I passed it up, and the option of picking it up later just didn't seem feasible considering after-market prices on collectibles these days. What you did was a very noble thing, passing up a chance at one so that someone else could have it.

Aragorn at Amon Hen has been revealed. N2, are you in Seattle drooling over it?

I don't know why I get so hung up on the likeness of the characters, but I think that if they are going to imitate the actor, they should go for broke. I feel this statue gets it about 95% right, which is pretty awesome. The pose is getting a lot of flak, but despite my dislike for action poses, I actually like this one quite a bit overall. I might have to pick it up when the time comes, but I'll probably ditch one of my other three Aragorns then. Between King Elessar, Aragorn at the Black Gates, and Strider, the latter is the most likely casualty as it is the closest in style and garb to this new one.

Great sculpt and likeness, but my first thought when I saw it is that it looks like he just tripped over something and is in mid stumble. It just looks awkward.

Have to agree with both of you (Val and Kit); it's a pretty good likeness and it does look like he's tripping over something.
Also, it's kind of funny, but that pose could be named just about anything; e.g., Aragorn at Amon Sul --and, yes, I know he didn't have the [movie] dagger at Amon Sul, but he could have been made with one of those removable/substititable arms that has a brand in in it. --- or Aragorn at Helms Deep, or Aragorn on the Pelennor Fields.
It's Aragorn in just about any of his fighting (tripping?) situations.
And as good as it is (and I think it's overall pretty good, but will not be getting it) I can't really see anything in the sculpt that distinguishes its Amon Hen setting from other places.

The red leaves on the forest floor and the tree stump are what sets it at Amon Hen. If you look at the two previous Amon Hen statues, Lurtz and Boromir, you will see the exact same environment. Also the Fellowship cloak, clasp, and Elven Knife (as you noted), all place the action after Lorien but before Dunharrow, where he receives Anduril.

Yeah, he does look like he is stumbling, but you can just as easily interpret that as a low-to-the-ground run as he rounds the tree stump. Honestly, I would have preferred an Amon Sul version to go with the upcoming Frodo and Witch-king statue in that setting.

Valkrist wrote: Thu Mar 14, 2019 10:38 am Aragorn at Amon Hen has been revealed. N2, are you in Seattle drooling over it?

No, I'm kinda done with conventions. I don't do autographs or most of the other collectibles and it costs a bunch just to people watch and look around.

I agree with other have said, the likeness and details are wonderful and really like the translucent faces they have switched to, but the pose it too awkward to me. Right now the Sideshow Maquette is my favorite Aragorn (so that puts me at 4 statues of Aragon and I think that's plenty). If they are going to start redoing main characters, give me a good Frodo and Sam or Merry and Pippen that does the character justice and then I'll bite (maybe

Sigh......

My expectations where too high for this.

I don’t have another Aragorn anymore (except the strider in Bree mini) so I was going to get it. But I can’t get over the wrong weight on the foot. It is funny how some things bug you and it doesn’t bug others. But still for me...... each time I look at it I can’t unsee that awkwardness in the legs. you can’t lean over the foot you have all your weight on and still have your toes off the ground - unless as Kit says, you are about to face plant.

Couple that jolt with the Superman cape..... I’m very unhappy with it. Perhaps I’ll look for the Sideshow as Strider PF. I prefer that. Or as someone else said - wait to see what Prime 1 put out.

I’m glad you like it though Val. I still hope it sells well.

Yeah, well you guys are doing an excellent job of swaying my opinion the other way.

Usually I feel I'm the one being overly critical, and I've said numerous times that Weta is overdoing it with the gravity-defying super-hero poses. Despite all the complaints though, and I know I'm not the only critic, the swooning hordes of easily-pleased Weta fans still manage to sell these things out, convincing Weta that they can keep churning out more. I still like this statue but now I'm wondering if I like it enough as I try to unsee the 'stumble.'

N2, I agree... conventions are just a lot of standing around, lineups, and 90% stuff you're not interested in. Oh yes... and the $$$.

Well, I caved and bought Eomer on the Weta flash sale. I'm still not 100% sold on the pose, but I do like the sculpt and all the details they put into him and the price was too good to pass up. He's just a very tall piece and finding room may be an issue.

Congrats, N2, I don't think you will be disappointed when you see it in person, and besides, it's not like Aragorn or Gandalf where you can pick from half a dozen different statues for the one you like. This is the one and only Eomer, and it took a very long time for him to show up. The pose is problematic when it comes to space, but I think you will wish that's all the space you needed when something like Treebeard shows up.

On the other hand, these sales are now a constant source of irritation and Weta seems to heavily favour people that sit on the fence. I get the whole mentality that if you really want a piece, that you should buy it right away and not risk an early sell out, but the flip side of that is that anything over $300 USD should have a moratorium of at least a year or two before being knocked down nearly half price. It really feels like a kick in the teeth for all your loyalty. Also, yeah, you get a few more Weta dollars but it's not worth it in the end. After years and many thousands of dollars spent, it took only a few months of inactivity to have my Gold status knocked down to Silver. Again, so much for long term loyalty when a rewards program fails to look at your purchase history beyond one year when it should be scaled for fairness.

In other news, I finally had to create an account over at FoU because they decided to hide two of their sections, Art and The Trading Ground. I can take a good guess as to why that was done after all these years, but that's a discussion for another place.

I hear you on all accounts, slim pickings for Eomer statues so better jump on it now while I can. Some pieces you expect to sell out fairly fast and don't even at fairly low edition numbers is kinda strange. I would have figured both Isildur and Grond would have been gone by now, but were both in this sale. I'm assuming it's the high price point (main reason I never picked up Grond). Collecting is a crap shute anyways it just feels better if you can get a deal to.

For sure, and I will be the first to admit that I've done my fair share of benefitting from these sales once in a while, but I think it would be a respectful thing to do for your loyal customers to not so heavily discount an item so soon after its release. It really just comes across as bait-and-switch. If they have a problem with overstock, then I have a solution for them: lower your prices so people aren't so hesitant to jump on a $700 statue that really should only cost $400 to begin with. When the sale price is what the statue is actually worth in the minds and budgets of a large percentage of your customer base, then you've got a serious problem with your initial price points. Sadly, fools like myself keep sticking their foot over and over in the bear trap like dumb animals that just don't learn...

I caved too. After seeing it in someone’s collection recently I thought it was amazing. Much better than the online pics.

Yeah Val. I feel the same - even about Grond and that has been years. Still if that’s the game you risk missing out - like Treebeard and the new Ringwraith.

Idril wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:56 pmStill if that’s the game you risk missing out - like Treebeard and the new Ringwraith.

It's not a game I mind playing, not at all - just don't discount things by nearly 50% less than one year after release simply because they failed to meet your sale expectations. That's not our fault, and as I said, the initial price point is the problem. I feel like suddenly Weta is in the tech sector, where often early adopters are punished by fast turnaround cycles and constant upgrades. It shouldn't be that way with polystone statues and Weta really should revise its pricing/sales strategy,

Pulled the trigger on Bag End and The Green Dragon.
Neither is worth the original price but 2 fer $150 ($181 with shipping) is good.
Green Dragon I could pass on, but Bag End will look nice on my bookshelf next to all my Tolkien books.
GD will go up there too, but BE is the one that belongs there.

Deimos wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:14 pm Pulled the trigger on Bag End and The Green Dragon.
Neither is worth the original price but 2 fer $150 ($181 with shipping) is good.
Green Dragon I could pass on, but Bag End will look nice on my bookshelf next to all my Tolkien books.
GD will go up there too, but BE is the one that belongs there.

UGHHHH. I'm super on the fence about making the same purchase. I really, really shouldn't. But I really, really want to.

Deimos wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:14 pm Pulled the trigger on Bag End and The Green Dragon.
Neither is worth the original price but 2 fer $150 ($181 with shipping) is good.
Green Dragon I could pass on, but Bag End will look nice on my bookshelf next to all my Tolkien books.
GD will go up there too, but BE is the one that belongs there.

I made this purchase during the Black Friday sale. I don’t regret it, but I wouldn’t have purchased them separately.

Fell Beast bust is on for $249, down from $699. That's a serious burn for people that paid full price just barely a year ago. If this isn't proof that Weta is seriously out to lunch on their initial prices, I don't know what is.

Well I kind of look at these as clearance sales, trying to remove remaining stock. BudK has done this many times as well. I got a Narsil for $50 and a Morgul dagger for $35. It's more about how bad you want a piece or how long your willing to hold out. But your totally right, they need to re-evaluate their price point if there not getting enough sales for their items. $699 for riders and $399 for 1/6 figures is awfully high if you ask me.

Got my Eomer today and he is very cool. The reigns are a bit loose on one side and bent, so they have a hard time staying in. I think they'll loosen up over time and used some blue tac to keep it in. The little piece attached to the scabbard is really weird and hard to get in the right position.

Yep, nothing wrong with sales or clearing stock, it's the pricing that's out of whack.

Yep, the reins are tricky. Mine fell right into place without a problem once I figured out I had them upside down, which is not as intuitive as you think when the hand they're attached to can be twisted around to fit either way. As for the scabbard piece, 100% agree. I'm really not sure what they were going for there.

2 days left on the sale and I'm still unsure if I should get anything. The lure of the low prices is blown away by the super high shipping costs, especially when not all items are in stock in the right place. I know people are tired of hearing it, but Canada really gets screwed on the shipping from the US warehouse.

My credit card is being processed for Treebeard.

My card will soon be weeping, but I'm very excited about this piece. It's hard to believe it will be in hand soon. Waiting for the shipment to make it's way to the east coast will seem like an eternity.

I received an email from Weta about a week ago saying my Treebeard order would be processed sometime near the end of the month.
I have not seen yet any Weta charges (for Treebeard) on my CC, unless something hit last night.
And I'm OK with waiting.

Weta specified the 24th (for them), so if you don't see activity on your card today it might be best to contact them. Just to be safe.

I got the email last week also but no activity on the CC for me yet. The email specified the 24th, and also mentioned we would be given the $300 discount, as agreed. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for that as I was one of the ones that missed entering the code during the stampede that day.

My order is processing, but no charge yet. I did notice that they did adjust the price on my order page (minus the $300) so my new total is now correct without them having to send me a refund.

Good call on checking that, N2. MIne looks the same as yours then: processing, and the price is adjusted to $2099.

Treebeard charge hasn't hit yet, but the charge for Bag End enviro (Open ed) hit about a week ago.
That one is getting ready to leave the US warehouse (or so says the UPS tracking info page).
Green Dragon shipped right away; received it about 3 weeks ago.
I opened it up to make sure it wasn't damaged, closed it up and will give it to a friend's daughter who is nuts about all things Hobbit.

Deimos wrote: Tue Apr 23, 2019 3:10 pm I opened it up to make sure it wasn't damaged, closed it up and will give it to a friend's daughter who is nuts about all things Hobbit.

For someone who lives in such a hot-weather state, you sure are cold-blooded, Deimos.

I jest, of course... I just can't see myself parting with a LOTR collectible so emotionlessly.

Valkrist wrote: Tue Apr 23, 2019 8:16 pm For someone who lives in such a hot-weather state, you sure are cold-blooded, Deimos.
I jest, of course... I just can't see myself parting with a LOTR collectible so emotionlessly.

Easy enough to explain: it has been unseasonably cool in AZ right now... a really lovely spring.
We haven't yet hit 100F, and have had quite a lot of rain (for a desert).

In truth, I was never enamoured of the Green Dragon enviro. And even Bag End didn't cause me to hyperventilate the way the Treebeard statue does.
But BE is more representative of Bilbo and Frodo than the GD, so when it showed up for a two-fer, I thought it was worth getting.
And I really was going to display both enviros, but I just don't have the shelf space for both. So it was easy enough to part with the GD.
It will go to a good home, and be very much appreciated.

Addendum: Treebeard charge just hit the CC