Asmus - 1/6 Gollum/Smeagol

[Asmus]

So, I got my Gollum today. The bent legs are not holding pegs inside, I will try heating them later. Colorwise mine looks good. But, I just can't keep his eyes straight. Every time I put the head on the body one eye goes down. As far as I can see eye sticks are too long. So, does it mean that the only solution is to cut them shorter?
I remember seeing some of you take out some white part out of his head, but too afraid to break something. But it actually may be safer than cutting.

It looks decent in hands, but having so much pain right out of the box is a bit discouraging. Usually, the figure does not need so many mods just to work properly out of the box (did not have that experience with previous Asmus figures).

Got the bonus LotR cap for him, but it would better be Gandalf's hat. Well, everything went wrong with these additional hats and figures.

oh I am sorry for your unpleasant experience,
if there is anything I can do for you,
please let me know.

 

[Raleig.h]

are we gonna talk about the blue skin

 

[Rzeznikk]

are we gonna talk about the blue skin

*crickets*

 

[Rzeznikk]

oh I am sorry for your unpleasant experience,
if there is anything I can do for you,
please let me know.

Yeah we want our Gandalf hats that we're promised for "everyone who purchased the Crown Gandalf will get a hat".

Also, yes, let's discuss the blue skin color change on the figures!

 

[ObiGlennKenobi]

Yeah we want our Gandalf hats that we're promised for "everyone who purchased the Crown Gandalf will get a hat".

Also, yes, let's discuss the blue skin color change on the figures!

The blue skin colour change is synonymous with a certain Dreadnok character and his siblings.

 

[WolfBoy]

are we gonna talk about the blue skin

Please let him know.

 

[denrep-lilium]

oh I am sorry for your unpleasant experience,
if there is anything I can do for you,
please let me know.

Thank you for the comment.
I'm not sure what can be done.

I would recommend having a reality check after having a small portion of produced figures. Like the head and eyes were improved on this figure (you shared and listened). They look good.
But eye-sticks should be a few millimeters shorter so the neck would not touch them. And there would be no problem with them getting misaligned every time you put the head on the body.
The same goes for the plastic legs. If you check them and see that they can hardly fit, you have time to change the mold just slightly. Most probable is that different legs were produced separately, even in two different locations, and there was no check until it was finished.

I urge you to test new heads (that are in development) on this body, so we will not have the same problem with long sticks and eye misalignment.

My personal request is to get my Frodo head with blue eyes (I have the original and the extension pack, but both are not exactly there). I've contacted the support but was told "We will let you know". Because I am in Ukraine all my orders are on hold. Probably Taiwan has different shipping conditions than Hongkong, as I am getting stuff from there for a few months already. But Frodo's head is not there waiting to be shipped... it just never got there. I've been told to use the forwarding company, and I will consider this (so it travels to the USA and from there to here). But again, there is no Frodo head to forward.

 

[matrix69]

Gollum/ Smeagal arrived. He is kind of smelly. Yup those legs are tight but nothing a hairdryer couldn't fix. So far so good with him.

Mine was smelly too! Maybe whatever chemicals they used in the rubber plastic hadn't cured properly, hence the discolouration?

 

[matrix69]

oh I am sorry for your unpleasant experience,
if there is anything I can do for you,
please let me know.

Any news on a body replacement yet?

 

[matmurdock]

Mine was smelly too! Maybe whatever chemicals they used in the rubber plastic hadn't cured properly, hence the discolouration?

It could be possible. I am not up on how plastic could change color.

 

[monkeyjedi]

Received my "deluxe" 2-pack direct from Asmus back in March and they've been in storage ever since.

Got them out today to check if they are also mutating.

Never even got to display them.

Totally unnacceptable

 

[mitraheroe]

This is again a debacle... I really want to support Asmus, but after their new shipping policy, Arwen Deluxe mokery, let alone Ash, I am more and more inclined to disregard their products. The market is increasingly populated with better quality products at better prices. But Asmus don´t want to take note...
Anyway: I will cancel my pre-order of Gollum from my local retailer. A shame.

 

[BagginsOfBagEnd]

That's terrible! Still not got mine yet from my retailer, debating whether to just cancel now. No way should that happen to a figure in such a short timespan.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Not the best time for something like this -- the discoloration of skin -- when you have InArt breathing down your back on the license.

I cannot remember the last Asmus LOTR figure I bought -- maybe Twilight King -- and I was actually considering the next iteration of Gollum with those new head sculpts, but this has put me completely off as far as trust goes.

It's been 10 years now since they started out, and sadly the only figures I would consider at this point from Asmus are the long-shot characters like Lurtz or a Berserker or maybe Denethor and Wormtongue.

 

[RandomHero]

This is again a debacle... I really want to support Asmus, but after their new shipping policy, Arwen Deluxe mokery, let alone Ash, I am more and more inclined to disregard their products. The market is increasingly populated with better quality products at better prices. But Asmus don´t want to take note...
Anyway: I will cancel my pre-order of Gollum from my local retailer. A shame.

What's wrong with the Arwen deluxe? Are we just talking about the art box thing? I actually have the figure and find it quite nice.

The constant mishaps from Asmus are concerning and I'm really worried something with go awry with Gil-Galad. I'm really looking forward to that one as I doubt anyone else will ever make it. After this Gollum debacle, the Boromir disappointment, the Gandalf the Grey shortcomings, I'm certainly worried.

It's just weird because their Gandalf the White and old Bilbo are exceptional figures. This inconsistency is just unreal.

Still, I don't think that Arwen was a bad figure at all.

 

[Nagoya]

The constant mishaps from Asmus are concerning and I'm really worried something with go awry with Gil-Galad. I'm really looking forward to that one as I doubt anyone else will ever make it. After this Gollum debacle, the Boromir disappointment, the Gandalf the Grey shortcomings, I'm certainly worried.

The cheap fabric chain mail is already a major turn off, if I'm being honest

 

[mitraheroe]

What's wrong with the Arwen deluxe? Are we just talking about the art box thing? I actually have the figure and find it quite nice.

The constant mishaps from Asmus are concerning and I'm really worried something with go awry with Gil-Galad. I'm really looking forward to that one as I doubt anyone else will ever make it. After this Gollum debacle, the Boromir disappointment, the Gandalf the Grey shortcomings, I'm certainly worried.

It's just weird because their Gandalf the White and old Bilbo are exceptional figures. This inconsistency is just unreal.

Still, I don't think that Arwen was a bad figure at all.

I agree that Arwen is a beautiful figure, better than the first version by far. But I, like many others, pre-ordered the Deluxe, and it was a clear step down from the regular version (no art box at all). I had to cancel it and order the regular version somewhere else. A turn of the tide for me.

 

[RandomHero]

Not the best time for something like this -- the discoloration of skin -- when you have InArt breathing down your back on the license.

I cannot remember the last Asmus LOTR figure I bought -- maybe Twilight King -- and I was actually considering the next iteration of Gollum with those new head sculpts, but this has put me completely off as far as trust goes.

It's been 10 years now since they started out, and sadly the only figures I would consider at this point from Asmus are the long-shot characters like Lurtz or a Berserker or maybe Denethor and Wormtongue.

This is exactly where I am. What worries me is that there's still plenty of room for Asmus to succeed. I don't see InArt making characters like Galadriel, Elrond, Faramir, Éomer, Eowyn, etc. All characters I *want* in InArt quality, but not characters I ever see InArt even considering, much less making. Hell, I genuinely don't even think InArt will make a Gollum figure. After Legolas, I'd bank on Boromir, and Frodo and Sam as sure things, and that'll probably be the end of it for a while.

That's where Asmus could come in. Their Gimli is very good. Not InArt, but it's excellent top to bottom. Gandalf the White, same thing. Ian Holm Bilbo Baggins - add to that list. Their Elrond isn't in that elite tier those three are, but it's close. Theoden looks top notch with his helmet on. Thranduil looks to be very promising.

Asmus has the potential to be great. And while I'm sympathetic to the fact that covid and local issues have plagued them, it's no excuse for them to be cutting corners the way they are lately.

Their Gil-Galad MUST be perfect. Their Thranduil MUST be perfect. They have to show their committed to rectifying these problems and not making any more mistakes. Hot Toys and InArt are upping the game. They're going to get left very far behind if they don't adapt, immediately.

 

[RandomHero]

The cheap fabric chain mail is already a major turn off, if I'm being honest

I agree. I'm glad it was pointed out to them in the thread. It's not too late for them to fix it as we're still in the prototype stage. They would earn a lot of much needed goodwill to listen to the feedback and change that before going into production.

 

[Wor-Gar]

My turn of the tide was long ago, 2018, with that Frodo v2 pale head with dead brown eyes -- while they kept the cheery sun-kissed head with big blue eyes as the sales photos on their website. And they told me that the 'dead' head was the new "improved" paintjob.

They did finally send me a replacement head 4 years later in 2022. The skin color was improved but the blue eyes remained with that strange brown star in the center that darkens the whole look.