Ask Sideshow LOTR Q&A's

[FrodoEyes]

Sound reasoning. It worked with me on the Galadriel PF.

hmm....... i've been a loyal Sideshow customer for years...... maybe i could swing it!

 

[bill59]

Sound reasoning. It worked with me on the Galadriel PF.

Yes, they are all the sweeter when they are free.

Not that I would know anything about that

Glad she has grown on you woodsy.

Did you do her lips yet?
(if that's not too personal a question )


Bill

 

[woodsy]

Yes, they are all the sweeter when they are free.

Not that I would know anything about that

Glad she has grown on you woodsy.

Did you do her lips yet?
(if that's not too personal a question )


Bill

No, I have not done her lips yet, but it will be done in short order.

 

[woodsy]

Two new questions posted today. Both are mine, submitted in the last few weeks.

Monday, February 7th, 2011

Question :Seeing as the most difficult and time-consuming aspect of sculpting LOTR maquettes is capturing the likeness of human characters. Can we expect to see LOTR “creature” maquettes to be produced more quickly than their human counterparts?

Answer : Hmmm… the likeness work does take time, but it’s not necessarily the most time consuming aspect. The LOTR costuming may be the most time consuming aspect, as the majority of characters wear a number of layers and have some complicated strap and harness situations that take significant effort to reproduce correctly. Legolas quiver, for example, is an engineering feat with straps that work through his cape and other fabric layers. Creature maquettes are a bit less complicated, true, but much depends on whether we’re talking about a Troll or an Orc or a Ringwraith. Our team seems to approach the development as ‘all things equal,’ so they all benefit from similar time allotments. In the end we take your question as a strong endorsment of ‘we want more LOTR, the sooner the better’ – and we will take that to heart.

Monday, February 7th, 2011

Question : Concerning a future Samwise Gamgee maquette – would Sideshow consider a composition based on his encounter with Shelob with the phial of Galadriel in one hand and Sting in the other? Also, since the dio. line has been incorporated into the new maquette line could a Sam vs Shelob maquette be a possibility?

Answer : Current plans pair the hobbits as Frodo with Sam and Merry with Pippin. A Sam VS Shelob is possible, but not part of our current planning.

 

[superdoug]

Cool so we know that the Hobbits are at least in the current plans.

Who knows how far out those plans go but at leat they are on the radar. I wonder what scenes they're planning with them paired together?

 

[woodsy]

Cool so we know that the Hobbits are at least in the current plans.

Who knows how far out those plans go but at leat they are on the radar. I wonder what scenes they're planning with them paired together?

True, but based on the mediocre response SS has received concerning PF Hobbits, they're probably so far down the list it's not even worth talking about.

 

[The Josh]

Maybe not down as far as you'd think. Remember we tend to me more statue collectors.

 

[woodsy]

Maybe not down as far as you'd think. Remember we tend to me more statue collectors.

Perhaps, but where sheer ES numbers are concerned, the PF line has always been the most popular of all the SS LOTR lines. If SS can't even get more than a handful of people to show interest in Hobbits PF's, then I think people are kidding themselves if they think SS is going to think the Hobbits will be any more popular in the form of maquettes.

 

[The Josh]

They might not sell like gangbusters but will get help as we move closer to The Hobbit.

 

[woodsy]

They might not sell like gangbusters but will get help as we move closer to The Hobbit.

I can see the entire LOTR licence getting an across the board boost from The Hobbit, but that isn't necessarily going to translate into a sudden increase in Hobbit [ie Sam, Frodo, etc...] popularity. The Hobbits weren't all that popuar when LOTR was at it's peak and I just don't see them benefitting any more than any other characters once The Hobbit arrives. If LOTR collectors don't take a stand now [and prove SS wrong] it is going to impact everything SS does where Hobbits collectibles are concerned, no matter what the line or licence.

 

[The Josh]

I truly believe it will be enough of a boost to get the hobbits out earlier than most folks expect. It doesn't have to be those characters per say but if they license as a whole starts to move quicker things as a whole will do so.

 

[woodsy]

I truly believe it will be enough of a boost to get the hobbits out earlier than most folks expect. It doesn't have to be those characters per say but if they license as a whole starts to move quicker things as a whole will do so.

I guess time will tell, but based on the lousy response to a complete Fellowship in PF by Freaks members, I think SS is going to think long and hard before giving the go ahead on a $350 Merry and Pippin maquette....and frankly I don't blame them.

 

[The Josh]

Yeah, it will be interesting to see.

 

[bill59]

I can see the entire LOTR licence getting an across the board boost from The Hobbit, but that isn't necessarily going to translate into a sudden increase in Hobbit [ie Sam, Frodo, etc...] popularity. The Hobbits weren't all that popuar when LOTR was at it's peak and I just don't see them benefitting any more than any other characters once The Hobbit arrives. If LOTR collectors don't take a stand now [and prove SS wrong] it is going to impact everything SS does where Hobbits collectibles are concerned, no matter what the line or licence.

Yeah, I am afraid you are right there Collin.

SS can't be too impressed with the response from us collectors regarding the 9 in PF.

If we don't get our act together, we will never see the full Fellowship in PF form.


Bill

 

[woodsy]

I can see the entire LOTR licence getting an across the board boost from The Hobbit, but that isn't necessarily going to translate into a sudden increase in Hobbit [ie Sam, Frodo, etc...] popularity. The Hobbits weren't all that popuar when LOTR was at it's peak and I just don't see them benefitting any more than any other characters once The Hobbit arrives. If LOTR collectors don't take a stand now [and prove SS wrong] it is going to impact everything SS does where Hobbits collectibles are concerned, no matter what the line or licence.

Yeah, I am afraid you are right there Collin.

SS can't be too impressed with the response from us collectors regarding the 9 in PF.

If we don't get our act together, we will never see the full Fellowship in PF form.

Bill

No, I don't think they are impressed at all. It's not like they're asking us to put our money on the table, they are simply asking us to take one minute out of our busy schedules and email them. If the members here can't even bother to copy and paste a form letter and forward it to SS, then why would they think any of us are going to be willing to pay upwards of $350 for a Sam/Frodo or Merry/Pippin maquette. And I can pretty well guarantee this will be the last time SS ever asks for our advice....based on what they've seen so far.

 

[choopie]

I fully support the completion of the Fellowship, but I'd rather see Sideshow give collectors the Hobbits in the maquette line and not in the PFs, especially if they are made at the expense of other characters like a PEW, Rohirrim, or Gondorian soldier/Fountain Guard, etc., which are more suited to Sideshow's talents in the PF line, IMO. That's not to say that Sideshow wouldn't consider both the Hobbits and secondary characters in PF, but their time is limited.

The success of the Hobbits in the maquette line hinges on price. Slap a $350 price tag on them, and yeah, they are going to sit.

 

[woodsy]

I fully support the completion of the Fellowship, but I'd rather see Sideshow give collectors the Hobbits in the maquette line and not in the PFs, especially if they are made at the expense of other characters like a PEW, Rohirrim, or Gondorian soldier/Fountain Guard, etc., which are more suited to Sideshow's talents in the PF line, IMO. That's not to say that Sideshow wouldn't consider both the Hobbits and secondary characters in PF, but their time is limited.

Personally, I'd rather SS produce a complete Fellowship in both, esp. since not every LOTR collector is going to support both lines. And quite frankly, as LOTR fans we should all be in this together. Even if I wasn't collecting the PF's I would still take the minimal time required to support my fellow LOTR PF collectors. Not only because it will be helping them out, but because I realize there will be ramifications to a complete Fellowship in maquette if people don't show support for a complete Fellowship in PF. And this not only from SS's point of view....good luck to maquette supporters [myself included] should the day come when we need the help of PF collectors when trying to convince SS to produce maquettes of Sam/Frodo, and Merry/Pippin.

The success of the Hobbits in the maquette line hinges on price. Slap a $350 price tag on them, and yeah, they are going to sit.

The maquettes to date have ranged between at $225-$250. Other than a bit less polystone there is no difference between sculpting a Hobbit statue and a human, so I think it stands to reason charging $175/Hobbit is not unreasonable.

 

[DaveMac]

I fully support the completion of the Fellowship, but I'd rather see Sideshow give collectors the Hobbits in the maquette line and not in the PFs, especially if they are made at the expense of other characters like a PEW, Rohirrim, or Gondorian soldier/Fountain Guard, etc., which are more suited to Sideshow's talents in the PF line, IMO. That's not to say that Sideshow wouldn't consider both the Hobbits and secondary characters in PF, but their time is limited.

The success of the Hobbits in the maquette line hinges on price. Slap a $350 price tag on them, and yeah, they are going to sit.

Thanks for the support for the Fellowship. Every bit helps

I understand those who would like to see other more visually 'flashy' characters in the PF line than Hobbits, but there are probably a fair few who won't commit to others in this line until the core characters are made. I think SS realise this well enough hence the early commitment to the 9 in the maquette line

 

[furystorm]

I don't think pairs of Hobbits in maquette form will be as high at $350, or has that been hinted at somewhere that I missed? Since they are more diminutive than their fellowship counterparts, I was feeling more around $275 per pair at the most, and I'm down with that for sure. Of course who can say at this point.

Also, can somebody direct me to the aforementioned form letter concerning a full fellowship in PF form. While I am not collecting that line, I will be happy to help my fellow LOTR collectors.

 

[woodsy]

I don't think pairs of Hobbits in maquette form will be as high at $350, or has that been hinted at somewhere that I missed? Since they are more diminutive than their fellowship counterparts, I was feeling more around $275 per pair at the most, and I'm down with that for sure. Of course who can say at this point.

Nothing has been stated yet. I'm just speculating based on the maquette prices so far and the difference in price between the SSW 1/6 hobbit vs human statues.

Also, can somebody direct me to the aforementioned form letter concerning a full fellowship in PF form. While I am not collecting that line, I will be happy to help my fellow LOTR collectors.

Good man fury! Here's the link for you :

https://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89490

Post #1 contains a direct email and website 'Product Suggestions' link. You will also find numerous 'form letters' to choose from. Simply copy and paste the one you like and send it to SS.