Re: Weta Workshop Comic-Con Exclusive Thorin Statue
Tim from WETA has answer about Thorin, first the extract about the shield and after I copy all the message:
"In addition, I confirm the shield is part of the exclusive collectible. It is worn under Thorin's cloak on his left side. We are not allowed to offer any further pics at this stage, but he will be on display at Comic Con, so you will no doubt see fan pics soon."
And now all the message:
"Hi Everyone,
As promised last night, I would like to explain our thinking for our Comic Con exclusives. Before starting, I would like to once again than you all for your comments and feedback, both good and bad. We sincerely do appreciate and respect everyone's opinion. It is always helpful to us too listen to your suggestions and feedback.
My intention in writing this note is simply to explain our thinking. I am certainly not trying to start an arguement with anyone, and will not be seeking to start any debates on this thread. This is just our opinion. You are of course all entitle to form your own opinions, and agree or disagree with us as you wish.
These are the factors that go into our decision making :
The Licensor for The Hobbit has allowed Weta (and a few other companies) the opportunity to display and sell 2 exclusives at Comic Con, 5 months ahead of the launch of the movie. This is quite unusual, as Licensees are usually held back from launching movie merchandise until 6-8 weeks before the movie launch. In this case, the Licensor has allowed us to join in what should be a very special Comic Con celebration for Middle-earth fans. We are very grateful and excited for this opportunity. We hope fans will be too. After Comic Con, we then go back to normal practice, whereby we need to wait until October to make any further announcements about our upcoming range. So we are not able to provide further information regarding our Thorin Oakenshield without shield until then.
San Diego Comic Con is easily the #1 event in the world for movies and movie merchandise. People fly in from all over the world for this week. People save up for years to go to Comic Con. For many people it is a once in a life time event. For example, this year we have been in communication with a family from Christchurch in New Zealand, who have dreamed for many years of coming to Comic Con. They have suffered through nearly 2 years of earthquakes, and have suffered damage to their home. But they are still using their life savings for flights, accommodation and expenses to come to Comic Con, in this most special of years. We meet these kinds of people at Comic Con each year, some post on the Shadow and Flame, but many do not. All of them have invested significant time, money and passion to get to the show. Many of them want us to offer something exclusive as a memory of their trip to Comic Con. This year we decided to offer Thorin Oakensield "with shield" as an exclusive to these folks to celebrate the upcoming return to Middle-earth.
We never intend to annoy or ignore any of our customers. However in the world of collectibles, every single decision we make will be popular with some and unpopular with others. We are very aware that some customers like Comic Con exclusives, and some don't. So we decided to offer Thorin Oakenshield without shield on our website from Oct, so that collectors would not miss out on this important character. We also tried to extend the geographical reach of Thorin Oakenshield with shield, by offering this piece at Ring Con in Germany and at The Weta Cave in NZ from Oct. We did this because of past feedback from collectors who live outside the US, that they never get a chance to purchase show exclusives.
Exclusives are not a new thing. Weta has offered exclusives at Comic Con, at the Weta Cave and for DVD box sets many times in the past. And many other companies offer exclusives at Comic Con. Some customers love them and some do not.
From a "business" point of view, Comic Con is very expensive. Weta travels further and has higher costs to attend this event in San Diego than any other booth there. So, of course, we need to try and recover our costs in doing so. Quite naturally, this is one of the factors in our decision making. If we are no able to recover most of our costs at the show, then we will no longer be able to attend.
In addition, I confirm the shield is part of the exclusive collectible. It is worn under Thorin's cloak on his left side. We are not allowed to offer any further pics at this stage, but he will be on display at Comic Con, so you will no doubt see fan pics soon.
Finally, for those of you who are not going to Comic Con, or Ring Con, or the Weta Cave, and wish to get one of these exclusive pieces, do not forget your secret weapon. This forum is special because you are a remarkable community of strangers from all around the world, who bond together, and consistently surprise and impress us with your kindness and generosity to each other. So use your secret weapon ... Talk to your fellow flamers who are attending Comic Con.
Thanks for reading this far. As I said at the start, these are just our thoughts. We respect that some of you will agree and some will disagree. My intention in writing this note is to keep you all informed
Kind regards
Tim "
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Yup yup. I love the classic base. I also love the map engraving idea. Its subtle but very effective
