Asmus Toys Lord of the Ring Gandalf Gray

[FlyAndFight]

Agreed. No way in hell this figure deserves the amount of vitriol it?s getting. The hand rooted hair itself would cost 350 dollars or more from a customizer. That custom GTW that was done for like 800 bucks doesn?t look as good as this and yet people think it?s the holy grail. I will agree that the hat is a fail but that Is all.

I don't see it as "Vitriol" but as criticism to real issues that the release has. As I said, the figure looks very good on display but he isn't wearing the hat, isn't standing on the Bag End base and in my case, I had trouble with his cloak (which I'm sure can be corrected with more time dedicated to it).

Here are some pics from regular viewing distance with indirect lighting. I think it looks good but I do wish the hat fit well and the base's posts actually fit so that I could at least display it...



With his friends...

 

[Hologram AI]

I think what makes this whole situation worse is that Asmus has been absolutely radio silent on all the issues since release.

I kind of doubt that we're gonna get any new hat from them. I wouldn't be surprised if they just ship everything out and hope it blows over.

 

[TurdFurgusonsHat]

Agreed. No way in hell this figure deserves the amount of vitriol it?s getting. The hand rooted hair itself would cost 350 dollars or more from a customizer. That custom GTW that was done for like 800 bucks doesn?t look as good as this and yet people think it?s the holy grail. I will agree that the hat is a fail but that Is all.

In addition to the hat, the base is also completely defective out of the box. The choice made with the eyes is certainly baffling. And there are other components that are less than optimal.

That isn't to say it's a disastrous release overall, it isn't. But some criticism is certainly warranted. I can live without the base, but the hat is something Asmus needs to address and make good on.

 

[hoodonit00]

It's fishy that BBTS is the one who gets the pipe in a baggy with the bad staff and the direct orders have the correct goods.

I ordered from Asmus and I got the pipe in the bag and faulty staff.

 

[TurdFurgusonsHat]

I ordered from Asmus and I got the pipe in the bag and faulty staff.

Good to know. This discrepancy is pretty bizarre and I can't understand how this could possibly be a good faith mistake. It feels alot more like an attempt to sneak through a problem/defective component and hoping that nobody notices.

 

[davejames]

I think what makes this whole situation worse is that Asmus has been absolutely radio silent on all the issues since release.

I kind of doubt that we're gonna get any new hat from them. I wouldn't be surprised if they just ship everything out and hope it blows over.

I'm sure it's because they're just not ready to make any promises or commitments to anybody yet. It would be a shame if they abandoned the forum completely because despite everything I get the sense there's still a lot of goodwill here towards the company in general. And the interaction with customers was really cool to see.

 

[SwedishHeat]

I'm sure it's because they're just not ready to make any promises or commitments to anybody yet. It would be a shame if they abandoned the forum completely because despite everything I get the sense there's still a lot of goodwill here towards the company in general. And the interaction with customers was really cool to see.

Therein lies the rub, you can't just drop in and show and headsculpt renderings and then 'peace out' when people start having problems with their figures.

If you're going to be a company rep, you have to take the good with the bad.

 

[RandomHero]

Agreed. No way in hell this figure deserves the amount of vitriol it?s getting. The hand rooted hair itself would cost 350 dollars or more from a customizer. That custom GTW that was done for like 800 bucks doesn?t look as good as this and yet people think it?s the holy grail. I will agree that the hat is a fail but that Is all.

It's not vitriol, it's legitimate criticism.

1. We paid $350 for a full figure, not $350 for hair. If the hair alone was $350, they should have charged more to ensure the other pieces were made correctly.
2. The hat is a complete fail.
3. The base is a complete fail.
4. Some staffs require work to look right, some staffs don't. How? Why?

If we were just talking about the eyes looking weird or the book not opening despite it supposed to be able to open, sure, this would be misplaced criticism. But these are major issues, most of which were avoidable if Asmus put the time into quality control.

 

[davejames]

It really does feel like they put so much attention on the rooted hair that everything else kinda got neglected in one way or the other. Or maybe they tried to rush it out before it was really ready.

 

[Joe The Collector]

Therein lies the rub, you can't just drop in and show and headsculpt renderings and then 'peace out' when people start having problems with their figures.

If you're going to be a company rep, you have to take the good with the bad.

Here here!

As others have said, it all just seems very rushed.

 

[chrisstbh]

Agreed. No way in hell this figure deserves the amount of vitriol it?s getting. The hand rooted hair itself would cost 350 dollars or more from a customizer. That custom GTW that was done for like 800 bucks doesn?t look as good as this and yet people think it?s the holy grail. I will agree that the hat is a fail but that Is all.

Its not ?vitriol? at all, its all perfectly valid criticism. No need for blind fanboyism just because you like it. You can like the figure and still recognise its faults, as the hat is far from the only problem. Just like I can dislike the figure and still recognise what they did right.

 

[Rzeznikk]

It's not vitriol, it's legitimate criticism.

1. We paid $350 for a full figure, not $350 for hair. If the hair alone was $350, they should have charged more to ensure the other pieces were made correctly.
2. The hat is a complete fail.
3. The base is a complete fail.
4. Some staffs require work to look right, some staffs don't. How? Why?

If we were just talking about the eyes looking weird or the book not opening despite it supposed to be able to open, sure, this would be misplaced criticism. But these are major issues, most of which were avoidable if Asmus put the time into quality control.

I dont think the base is a complete fail at all. Posts and mail box firmly installed. I love it and is perfect for what I intended to use it for. [emoji3]

In my opinion it should have been included with Bilbo to begin with. Crown Gandalf should have some with a Moria base.

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[Bucky Underbelly]

I dont think the base is a complete fail at all. Posts and mail box firmly installed. I love it and is perfect for what I intended to use it for. [emoji3]

In my opinion it should have been included with Bilbo to begin with. Crown Gandalf should have some with a Moria base. View attachment 510351

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Agree wholeheartedly with this. In fact, that's exactly how I've got mine set up right now. Right down to the pose and the staff! It's kind of spooky! (Though yours is much classier with the log and backdrop. #HatTip)

 

[pixletwin]

That was also my planned use of the display base.

 

[Sassafras]

In addition to the hat, the base is also completely defective out of the box. The choice made with the eyes is certainly baffling. And there are other components that are less than optimal.

That isn't to say it's a disastrous release overall, it isn't. But some criticism is certainly warranted. I can live without the base, but the hat is something Asmus needs to address and make good on.

What's the problem with the base again? The holes are too small for the posts? For me *shrug* I've got some needle files or whatever to take care of that.
A drill. Heated nail....

Gonna use the base with one of my Bilbos anyway. I can use a Phicen base with Gandalf. Or just a rock from the garden.

Come thing of it, u could probably take some roots, twist around some fiberoptics, and make a lighted staff...

 

[Rzeznikk]

Agree wholeheartedly with this. In fact, that's exactly how I've got mine set up right now. Right down to the pose and the staff! It's kind of spooky! (Though yours is much classier with the log and backdrop. #HatTip)

Great minds think alike!

That was also my planned use of the display base. [emoji38]

[emoji817][emoji817]

What's the problem with the base again? The holes are too small for the posts? For me *shrug* I've got some needle files or whatever to take care of that.
A drill. Heated nail....

Gonna use the base with one of my Bilbos anyway. I can use a Phicen base with Gandalf. Or just a rock from the garden.

Come thing of it, u could probably take some roots, twist around some fiberoptics, and make a lighted staff...

No see, for $350, Asmus is supposed to deliver perfection.

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[Bilbo Skywalker]

I ordered from Asmus and I got the pipe in the bag and faulty staff.

Same.


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[chrisstbh]

Great minds think alike!
[emoji817][emoji817]
No see, for $350, Asmus is supposed to deliver perfection.

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Perfection? No. A basic level of quality control though? Yes.

Yet again, collectors shouldn't have to modify their figures in order for them to function as intended. Especially for $350.

 

[CrankbaitJon]

Perfection? No. A basic level of quality control though? Yes.

Yet again, collectors shouldn't have to modify their figures in order for them to function as intended. Especially for $350.

Exactly, when the product is marketed as a premium item and a higher price was charged, customers expect a higher standard.

 

[SwedishHeat]

Every complaint you've read about this figure is true.

I've spent about 15 minutes going over mine ... this figure is a mess. Not worth $350. It's $350 worth of work, but $150 worth of figure.

Mine came from BBTS, the pipe was in a baggie inside the shipping box. It's apparent that Asmus sent these pipes to BBTS separately. BBTS bagged them, labeled them, and included them in the shipping box to customers.

My staff is also missing a hole, the pipe doesn't fit.

The base parts don't fit together. It is simply unusable.

The hair is a mess out of the box. They should've included some sort of brush. Hot Toys included a comb with Chewbacca, that is the bare minimum effort. Plus there's excess glue on the scalp, that shines in the light. So anyone who was saying "Well, I just won't use the hat" you get to deal with that too.

The eyes are just how photos have shown. It's not 'better in hand'. If you look at them straight on, they reflect too much light. Nobody liked PERS when Hot Toys did it, the decision to use it here is inexplicable.

The hat is just bad, the magnet on mine is glued on incorrectly, so it literally falls in front of his face. It's not even the issue that it sits too high, mine doesn't even sit on top of his head. I try to put it on properly, and the hat literally spins to the side and falls in front of his face, because the magnet is installed wrong ... how does this happen on a $350 figure?!?!

The sword is cool, the outfit and weathering is cool. I dig the fabric boots.

A $350 figure should be great out of the box, not require a Dremel, or additional tools to make the figure look like the promo shots. Hence, this is not a $350 figure, nor is it even a $350 head. If I had paid a customizer to hair a head, they certainly would've packed it better, and preserved the hair work, and ensured the customer didn't receive it 'frizzy'. Hot Toys at least includes a plastic band around the hair to keep it in place, Asmus didn't even do that here.

I was thinking about flipping this figure, but it's going to be way easier to just return it to BBTS. I was hopeful to start a LOTR collection with this figure, but it's clear Asmus just isn't up to scratch.