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Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2709 by Valkrist
[quote=""N2darkness""]And the possibilities of new LOTR items, or are we past that point now?[/quote]

As much as that would be awesome, I can't think of a single replica (a new one,) that they would go back and make at this point. The usual suspects have been tossed about for years and met with indifference or refusal: Haldir's sword, Guthwine, Faramir sword, Merry and Pippin's swords. Not sure it would be worth their time to go back and revisit this line now.
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Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2710 by N2darkness
[quote=""Valkrist""]As much as that would be awesome, I can't think of a single replica (a new one,) that they would go back and make at this point. The usual suspects have been tossed about for years and met with indifference or refusal: Haldir's sword, Guthwine, Faramir sword, Merry and Pippin's swords. Not sure it would be worth their time to go back and revisit this line now.[/quote]

Well UC has moved to using polyresin for most of there items which does open the possiblility for newer helms, shields, maces, etc. I can think of a few popular items that could be made, Legolas's bows, Mouth of Sauron helm, Uruk-hai helm, Witchking's mace, Rohan shields and on and on.

Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2711 by Valkrist
Oh there's definitely a nearly infinite arsenal of stuff in those movies that was never released. UC could be kept busy for the next ten years cranking out new stuff. The real question is whether there's much of a market left for many, if not most, of these items. Hobbit-mania will fade soon, and while the diehards like us will always be around, even our extensive collections can't support many more items. If UC doesn't consider it worth their time to make a recognizable weapon like Guthwine, I'm not sure who out there is clamoring for the helm worn by orc #3467, or the rusty rohirrim sword wielded by old man #16 at Helm's Deep.

I'm not trying to be cynical, it's just that I'm personally dubious of the broad-range appeal and demand for second-tier items from LOTR. Polyresin does certainly widen the field of possibilities and I am ever grateful to UC for giving us Sauron's Mace, but I see that as a lucky exception rather than a sign of things to come.
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Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2713 by Valkrist
[quote=""Magneticone""]Correct me if I am wrong , I had heard that the licenses for the Hobbit and LOTR e xp ires this year . I am sure they can extend if they have the interest .[/quote]

I'm sure Kit can clear that one up, though if true, they better kick their production into high gear with the last few Hobbit items then. The announcement-to-release dates lately with UC have been abysmal. In the LOTR days, they used to be just a few short months apart, where now the norm is over one year. I also heard the Hobbit license was much more e xp ensive than LOTR's, so I wonder if the renewal cost will be appealing at all given that most of the items they wanted to release are pretty much done or coming soon.
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Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2715 by Nasnandos
Nothing to clear up. I have mentioned a few times here that all the licenses end in 2015 a few times. I'm sure some licensees, like Weta and United, will negotiate renewal extensions. I hope so anyway.

In the case of United, I think everything that was announced a few months back is all that will be announced until that time. Being a manufacturer, they have to announce and start selling to distributors sometimes a year in advance of e xp ected delivery, so they can't announce anything new coming that is beyond the license term.
KRDS

Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2716 by Valkrist
Sorry, Kit, I know how badly we sound like broken records around here. So much information passes through our ears; some of it sticks, and some of it doesn't. Thanks for your patience just the same. :)

Alright then, disappointing news mingled with a bit of hope.

By my count then, what we have left is:

Mirkwood Elf Infantry Sword
Mirkwood Elf Polearm (possibly cancelled)
Thorin's Regal Sword
Gandalf's Illuminted Staff
Gandalf's Pipe Staff

Did I miss anything? I can't remember (again) if that Mirkwood Soldier Helm was ever approved or not. :huh:
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Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2717 by Nasnandos
The Mirkwood Elf helm is in the sculpting/casting stage, so that will happen. I made some castings of sections of the prop a few weeks back for the factory and I just saw the finished display carving. Looking great so far.

The Black Arrow is coming too. Production of Thorin's sword and Gandalf's BOFA/FOTR staff are nearly done, so those should be shipping next. I saw a production staff yesterday and it looks great. Easily my favorite of all the staffs. The Elf sword and Black Arrow will follow, but they are are still several months away.

I am looking at some options with United tomorrow regarding the polearm, so that's still up in the air.
KRDS

Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2719 by Valkrist
Ah yes, the Black Arrow. I think because Weta has released theirs already that I just forgot about the UC one still having to come out.

Kit, if you may reveal, is the polearm so far along the design and tooling stages that it either goes ahead or is cancelled altogether, rather than the possibility that it be changed to another polearm design that was actually seen in the movies? In other words, is it too late in the game to totally redesign this thing?

Edit: You posted that pic at the same time I was posting. That is one awesome-looking sword. The elves really won the jackpot with beautiful weapons. :)
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Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2720 by Nasnandos
Still waiting on my Weta Black Arrow :(

Tooling has been done on the polearm for quite a while. It has just been in a constant state of revision and testing. At this stage it is more of a 'this is as good as we can do" thing, and making the decision to go forward or not. There may be a couple of things that can be done to improve the finish, but it's just impossible to make it look like it needs to look.

I think it will be situation where people are e xp ecting the finish of Taureil's knives, but what they actually get is more akin to the Fili/Kili replicas. Some people will like it just fine, but I think most will not.
KRDS

Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2725 by Valkrist
Yeah, we got the news pretty fast on the Bard sword poll on FB. Was it mentioned at all during your meeting? I recall a while back they did the same thing with Guthwine but it was nothing but a pointless tease, which was (not) coincidentally timed with Indy announcing that he was going to work on a Guthwine replica.

When I heard of the UC FB question about the Bard sword, I was hoping fervently that you had put the bug in their ear and they were actually serious about finding out how much interest there really is for it.

Here's to hoping. :|
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Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2726 by Nasnandos
I pointed out that was one of the only real steel bladed weapons that could be made if they decided to continue the line, and the biggest financial risk, so that could have been why they did it. They did that poll once before too, but that was long before BOFA was released. Not a big response either time, but definitely some interest. At least for the tiny snapshot Facebook represents.

Sometimes the people that do the social media marketing for them do polls just because they want to though. Maybe they just like the sword and want to see UC make it. I did not even see the person who does those posts last week, so it may have had nothing to do with anything I discussed with the UC crew. We'll see.
KRDS

Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2735 by RATLSNAKE
Looks amazing. I can't be the only one who wants a full suit of this stuff? :)

In sadder news, and yes a tiny bit off-topic but please have patience with me, was saddened to see this article on my daily commute home from work today:
http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/ ... mv8im.html

Granted Andrew wasn't in the WETA workshop that designed the props that lead to the collectables we love, but hell, he was such a big part of making the films of the stories we love, which is safe to to say led to our passion in collecting this awesome stuff. Well at least it did for me. The moment I saw the FotR prologue, I thought "if someone make that Elven blade, I HAVE to have it". <- Referring to both Narsil and the EWS.
"One RATLSNAKE to rule them all."

Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2736 by Nasnandos
[quote=""N2darkness""]Yes, it does look really good. A definite buy for me. It may have been posted before, but how are the originals done? Are they created from a 3D model and printed before being molded? or a hand made and tooled?[/quote]

Since the helms have to be enlarged to fit an average head size, they have to be sculpted from scratch. Well, not completely from scratch. I pulled molds from sections of the prop that could be used in the sculpt without changing much, but the whole helm shell and the wings/fins on the top had to be re-sculpted slightly larger. I also pulled a few molds of large sections of the leather texture to make a sort of stamping tool, so the exact same texture could be pressed into the new sculpt.

After the sculpt was done a silicon mold was of pulled from it, casting made, et cetera. You know all about doing that part :)

[quote=""Valkrist""]Looking good, Kit. Is this a LE item? I can't remember if the Rivendell helm was or not.[/quote]
I don't think so.
Last edited by Nasnandos on Tue Apr 28, 2015 2:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
KRDS

Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2737 by N2darkness
That's cool to know they are hand sculpted or at least partialy done by hand and not just CNC'd. After the product is released I'd love to see some behind the scenes photos of how these all come together if your allowed to show? I'm pretty sure I know, but seeing photos of others creative process is always interesting to me to see different tools and techniques used to recreate a replica.

Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2739 by Valkrist
Just wondering if anyone has seen or heard anything further about Kit's proposed "running change" to the Thranduil sword? I'd love to pick up this replica but not until the newer ones with the improved hilt finish are spotted out in the wild. Heck, I'm not even sure UC's factory listened to Kit's suggestion to change the hilt. Without sales figures, it's impossible to tell if the first run of those swords has been sold into actual customers' hands, or if many of them are still part of dealers' current stock... :huh:
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Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2747 by RevAnakin
Idril wrote:I think Rev has an order in and he has to wait for new stock so.... I imagine that is likely to be the different hilt treatment
Just so everyone is awar: July is the new date UC gave me...
"I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."

Decide what to defend your castle with at www.castlekon.com

Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2748 by Nasnandos
N2darkness wrote:That looks really good. :thumbs_up Are the top 2 wings separate pieces? I'm curious as to how fragile this will be.
The whole front mask, including the wings, is cast separate from the helm shell, as it was on the prop. That's probably how it will be done in production. It's poly, and thin, so it will be prone to breakage just like anything made in poly. We may do the mask part in semi rigid poly so it has a bit more flex and less breakable, but the fine detail does not cast as well.
KRDS

Re: United Cutlery's - The Hobbit - Movie Props!

2749 by RevAnakin
Nasnandos wrote:
N2darkness wrote:That looks really good. :thumbs_up Are the top 2 wings separate pieces? I'm curious as to how fragile this will be.
The whole front mask, including the wings, is cast separate from the helm shell, as it was on the prop. That's probably how it will be done in production. It's poly, and thin, so it will be prone to breakage just like anything made in poly. We may do the mask part in semi rigid poly so it has a bit more flex and less breakable, but the fine detail does not cast as well.
Nothing a bit of foam packaging should protect...
"I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."

Decide what to defend your castle with at www.castlekon.com
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