It doesn't make sense because you apparently haven't completed the sign up process like so many others have. If you had you'd probably understand why certain area's are off limits and available to qualified buyers only. (Sort of like club 33 at Disneyland.)
The reason I can tell you don't understand and have questions is clearly you weren't approved as you opted out. And because you opted out you weren't sent any NTT ordering info.
Doesn't sound like your friend completed the sign up process either or he wouldn't be on the outside looking in like you are. For someone not interested in this you sure have lots of questions.
And with the many concerned questions you have you might be better off saving the piggy bank for a rainy day. Just my two cents.
Bravo captquint!!!!! A plethora of fine posts by your mighty "pen"......and I thought I was good with words.....sheesh!!! I tip my hat to ya in humility! I've been reading your posts in response to the skeptics out there that have had a few "less than honorable" words to say about a process they don't fully understand aimed toward two fine gentlemen, Fred Stine and Mike Schultz (both of whom I am honored to call "brothers") and I am VERY IMPRESSED with what you've said in response in an effort to set the record straight!
I'm here to lend you a hand and provide some "reinforcement troops" because I see that the majority of folks on this board are just all over this thing like stink on **** thinking they have to "jump through so many hoops" to order the Bruce NTT. It's like you (captquint) said though, they obviously didn't finish the sign up process or they would have been sent the ordering information for the NTT.
I went through the sign up process with NO problem whatsoever and secured NTT #4. I've waited 35 years for someone to create something as AWESOME as the BRUCE NTT and taking a few minutes to sign up for it is a small price to pay to secure one for my collection........anyone who doesn't think it's worth the time and effort is certainly entitled to their opinion......every bit as much as I am entitled to mine for thinking it would be foolish as a JAWS fan to pass up an opportunity to acquire a screen accurate Bruce the shark of this MAGNITUDE!!!
Mike absolutely loves the time he has spent on this project......he gets giddy every time he's in "the shop" creating these little sharks. I know that because I've gotten to know him. Anyone (any real JAWS fan) who would take the time to join Operation Orca (OO forum) like I did would find that the owner/moderator (Fred Stine) and Bruce NTTs creator (Mike Schultz) are just two of the most incredibly genuine, honest, down-to-earth gentlemen that I have ever had the absolute pleasure of getting to know, period! These guys want to continue to offer fans the best screen accurate Bruce movie replicas available anywhere! So it is illogical to assume or insinuate that these guys aren't legit, when their accusers or insinuators don't know the first thing about these fine gentlemen. I know them, THEY ARE LEGIT and it would be impossible to find better friends than this DYNAMIC DUO! My "family" has increased by two members this year......Fred Stine and Mike Schultz!!!
When I first stumbled upon the Bruce NTT banner ad I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I couldn't join Operation Orca fast enough........fine folks over there.....especially Fred and Mike.......great guys and absolutely obsessed with JAWS (as am I, LOL). I belong to several forums and I can say without a moment's hesitation that Operation Orca IS THE FRIENDLIEST FORUM I have joined and I always feel right at home when I'm there for "a visit".
I completely understand Fred and Mike's need in carefully screening people so that they minimize their chances of this thing falling into the wrong hands and being recast.......and yes you CAN screen people to minimize recasting. Take it from me who was naive enough to trust Dan "the recast King" Fuller (formerly "Dizneeguy" on Statueforum.com) with my custom 1/6 scale Chris Reeve Superman the Movie ("Man of Steel") head sculpt that there are recasting predators out there who would love nothing more than to turn a quick buck on the back of someone else's hard work. Recasters are lower than parasitic "stool (and I ain't talkin' about the kind you sit on either) dwellers" in my book! They have no talent of their own so they steal it from those that do have talent and make money by engaging in acts that in the corporate world would put a person behind bars quicker than you can yell, "Shark"! A WORD TO THE WISE FOR ANYONE THINKING ABOUT OR WANTING TO RECAST THE BRUCE NTT.......FRED AND MIKE HAVE DONE THEIR HOMEWORK AND ARE WILLING TO PROSECUTE ANYONE FOUND RECASTING THIS MAQUETTE (TO PROTECT MIKE AND THE YEARS HE'S INVESTED IN THIS PROJECT) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW......AND IT CAN BE DONE TOO......MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT THIS HARD FACT!
It is NOT being called a JAWS maquette because the name JAWS is not being used in advertising or the process of selling it. JAWS is not going to be printed on the base, on the shark, on the box or anywhere else for that matter........so Mike (and Fred) can protect the BRUCE NTT to the fullest and not have to worry about a recaster who may think they won't because they want to remain "under the wire"........They're not using the JAWS logo to sell BRUCE NTT and therefore not in violation of any legal backlash from Universal Pictures. Its also not a bootleg item. Each NTT is a unique 'one of a kind' work of art. Nothing illegal or bootlegged about it.
Also, according to the 1976 Copyright Act For Artists (read specifics here:
https://www.arsny.com/basics.html), Mike has absolute power over the copyright of his own work as the creator of the Bruce NTT. According to the 1976 Copyright Act, anyone using or copying an artist's work (either 2D or 3D) without written permission from the artist/creator of the work is in full violation of the Copyright Act and can be sued by the artist in a court of law........SO RECASTERS BEWARE!!! Also by having people sign up with their information it will be easier to find someone in violation of the copyright act should recasts of this maquette ever end up surfacing.......it won't be too difficult to figure out.....it's a small run and you have to give your name, email and mailing address and phone number.......that's just smart IMHO on the part of Bruce's creator/producer.
Whether we like it or not we live in a world where Dan Fuller types are everywhere! So anyone wanting to protect their work from theft would be smart to screen those that purchase their work. I've done this with two previous projects of my own but made a dreadful mistake when I didn't screen Mr. Fuller.......and it has indeed swam up and bitten me on the ass.....more times than I care to count! I've seen my Chris Reeve head sculpt "Frankensteined" on about a half dozen different Superman statues and I have yet to see one penny from the sale of these statues by D. Fuller.......I don't wish this on anyone.....it really chaps my tukus......and bottom line is it's theft as my head sculpt is an original work of art (sculpture) created entirely by me. To safeguard myself against any issues with Warner Bros. I refer to it generally as the "Man of Steel" head sculpt.
Mike Schultz has spent decades of his life to accumulate enough good reference (and it's harder to find than a 3 ton, 25 foot long Great White) to make the BRUCE NTT "the undisputed champion" among Bruce the shark sculpts......time that Mike will NEVER get back! What would those lost years spent in R&D and trial and error mean to him if he had to affix a dollar amount to it?.....even at minimum wage? Well, if it were me........it'd be a small fortune! Mike should be paid something for the time it took him to amass reference photos and screen grabs and all the R&D that was necessary to make the BRUCE NTT a reality of the most screen accurate kind!
It's like you said captquint, many people are so quick to judge before they know what they're talking about......rumors are like viruses......they're often deadly and spread quickly. It always amazes me how soooooooo many collectors want something for next to nothing from individual artisans like Mike but yet willing to spend hundreds of dollars for something mass produced with little to no quality control (although it's getting better) from other companies that produce similar products but are inferior in quality and inaccurate in detailing. WHAT'S EVEN MORE AMAZING IS THAT PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT THE TIME AND EFFORT IT TAKES "JUMPING THROUGH HOOPS" TO SIGN UP FOR A BRUCE NTT MAQUETTE (WITHOUT EVEN TRYING TO COMPLETE THE SIGN UP PROCESS IN THE FIRST PLACE) YET THEY DON'T MIND WASTING THEIR TIME AND EFFORT ON THIS AND SIMILAR FORUMS COMPLAINING ABOUT IT TO OTHER MEMBERS. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THINGS THEIR WAY THEN DON'T......IT'S A FREE COUNTRY LAST TIME I CHECKED AND THE PRODUCERS OF THIS MAQUETTE ARE FREE TO SELL IT IN WHATEVER WAY THEY DECIDE IS BEST FOR THEM.....IT'S CALLED FREE ENTERPRISE......IT'S THEIR "BABY" AND THEY CAN DO WHAT EVER THEY WANT WITH IT! IF THIS WAS MY "BABY" YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE I WOULD PROTECT IT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW AND I WOULD SCREEN ANYONE WANTING TO ENTER THE "ADOPTION PROCESS". THESE GUYS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SOMEONE MAY DO WITH THEIR "BABY" (INITIALLY) BUT THE SCREENING PROCESS HELPS GIVE THEM INSIGHT INTO THE REASON(S) WHY A COLLECTOR WANTS A BRUCE NTT FOR THEIR COLLECTION. THIS WAY IF THEY SUSPECT ANYONE OF WANTING TO RECAST THE BRUCE NTT THEY'LL STOP THE PROCESS BEFORE ANY DAMAGE CAN BE DONE SAVING THEM BOTH TIME AND MONEY FROM HAVING TO LEGALLY PURSUE A PERSON FOR VIOLATING THE 1976 COPYRIGHT ACT.
So in closing I'll address the "naysayers" here......take the time you're spending complaining about something you don't fully understand and put your time and effort into something productive. If you feel the need to continue whining and negatively speculating about a process you choose not to invest a few minutes of your precious time into (like I have to discover how easy and safe it really is) then take a little snack break and fix yourself a plate of cheese..........it's quite good with the bottles of "whine" you've been serving the rest of us! Nuff Said! 
