Asmus Toys Lord of the Ring Gandalf Gray

[ShadowGuardian]

Nobody liked PERS when Hot Toys did it, the decision to use it here is inexplicable.

*slowly raises hand* I like PERS.

Pretty brutal review, sorry to hear you aren't happy with it Swedish! Hopefully BBTS will take it back if you decide to return.

My expectations for this thing have been lowered a little bit since I originally saw the proto pictures, but I am still quite excited to get mine. I was hoping it would come today but DHL is going slow for once. Tomorrow maybe but would not be surprised if it comes next week now.

 

[Rzeznikk]

Every complaint you've read about this figure is true.

I've spent about 15 minutes going over mine ... this figure is a mess. Not worth $350. It's $350 worth of work, but $150 worth of figure.

Mine came from BBTS, the pipe was in a baggie inside the shipping box. It's apparent that Asmus sent these pipes to BBTS separately. BBTS bagged them, labeled them, and included them in the shipping box to customers.

My staff is also missing a hole, the pipe doesn't fit.

The base parts don't fit together. It is simply unusable.

The hair is a mess out of the box. They should've included some sort of brush. Hot Toys included a comb with Chewbacca, that is the bare minimum effort. Plus there's excess glue on the scalp, that shines in the light. So anyone who was saying "Well, I just won't use the hat" you get to deal with that too.

The eyes are just how photos have shown. It's not 'better in hand'. If you look at them straight on, they reflect too much light. Nobody liked PERS when Hot Toys did it, the decision to use it here is inexplicable.

The hat is just bad, the magnet on mine is glued on incorrectly, so it literally falls in front of his face. It's not even the issue that it sits too high, mine doesn't even sit on top of his head. I try to put it on properly, and the hat literally spins to the side and falls in front of his face, because the magnet is installed wrong ... how does this happen on a $350 figure?!?!

The sword is cool, the outfit and weathering is cool. I dig the fabric boots.

A $350 figure should be great out of the box, not require a Dremel, or additional tools to make the figure look like the promo shots. Hence, this is not a $350 figure, nor is it even a $350 head. If I had paid a customizer to hair a head, they certainly would've packed it better, and preserved the hair work, and ensured the customer didn't receive it 'frizzy'. Hot Toys at least includes a plastic band around the hair to keep it in place, Asmus didn't even do that here.

I was thinking about flipping this figure, but it's going to be way easier to just return it to BBTS. I was hopeful to start a LOTR collection with this figure, but it's clear Asmus just isn't up to scratch.

Yeah sounds like yours is a mess and you should definitely return it.

Almost seems like Asmus sent BBTS the rejects.

*slowly raises hand* I like PERS.

Pretty brutal review, sorry to hear you aren't happy with it Swedish! Hopefully BBTS will take it back if you decide to return.

My expectations for this thing have been lowered a little bit since I originally saw the proto pictures, but I am still quite excited to get mine. I was hoping it would come today but DHL is going slow for once. Tomorrow maybe but would not be surprised if it comes next week now.

I like PERS as well. And hope Asmus and HT continue to use them. Just cut back on the overuse on the gloss...

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[jra81984]

Every complaint you've read about this figure is true.

I've spent about 15 minutes going over mine ... this figure is a mess. Not worth $350. It's $350 worth of work, but $150 worth of figure.

Mine came from BBTS, the pipe was in a baggie inside the shipping box. It's apparent that Asmus sent these pipes to BBTS separately. BBTS bagged them, labeled them, and included them in the shipping box to customers.

My staff is also missing a hole, the pipe doesn't fit.

The base parts don't fit together. It is simply unusable.

The hair is a mess out of the box. They should've included some sort of brush. Hot Toys included a comb with Chewbacca, that is the bare minimum effort. Plus there's excess glue on the scalp, that shines in the light. So anyone who was saying "Well, I just won't use the hat" you get to deal with that too.

The eyes are just how photos have shown. It's not 'better in hand'. If you look at them straight on, they reflect too much light. Nobody liked PERS when Hot Toys did it, the decision to use it here is inexplicable.

The hat is just bad, the magnet on mine is glued on incorrectly, so it literally falls in front of his face. It's not even the issue that it sits too high, mine doesn't even sit on top of his head. I try to put it on properly, and the hat literally spins to the side and falls in front of his face, because the magnet is installed wrong ... how does this happen on a $350 figure?!?!

The sword is cool, the outfit and weathering is cool. I dig the fabric boots.

A $350 figure should be great out of the box, not require a Dremel, or additional tools to make the figure look like the promo shots. Hence, this is not a $350 figure, nor is it even a $350 head. If I had paid a customizer to hair a head, they certainly would've packed it better, and preserved the hair work, and ensured the customer didn't receive it 'frizzy'. Hot Toys at least includes a plastic band around the hair to keep it in place, Asmus didn't even do that here.

I was thinking about flipping this figure, but it's going to be way easier to just return it to BBTS. I was hopeful to start a LOTR collection with this figure, but it's clear Asmus just isn't up to scratch.

I have to agree with many of these points. I am sending mine to a customizer to fix the eyes and treat the hair a bit. Some people are fine settling for the deep and glossy eyes, however I cannot. I managed to find my sideshow hat, which looks much better than the included one, which is a shame. My set was actually missing the pipe bag, so I?m waiting to hear back from asmus to replace that.

This figure is certainly not perfection, but it is the best commercial release that we will see for a long time.

 

[DioramaMaker]

So what's the consensus on the big disparity between the initial in hand shots by members like Rzeznikk and Maximus_73 and the present ones? Not that I'm doubting there's some questionable stuff here, but clearly their figures looked great with a pass or two of futzing. And everyone lauded it as such.

Dave's work is great. I have thoughts to smooth the eyelids myself, but am hesitant to modify a figure like this.

 

[Rzeznikk]

So what's the consensus on the big disparity between the initial in hand shots by members like Rzeznikk and Maximus_73 and the present ones? Not that I'm doubting there's some questionable stuff here, but clearly their figures looked great with a pass or two of futzing. And everyone lauded it as such.

Dave's work is great. I have thoughts to smooth the eyelids myself, but am hesitant to modify a figure like this.

*Hair and beard can be tamed with water or product. And this was a given. Any person that thought they weren't going to have to futz the hair out of the box shouldn't have bothered with this release in the first place.

Speaking of: Can we see some pics of the hair that is glued on sideways? That would be a legit issue that would piss me off. Not really a good/easy fix for something like that. And should be replaced.

*Hat is a complete fail (pretty much the only complaint in the laundry list of complaints that I agree with) one of which I agree should be addressed from @Asmus the magnet being glued on wrong the patch and the whole execution of it is ridiculous.

*Movable eyes. I personally don't see an issue with aside from the over gloss. I'm still going to look at doing some dull coat and see if that lessens the issue. The shadows cast from the eyelids are literally how Ian's eyes are. So I don't think it's really necessary to mod. Though we have seen that it can look great with Dave's work. I dont know if I want to lose the Movable eyes in the process.

*I've seen some people complain about the body being loose and I can't see what they are complaining about. This is the same body they used for their Helms Deep Aragorn and both of mine as sturdy and hold poses fine. So I can't relate to those issues at all.

*Staff/Pipe issues. I think that Asmus should address this as well if the pipe was missing or the staff didn't have the hole etc. But if the staff is missing a hole it *is* a very simple fix. Yes, I get it, you shouldn't have to blah blah blah. But **** happens and it's not the end of the world. Pop a hole in the staff with a dremel and enjoy your figure. There's more important things to cry about.

*Base. I can see why some people might be upset with the crowded feel with Gandalf on the base with the fence/mail post, but as I never intended to use it for Gandalf it's not a negative for me personally.

What were some of the other issues/complaints? Did I miss any? [emoji38]

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[SwedishHeat]

So what's the consensus on the big disparity between the initial in hand shots by members like Rzeznikk and Maximus_73 and the present ones? Not that I'm doubting there's some questionable stuff here, but clearly their figures looked great with a pass or two of futzing. And everyone lauded it as such.

Dave's work is great. I have thoughts to smooth the eyelids myself, but am hesitant to modify a figure like this.

The earlier photos were presented by people who put significant effort into making the figure look good. This is not a figure that you can take out of the box and put it on the shelf. I think it goes beyond the realm of 'futzing'. If you often customize your figures, and are comfortable with sanding, sculpting, painting, and that sort of thing, this figure might be more up your alley.

It remains to be seen how much of BBTS' stock is defective. At the very least, everyone with a BBTS order thus far has received a staff that doesn't fit the pipe, and base that doesn't fit together. It seems like those received from Asmus don't have that problem. So it's hard to say how many of us who are unhappy simply received 'a bad batch'. But realistically, there shouldn't be 'a bad batch', they should all be the same, which makes it rather curious why there folks are receiving staffs with or without holes, and bases that do or don't fit together. Did these parts all not come out of the same mold?

 

[davejames]

So what's the consensus on the big disparity between the initial in hand shots by members like Rzeznikk and Maximus_73 and the present ones? Not that I'm doubting there's some questionable stuff here, but clearly their figures looked great with a pass or two of futzing. And everyone lauded it as such.

Dave's work is great. I have thoughts to smooth the eyelids myself, but am hesitant to modify a figure like this.

Honestly I haven't seen much difference at all in how the stock heads look from one pic to another. I think it's just a matter of how well people pose and futz and carefully light the figure so as to hide the problem areas.

 

[FlyAndFight]

Just like Faramir, I've put my Gandalf in the display case and will work on them later on, when I can find some time to futz and tweak them. I think that if they had protected Gandalf's hair a little better, instead of just inserting him into that foam cut-out, a lot of my frustration would have been prevented.

I just received Galadriel today and she was like a breath of fresh air. Great out of the box and the only futzing I see will be moving some of her hair towards the front of her shoulders. That's about it. Oh, and finding that perfect elven queen pose to display her in.

 

[rjszar]

Was lucky enough to get a spare head and a couple of hats yesterday when Toy Anxiety broke down a few of these. I'm going to take out the extra stuff inside the hat and see if I can get it to sit right on the head. Was afraid to try that with the one that it came with.

 

[Rzeznikk]

Was lucky enough to get a spare head and a couple of hats yesterday when Toy Anxiety broke down a few of these. I'm going to take out the extra stuff inside the hat and see if I can get it to sit right on the head. Was afraid to try that with the one that it came with.

How much did the head sell for on Toy Anxiety?

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[jal76]

Was lucky enough to get a spare head and a couple of hats yesterday when Toy Anxiety broke down a few of these. I'm going to take out the extra stuff inside the hat and see if I can get it to sit right on the head. Was afraid to try that with the one that it came with.

Wow people are still waiting for invoices from Asmus while Toy Anxiety is already selling the figure in parts.
What a shame.

 

[Joe The Collector]

Wow people are still waiting for invoices from Asmus while Toy Anxiety is already selling the figure in parts.
What a shame.

And the silence from Asmus continues. They are risking their reputation here... only takes one to damage for years.

 

[rjszar]

How much did the head sell for on Toy Anxiety?

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Just shy of $100

 

[rjszar]

Wow people are still waiting for invoices from Asmus while Toy Anxiety is already selling the figure in parts.
What a shame.

What does TA breaking this down have to do with people still waiting. People that did get theirs already are allowed to do whatever they want with them. Retailers did get stock.

 

[warlock664]

Was lucky enough to get a spare head and a couple of hats yesterday when Toy Anxiety broke down a few of these. I'm going to take out the extra stuff inside the hat and see if I can get it to sit right on the head. Was afraid to try that with the one that it came with.

Aargh!
Congrats; I had hoped to score an extra hat to mod but they’re all gone now; wonder if they’ll restock at some point?

 

[ShadowGuardian]

Just shy of $100

That is a pretty great price for the head.

 

[SwedishHeat]

What does TA breaking this down have to do with people still waiting. People that did get theirs already are allowed to do whatever they want with them. Retailers did get stock.

Because ideally, Asmus would send customers who ordered directly from them the first shipments before fulfilling retailers orders.

At the same time, BBTS and Toy Anxiety ALSO ordered directly from Asmus, and they ordered a lot more than just one figure. So you could make the argument that BBTS is a more important customer than individual orders.

 

[CrankbaitJon]

What does TA breaking this down have to do with people still waiting. People that did get theirs already are allowed to do whatever they want with them. Retailers did get stock.

I think the original statement is about the fact that people who ordered directly from Asmus are still waiting while retailers are shipping out. I'm one of those people, no figure shipped because of postage restrictions. I would have the figure now if I ordered from the usual reseller that I use for Hot Toys.

 

[ShadowGuardian]

For those of you that are still waiting on Asmus, have you considered cancelling and ordering from BBTS or something? Assuming BBTS isn't sold out....

I should be getting my Gandalf today assuming my postman doesn't royally screw up.

Edit:YES coming today.

 

[Donovangian]

I received my figure from BBTS unfortunately I had to contact them because his pipe is missing. His staff also doesn’t seem to have a place for it.