InArt: The Lord of the Rings - Gandalf 1:6

[Lizard Lips]

Not sure I could convince myself to buy a 1/6 at 1,000$. One thousand dollars. $1,000. I know statues are regularly more than that, but. For some of course, money is no object; but I already feel priced out of a lot of stuff - it's too much of a strain on the budget, and after a while u wonder what you are putting yourself under that kind of stress for. Suppose if you want the ULTIMATE Gandalf but not sure I care that much, especially if a 1/6 spends most of its time in a display case, viewed from feet away.

Exactly, if it's putting your budget under pressure and you're compromising on other things that might give you more enjoyment then it's probably not a great idea to fork out that kind of money.

Sometimes I need to remind myself that a PS5 which will bring countless hours of entertainment is retailing for $500 (albeit you have to pay more to get extra accessories, games and content of course).

So $1000 for one small figure which sits on your shelf along with dozens of others doesn't feel like good value for money. However, if you've got plenty of spare cash kicking about then it's no issue I suppose.

For me personally I'm prepared to go to $500 if the figure is important enough to me (Gandalf, Legolas and Aragorn qualify) and I'm confident that it'll have enough longevity i.e. it won't be displaced by a much better looking version within the next few years. The worst feeling would be to burn $500 on this Gandalf and then in a couple of years a significantly more accurate/better version is released for a similar price or cheaper. It could happen regardless but if InArt absolutely nail these then I'd feel the risk is low.

For $1000 you'd have to convince me I'll be able to keep a miniature Ian McKellen in my display to the day I die with no need to upgrade anything ever lol

 

[George13]

Oh yeah, I'm definitely gettin rid of that. It's my last asmus piece left, and I thought I'm gonna keep it, but nope, not anymore!

I will try to sell some of my Asmus collection

 

[Hologram AI]

I feel....kinda bad for Asmus. Outside of “the evil dead” ash debacle and maybe one other PR disaster I can’t think of at the moment...Asmus has pretty much been a “Bro” to collectors like myself. Offering previous owners a chance at “DLC” or “upgrades” for their existing figure, It’s great! And their communication with fans has been pretty good too...well, for the most part.

Say what you will about Asmus’ figures...but you gotta hand it to them for completing the fellowship AND MORE! The likenesses for their LOTR figures is debatable...but I think they released some pretty damn impressive products. For a small company, they did an admirable job.

Now I’m aware of the divisiveness with their Gandalf figure. Proto images of it looks fantastic. Final product...well, for the most part it DOES look good, but specific conditions have to be met for it to shine (Conditions like lighting, angle, pose and so forth). My personal gripe with the figure was the asymmetry of the eyes. As I’d pointed out in my YT review of Gandalf, his right eye doesn’t have the obtuse triangular shape that’s seen in the proto pics. I guess the molding process messed up the master copy and that mistake slipped through QC checks.

Other than that, I thought it was a great figure that requires effort from the owner to make it look good.

That being said...if IAs final product Gandalf looks better than Asmus’ version, I’d be down to getting that version as well. Would I sell off my crown series Gandalf? Nah. I’m keeping it. I appreciate Asmus toys and their passion for their LOTR line. Their willingness to communicate with fans is also appreciated. So to hear such negativity for a small company doing their best with their limited budget and resources is...well, heartbreaking. Some of you collectors need to remember, Asmus participates on these boards. Let’s chill out with the overly negative comments.

IA doing LOTR figures definitely doesn’t bode well for Asmus and I hope they’ll take this chance to REALLY show their true potential.

I don't really feel bad for them per say. I appreciate what Asmus has done but the disappointment I get whenever I see their production photos is quite sad to see over and over again. Their prototype Gandalf looked amazing. Honestly that prototype Gandalf they showed still looks amazing till this day. But man the production figure just took such a big hit that it's hard to look past and I still own the damn figure. How many years and figures do they need to go through before they look into improving their production side of things?

Laughably bad hat, sculpt was completely ruined by them not being to pull off PERS, hair was changed to white when he's Gandalf the GREY and the base looks like they plucked it out of a fish store. Legolas had his sculpt completely changed from the prototype with no word of it and his hair color was changed to Caryola Yellow. They even REMOVED a bow gripping hand without telling us and they only confessed when collectors on this forum pointed it out. I won't even go into the whole Ash situation. They've promised upgrades and sculpts for replacement and sale that have never happened. People are still waiting for them to do various things that they said they would months and years ago. I do appreciate their communication and effort but I just wish they would try to pick up on the areas that they fall behind on. It gets pointed out to them figure after figure and yet nothing changes.

Crown Gandalf is still a great figure for the price but imagine if it looked closer to the prototype that was promised. It would have been such a stand out figure and would have been THE Gandalf figure to get.

Asmus isn't even going anywhere. Like Wor said, INART is probably going to do Gandalf, Legolas, Aragorn, Nazgul and then leave. Maybe they'll do a Gandalf the White but they won't go super deep into the line since they have other licenses to cover. Asmus will continue doing what they do since LOTR is 99% of what makes up their catalog.

 

[Lizard Lips]

They've promised upgrades and sculpts for replacement and sale that have never happened. People are still waiting for them to do various things that they said they would months and years ago. I do appreciate their communication and effort but I just wish they would try to pick up on the areas that they fall behind on. It gets pointed out to them figure after figure and yet nothing changes.

Yup kudos to them for engaging with their fans more than virtually any other 1/6 scale company but their frequent inability or unwillingness to deliver on what they represent or promise has been disappointing.

I doubt this will change and I hope InArt delivers where Asmus falls short. But I still love my Asmus Gimli, Thorin and Elrond and they won't be going anywhere I expect.

 

[BrooklynWolf X]

I don't really feel bad for them per say. I appreciate what Asmus has done but the disappointment I get whenever I see their production photos is quite sad to see over and over again. Their prototype Gandalf looked amazing. Honestly that prototype Gandalf they showed still looks amazing till this day. But man the production figure just took such a big hit that it's hard to look past and I still own the damn figure. How many years and figures do they need to go through before they look into improving their production side of things?

Laughably bad hat, sculpt was completely ruined by them not being to pull off PERS, hair was changed to white when he's Gandalf the GREY and the base looks like they plucked it out of a fish store. Legolas had his sculpt completely changed from the prototype with no word of it and his hair color was changed to Caryola Yellow. They even REMOVED a bow gripping hand without telling us and they only confessed when collectors on this forum pointed it out. I won't even go into the whole Ash situation. They've promised upgrades and sculpts for replacement and sale that have never happened. People are still waiting for them to do various things that they said they would months and years ago. I do appreciate their communication and effort but I just wish they would try to pick up on the areas that they fall behind on. It gets pointed out to them figure after figure and yet nothing changes.

Crown Gandalf is still a great figure for the price but imagine if it looked closer to the prototype that was promised. It would have been such a stand out figure and would have been THE Gandalf figure to get.

Asmus isn't even going anywhere. Like Wor said, INART is probably going to do Gandalf, Legolas, Aragorn, Nazgul and then leave. Maybe they'll do a Gandalf the White but they won't go super deep into the line since they have other licenses to cover. Asmus will continue doing what they do since LOTR is 99% of what makes up their catalog.

Fair points all around. Mind you I never said Asmus weren’t flawed...but i do get the sense they’re trying.

As for their GTG, I agree that the final doesn’t live up to the proto and I DO wish the figure we all received looked exactly like it...but as I mentioned in my last post, it CAN look pretty good with patience, like so:

(Taken from my review)

Granted it misses the mark when compared to the proto...but it’s still nice looking in my eyes.

 

[DakRen]

Time will tell what they are capable of when their Joker releases, it's a gamble; as is any collectible pre-order.

I'd like to have faith that they will deliver, I don't belive they're going to let their first 1/6 figures come out looking terrible, they wouldn't survive that and I'm sure they know it.

I'm honestly fine with the Asmus GtG figure in the collection and passing on the InArt version but I'm MUCH more curious to see their rendition of Aragorn. The head sculpt just has to end up being a homerun. Just has to...

Aragorn and Legolas are the ones I want to see more than any. I may drop $1000 on a perfect Strider Aragorn or pre Lothlorien Legolas. It’s gonna be hard to make that choice but it’s on the table. I’m also not ready to drop Asmus, they have plenty to offer still.

 

[cokebabies]

$1,000 for a single rooted Gandalf... and I'm out.

$1,000 for two-pack Gandalf... and I'm out. Don't need or want two.

The two pack will be Gandalf The White and Sir Ian McKellan.

 

[TheFiend]

 

[chrisstbh]

Again the eyes look brown instead of blue. Same thing on their Battinson figure.

 

[DioramaMaker]

Meh. It's got the features of Gandalf but they're just off enough that it doesn't strike me as a $500+ replacement for the Asmus one.

 

[denrep-lilium]

It's okay, but I get more Gandalf vibe from the Asmus head. The rooting is incredible, but not an additional 300 USD incredible.

 

[hoodonit00]

Is there a confirmed price on this yet?

 

[PersonOfTheYear]

Is there a confirmed price on this yet?

Not yet. I’m guessing $500

 

[chrisstbh]

Whipped up a quick comparisson. It's definitely better than the Asmus production piece imo, but I still think the Asmus prototype takes the cake.

 

[gaiden1992]

Whipped up a quick comparisson. It's definitely better than the Asmus production piece imo, but I still think the Asmus prototype takes the cake.

View attachment 575824

I agree. The Asmus prototype managed to capture Ian McKellen resemblance perfectly. This Queen proto has something weird (still great though, rooting is superb).

 

[batsheva]

I will try to sell some of my Asmus collection

good luck, my friend! hope you at least get good selling prices.

 

[Spiln3r]

 

[Giimli86]

Not sure what but something feels off.

 

[Gipetto0812]

Something is definitely off with the likeness. Also, no thumb holes on the inner long sleeves??

 

[Lizard Lips]

It just isn't Sir Ian McKellen, it's some old man with lots of grey hair.