ASMUS TOYS : Aragorn @ The Battle of Helm's Deep

[ialtaf]

yep, here it is.

View attachment 492953

The resemblance has improved markedly Asmus, Congratulations! I'm definitely ordering, but can't decide between standard and deluxe. Asmus, are you able to show the 2 new accessories please with the deluxe? I believe that'll help a lot of collectors land on either side of the fence.

Thanks once again for listening to us fans, appreciate it.

 

[Gipetto0812]

Hi Asmus, thank you for the real light pictures. And really, thank you for the transparency and the communication.

Unfortunately I also think it's not quite there yet. I can see Aragon, but there is something wrong. It's not like Gandalf Crown when I instantly thought "Wow. Spot on".
Probably it's the cheeckbones. The checkbones from Viggo are very characteristic. But they are too low.

See what I mean:

View attachment 493045

What do you think?

never thought I'd see lines in an LOTR figure thread... thought those were solely saved for TDK Joker and Batman sculpts :

 

[Lizard Lips]

At the HT and Asmus level, its mostly going to come down to whether a particular head sculpt is truly good enough for the collector/consumer.

There's almost no head sculpt produced by any company that I don't have to just bridge the gap in the likeness.

Just examples of stuff I own which are clearly strong but are also sculpts where if I obsessively compare with screen stills they aren't quite there:

HT Doctor Strange IW
HT Star Lord GOTG2
HT Emperor Palpatine (maybe closer to an Ep 3 look but not EP 6)
HT Obi-Wan
Asmus Eomer
Asmus Thorin (yes even him)

When I compare this Aragorn to these examples the degree of difference is at least as significant to my eye if I obsess over the sculpts.

However, at first glance I'm noticing the difference with Aragorn immediately whereas with the others I need to spend a bit more time and look at screen stills before it becomes apparent (and it is very apparent on closer inspection).

Perhaps Viggo has one of those faces that's hard to sculpt because his features are all so distinctive that any discrepancy is instantly noticeable and almost impossible to ignore because at this stage I can't see how the discrepancy is any greater than the other sculpts I listed if you actually take the time to inspect them.

Anyway end of the day if any head sculpt discrepancy bothers you then just don't buy it. That's why I avoided the DX11 Joker, just personally couldn't get there in my head.

 

[Cammo]

Is this still on schedule for a Q4 release? I think I read the 1st batch was due for October already?

 

[Asmus]

Is this still on schedule for a Q4 release? I think I read the 1st batch was due for October already?

yes sir,
October release should be a safe call

 

[Chopper Face]

Lol there's a whole lot of stupid to unpack here. Just because people don't sit there for hours analyzing a headsculpt so they can do asmus job for them, doesn't mean their opinions aren't going to effect their bottom line. If everyone on social media is saying the head sucks then it's much more likely that it does suck and needs work, which it still does. Just because the fanboy in you is getting upset over that and you're letting your brand loyalty lash out on the internet, doesn't mean people aren't entitled to give critiszm the way they want to.
Places like Facebook hold a lot of weight, places like this are filled with yes men who think the Hamill Luke heads look "pretty close." This place is filled with people who pretend something is good just because they've been waiting years for something and refuse to let is pass them by. We'd get even more crap from these companies if all they did was listen to the people here.

Well thank you for misrepresenting both what I wrote and how I approach collecting this line. I don?t know how you could possible think that I?m upset that we?re getting an improved sculpt. I would simply prefer that criticisms consist of more than mere insults and actually offer some constructive feedback- something rarely found on Facebook. You may call that ?doing Asmus? job for them? but I see it as engaging in the creative, development process. I guess the Englishman in me is just after a bit of civility but, judging by the tone of your reply, I?ll lower my expectations.

 

[Asmus]

Lol there's a whole lot of stupid to unpack here. Just because people don't sit there for hours analyzing a headsculpt so they can do asmus job for them, doesn't mean their opinions aren't going to effect their bottom line. If everyone on social media is saying the head sucks then it's much more likely that it does suck and needs work, which it still does. Just because the fanboy in you is getting upset over that and you're letting your brand loyalty lash out on the internet, doesn't mean people aren't entitled to give critiszm the way they want to.
Places like Facebook hold a lot of weight, places like this are filled with yes men who think the Hamill Luke heads look "pretty close." This place is filled with people who pretend something is good just because they've been waiting years for something and refuse to let is pass them by. We'd get even more crap from these companies if all they did was listen to the people here.

Of course you have every right not to like it, and you have all the rights in the world to express it, but calling others stupid because their opinion is different from you?

sorry bro, there are a lot worse names for you that I wouldn't lower my standard to say.

 

[mitraheroe]

Dear Mr. ASMUS, I have a question concerning the ELF DAGGER in the new Aragorn: could you please specify if it will a new recast? Last version's dagger were clearly oversized, and this is a good chance to correct the mistake.
Thanks again for your work and your good attention to us collectors!

 

[Stark Resilient]

Of course you have every right not to like it, and you have all the rights in the world to express it, but calling others stupid because their opinion is different from you?

sorry bro, there are a lot worse names for you that I wouldn't lower my standard to say.

Clap back Asmus is fantastic.

 

[Asmus]

Dear Mr. ASMUS, I have a question concerning the ELF DAGGER in the new Aragorn: could you please specify if it will a new recast? Last version's dagger were clearly oversized, and this is a good chance to correct the mistake.
Thanks again for your work and your good attention to us collectors!

sorry, we are not planing to re-cast our dagger. The size was a perfect shrinkage of a 1:1 prop. (which we have one in our workshop)
and the detail on top was pretty good too

 

[mitraheroe]

sorry, we are not planing to re-cast our dagger. The size was a perfect shrinkage of a 1:1 prop. (which we have one in our workshop)
and the detail on top was pretty good too

Thanks for the info an for being in contact with us for all this matters. This is what makes the difference.

 

[hoodonit00]

sorry, we are not planing to re-cast our dagger. The size was a perfect shrinkage of a 1:1 prop. (which we have one in our workshop)
and the detail on top was pretty good too

Still a lot of negativity about the sculpt on social media. Is what we have been shown the end product or are you going to try and tweak it more?

 

[DakRen]

Still a lot of negativity about the sculpt on social media. Is what we have been shown the end product or are you going to try and tweak it more?

Just Facebook or elsewhere? On Instagram I saw mostly praise saying it was improved over initial final sculpt.

 

[hoodonit00]

Just Facebook or elsewhere? On Instagram I saw mostly praise saying it was improved over initial final sculpt.

My apologies, just on FB.

 

[Indyfan1234]

Still a lot of negativity about the sculpt on social media. Is what we have been shown the end product or are you going to try and tweak it more?

I think asmus said that the new sculpt is what they have chosen to go with and no more tweaking will happen. I could be wrong but thought they said that.

 

[Veil1]

So I've been thinking about pre ordering this, just not 100% sure. How does Asmus compare to hot toys in hand? Likenesses seam to be a little all over the quality scale, but outfits/accessories seem top notch.

 

[DakRen]

So I've been thinking about pre ordering this, just not 100% sure. How does Asmus compare to hot toys in hand? Likenesses seam to be a little all over the quality scale, but outfits/accessories seem top notch.

They are great in hand, I prefer some Asmus LOTR over my HT SW. The lower price also helps you appreciate the quality all the more, you’ll just need to get one to see what I mean. More than likely you won’t be able to stop at just one. I started with Elrond and then got Arwen and Legolas and Thorin and now I have Slim Frodo, Slim Sam, Slim Mouth of Sauron and Twilight Witchking with Theoden and Eomer on their way this week. I also have Crown Gandalf, Gimli, Bilbo, Galadriel, Faramir and Helms Deep Aragorn on preorder. If you have any affection for LOTR, these collectibles will be rewarding and a real joy on display.

 

[Jokes & Bats]

sorry, we are not planing to re-cast our dagger. The size was a perfect shrinkage of a 1:1 prop. (which we have one in our workshop)
and the detail on top was pretty good too

Hi Asmus

I have to respectfully disagree. I am not being negative and I have pre-ordered the figure so don't hate me!

I too have the 1:1 prop and I have the ACI version - compared with the Asmus Aragorn eleven knife (bottom) from a few years ago:





I also hope you were able to see this:

If Asmus happen to read this, is it possible to look at the straps on your scabbard. Here is a picture from tankgirlfuzzy showing how the straps should be:

 

[Chopper Face]

Dayum! I’ve got the knife prop as well and that ACI version looks exactly like it. The scabbard is so much ‘sharper’ looking too.

I hate that there are still superior alternatives to Asmus LOTR at this stage in the line. Everything should be updated and perfected on this new Aragorn. It’s not just the size of a Asmus knife either but the shape of the blade that’s also wrong. It tapers to a slim point instead of having that swooping, leaf-style curve. Maybe the prop they shrank down wasn’t an official product... Either way, it stops me ever wanting to have it on display with my Slim Aragon because I know how off it is.
Yes, Asmus, the details are ‘pretty good’ but, as clearly evidenced by ACI, it could be perfect. Stopping at petty good is why this head sculpt had to be changed after its reveal and pretty good isn’t going to convince me to spend on the deluxe. Reusing anything from the slim just isn’t going to cut it. Strive for better than pretty good.

 

[jal76]

Still a lot of negativity about the sculpt on social media. Is what we have been shown the end product or are you going to try and tweak it more?

Sadly there will never be a sculpt that will please everyone.
If 10 different people were mugged by the real Viggo Mortensen and sat down with the same police sketch artist to give a description...the sketch artist would produce 10 different sketches.
I may be wrong but I believe that the majority of potential buyers see this as an excellent likeness and as close as they can expect from any 1/6 scale version of the character.
Asmus will never be able to recreate what 1000 different collectors see in their minds when they think of Aragorn.