Weta Fell Beast VS the new Fell Beast diorama

[tomandshell]

I never had the original, but I think I prefer the design of this one anyway.

 

[jrjhoe]

I think you can't compare this two. A diorama that hasn't been finished versus a well-known ssw piece! Appels to oranges!

 

[FrodoEyes]

I had six of these and one of them was actually pretty good, the other's.....not so much.

You had six? That's pretty impressive for such a Weta hater.
And the Fell Beasts actually were purple in most parts...that's how they are in the 'Art of' books anyway, and yes, they were compiled by the Weta designers too
Remember that in the film alot of things looked different colour and tone wise because of digital grading.

 

[woodsy]

You had six? That's pretty impressive for such a Weta hater.
And the Fell Beasts actually were purple in most parts...that's how they are in the 'Art of' books anyway, and yes, they were compiled by the Weta designers too
Remember that in the film alot of things looked different colour and tone wise because of digital grading.

I've been collecting SSW since the very beginning and have kept a collection of my favorite 20 pieces which include all the classic pieces. Just because I don't look at Weta through rose-colored glasses like you do doesn't make me a Weta hater, and I know I have made that more than clear in previous postings. If you want to make comments like that then please have the courtesy of backing them up.

As for how the Weta conceptual artists saw the fell beasts is irrelevant. That's not what PJ went with for the movies. The "Art of" books also show all sorts of different Weta designs for the nazgul, balrog, wargs, etc...which didn't make it through the final approval process, and we never got any of these in statue form.

 

[The Josh]

SS vs Weta is as dumb as SS vs Medicom.

The SSW line overall is a classic line because of the involvement of the folks from Weta and what SS did to get us these great things. That line is done and because Weta decided it was time to drop things unfinished.

Concentrate on what SS is doing for us with the new lines and move on.

 

[woodsy]

SS vs Weta is as dumb as SS vs Medicom.

The SSW line overall is a classic line because of the involvement of the folks from Weta and what SS did to get us these great things. That line is done and because Weta decided it was time to drop things unfinished.

Concentrate on what SS is doing for us with the new lines and move on.

Very true. In the past Weta gave us some truly memorable pieces of art. In the present SS is doing a great job of carrying on that tradition. To those who feel the need to constantly compare the two companies perhaps you should ask yourself a question...are you a LOTR fan or are you a fan of the collectibles made by a particular company?
If you are a true LOTR fan the idea of whether you like a particular piece or not won't be dependant on who made it. The quality of the item, and the memories or emotion they evoke, should be the only factors in determining whether an item is worthy to be a part of one's collection. And I'm sorry to burst anyone's bubble out there, but no single company owns that copyright! No matter what some people want to believe.

 

[Alice Adrenochrome]

SS vs Weta is as dumb as SS vs Medicom.

...

It was certainly not my intention to do a Weta vs SSC poll. So if that's what you see in it, perhaps it more or less reflects your vision on things. I was just trying to find out which of the two sculpts would carry away the collector's preference, independently from the manufacturer. Further I was wondering what people's expectation was in regards of the monetary value of the Weta Fell Beast. Having a solid alternative to the only other high end collectible Fell Beast existent can stir things up, don't you think? I can imagine that the demand for the Weta piece will drop when people have a good alternative. But then again, the interest in the Weta piece might flame up BECAUSE of the new SSC sculpt. We all know that it is hard to put the finger on people's preferences, and that counts double when we're talking taste and colors... les gouts et les couleurs ca ne se discute pas. But at least we can try...

...The quality of the item, and the memories or emotion they evoke, should be the only factors in determining whether an item is worthy to be a part of one's collection. And I'm sorry to burst anyone's bubble out there, but no single company owns that copyright! No matter what some people want to believe.

Very true what woodsy says here. And I like to take that thought a step further: some say, that making a book into a movie, kills the imagination. Do you remember how it was to read Tolkien's LotR for the first time ? Do you remember how his world looked in you mind? Before you saw the movie?

Priceless I say.

 

[The Josh]

I wasn't even talking about the poll. So I'm not sure how in the world you took it that way. I was talking about the discussion Woodsy and Frodo seem to have every other day

 

[Alice Adrenochrome]

I wasn't even talking about the poll. So I'm not sure how in the world you took it that way. I was talking about the discussion Woodsy and Frodo seem to have every

My mistake.

 

[woodsy]

It was certainly not my intention to do a Weta vs SSC poll. So if that's what you see in it, perhaps it more or less reflects your vision on things. I was just trying to find out which of the two sculpts would carry away the collector's preference, independently from the manufacturer. Further I was wondering what people's expectation was in regards of the monetary value of the Weta Fell Beast. Having a solid alternative to the only other high end collectible Fell Beast existent can stir things up, don't you think? I can imagine that the demand for the Weta piece will drop when people have a good alternative. But then again, the interest in the Weta piece might flame up BECAUSE of the new SSC sculpt. We all know that it is hard to put the finger on people's preferences, and that counts double when we're talking taste and colors... les gouts et les couleurs ca ne se discute pas. But at least we can try...

Nothing wrong with your poll, it's an interesting subject. Though it is a bit to early to know for sure, my personal feeling is the Weta fell beast will either stay where it is monetarily or go down somewhat. I think this will depend on several factors such as the price, size, and ES of the vs dio. So far from the pic. we have seen the vs dio. fell beast appears to be much larger [which is very appealing to me] and I imagine will be in the $350 price range. As long as the ES isn't ridiculously high I think it will be a much sought after piece.

Even though the issue price may be high you have to consider that this sculpt in it's entirety is going to be much larger than the Weta FB, and since it will still be much cheaper than paying secondary value for the Weta FB, you will be getting a bigger bang for you buck, esp. when you consider how small the Weta FB is in the first place.

 

[LOTRFan]

... and you get an eagle thrown in, previously only seen on the "Flight" plaque.

 

[FrodoEyes]

I think some people may prefer this piece, as it is more dynamic, larger (it seems, although I'm sure the outstretched wings may make it seem larger), and it has an eagle too, but some people have mentioned they don't like how it is positioned. They've said it looks like another 'banana skin' dio. But I do like the fact its wings are outstretched, making it more recognisable.

 

[FrodoEyes]

Very true. In the past Weta gave us some truly memorable pieces of art. In the present SS is doing a great job of carrying on that tradition. To those who feel the need to constantly compare the two companies perhaps you should ask yourself a question...are you a LOTR fan or are you a fan of the collectibles made by a particular company?
If you are a true LOTR fan the idea of whether you like a particular piece or not won't be dependant on who made it. The quality of the item, and the memories or emotion they evoke, should be the only factors in determining whether an item is worthy to be a part of one's collection. And I'm sorry to burst anyone's bubble out there, but no single company owns that copyright! No matter what some people want to believe.

Well said Woodsy. Comparing the two companies is not what should be happening. If someone is a true LOTR fan they should be able to appreciate every product put out, decide whether or not it is for them, then either buy or leave alone. It's like when Legolas says in FOTR that it is foolish for people to bicker between themselves instead of focusing on the enemy, but in this case it is foolish for people to bicker about LOTR companies instead of concentrating on LOTR as a whole!
Remember everyone, no company owns the books!
I would also like to add that I'm dissapointed that you think I look at Weta through rose-tinted glasses. Yes, I have alot of Weta statues, but I also have ones from Sideshow, Danbury Mint and Eaglemoss. I also don't own anything else made by Weta, until they possibly do Hobbit collectibles.
This will be my last word on this I promise - the purple tinge Fell Beasts were approved by PJ. The fact he used colour grading on them as well as just about every other scene doesn't mean he didn't like their colour. It's also the same about Gandalf the White's robes. Remember whenever a new statue of him was released, many peoples complaints were that his robes were not as white as they are in the film. Again, the robes that were designed and made by Ngilla Dickson (See, it's not just Weta I harp on about) weren't that white, and were approved by PJ, and again they were made to look whiter in certain scenes.
In any case this could all be irrelevant. If it's colour we're arguing about here, why don't we just blame the shoddy paint work in those foreign workshops?

 

[TOE]

The more the better.

I missed the Weta Fell beast and so I am going to get this current one but I will still try to get the Weta piece, the down side is that most that are listed on ebay have a minor flaw

 

[woodsy]

Well said Woodsy. Comparing the two companies is not what should be happening. If someone is a true LOTR fan they should be able to appreciate every product put out, decide whether or not it is for them, then either buy or leave alone. It's like when Legolas says in FOTR that it is foolish for people to bicker between themselves instead of focusing on the enemy, but in this case it is foolish for people to bicker about LOTR companies instead of concentrating on LOTR as a whole!
Remember everyone, no company owns the books!
I would also like to add that I'm dissapointed that you think I look at Weta through rose-tinted glasses. Yes, I have alot of Weta statues, but I also have ones from Sideshow, Danbury Mint and Eaglemoss. I also don't own anything else made by Weta, until they possibly do Hobbit collectibles.
This will be my last word on this I promise - the purple tinge Fell Beasts were approved by PJ. The fact he used colour grading on them as well as just about every other scene doesn't mean he didn't like their colour. It's also the same about Gandalf the White's robes. Remember whenever a new statue of him was released, many peoples complaints were that his robes were not as white as they are in the film. Again, the robes that were designed and made by Ngilla Dickson (See, it's not just Weta I harp on about) weren't that white, and were approved by PJ, and again they were made to look whiter in certain scenes.
In any case this could all be irrelevant. If it's colour we're arguing about here, why don't we just blame the shoddy paint work in those foreign workshops?

You can definitely see from alot of the screencaps where the FB's scales appear to have iridescent quality to them, which would certainly account for the bluish or purplish look seen at certain angles. It looks to me like the idea was to give the FB an "oily" look though I don't know this as fact. I will be really curious to see how SS tackles the paint job on this dio. and I think we are all in agreement that the final production pic's of this piece can't come soon enough!

 

[Nazgurl]

I have the original Fell Beast statue (first piece I ever bought from Sideshow; 2nd was the RWoS) and plan to buy the dio too. There have never been many representations of the Fell Beast done, so I buy any that are released, just as I do with the Balrog. The fact that it also has an eagle is an added bonus.

The only FB represenatations I can think of that were produced by manufacturers are the Sideshow/WETA statue, the silly looking Fell Beast produced by ToyBiz, the 2 GREAT Armies of Middle Earth sets that included the Fell Beast (one on the wall of Osgiliath facing Frodo, the other The Morgul Lord facing Eowyn), and the Noble Collections' Fell Beast.

So the dio will be a welcome addition.