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nusilver
Rohan
Nov 23 2015, 7:48am
Post #1 of 11
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Battle of the Five Armies Blu-ray Gift Set Figure: Silent Reflection (Gandalf and Bilbo)
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Hi all,
Thought I'd share some images of the figure that came with the gift set of Battle of the Five Armies: Extended Edition on Blu-ray. I've posted TORn-friendly 400x images here; links to full-res versions (hosted at my website) are listed beneath each shrunken-down image.
I'll say a few things about the figure:
1) It's a vast improvement over the Bilbo/Gollum figure that came with the gift set version of An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition (which I own, but have placed on a shelf that nobody can see above our front door); for anyone who's seen that set, you'll recall Gollum was fairly well detailed but Bilbo looked nothing like Martin Freeman, with barely any detail to be seen on his face. It is also quite a big improved over the Barrel Rider figure that came with the Desolation of Smaug: Extended Edition gift set, where Thorin had pink cheeks that made him look like he'd been made up by his older sister (good one, Dis!), Fili looked like a caricature of himself, and Bilbo looked like a scale double wearing a Martin Freeman mask (or Michael Meyers, take your pick.) They've really outdone themselves this time; for something that retails for only $55 with 2D Blu-ray set included, it's a steal and I dare say approaches the level of some of the $400 Weta figures (approaches, but does not quite reaches... don't worry, you spendy collectors, I understand there's a distinction!) I was also quite pleased to get a $15 discount after a 5-day delay on my order (which was supposed to be delivered last Tuesday, the street date), so altogether, I paid just over $43 with tax for this. Given that I'm selling all of the individual releases (keeping the separate trilogy box set I bought), I'll likely actually come out ahead on this.
2) All that said about the quality of the figure--it really is beautiful!--the quality control on these will vary; these are mass-produced for consumers who would like a piece of Middle-earth in their homes but cannot afford the extravagant Weta figures (if anyone wants to send me a Smaug, I will name my first child after you. Or probably after my mom or my wife's father. Okay, I'll thank you profusely!) What that means is that even though when you open your box you'll see a sticker that says "QC passed," you're likely going to find some issues with your set, which you will either have to learn to live with or will have to try and exchange for one you're happy with (not easy to do with an item that is exclusive to an online retailer). In my case, it looks like someone at the factory tried and failed to glue Gandalf's pipe off to the right of where it's supposed to have been glued, and as such they left a small piece of pipe next to the one they eventually attached to my figure, such that it looked like Gandalf was simultaneously smoking a pipe and chomping on a stogie. I was able to remove the extra bit very carefully and now Gandalf looks as he should (you won't see any extra pipes in these images), but I'm good with my hands and have the right kind of tools to accomplish such a feat. If you're not confident in your own skills, I wouldn't risk trying to "fix" anything on these yourself; simply get Amazon to send you a replacement, and then you should have a week or two to return the original one (so that if you receive a replacement and the replacement still has issues, you can decide which one is better.) Again: don't try to fix anything if you don't think you're capable, because you could damage something very pretty if you're not careful.
3) A fun little bit of trivia, along with some comment on the level of detail: the figure is not film-accurate, in that it depicts Gandalf placing his hand on Bilbo's shoulder. It's a nice nod to the moment it's meant to represent in that it conveys the simple comfort a friend's touch can bring to a grieving soul, but Gandalf never puts his hand on Bilbo's shoulder in the scene -- in fact, he never touches him at all. Other details are slightly inconsistent -- Bilbo's face is dirty, as it should be, but Gandalf's is spotless, despite being dirty in the film -- but overall, it's simply a gorgeous collectible and I am so beyond happy to have it at my desk. It's a shame we never got a Smaug figure with these sets, but Gandalf and Bilbo are the two most iconic characters in Tolkien's legendarium, and this set couldn't be nicer for the price point.
4) Lastly, there is a tiny bit of assembly required, in that you will have to bend and twist Gandalf's staff into place. Take your time and take it easy -- it is meant to slide all the way down into the crook of Gandalf's arm so that the bottom of the staff touches the base.
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection1.jpg
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection2.jpg
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection3.jpg
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection4.jpg
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection5.jpg
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection8.jpg
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection9.jpg
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection10.jpg
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection11.jpg
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection6.jpg
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...ilentreflection7.jpg
Oh, and here's one bonus image; I'm not one to keep giant boxes for these kinds of things, so I've already dropped the box for the gift set into the recycling can... however, I really liked the back panel of the box, with shows Bilbo walking up Bagshot Row to Bag End at the end of the film. I cut this one out and stuck it on the wall next to my desk, because why not?
Full-res image at: http://www.invisiblegamer.net/...botfagiftbox1.jpg
"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer." - Samwise
(This post was edited by nusilver on Nov 23 2015, 7:58am)
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jlj93byu
Rivendell
Nov 23 2015, 4:40pm
Post #2 of 11
(2166 views)
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I completely agree. This piece really stands out as one of the better ones. Thank you for the photos as well--you confirmed that mine has some slight paint defects. Notably, mine has black marks on Gandalf's face. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be that way (making it appear dirty from the battle), but I didn't think so. I hate to be picky, but may request a replacement from Amazon for the paint defects. Small, yes, but still imperfect. I figure then Amazon Warehouse Deals can sell the one I send back at a discount to a lucky collector who doesn't want to pay full price for the set, so I'm really helping someone out!
Also, I haven't yet tried to get Gandalf's staff in. I have tried but kept worrying I would break it as it doesn't slide down easy.
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nusilver
Rohan
Nov 23 2015, 5:18pm
Post #3 of 11
(2163 views)
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I completely agree. This piece really stands out as one of the better ones. Thank you for the photos as well--you confirmed that mine has some slight paint defects. Notably, mine has black marks on Gandalf's face. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be that way (making it appear dirty from the battle), but I didn't think so. I hate to be picky, but may request a replacement from Amazon for the paint defects. Small, yes, but still imperfect. I figure then Amazon Warehouse Deals can sell the one I send back at a discount to a lucky collector who doesn't want to pay full price for the set, so I'm really helping someone out!
Also, I haven't yet tried to get Gandalf's staff in. I have tried but kept worrying I would break it as it doesn't slide down easy.
would you be able to link to a picture of Gandalf's face on yours? I was actually hoping for it to be a bit dirty, but then if I'm only going to have one Gandalf figure in my apartment, I guess I can deal with a clean-faced Gandalf.
Here's a quick photo of what Gandalf looked like before I cut off the extra piece of pipe... I didn't notice it at first until I was looking at this picture, and then I realized I'd better try and do something about it!
https://pbs.twimg.com/.../CUcKTWJVEAAtTgF.jpg
"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer." - Samwise
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jlj93byu
Rivendell
Nov 23 2015, 6:06pm
Post #4 of 11
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I'm at work but will grab a photo when I get home in 6-7 hours. And I didn't see that extra pipe piece originally sticking out of his mouth, but now that I have it is pretty distracting in that photo.
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nusilver
Rohan
Nov 24 2015, 2:59am
Post #5 of 11
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I'm at work but will grab a photo when I get home in 6-7 hours. And I didn't see that extra pipe piece originally sticking out of his mouth, but now that I have it is pretty distracting in that photo.
thanks! just curious - no rush.
"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer." - Samwise
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jlj93byu
Rivendell
Nov 24 2015, 3:49am
Post #6 of 11
(2142 views)
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Here is a photo of Bilbo and Gandalf's faces. I noticed my Bilbo also has a larger black mark right on the tip of his nose that shouldn't be there, in addition to the black marks across Gandalf's face that shouldn't be there.
Sorry the image quality isn't great. I had to keep shrinking the image size down to a mere 48 KB to post it.
(This post was edited by jlj93byu on Nov 24 2015, 3:50am)
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smaller statue.jpg
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nusilver
Rohan
Nov 24 2015, 4:41pm
Post #7 of 11
(2115 views)
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Here is a photo of Bilbo and Gandalf's faces. I noticed my Bilbo also has a larger black mark right on the tip of his nose that shouldn't be there, in addition to the black marks across Gandalf's face that shouldn't be there.
Sorry the image quality isn't great. I had to keep shrinking the image size down to a mere 48 KB to post it.
Yeah, the image restrictions here are pretty terrible, right? I see what you mean, though, on his forehead? You'd probably only be happy with an exchange :)
"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer." - Samwise
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Avandel
Half-elven
Nov 28 2015, 5:08pm
Post #8 of 11
(2031 views)
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Just sayin' I love love the DOS barrels figure
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It is also quite a big improved over the Barrel Rider figure that came with the Desolation of Smaug: Extended Edition gift set, where Thorin had pink cheeks that made him look like he'd been made up by his older sister (good one, Dis!), Fili looked like a caricature of himself, and Bilbo looked like a scale double wearing a Martin Freeman mask (or Michael Meyers, take your pick.)
Tho I did exchange a DOS set re not being happy with a very pale paint job on Thorin - plus a spot that looked like a Cindy Crawford mole.
IMO the barrels figure, at that scale, is amazing in it's detail re the wet clothes and hair, the barrels, the likenesses on something that tiny, the water IN the barrels, and the overall energy of the piece (BTW that's Kili in the sculpt, not Fili but LOL everyone mixes the names up. ) Amazon exhibited it's usual greatness - exchanged no problem (- and within reason, I love Thorin's flushed cheeks.)
My paint jobs are great for this size/price point and seems like the sculptor Gary Hunt is terrific with energy and likenesses.
(And too - since you mention film inconsistencies - as far as I remember Bilbo was hanging off Nori's barrel, not Kili's . Tho w. the frenzy of the barrel scene I'd have to go through frame by frame.)
From what I have seen of the in hand images, IMO the BOFA EE sculpt is very well done. Wasn't impressed at first w. prototype images - thought that Gandalf looked like he was partying all night and needed Bilbo for support - but "real life" images - very nice.
And IMO *sigh* I've learned that even if you PAY for a nice collectible $$$$ doesn't mean it will show up nice - reading reviews and such on Sideshow collectibles and other sites is an eye-opener. Light up features that don't work and are unfixable, bad paint, crazing paint, fiimsy bases, lack of replacement parts, laughable paint jobs that in no way whatsoever resemble prototypes - yep, I love my DOS collector set (not saying there are not a lot of nice collectibles out there from Sideshow and other companies, but I was surprised that there would be major issues for pieces that are hundreds of dollars from time to time, evidently. )
Wishful thinking but I wish there had been a BOFA EE dwarf sculpt to choose from (Thorin/Fili/Kili) and maybe a DG, but I suppose we are fortunate we got collector sets. When the U.S. didn't even have a steelbook for the BOFA EE.
While appropriate, for me tho - am a dwarf fan for one thing, and for me the film IS about other things than this scene, so this is a pass for me. That's OK, as WETA is currently having a nice Black Friday sale, so I finally pulled the trigger on Dwalin. My little Thorin needs his faithful badass lieutenant. Shame I can't get a 1/6 scale Bilbo reading the contract, which I would love.
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Avandel
Half-elven
Nov 28 2015, 5:12pm
Post #9 of 11
(2028 views)
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I've seen posts in other collector forums suggesting a dry eraser for paint marks/smudges, or a Q-tip in alcohol (tho I would test this first, in an inconspicuous spot).
Or, of course, an exchange. 
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sevilodorf
Tol Eressea
Nov 30 2015, 2:17am
Post #10 of 11
(1978 views)
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Fourth Age Adventures at the Inn of the Burping Troll http://burpingtroll.com
Home of TheOneRing.net Best FanFic stories of 2005 and 2006 "The Last Grey Ship" and "Ashes, East Wind, Hope That Rises" by Erin Rua
(Found in Mathoms, LOTR Tales Untold)
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nusilver
Rohan
Nov 30 2015, 4:58pm
Post #11 of 11
(1965 views)
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(BTW that's Kili in the sculpt, not Fili but LOL everyone mixes the names up. )
Whoops - I actually don't mix the names up... purely a typo! :)
"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer." - Samwise
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