Smaug the Golden - Faux Bronze - NOW AVAILABLE

[woodsy]

Sod Sideshow prices!! This is Weta Woodsy, they don't have to charge the same amount as Sideshow if they think they can get more for it, and they can. I'd also be bold enough to suggest this has alot more going for it than an overblown diorama.
Something doesn't have to be in colour to make it good art. They said the reason they went for FB is because alot of detail can be lost when it goes to colour, and i think weve seen that for ourselves in a few pieces.
Also, why does it have to be based on the movies? LOTR is more than just a film, and John Howe has been a Tolkien illustrator long before PJ even dreamt of making the films. The very fact that he's been working on these pieces with Weta makes them much more desirable. maybe SS could also push up their prices of their faux bronze pieces if they had Alan Lee or PJ working on the designs?

Weta can set their prices however they wish and I don't have the slightest problem with that. It will be the market that determines whether those prices are reasonable or not. I think it's a fantastic sculpt [which is probably why I've ordered one], but a sculpt this good, with a low ES of 300 should have sold out by now. Unfortunately, the biggest reason given by collectors as to why they're not ordering this one is "it's out of my price range" so 2+ month's after pre-orders began it is still available. And I'm pretty sure the fact it's priced at 40% more than the average dio. or PF has something to do with that.

I do agree that good art doesn't have to be in colour but let's face it, FB is not the preference of most collectors. It can work really well on some pieces, but it doesn't work well on all pieces. And some people just don't like the bronze look, whether it be real or FB. I have read many posts since Weta announced this new line by people stating they won't buy it for no other reason than it is FB...when was the last time you read a post where someone refused to buy a statue because it was colour?

And yes, LOTR is more than just a film, but there are untold millions of people out there who were first introduced to the story through the movies. And when those people see the characters and creatures created by PJ and Weta that is what they relate to. I had never read the book, until after I saw the Fellowship, and it was quite awhile after that before I first saw Howe's work. And I seriously doubt I'm the only person in that boat. Quite frankly, even after becoming quite familiar with Howe's work I still greatly prefer Weta's vision of middle earth over his, and I suspect we will really see how popular this piece is once Weta produces their own colour version.

 

[theguru1]

Unfortunately, the biggest reason given by collectors as to why they're not ordering this one is "it's out of my price range" so 2+ month's after pre-orders began it is still available. And I'm pretty sure the fact it's priced at 40% more than the average dio. or PF has something to do with that.

I have no doubt that the reason its not sold out by now is due to the price in this economy. Yet, once again with reports from people at Auckland Armageddon, the single response is how fantastic it looks, how much bigger it is then they expected and how glad they are that they have it on order.

Things could actually happen in reverse, after the full colour film version is released, with say an ES of 2000 and still not all that cheap, it maybe the FB one that becomes the most prized and sort after Smaug statue.

 

[FrodoEyes]

I'll put my money on Weta's Hobbit version. That one has grail potential, this one, not so much......

Depending on the ES...... and how they pull it off. Personally i would have really wanted the movie Smaug statue to be sat ontop of his gold.....but will they be able to do that now? Maybe, as Smaug will surely look a bit different, plus it will be in colour. They could of course do a version of Smaug as he's flying around the mountain looking for the dwarves, and for that they could have the mountain with Smaug breathing fire at where he thinks the door is.....

 

[woodsy]

Depending on the ES...... and how they pull it off. Personally i would have really wanted the movie Smaug statue to be sat ontop of his gold.....but will they be able to do that now? Maybe, as Smaug will surely look a bit different, plus it will be in colour. They could of course do a version of Smaug as he's flying around the mountain looking for the dwarves, and for that they could have the mountain with Smaug breathing fire at where he thinks the door is.....

True enough, the ES could really help or hurt the chances of a Weta Smaug hitting grail status, as will, no doubt, the success of the movie itself. But I am really looking forward to seeing what Weta has in store for us....I hadn't even thought of the possibility of a fire-breathing Smaug in flight [you might want to pass that idea on to Weta], that could potentially be quite amazing.

 

[BRFC]

I love the sculpt and the faux bronze, and with vat included and small postage charge it works out as cheap if not cheaper for UK/Euro collectors than buying a dio direct from sideshow.

 

[woodsy]

I love the sculpt and the faux bronze, and with vat included and small postage charge it works out as cheap if not cheaper for UK/Euro collectors than buying a dio direct from sideshow.

You Europeans get all the breaks......

 

[-Super Hans-]

You Europeans get all the breaks......

thats the first time ive heard that in the collecting world

 

[woodsy]

thats the first time ive heard that in the collecting world

I must have gotten my facts wrong ....OK, you Europeans always get screwed...

 

[Anubis]

I must have gotten my facts wrong ....OK, you Europeans always get screwed...

Better...

 

[woodsy]

Better...

I don't see how though. Sure you get to pay those awesome VAT's
and outrageous shipping costs, but you guys save so much money when SS's unleashes some of it's highly sought after excl's 'cause you're asleep and miss out on them......

 

[Anubis]

I don't see how though. Sure you get to pay those awesome VAT's
and outrageous shipping costs, but you guys save so much money when SS's unleashes some of it's highly sought after excl's 'cause you're asleep and miss out on them......

 

[FrodoEyes]

When i was first collecting the SSW pieces i remember i bought most of them from the US because back then in those happy days the stuff was cheaper because of the exchange rate, and shipping also was quite low!

 

[jackyonfire]

Not bad. And the price is ok.

 

[datafagga]

So, any news about that masterpiece? I'm on PO too.

 

[theguru1]

Nothing yet. Last bit of news was that Bag End would ship around the middle of the year and that Smaug would be before that.

But things can change at any time.

 

[SDJ]

It's actually a pretty impressive size. If you check out Weta's website you can see picture's of it along with dimensions. Eowen and the Nazgul is also available for pre-order at this time. Once you are on Weta's website, click on "shop" then "The art of John Howe".
They are also working on 2 environments featuring Bag End.

 

[woodsy]

It's actually a pretty impressive size. If you check out Weta's website you can see picture's of it along with dimensions. Eowen and the Nazgul is also available for pre-order at this time. Once you are on Weta's website, click on "shop" then "The art of John Howe".
They are also working on 2 environments featuring Bag End.

I had no idea both of these were still available. The fact Smaug's been up for 6 month's now, with an ES of 300, and still not sold out can't be a good sign. I was hoping for Weta to really expand this line, but you have to wonder at this point.

 

[datafagga]

I think many people don't know the story of "The hobbit". So they are not aware of Smaug etc.
Lately a good friend of mine who's collecting SS LOTR Statues asked me: "who is Smaug?"
Then I showed him this statue and now he is on PO.

Many people are cineasts and don't know much about Tolkien's books. That's one of the reasons he is still available..

But when the Movie is up, this statue will be sold out for sure and will at least double his value!

 

[SDJ]

I think many people don't know the story of "The hobbit". So they are not aware of Smaug etc.
Lately a good friend of mine who's collecting SS LOTR Statues asked me: "who is Smaug?"
Then I showed him this statue and now he is on PO.

Many people are cineasts and don't know much about Tolkien's books. That's one of the reasons he is still available..

But when the Movie is up, this statue will be sold out for sure and will at least double his value!

Even if the value only slightly increases and I can't see any reason in the foreseeable future where I would be selling my collection anyway, you will have the pleasure of owning a damn fine piece of art! Once the general population catch on we will be forced to deal with "priority pre-ordering" and all the headaches that can bring.

 

[woodsy]

I think many people don't know the story of "The hobbit". So they are not aware of Smaug etc.
Lately a good friend of mine who's collecting SS LOTR Statues asked me: "who is Smaug?"
Then I showed him this statue and now he is on PO.

Many people are cineasts and don't know much about Tolkien's books. That's one of the reasons he is still available..

But when the Movie is up, this statue will be sold out for sure and will at least double his value!

The Hobbit is one of the most read, most loved books of the past 70+ years. It's a safe bet to say almost all of us who have been collecting LOTR statues/bust for years now have been aware of the Smaug statue for a very long time.

Keep in mind, this statue [and the Eowyn piece] are not based on the movies, they are based on the books and this has definitely limited their popularity. Especially when we all know Weta will be producing a Smaug statue based on the movie. These are also significantly more expensive than anything currently produced by SS, and the Faux Bronze paint app's [while very classy] is not plus as far as most people are concerned.

In spite of all this, these are wonderful pieces of art and it is a shame the line isn't doing better. I fear you may be very disapponted if you expect this statue to double in value. Personally, I'll be more than happy if it just retains it's retail value.