Morgul Lord Premium Format statue review

[Michael Crawford]

Have no fear - I'm working on those Poppies and People's Picks, and should have the results all ready to publish next week! Til then, I'm checking out the latest LOTR PF statue - the Morgul Lord! While I have some aesthetic issues (and it's more expensive than I think it should be compared to other releases), it's still a great addition to the shelf.

You can find the review at the usual:

https://www.mwctoys.com

Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

Michael
MWC

 

[blue_rogue]

Always enjoy checking out your reviews, Michael!

The detail looks superb on this piece but the pose still kills it for me. I hope SS can give us the definitive ML in the maquette line.

 

[FrodoEyes]

I hope SS can give us the definitive ML in the maquette line.

Already done https://www.wetacollectors.com/2007/07/19/review-sideshow-weta-morgul-lord-statue/

 

[bill59]

Already done https://www.wetacollectors.com/2007/07/19/review-sideshow-weta-morgul-lord-statue/

I was hoping you had some breaking news there Jon.

Kinda knew you must have been taking the mic

Bill

 

[woodsy]

Always enjoy checking out your reviews, Michael!

The detail looks superb on this piece but the pose still kills it for me. I hope SS can give us the definitive ML in the maquette line.

I think alot of us will be very disappointed if SS's 'ultimate' ML doesn't include the ultimate pose.

 

[microdragon]

Have no fear - I'm working on those Poppies and People's Picks, and should have the results all ready to publish next week! Til then, I'm checking out the latest LOTR PF statue - the Morgul Lord! While I have some aesthetic issues (and it's more expensive than I think it should be compared to other releases), it's still a great addition to the shelf.

You can find the review at the usual:

https://www.mwctoys.com

Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

Michael
MWC

I love your pics Michael

 

[Michael Crawford]

Thanks! Yea, woodsy, that's a pose we can all get behind.

 

[FrodoEyes]

I was hoping you had some breaking news there Jon.

Kinda knew you must have been taking the mic

Bill

What, moi?

It IS breaking news though - the SSW Morgul Lord rocks!!

 

[Kaijuboy]

I think alot of us will be very disappointed if SS's 'ultimate' ML doesn't include the ultimate pose.

Thanks! Yea, woodsy, that's a pose we can all get behind.

And for these reasons alone, Sideshow will not use that pose.

But in all seriousness, I dont believe Sideshow will use that pose. They always try to keep things within a relatively tight displayable "area". Thats why you dont see ANY of the Alien statues with their tails behind them or flailing, etc. It poses too much of a display inconvenience for some and a greater chance of breaking. So I think the chances of them putting out ANY statue with its arms fully outstretched (and with a dangling mace & chain in one hand no-less!), are slim to none.

BTW, good review Michael!

 

[Blu Falcon]

From Mike's review...

So if it's so well done, why the B score? For me, it's all about the pose. The more I looked at in person, the more I turned it and shot it, the more awkward the overall pose seemed. The arms and torso aren't bad, but the head is at an odd angle to the body, and the legs appear even more uncomfortable. And while the mace is a cool weapon, there really isn't a good place to put it to make it look right. It's not an extreme issue, it's more subtle than that, and really more of a personal taste situation.

For me the pose is the top crucial element in PFs and collectible statues in general. While there was clearly an attempt to be uber dynamic here, Sideshow failed miserably and missed the mark completely with this piece. It deserves any low rating it gets. That might seem harsh, but for a character as awesome as the Morgul Lord, he deserves a much better treatment than this.

 

[woodsy]

And for these reasons alone, Sideshow will not use that pose.

But in all seriousness, I dont believe Sideshow will use that pose. They always try to keep things within a relatively tight displayable "area". Thats why you dont see ANY of the Alien statues with their tails behind them or flailing, etc. It poses too much of a display inconvenience for some and a greater chance of breaking. So I think the chances of them putting out ANY statue with its arms fully outstretched (and with a dangling mace & chain in one hand no-less!), are slim to none.

BTW, good review Michael!

At the end of the day SS is going to do whatever they want, but they do know what LOTR collectors want in the way of a ML maquette pose and they did take the time to address this issue by answering two of the questions I asked them in regard to that very subject, when clearly they could have ignored them. I think the other thing that is clear so far is SS has cut no corners where the maquette line is concerned, and if this line is to be their "ultimate version" of each character then this is the pose they will give us.

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Question : Regarding the new LOTR maquette line, does Sideshow [within it's licencing agreement] have the ability to produce a 1/6 scale Morgul Lord maquette? If so, can collectors expect to see the iconic outstretched arms pose we have all been hoping for in that line? A lot of us believe this would be the “ultimate version” of the Morgul Lord, and would perfectly capture his “essence”. That is after all, the idea behind the new maquette line, isn’t it?

Answer : The Morgul Lord is a completely viable candidate for the statue series, which is indeed intended to capture each character’s “essence”. We will share your feedback with the design team.

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Question : Sideshow, I’m really curious as to why you opted for the pose you went with on the Morgul Lord Premium Format? I think it safe to say the most iconic pose would have been the exact same one we saw in the background of the Morgul Lord production sneak peek video [arms outstretched, sword in one hand, flail in the other]. I also think it safe to say that is the pose 99% of collectors would have preferred.

Answer : Hmmm… the Morgul Lord is shipping now, and we hope that in-hand images of the final product will address some of the points you raise. We believe this is one that must be seen to be fully appreciated, as the pose was constructed with the intent to provide an interesting piece regardless of viewing angle, a truly interesting piece from a 360-degree point of view. Please feel free to write us back and let us know your final conclusion.

And yes, excellent review Michael!

 

[FrodoEyes]

You should know not to place all your trust and hope in a Sideshow Q&A session!

 

[woodsy]

You should know not to place all your trust and hope in a Sideshow Q&A session!

I might be tempted to, but since SS made no mention of ever producing a ML maquette with the 'ultimate' pose there's really nothing for me to place my hope and trust in.

 

[DaveMac]

Nice, honest review again MC

Worth pointing out again to people that it is only your opinion as to the pose etc, (I still think the awkwardness adds to the piece) and I agree that for such a pricey item there needs to be more stringent checks in the QC department.

Bring on the rest of the Fellowship now

 

[Kaijuboy]

Bring on the rest of the Fellowship now

The Fellowship is broken!