Asmus Toys Lord of the Ring Gandalf Gray

[Xman1990]

I think it’s amazing how they listen to their customers and fans, I also think some people will pick fault with anything, but the hat is definitely an issue and the eyes people either love or hate... at the end of the day the customers and fans are the ones buying their figures.

Be interesting to see what comes of this.

 

[Bucky Underbelly]

Even if they're too far along in the production process to do much about it, I always REALLY appreciate this company's willingness to listen.

(For the record, I think the eyes look great. The hat ... well, if they wanted to swap that out with a better one, I wouldn't argue!)

 

[Rzeznikk]

Has there actually been anyone with this in hand complaining about the eyes? If there are I seemed to have missed it.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[SwedishHeat]

Okay, well that doesn't say they are going to fix the eyes or the hat. That seems pretty typical of customer service "Thanks for the feedback, we have forwarded it to the proper department"

Having followed Asmus since the beginning, I remember people saying they were going to send out new Gandalf the White heads that weren't so warped, there were supposed to be an Orc build-a-figure ... lots of things that were 'supposed to happen' but never did.

Don't read too much into what they post. You see how people treat Hot Toys and how they 'break their promises'. This is how we end up at "Asmus said they were going to give everyone fixed eyes, and never did." They never said they were going to, we just play the game of Telephone and it all gets distorted.

 

[skullboy]

Found some nice pics on another forum

 

[skullboy]

Another from facebook

 

[DakRen]

This is 100% Ian, almost looks like a film still.

 

[DioramaMaker]

The hat is the weakest link here. But the biggest gripe I have is that no one seems to be sitting down and actually styling the hair. It's either all fluffed together into one wad or it's all compressed. Those BBCIN pics are the closest to someone seemingly trying to actual attempt something with it.

It reminds me a LOT of the original Chewie. Tons of people were too afraid to grab a brush and actually style, shape, and level the hair. It was the difference between Chewbacca and something that looked like a teddy bear. I have no doubt Gandalf will be the same here.

 

[Alatar]

So I futzed around a bit with the eyes a bit this evening. Moving them to any angle is easy. But for most poses we’re going to want the eyes looking straight ahead.

My thinking in inspecting the eyes was to see if in fact they need to be pushed in more to be flush with the face. But that’s actually not the problem. They fit the face fine.

I see upon removing them that the white of the eye is colored gray. I find to be a curious choice. This probably accounts for why the eyes seem to look recessed. If Asmus is going to make some fixes on this figure: add to a hat that fits, eyes with the white of the eyeball painted white.

 

[DioramaMaker]

So I futzed around a bit with the eyes a bit this evening. I see upon removing them that the white of the eye is colored gray. I find to be a curious choice. This probably accounts for why the eyes seem to look recessed. If Asmus is going to make some fixes on this figure: add to a hat that fits, eyes with the white of the eyeball painted white.

It's a common technique when painting eyes to not use staunch white for the sclera. You usually blend some flesh tone and gray into the white; white white doesn't come out naturally.

 

[Alatar]

Yeah, I hear you on the sclera color, but maybe it just needs to be a bit lighter shade if not pure white.

 

[Alatar]

I’m sure that properly styled the beard will look utterly amazing. The hair is very fine so just combing it probably isn’t enough to control and shape it. I probably requires wetting and a wee bit of styling gel. I just don’t trust my skills at that enough to take a stab at it.

 

[Xman1990]

I?m sure that properly styled the beard will look utterly amazing. The hair is very fine so just combing it probably isn?t enough to control and shape it. I probably requires wetting and a wee bit of styling gel. I just don?t trust my skills at that enough to take a stab at it.

I?ll be keeping the beard bushy, but gonna be giving the hair some styling.

The hat issue is bugging me I?d like asmus to give us some clarification on the situation.

It?s a shame to cover up the amazing hair work but why include the hat ? Is it just as a prop but then the online photos from asmus have him with the hat on.? If it doesn?t go on his head properly then there?s is an issue. Shouldn?t have to but an older version to have it sit on his head.

 

[jal76]

I?m not sure that there is much for Asmus to clarify.
The hat was a misstep in an otherwise excellent release.
Stuff happens and it is what it is.
There have only been a handful of 1/6 releases that were truly perfect.
The hat means that an otherwise excellent release will fall short of being perfect.
Collectors like myself who did not plan to display him with the hat will have an imperfect release but at least a perfect display of an imperfect release.
If my idealized Gandalf was him wearing a hat I would be frustrated too, I got lucky in that I always think of him as ideally hatless.

 

[Thainitty]

The little cloth patch that covers the opening on the hat comes off super easy then You could remove the foam and the magnet in the hat and maybe stretch the opening a bit and it would be fine after that....you?d just have to take care not to damage the hair. Not making an excuse the hat is definitely the weakest link but I can be made to work

 

[warlock664]

I got lucky in that I always think of him as ideally hatless.

Hatless?
Gandalf the White, sure.
But Gandalf the Grey needs his iconic hat.
Honestly, though, there are enough options out there, with the Asmus 1.0 hat, or the Sideshow molded hat, that it doesn’t bother me too much. And I could probably mod the 2.0 hat to make it work.

 

[Hoody999]

The little cloth patch that covers the opening on the hat comes off super easy then You could remove the foam and the magnet in the hat and maybe stretch the opening a bit and it would be fine after that....you?d just have to take care not to damage the hair. Not making an excuse the hat is definitely the weakest link but I can be made to work

Is there a magnet to keep it on ?? That's interesting. Then perhaps an oversized piece of thinner material can replace the one on there now so the magnet has something to be stuck to, and it can form with the head. Rather than it sitting flat on top of the head. (see sketch)

But I anticipate the diameter for the head to fit into may need to be larger ??

Anyone with it in hand think this could work ? Or are my assumptions wrong with the magnet ?

 

[jal76]

Hatless?
Gandalf the White, sure.
But Gandalf the Grey needs his iconic hat.
Honestly, though, there are enough options out there, with the Asmus 1.0 hat, or the Sideshow molded hat, that it doesn?t bother me too much. And I could probably mod the 2.0 hat to make it work.

Nope. We?re gonna have to agree to disagree on that one.
That?s the beauty of cinema, we all appreciate it in different ways.
In all of my favorite Gandalf the Grey moments he is hatless.
His battle with Saruman. His battle with the Balrog. The iconic You Shall not Pass moment. His time at Rivendell.
You?re welcome to see him how you want, I see him as being a hatless character who occasionally wears a hat versus a hatted character who is occasionally hatless.
Don?t care about total minutes with a hat versus without either, it just comes down to my own favorite scenes.
To each his or her own.
Fortunately with what I like about Gandalf, Asmus could have made the worlds greatest hat and it would still be staying in the box. I couldn?t be much happier.

 

[ShadowGuardian]

You're welcome to see him how you want, I see him as being a hatless character who occasionally wears a hat versus a hatted character who is occasionally hatless.

This may be the most profound thought I've read all day. I gotta say, I'm in the hatted character who is occasionally hat-less camp.

 

[Life_m2000]

This may be the most profound thought I've read all day. I gotta say, I'm in the hatted character who is occasionally hat-less camp.

I?m in the Hatted character camp too. Lol