L
Lasher33
Guest
Dear fellow WetaHolics,
It appears that there are several items out there that have their fair share of problems.
Since not everyone knows about these problems, I thought it would be a good idea to share our knowledge. That way, when people want to buy something, they should know what to look for when inspecting an item.
The list below is by no means complete, so please feel free to add information as you see fit.
I would like to note common problems only, but descriptions of other damages are welcome too.
Bankaccounts: Serious drainage and a whithering effect have been noted by almost all collectors. Some even say there is a striking resemblance to a desert in the middle of a dry spell.
Credit cards: Extreme distortion due to trying to wring the last drop of funds out of it has been observed by most polystone addicts. A few cards have been caught trying to sneak out the backdoor when new items appeared on the Sideshow site.
Now on a more serious note:
Ringwraith and Steed: Horses legs fractured at the joints, both frontlegs and hindlegs are vulnerable. Ears of the steed are vulnerable and have been frequently reported broken off. The pegs have been seen not to line up with the steed's legs several times. This can be the cause of fractures when you try to force the hooves over the pegs anyway.
Sam & Bill: Horses legs fractured at the joints, both frontlegs and hindlegs are vulnerable. Look for repairs on the left front leg.
Witch-king: Outstretched fingers often have cracks. Spikes of the crown can be bent. Careful: they are not made of metal, so cannot be bent back!! A few statues have had chips off of the cape.
Cave Troll: Arm holding the club is very vulnerable as it is not a solid cast. Look for repair around the elbow area. Also, the chain around the neck is often repaired.
Balrog: The whip often has cracks. The hand holding the whip can be quite loose, which means it can fall out without warning, chipping the paint on the knuckles.
Uruk-hai Scout: The flaps of his tunic often have been broken. Look for repairs (horizontal cracks). Also, the plates on the shoulder are vulnerable.
Moria Orc Swordsman: The right elbow (the arm holding the sword) often has the spike cracked. This is due to bad design of the polystyren box. The visor of the helmet often has repairs. Also, the sword is often cracked in front of the grip where the hand holds it.
Fell Beast and Morgul Lord: The front spike on the forehead of the beast is *very* vulnerable and often has been repaired. Also, the spike on the helmet of the Morgul Lord is often shorten than it should be. This may be due to bad casting, but could also have been damaged and repaired.
Theoden: Bad paint job
Orc Warrior: Horizontal crack in the axe blade
Arwen: Stem of the flower is often broken and repaired
Saruman: Outstretched fingers are oftentimes cracked. The Palantir has been reported to be off-centre on several occasions. The outstretched hand is not cast as part of the arm, but seperate. After the csating process it was attached to the arm by using a clear plastic peg. The plastic is not very flexible and thus the hand has been seen snapped off on several occasions. This is very easy to repair without any sign whatsoever as it is not the polystone that is damaged.
Gandalf the Grey: Sword has been reported broken on many occasions. Look for fractures between the blade and the hilt. Staff can fall off and is therefore vulnerable. Look for signs of repair.
Treebeard: This is a top-heavy piece which makes it vulnerable for breaking at the base.
Orc Overseer: Two pieces of clothing are vulnerable to breaking. Look for repairs in the form of horizontal cracks.
Galadhrim Archer: Due to the positioning in the polystyren box, there is a chance that the paint on his boots is worn off.
Witch-king Crown: This one needs to be removed from the box with great care. Quite a few have come out with one of the spikes broken. The cast metal is fragile where the spikes are attached to the base of the Crown (this is a one-piece as opposed to the statue & bust Crown), so look for cracks ond/or signs of repairs there.
Easterling: The shield has been reported to fall out of the box and break upon opening. So be extra careful when opening the box. Also, when buying one, look closely at the shield for signs of repair.
Berserker: The sword can be bent and difficult to place in the hand. The consequence may be cracks or fractures to both the sword and the hand.
Gimli: Pigtail (or ponytail) is very fragile. It is actually detachable, so don't panic when it comes off. It rests against the polystyren, so be very careful there.
Boromir: Several problems with the paint job have been reported. Most common are the "tanned face", the green trimming on the front of the tunic, the clasps and buckles have only been given a cursory silver brush and the ropes of the cloak that are supposed to be black are painted with the tunic. Physical (= non-paint related problems): gap between the right hand (the one drawing the sword from its sheath) vambrace and the hand itself. Curved scabbard point.
Not problems, but perceived by some as being wrong:
Easterling soldier: The statue leans very forward, almost unnatural.
High Elven Infantry helm: The raised designs appear damaged. This is normal, as it was Sideshow's way to make it look battle-worn and ancient.
Numenorean Infantry helm: Same as the High Elven Infantry helm. Also, the black colouring may seem washed out or faded. This is done to be an indication of its age (3000 years older than the Rohan & Theoden helms for instance).
Helm's Deep: Very grey in appearance. Apparently Sidehsow has released an official communique following the many questions and complaints.
It appears that there are several items out there that have their fair share of problems.
Since not everyone knows about these problems, I thought it would be a good idea to share our knowledge. That way, when people want to buy something, they should know what to look for when inspecting an item.
The list below is by no means complete, so please feel free to add information as you see fit.
I would like to note common problems only, but descriptions of other damages are welcome too.
Bankaccounts: Serious drainage and a whithering effect have been noted by almost all collectors. Some even say there is a striking resemblance to a desert in the middle of a dry spell.
Credit cards: Extreme distortion due to trying to wring the last drop of funds out of it has been observed by most polystone addicts. A few cards have been caught trying to sneak out the backdoor when new items appeared on the Sideshow site.
Now on a more serious note:
Ringwraith and Steed: Horses legs fractured at the joints, both frontlegs and hindlegs are vulnerable. Ears of the steed are vulnerable and have been frequently reported broken off. The pegs have been seen not to line up with the steed's legs several times. This can be the cause of fractures when you try to force the hooves over the pegs anyway.
Sam & Bill: Horses legs fractured at the joints, both frontlegs and hindlegs are vulnerable. Look for repairs on the left front leg.
Witch-king: Outstretched fingers often have cracks. Spikes of the crown can be bent. Careful: they are not made of metal, so cannot be bent back!! A few statues have had chips off of the cape.
Cave Troll: Arm holding the club is very vulnerable as it is not a solid cast. Look for repair around the elbow area. Also, the chain around the neck is often repaired.
Balrog: The whip often has cracks. The hand holding the whip can be quite loose, which means it can fall out without warning, chipping the paint on the knuckles.
Uruk-hai Scout: The flaps of his tunic often have been broken. Look for repairs (horizontal cracks). Also, the plates on the shoulder are vulnerable.
Moria Orc Swordsman: The right elbow (the arm holding the sword) often has the spike cracked. This is due to bad design of the polystyren box. The visor of the helmet often has repairs. Also, the sword is often cracked in front of the grip where the hand holds it.
Fell Beast and Morgul Lord: The front spike on the forehead of the beast is *very* vulnerable and often has been repaired. Also, the spike on the helmet of the Morgul Lord is often shorten than it should be. This may be due to bad casting, but could also have been damaged and repaired.
Theoden: Bad paint job
Orc Warrior: Horizontal crack in the axe blade
Arwen: Stem of the flower is often broken and repaired
Saruman: Outstretched fingers are oftentimes cracked. The Palantir has been reported to be off-centre on several occasions. The outstretched hand is not cast as part of the arm, but seperate. After the csating process it was attached to the arm by using a clear plastic peg. The plastic is not very flexible and thus the hand has been seen snapped off on several occasions. This is very easy to repair without any sign whatsoever as it is not the polystone that is damaged.
Gandalf the Grey: Sword has been reported broken on many occasions. Look for fractures between the blade and the hilt. Staff can fall off and is therefore vulnerable. Look for signs of repair.
Treebeard: This is a top-heavy piece which makes it vulnerable for breaking at the base.
Orc Overseer: Two pieces of clothing are vulnerable to breaking. Look for repairs in the form of horizontal cracks.
Galadhrim Archer: Due to the positioning in the polystyren box, there is a chance that the paint on his boots is worn off.
Witch-king Crown: This one needs to be removed from the box with great care. Quite a few have come out with one of the spikes broken. The cast metal is fragile where the spikes are attached to the base of the Crown (this is a one-piece as opposed to the statue & bust Crown), so look for cracks ond/or signs of repairs there.
Easterling: The shield has been reported to fall out of the box and break upon opening. So be extra careful when opening the box. Also, when buying one, look closely at the shield for signs of repair.
Berserker: The sword can be bent and difficult to place in the hand. The consequence may be cracks or fractures to both the sword and the hand.
Gimli: Pigtail (or ponytail) is very fragile. It is actually detachable, so don't panic when it comes off. It rests against the polystyren, so be very careful there.
Boromir: Several problems with the paint job have been reported. Most common are the "tanned face", the green trimming on the front of the tunic, the clasps and buckles have only been given a cursory silver brush and the ropes of the cloak that are supposed to be black are painted with the tunic. Physical (= non-paint related problems): gap between the right hand (the one drawing the sword from its sheath) vambrace and the hand itself. Curved scabbard point.
Not problems, but perceived by some as being wrong:
Easterling soldier: The statue leans very forward, almost unnatural.
High Elven Infantry helm: The raised designs appear damaged. This is normal, as it was Sideshow's way to make it look battle-worn and ancient.
Numenorean Infantry helm: Same as the High Elven Infantry helm. Also, the black colouring may seem washed out or faded. This is done to be an indication of its age (3000 years older than the Rohan & Theoden helms for instance).
Helm's Deep: Very grey in appearance. Apparently Sidehsow has released an official communique following the many questions and complaints.
:bang 
uke 
