Premium Format Morgul Lord Premium Format

[Beren]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

Beren,

The pose is a little wonky, but I think within the constraints of the base/shipping proportions that make sense for the Premium Format line. The fabric looks pretty distressed for a mass-produced item, and the paint/sculpt on the armor bits/sword look really nice.

It's totally a matter of opinion I guess, and we can agree to disagree, but I am looking forward to getting the Morgul Lord PF. I have had plenty of issues with Sideshow in the past, so I am not a fanboy in that regard. Maybe I am too much of a LOTR fanboy though, and that might be my downfall!

I don't think a statue should be limited by its base... then make limbs etc detachable. It's been done in the past.

The Weta ML in fact has a detachable R forearm with sword and a L hand with weapon.

My point was that the distressing in the pics IS fine, look out for whether your will receive the same level of detail in YOUR shipped piece.

There's no getting around it, in the pics the pose of head and limbs looks awkward. I'll reserve my final verdict on it when I see it in person but I'm not holding my breath. Gandalf the White doesn't look any better to me in person than he did in pics. Also didn't like the pose on that one.

Lastly, even you admit the pose is "a little wonky". It just should NOT BE. This is a PF line, these things are not cheap (unless you buy them at 2/3 of retail on eBay later, if you can) and so I expect them to be positioned in a pose that allows the fabrics to fall properly, the limbs and body positioned in a way that makes sense. The ML PF looks like a snapshot was taken as he awkwardly begins to stumble backwards.

Beren

 

[marker2037]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

I have a feeling this PF will be a pleasant surprise to us all.

 

[Seaward]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

I don't think a statue should be limited by its base... then make limbs etc detachable. It's been done in the past.

The Weta ML in fact has a detachable R forearm with sword and a L hand with weapon.

I understand your point about the statue not being limited to it's base, but I think that it is less about being limited and more a design choice. I think that the Premium Format series is looking to have a similar design across the series, and to me, this fits in well with that...again, your mileage may vary.

My point was that the distressing in the pics IS fine, look out for whether your will receive the same level of detail in YOUR shipped piece.

The Gandalf the Grey Premium Format was suitably grubby for me, and since these are production pics, I think the in hand shots will reflect that quality. This can be a pro and a con when it comes to Sideshow. The production pics of the Moria Orc first showed the red pleather that was substituted, and the in hand pics looked like what we saw on the Sideshow site, so it can go both ways!

There's no getting around it, in the pics the pose of head and limbs looks awkward. I'll reserve my final verdict on it when I see it in person but I'm not holding my breath. Gandalf the White doesn't look any better to me in person than he did in pics. Also didn't like the pose on that one.

Again, taste factors into this. The head has been shown to be moveable, but to what degree remains to be seen. I know I plan to to readjust that head/crown as soon as I unbox it to an angle that I prefer!

Lastly, even you admit the pose is "a little wonky". It just should NOT BE. This is a PF line, these things are not cheap (unless you buy them at 2/3 of retail on eBay later, if you can) and so I expect them to be positioned in a pose that allows the fabrics to fall properly, the limbs and body positioned in a way that makes sense. The ML PF looks like a snapshot was taken as he awkwardly begins to stumble backwards.

Beren

Yeah, I still think the pose is a little wonky, but without seeing it in person and futzing with, I will reserve final judgment. To me, the pose represents what one of the linguists talks about on the LOTR EE dvds about the origin of the word Wraith, and how it comes from wrath and writhe, and the Ringwraiths are portrayed as something so twisted in spirit that it deforms their physical being to be twisted and deformed. This statue really captures that vibe for me, and still has the imposing nature of the witchking as a character. Again, this may not be what you are looking for in a statue, but it really works for me. I see it less as a stumble backward and more as a step to move that massive flail overhead. I'll be curious to see how and what can be repositioned on the statue though. Heck, if the sword hand is magnetic, and I suspect it will be, I hope to display it away from his body to look even more imposing.

I wish Sideshow would provide more information about what is and isn't moveable on this piece though. Their lack of information on these very expensive items can be very frustrating (additional gollum base anyone?) Oh, and for me, nothing is making that exclusive sword worhtwhile. Sculpted flames always look goofy to me!!

Again, your preferences and tastes may be different, and I appreciate your thoughts on this subject too! I really appreciate that you took time to respond with thought instead of "This is teh SUXXORZ!! LAME!!"

At least we can dialogue when we disagree!

 

[FrodoEyes]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

To me, the pose represents what one of the linguists talks about on the LOTR EE dvds about the origin of the word Wraith, and how it comes from wrath and writhe

Love how you're trying to convince yourself that you like it

 

[SilentSurfer]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

I saw the Witch-King in person today, and I'm pleased to say, the pose doesn't look quite so awkward in person. The pose just doesn't seem to translate well in 2-D. Very impressive and tall in person. I just might be adding this to my LOTR PF, of which I will then have three including the upcoming Gollum.

 

[Bullseye]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

Is this still likely to ship in December?

 

[angelo07stang]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

Just got my preorder in on the regular and went flex pay on this. I think this looks amazing and cant wait to recieve this.

 

[woodsy]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

1) I base my assertion on that I see a cycle of people seeing "prototype" pics, get excited, then get the item in hand that has a LOT less love and detail given to it than the one in pics and then get upset. Then see a new item, rinse and repeat. People are a forgetful lot.

2) I've apparently been around longer even if I tend to lurk more
3) You challenge my hypothesis yet validate it in your last sentence. Will never try "that stunt" again? I'll refer to Strider 12" (to me the most glaring), Frodo PF as further examples (paint applications).

In any case, EVEN IF the ML PF has the same level of distressing (and quality of it) that the prod pics have, it doesn't change the fact that the pose and layering of fabrics seem odd, the exclusive doesn't work for me and I've been burnt by Sideshow before so I take pics with a grain of salt now. Especially ones that show distressing of fabrics/mixed media. I'll see this thing in person at some point, and other members of this forum will have it in hand soon, so we'll see.

The item that is being photographed OFTEN gets more love than the ones produced on assembly line in China. This is my statement.

Ignore at your own peril.

Beren

1]. You might be onto something.....if and when SS's crappy prod. pic's ever start looking better than the in hand statues we might have a problem. As for now, they don't....which might explain why the vast majority of collectors inevitably post here and on other forums that their new in hand statues look even better than the photo's

2]. True, I don't lurk as much as you and that might be the reason I can't seem to recall reading about collectors of any LOTR PF's [other than the aforementioned Moria Orc disaster] complaining about the level or degree of fabric distressing. Can I assume the level of distressing on your Lurtz, Aragorn, and GTG PF's is on par with that of the associated prod. pic's? If so, can I also assume that is the reason you intend on picking up Legolas [highly reccommended] and at a later date, Frodo? Or can I assume, you've just forgotten how disappointed you were with Lurtz, Aragorn, and Gandalf.....people are a forgetful lot afterall.

 

[mr.thrifty]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

I saw the Witch-King in person today, and I'm pleased to say, the pose doesn't look quite so awkward in person. The pose just doesn't seem to translate well in 2-D. Very impressive and tall in person. I just might be adding this to my LOTR PF, of which I will then have three including the upcoming Gollum.

So what you're trying to say is...... it's still a bit wonky...

 

[Seaward]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

Love how you're trying to convince yourself that you like it

I am not trying to convince myself, nor am I trying to convince anyone else...I am trying to explain as to why I like this piece and if you don't, no biggie.

I have no horse in this race, as I don't prefer one manufacturer over another, I just like having discussions about collectibles, and I try to keep an open mind about other people's opinions and tastes.

Thanks for the condescending attitude though!

 

[FrodoEyes]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

I am not trying to convince myself, nor am I trying to convince anyone else...I am trying to explain as to why I like this piece and if you don't, no biggie.

I have no horse in this race, as I don't prefer one manufacturer over another, I just like having discussions about collectibles, and I try to keep an open mind about other people's opinions and tastes.

Thanks for the condescending attitude though!

Sorry man, i wasn't meaning to sound that way at all. I was just trying to be funny. Whoops!

Contrary to what other people may have you believe, i don't prefer one manufacturer over another either, and i'm getting sick of having to justify myself in just about every other post on this. It's all LOTR, i like LOTR. I like the fact Weta worked on the film and worked on some of that stuff. I like the fact Sideshow worked with them and that they done dioramas and have the statue line back. I really can't put up with fighting this battle for ever, i'm getting bored of it now.

And yes, just about everything i recieve from Sideshow looks much, MUCH better in person.

 

[Seaward]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

FrodoEyes, no biggie, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and I have a hard time with sarcasm in text. I have a friend who is always sarcastic in e-mails, so I guess I don't have the best filter for it!

It does seem like you do have a preference for the Weta stuff, but the way I read it is less like a bias and more that you would prefer the 1:6 statue line continue. I know if the PF line dumps before I get a full line of characters, I would like to see another stab at 1:4 scale characters with a continuing line instead of rehashes!

 

[Beren]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

2]. True, I don't lurk as much as you and that might be the reason I can't seem to recall reading about collectors of any LOTR PF's [other than the aforementioned Moria Orc disaster] complaining about the level or degree of fabric distressing. Can I assume the level of distressing on your Lurtz, Aragorn, and GTG PF's is on par with that of the associated prod. pic's? If so, can I also assume that is the reason you intend on picking up Legolas [highly reccommended] and at a later date, Frodo? Or can I assume, you've just forgotten how disappointed you were with Lurtz, Aragorn, and Gandalf.....people are a forgetful lot afterall.

I was not disappointed with the Aragorn, Lurtz and GTG PFs... I was, however, very disappointed when I got my 12" Aragorn in hand. It looked nothing like in the "prototype" pics. Well, nothing is an exaggeration. But it had a lot less detailed distressing than in the pics. I found it maliciously misleading. And then the experience with the Moria Orc PF brought me to a point where I don't trust pics when it comes to this level of detailing in paint apps.

Frodo PF I would only consider picking up if SS releases a Fellowship Pippin (because then I'd have hope we will get a complete Fellowship FINALLY). And I do plan on getting Legolas PF. But with him there is no distressing, so I have no expectations in that regard.

Beren

 

[azurepred]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

I saw the Witch-King in person today, and I'm pleased to say, the pose doesn't look quite so awkward in person. The pose just doesn't seem to translate well in 2-D. Very impressive and tall in person. I just might be adding this to my LOTR PF, of which I will then have three including the upcoming Gollum.

thats good to know. I really like my Weta piece, but i said it from the start, that this is gonna look great in person, and i still feel that way. The Ex still blows, but i cant wait to get it.

 

[woodsy]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

I was not disappointed with the Aragorn, Lurtz and GTG PFs... I was, however, very disappointed when I got my 12" Aragorn in hand. It looked nothing like in the "prototype" pics. Well, nothing is an exaggeration. But it had a lot less detailed distressing than in the pics. I found it maliciously misleading. And then the experience with the Moria Orc PF brought me to a point where I don't trust pics when it comes to this level of detailing in paint apps.

Frodo PF I would only consider picking up if SS releases a Fellowship Pippin (because then I'd have hope we will get a complete Fellowship FINALLY). And I do plan on getting Legolas PF. But with him there is no distressing, so I have no expectations in that regard.Beren

Thats fair enough, though I don't know if I would hold my breath waiting for a Pippin PF.

As for Legolas, you are correct, no distressing there, but the costuming itself did turn out excellently.

thats good to know. I really like my Weta piece, but i said it from the start, that this is gonna look great in person, and i still feel that way. The Ex still blows, but i cant wait to get it.

I agree, and the indication by pretty well everyone whose seen this so far seems to reflect that opinion....I seem to recall that even forum members who have no interest in the character remarked at how much better it looked in person at SDCC. Yes, the excl. is brutal, but I don't mind the pose at all.....it's not the one I would have preferred, but I am pretty confident the ultimate, outstretched arms pose [flail in one hand, sword in the other] will happen when SS does a ML maquette.

 

[Fritz]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

Let me state first that I have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone's opinion. That being said, if you don't think the Weta 1/6 Morgul Lord is anything short of awesome, I can listen no further.

That being said, I love me some PF LOTR. Best line and best format. But I'm not feeling this PF. The pose is just weird man.

And although I'm not in love with this PF, it doesn't mean I'm not going to get it either.

 

[kierbaudy]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

Did anybody see this at SDCC? I think I caught a glimpse of it on those Brazilian? guys' video and it looked really good, even though I agree with most that the pose is really strange on this piece. Sideshow could of done better on a character that would have sold well I'm on the fence, but will likely keep it considering I really like LOTR stuff and tend to keep my collection of LOTR pieces. GTG PF was a homerun and I really liked legolas also. Not to mention Lurtz and moria orc (despite the bad color fabric but not that noticeable actually in person).

 

[mr.thrifty]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

The pose is what is killing it for me... most likely I'll cancel my EX order with SS and save $60 and get the reg....

I may b___h about it but part of me is a completest whore...

 

[toystales]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

It's almost Dec. Anybody received the 25-day notice yet? While this piece may not be the best rendition of the Witchking, I am still eagerly waiting to have this PF in-hand. He is afterall, the Morgul Lord!!!

 

[Bullseye]

Re: Witch-king / Lord of the Nazgul PF! Order NOW through the banner!.

Hopefully this doesn't start shipping until Jan. Hell just got Gandalf today, Iron Man Maquette, Carnage and Bullseye all arriving in December.