Ladies and gents, gather ’round for the very special conclusion to our Weta Collectibles Hellgate: Cabalist Giveaway!

As promised, WetaNZ marketing manager, Magnus Hjert, has been entrusted with the unenviable task of selecting a winner from the varied and wonderful responses to our question: “What’s your dream Weta collectible?”

So without further ado, sir, your verdict please!:

Dear Wetacollectors,
After carefully examining the entries in the competition and been in awe of the amount of creativity expressed, I have come to the following conclusion.

I will start with a couple of honorable mentions…

To Aran (read his entry):
For starting off on a theme to which I found myself going “now that’s a good idea”, and ending up with a piece of entertainment electronica that is way outside Weta’s sphere of expertise and influence. But I would REALLY like one of them things in my living room, and we thoroughly encourage thinking outside the box here at Weta, so your contribution is noted, Aran, and I hope you enter a competition at Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft with that idea…

To Oldduffer (read his entry):
I would really have liked to award you the prize, as I like many others, thoroughly enjoyed reading your entry. Several times. I lost myself completely in the arms of the warior princess and had a game of 5-card stud with the boys, but when the smoke screens cleared, I wasn’t 100% sure what I was actually collecting…

Sooo. To the winner, then.
If there’s one thing we value higher than thinking outside the box here at Weta, it’s ESP and psychic powers. The unfaltering ability to see things and thoughts and futures coming together from whisps of smoke. For showing without a shadow of a doubt that if you wish for something hard enough…

The Cabalist goes to Darth Rage (read his entry) for dreaming up collectibles that on the one hand sum up everything that Weta stands for in artistry, workmanship and dedication and on the other predicts the immediate future with stunning accuracy…

Am I being too coy?

You guys are the first to know, but we will VERY shortly make a range of one-off swords of Peter Lyon, Weta’s swordsmith, available for collectors. I was literally handing the first two STUNNING swords to the photographer when I got an email from Charles asking me for my verdict.

I will email Peter (who’s currently giving swordmaking workshops at Leeds Armoury Museum in the UK plug, plug) the idea of making an Excalibur, which surely must be the Holy Grail (if the pun is excused) for a swordmaker…

Cheers all for your contributions and congratulations, Darth Rage!

Charles, could I please have a copy of all the entries for our ideas database…?

Magnus

Winner: Darth Rage

The Sith wins it! Thank you, everyone for entering the contest, and even if you didn’t nab the Hellgate piece, I hope this delicious piece of collectible news was conciliatory enough a prize.

Note also that Weta is offering a “Buy one, get one FREE” offer for Hellgate this month. What superb timing! (enter HELLGATE241 during checkout)

Thank you again maestro Magnus, and Weta for your participation and sponsorship!

• Buy a Weta Hellgate statue!
• More on Peter Lyon and the Weta Exhibition in the UK
• See all entries to this giveaway