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alphaecho wrote: Was there ever going to be three boxes? I think the studio decision to switch from two films to three didn't help those with licensing deals.
I have no proof but I base this theory on the way the Lego sets were released last year. On the story scale they went upto the barrel escape from the Elvenking's Hall, because if they stayed with movie time scale, they would not have released lego characters of all the dwarves.
I assume GW may have originally planned Goblin Town for one box and Five Armies for the second....then they got stuck with WTF! THREE FILMS. I also think that is why there have been comparitively few releases in the last 12 months. Things like Mirkwood Spiders have had to be delayed.
Think you are pretty much spot on with this. The deal to switch from 2 to 3 movies so late, and then to move the release of the third movie back 5 months just a few months ago must be playing havoc with everyone who has a licensing deal, GW included.
Especially as plastic products usually need 2 years of production time.
GW probably wanted to release a Battle of the five armies box this December, but noone can keep pace with all the changes Peter Jackson makes
MWHU HA HA HA HA HA take that nid players!That's what you get for trying to sneak into our release month!HA HA HA HA HA!(Insert evil laughter)
It is a Hobbit month because a Hobbit release doesn't interfer with sales That's why they throw away the expensive plastic moulds soon and make plastics a "while supply lasts" release.
In January, everyone has time to concentrate on the real thing
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/11/26 01:31:27
We had a major plot point of "The Two Towers" (and "Return of the King" come to think of it) spoiled because of model sculpts being done before the movie came out. The release list we have currently would seem to imply that the Elves are playing a pretty major part in "The Desolation of Smaug"--but that has already kind of been spoiled in the trailers. Notice how careful they have been in regards to how Smaug actually looks though. I kind of expect to see Smaug come out in February or March.
We had a major plot point of "The Two Towers" (and "Return of the King" come to think of it) spoiled because of model sculpts being done before the movie came out. The release list we have currently would seem to imply that the Elves are playing a pretty major part in "The Desolation of Smaug"--but that has already kind of been spoiled in the trailers. Notice how careful they have been in regards to how Smaug actually looks though. I kind of expect to see Smaug come out in February or March.
We had a major plot point of "The Two Towers" (and "Return of the King" come to think of it) spoiled because of model sculpts being done before the movie came out. The release list we have currently would seem to imply that the Elves are playing a pretty major part in "The Desolation of Smaug"--but that has already kind of been spoiled in the trailers. Notice how careful they have been in regards to how Smaug actually looks though. I kind of expect to see Smaug come out in February or March.
What were they?
The elves at Helms Deep.
The trailer did those anyway.When aragorn fell of the cliff I was like:I saw him at helms deep in the trailer he'l be fine.
Kote!
Kandosii sa ka'rte, vode an.
Coruscanta a'den mhi, vode an.
Bal kote,Darasuum kote,
Jorso'ran kando a tome.
Sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad vode an.
Bal...
Motir ca'tra nau tracinya.
Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a.
Aruetyc talyc runi'la trattok'a.
Sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad, vode an!
Those elves are actually pretty cool, I like the look of the Palace Guard especially. The new Legolas and Thranduil are also good. I'm not sure about some of the proportions on the rangers, but aesthetically they're quite nice.
Regardless, at what seems to be £30 a box for 10 single-pose figures, I'll pass (like most of the hobbit stuff, which is a shame as some of them are great figures). I also don't see why the resin Thranduil is cheaper than the plastic Legolas. How can they justify Finecast as a premium product (quality concerns aside) if it's actually the cheaper option?
The spiders are really a bit of a joke, to be honest. Nothing really to set them apart from the cheap plastic spider toys you could buy from a toy shop by the dozen and paint up, especially for the price they are at.
I can see Barrels Out of Bond making a nice diorama if someone were to make the effort, but the price again is a bit steep for something that has no use on the table. Certainly more of a collectors piece, but even then, £50 for 14 models (well, half-models) is a bit much.
It really is a shame that LOTR/The Hobbit is dying out, and pricing the kits like this doesn't really help.
I'm not all that surprised by no Smaug (big box or not) as they've been very careful about keeping him hidden in the press. The big problem facing the production for me is that the Perry Twins have moved away from GW main lines but Peter Jackson is a fan of theirs so they do the main heroes. Also whilst it seems very few people play the game in store these releases pander to collectors. I'm actually pleased to see no new "box of dwarves" (apart from the obvious collectors piece) as that could have been a bit of a cash cow. One thing I am curious about is Thrain the Broken, in the book Thrain was found in the dungeons of the Necromancer by Gandalf but that was before the events in the book as that was where he got the map. I could see that there could be reprisals after Gandalf was given the map but didn't bring Thorin to him. Beorn looks duff compared to the photos I've seen of him online. His hair is much more pointy and I would have thought they would have had him as a Bear rather than his man form. As others have said the spiders are a bit lame but I guess they had to make something that was distinct from the Warhammer Fantasy goblin mounts. All told it looks rather dated but then I suspect they've been sculpted by had as opposed to the CAD designs which we have come to expect in GWs other lines.
Bloodwin wrote: As others have said the spiders are a bit lame but I guess they had to make something that was distinct from the Warhammer Fantasy goblin mounts. All told it looks rather dated but then I suspect they've been sculpted by had as opposed to the CAD designs which we have come to expect in GWs other lines.
Remember that GW didn't design the spiders, they have to match the designs used in the film. If you don't like the design of the spiders, blame Peter Jackson.
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
Avian wrote: IIRC, the Balrog was also released in February, two months after the movie came out.
I don't recall the Balrog having a large promotional statue made of him. We literally did not know what he looked like until you watched the film. Smaug OTOH...
Spoiler:
It's no secret (compared to the Balrog) what he'll look like.
Games Workshop Delenda Est.
Users on ignore- 53.
If you break apart my or anyone else's posts line by line I will not read them.
Avian wrote: IIRC, the Balrog was also released in February, two months after the movie came out.
I don't recall the Balrog having a large promotional statue made of him. We literally did not know what he looked like until you watched the film. Smaug OTOH...
Spoiler:
It's no secret (compared to the Balrog) what he'll look like.
Actually we have only seen parts of Smaug. We have seen the head and the tail--the body is as yet unrevealed. There has been some debate about whether it will be a Western style dragon or a more Eastern style "worm" dragon.
Avian wrote: IIRC, the Balrog was also released in February, two months after the movie came out.
I don't recall the Balrog having a large promotional statue made of him. We literally did not know what he looked like until you watched the film. Smaug OTOH...
Spoiler:
It's no secret (compared to the Balrog) what he'll look like.
Actually we have only seen parts of Smaug. We have seen the head and the tail--the body is as yet unrevealed. There has been some debate about whether it will be a Western style dragon or a more Eastern style "worm" dragon.
Which is still more than we had seen of the Balrog... Which is the point I was making Kan.
Games Workshop Delenda Est.
Users on ignore- 53.
If you break apart my or anyone else's posts line by line I will not read them.
Have a look at this picture to estimate the size and price of a GW Smaug model (Bilbo costs 15$):
This would be bigger than a Stompa kit, for an almost unsupported game like the Hobbit. I don't see this coming.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/11/27 20:02:07
Kroothawk wrote: Have a look at this picture to estimate the size and price of a GW Smaug model (Bilbo costs 15$):
This would be bigger than a Stompa kit, for an almost unsupported game like the Hobbit. I don't see this coming.
Looks about the same size as Toruk.
Introducing Smaug, GW will now be accepting payments of organs to cover his cost.
Games Workshop Delenda Est.
Users on ignore- 53.
If you break apart my or anyone else's posts line by line I will not read them.
Palace Guard Captain 1:
Palace Guard Captain 2:
Ranger Captain 1:
Ranger Captain 2:
Barrels out of Bond:
Mirkwood Spiders:
Beorn:
Thrain the Broken:
Thranduil, King of Mirkwood:
Tauriel:
Legolas Greenleaf:
Palace Guards:
Mirkwood Rangers:
Man, most of those characters look really bad. I don't know if it's the painter or the sculpts, but they're not very flattering . And is anyone other than a couple of display painters going to have any use for a dozen or so separate dwarf / hobbit models in barrels?
The elf units, on the other hand, do look kind of neat!
And those mirkwood spiders . Just like the eagles last year, the creature sculpts seem to be the best for some reason.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2013/11/27 20:41:44
Grimtuff wrote: Looks like several have been removed by Photobucket. GW are on the warpath again!
The previous post to yours didn't have any broken pics. You sure?
Looking for great deals on miniatures or have a large pile you are looking to sell off? Checkout Mindtaker Miniatures.
Live in the Pacific NW? Check out http://ordofanaticus.com
That picture is working fine for me. Probably cached on my end, I'm guessing.
Nope, Hard refresh and went to their site. They are still there.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/11/27 20:48:33
Looking for great deals on miniatures or have a large pile you are looking to sell off? Checkout Mindtaker Miniatures.
Live in the Pacific NW? Check out http://ordofanaticus.com
Looking for great deals on miniatures or have a large pile you are looking to sell off? Checkout Mindtaker Miniatures.
Live in the Pacific NW? Check out http://ordofanaticus.com
Grimtuff wrote: I don't recall the Balrog having a large promotional statue made of him. We literally did not know what he looked like until you watched the film. Smaug OTOH...
If they went to the trouble of creating a model that big I would expect it to have appeared in New Zeland first, where they are well used to promotional aspects around Middle Earth. Also I doubt Smaug will be true to scale, I'd expect something smaller that compares to the size of the Mumakil with a long neck and tail.
. And is anyone other than a couple of display painters going to have any use for a dozen or so separate dwarf / hobbit models in barrels? 
