Asmus Toys: Boromir

[Nagoya]

Between these weirdly inconsistent reissues with minimal improvements, continued false advertisements and QA concerns, and—I hate to say it—another company’s massive Aragorn reveal, I really can’t see myself buying another Asmus LotR figure. The one time Asmus seems to have struck gold recently is with their Crown Series GtW, but with hilariously low stock numbers and all the shenanigans with how they’re selling the head sculpt, any hope that the initial GtW figure was going to be a new norm and not an exception is dead to me.
Asmus has had so many opportunities to make MINOR fixes to their products before shipment.. but as communicative and engaging as they seem to be, they continuously decide to not take the more prevalent feedback and are furthermore seeming to pull the blinds over more of the prototyping/production with these limited purchasing windows which seem to serve FOMO more than anything else.
While less wait time between a reveal and shipment is more fun on paper, I believe Asmus has deliberately started to deceive or otherwise neglect a significant portion of their (already extremely specific) consumer base, and for me, that has made it impossible to trust them to deliver outstanding products. I’ll happily enjoy my old man Bilbo and DMC V figs, but… this ain’t it, chief.

 

[Sassafras]

Not me. Tho I've said it before, ASMUS delivers on price, details, and good to great sculpts. No doubt there are foul ups like Faramir's vambraces, the Frodo eye thing, and if GTG is at the wrong angle it looks zombie like in spite of a great sculpt.

If it's worth it to people they can wait, and pay for, a new Gimli, say. I own 2 of the ASMUS and don't think I would ever purchase another. It's a great sculpt, diecast weapons, and if I need real chain mail that badly I will bite the bullet, settle down with some jewelry tools and 2mm chain, and make chain mail. It's not worth it to me to purchase another GTG - I own 2 ASMUS as well as WETA versions.

Fortunately ASMUS is willing to do other characters besides the Aragorn/Legolas/Gandalf lineup with the occasional Nazgul or Sauron thrown in. In the meantime eventually will see what InArt delivers. Production is so far away.

 

[asgardianboy]

Not me. Tho I've said it before, ASMUS delivers on price, details, and good to great sculpts. No doubt there are foul ups like Faramir's vambraces, the Frodo eye thing, and if GTG is at the wrong angle it looks zombie like in spite of a great sculpt.

If it's worth it to people they can wait, and pay for, a new Gimli, say. I own 2 of the ASMUS and don't think I would ever purchase another. It's a great sculpt, diecast weapons, and if I need real chain mail that badly I will bite the bullet, settle down with some jewelry tools and 2mm chain, and make chain mail. It's not worth it to me to purchase another GTG - I own 2 ASMUS as well as WETA versions.

Fortunately ASMUS is willing to do other characters besides the Aragorn/Legolas/Gandalf lineup with the occasional Nazgul or Sauron thrown in. In the meantime eventually will see what InArt delivers. Production is so far away.

Afraid of asking, but what happened to Faramir's vambraces and Frodo's eye...?
Thx

 

[scumonkey]

Frodo's eye colour was wrong, and we got 2 vambraces for the same arm.

 

[Bilbo Skywalker]

There are different versions of Frodo. I have the Slim V1 and it’s spot on. Eyes are blue, rosy cheeks etc.

Then v2 slim came out and that was super pale and had the wrong eye color, green. Kinda looked like Frodo after he got stabbed on weather top.

After the complaints, they released a v3 which had better eyes then v2 but still lacking in paint to v1.

So some collectors got a crappier version than others. But if you managed to get the first ever slim Frodo batch, then you’re good. I’m happy with mine, it’s one of their best out of the fellowship.

 

[FlyAndFight]

I was fortunate to pick up a V1 Slim Frodo. It looks fantastic. The follow-up versions, expecially V2, were badly painted.

 

[Sktchwlkr]

Between these weirdly inconsistent reissues with minimal improvements, continued false advertisements and QA concerns, and—I hate to say it—another company’s massive Aragorn reveal, I really can’t see myself buying another Asmus LotR figure. The one time Asmus seems to have struck gold recently is with their Crown Series GtW, but with hilariously low stock numbers and all the shenanigans with how they’re selling the head sculpt, any hope that the initial GtW figure was going to be a new norm and not an exception is dead to me.
Asmus has had so many opportunities to make MINOR fixes to their products before shipment.. but as communicative and engaging as they seem to be, they continuously decide to not take the more prevalent feedback and are furthermore seeming to pull the blinds over more of the prototyping/production with these limited purchasing windows which seem to serve FOMO more than anything else.
While less wait time between a reveal and shipment is more fun on paper, I believe Asmus has deliberately started to deceive or otherwise neglect a significant portion of their (already extremely specific) consumer base, and for me, that has made it impossible to trust them to deliver outstanding products. I’ll happily enjoy my old man Bilbo and DMC V figs, but… this ain’t it, chief.

Hearing all this makes me glad I never jumped on the Asmus train. Just because a company has open dialog with its customers doesn't mean it's good customer service. The quality and consistency of the product ultimately matters more. I've read plenty of legit suggestions from everyone on this site in context to different figures with almost none actually being implemented. Not to mention, masking error corrections as versions is pretty shady.

 

[denrep-lilium]

There are different versions of Frodo. I have the Slim V1 and it’s spot on. Eyes are blue, rosy cheeks etc.

Then v2 slim came out and that was super pale and had the wrong eye color, green. Kinda looked like Frodo after he got stabbed on weather top.

After the complaints, they released a v3 which had better eyes then v2 but still lacking in paint to v1.

So some collectors got a crappier version than others. But if you managed to get the first ever slim Frodo batch, then you’re good. I’m happy with mine, it’s one of their best out of the fellowship.

I think the last Boromir looks better sculpt-wise, but because of the low volume of sculpted hair and no rooted option, it looks cheaper. The main letdown is downgrading the outfit.

I am "lucky" as I got the original two-pack with terrible sculpts and ordered two sculpture packs to upgrade and got the green-eyed pale Frodo. Still no response on when I can get the proper head. It may happen that by the time I get it, there will be a superior Frodo available. Though I'm glad they made GtW sculpt available for those like me having their first release.
I was supporting Asmus almost from day one, and appreciated their upgrade policy, but now I feel the mess is growing and communication brings too much anxiety. They did not deliver my Galadriel order in 2021, and when the war started they said they can't keep my Galadriel, so either it has to be shipped to another country or it will be available (they meant my order that I fully paid already) while they have the stock. I do not think there are many direct orders from Ukraine, and there are force major events I can't control as a customer. I think they can keep one box at their office till the shipping option is available (not to mention that almost all shipping companies are currently operating in Kyiv, but they probably have no time to actually check that). So, I agree, being positive and protective is getting harder. I always gave them a credit of trust and hope for better performance, yet getting tired of the chaotic reactions.

 

[asgardianboy]

Frodo's eye colour was wrong, and we got 2 vambraces for the same arm.

Oh dear.... Vambraces were not symmetric?? Coul this be fixed using Boromir's?

There are different versions of Frodo. I have the Slim V1 and it’s spot on. Eyes are blue, rosy cheeks etc.

Then v2 slim came out and that was super pale and had the wrong eye color, green. Kinda looked like Frodo after he got stabbed on weather top.

After the complaints, they released a v3 which had better eyes then v2 but still lacking in paint to v1.

So some collectors got a crappier version than others. But if you managed to get the first ever slim Frodo batch, then you’re good. I’m happy with mine, it’s one of their best out of the fellowship.

Thx buddy.

I was fortunate to pick up a V1 Slim Frodo. It looks fantastic. The follow-up versions, expecially V2, were badly painted.

Lucky you.

Thx to you all for the info.

 

[asgardianboy]

I think the last Boromir looks better sculpt-wise, but because of the low volume of sculpted hair and no rooted option, it looks cheaper. The main letdown is downgrading the outfit.

I am "lucky" as I got the original two-pack with terrible sculpts and ordered two sculpture packs to upgrade and got the green-eyed pale Frodo. Still no response on when I can get the proper head. It may happen that by the time I get it, there will be a superior Frodo available. Though I'm glad they made GtW sculpt available for those like me having their first release.
I was supporting Asmus almost from day one, and appreciated their upgrade policy, but now I feel the mess is growing and communication brings too much anxiety. They did not deliver my Galadriel order in 2021, and when the war started they said they can't keep my Galadriel, so either it has to be shipped to another country or it will be available (they meant my order that I fully paid already) while they have the stock. I do not think there are many direct orders from Ukraine, and there are force major events I can't control as a customer. I think they can keep one box at their office till the shipping option is available (not to mention that almost all shipping companies are currently operating in Kyiv, but they probably have no time to actually check that). So, I agree, being positive and protective is getting harder. I always gave them a credit of trust and hope for better performance, yet getting tired of the chaotic reactions.

Sorry to hear that, buddy.
Hope you are safe down there, and really appreciate your keeping time, budget & passion for the hobby in spite of war in your country.

 

[StefiCZ]

Yeah.. this is it for me. I'm not buying anything Lotr wise from Asmus ever again and will just wait what inart brings us. Only thing I would bite on from them is 1/6 Yakuza line, not that weird mini scale.

 

[denrep-lilium]

Sorry to hear that, buddy.
Hope you are safe down there, and really appreciate your keeping time, budget & passion for the hobby in spite of war in your country.

Thank you. It was harsh in March-April 2022 and we got some missiles at our property. But now it is almost normal if you can say normal in this situation. And yes we get some missiles and drones occasionally and have limited electricity hours every day, but you can adjust to almost everything if it lasts long enough.

Collecting helps to feel ordinary life. Not sure if it is really wise to spend money this way currently, but got Inart Aragorn for preorder.

 

[nosha4701]

Used to root for them back when they first announced the V1 Aragorn. Although it’s not perfect but back then it was my favorite 1/6 Aragorn. To date I have all their fellowship and some from Hobbit lines. Yes, they are a few hit or miss but they have becoming shady as of late with their claim but never live up to expectation. Their downfall came with the Ash Willams fiasco and their recent Balrog “action statue” was far off from the prototype and now this. They came up high on glory with the GtW release. But once they hit on low, no rep will attend to the issue. They’ve been saying for ages that the smeagol/gollum soon and ready to ship but no one ever have pictures in hand to confirm. The meme below best describe our concern for this company.

 

[denrep-lilium]

Used to root for them back when they first announced the V1 Aragorn. Although it’s not perfect but back then it was my favorite 1/6 Aragorn. To date I have all their fellowship and some from Hobbit lines. Yes, they are a few hit or miss but they have becoming shady as of late with their claim but never live up to expectation. Their downfall came with the Ash Willams fiasco and their recent Balrog “action statue” was far off from the prototype and now this. They came up high on glory with the GtW release. But once they hit on low, no rep will attend to the issue. They’ve been saying for ages that the smeagol/gollum soon and ready to ship but no one ever have pictures in hand to confirm. The meme below best describe our concern for this company.

View attachment 619963

I have an impression that many companies have trouble controlling the quality of their product at Chinese factories. Sideshow had that problem, Kaustic Plastik, and obviously Asmus. As I see different levels of quality and some quite stupid mistakes that take away from the overall good product. Inart wins currently because they are even better than HT in providing the final product as close as the prototype. But I suppose their price is also about making sure no inferior product is sent to their customers.

 

[Nagoya]

Not to detract from the thread but I would literally throw money at Asmus if they made a 1/6 Yakuza/Like A Dragon line. Until then, I think I am about done purchasing their products.

 

[Sassafras]

I have an impression that many companies have trouble controlling the quality of their product at Chinese factories. Sideshow had that problem, Kaustic Plastik, and obviously Asmus. As I see different levels of quality and some quite stupid mistakes that take away from the overall good product. Inart wins currently because they are even better than HT in providing the final product as close as the prototype. But I suppose their price is also about making sure no inferior product is sent to their customers.

*Shrug* for me ASMUS delivers, especially as I like details and accessories. I defy anyone to put out a Thorin at that price point with a clever use of materials, and an Orcrist that was diecast AND has tiny script and even hints of a blue wash, plus the sword Deathless and a pipe and the key. Young Bilbo with the map, backpack, all the costume to scale. Elrond is a just a gorgeous fig, great sculpt. And so on. There wasn't any skimping in either of my GTG - the cloaks are voluminous (unlike HT at times, doesn't use enough material so you get highwater pants).

Sure, I could commission the ultimate character. If I had a few thousand to burn . Even InArt's Aragorn which looks nice, and I have on order - for me a small diorama stand would have been good. Anyway, will see this is my first InArt figure, which makes me wary. Not even gonna worry until shipping is imminent these days though. Everything seems so chaotic including the shipping industry.

 

[FlyAndFight]

Asmus has provided us with an incredible array of LOTR and The Hobbit figures that we would never have gotten, otherwise. There have been some definite bumps in the road with some being quite frustrating but there have also been some incredible releases, as well. I truly hope that they learn from their mistakes and grow, in the process.

 

[Galacticat]

I will still buy any Asmus LOTR figure that has rooted hair- Gandalf's hat may have been a little wack, but it is still a truly epic figure, really really great.

 

[asgardianboy]

Thank you. It was harsh in March-April 2022 and we got some missiles at our property. But now it is almost normal if you can say normal in this situation. And yes we get some missiles and drones occasionally and have limited electricity hours every day, but you can adjust to almost everything if it lasts long enough.

Collecting helps to feel ordinary life. Not sure if it is really wise to spend money this way currently, but got Inart Aragorn for preorder.

Glad to hear that. Aragorn is a wonder. Hope by the time you get it, war will be over.
Good luck, bud.

 

[Lizard Lips]

I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater on Asmus so to speak. Yes their Boromir 2.0 is very disappointing but the solution for me is simple, I'm not buying it. Their GTW 2.0 on the other hand looks fantastic and I have him PO'd and definitely not cancelling now that I've seen a lot of positive reviews.

For the original 9 Fellowship I'm mostly willing to wait to see what InArt does but for other characters I want, if Asmus releases a good representation, then I'll probably buy theirs since it will almost always be cheaper.