Posts Tagged “SSW”
 Sideshow Weta’s Balrog of Moria statue, aka “Big Daddy”, “The Original Balrog” etc. embodies the ‘holy grail’ of the line, fetching on the secondary market the bountiful ransom sought by the dwarves when they awakened this beast. No small feat in itself considering how vast the polystone range eventually became.
How is it holding up? While it’s certainly nowhere near its loftiest peak, that is fully expected. The decline in values have been all-encompassing for the SSW line. Still, by the look of things, the Daddy Rog remains the ruler of the roost, still maintaining the lead over its arch-nemesis Cave Troll. On the other hand, things aren’t looking so hot for the diminutive The Flame of Udun. See how they compare below.
| |
Moria |
Udun |
| Edition Size |
1000 |
Open |
| Retail Price |
$300.00 |
$150.00 |
| Still In-Stock? |
no |
no |
| Current Ebay Average |
$1,187.5 (2 sold) |
$46 (4 sold) |
Valuation: +296% Balrog of Moria | -69% Udun
(See latest completed Ebay auctions)
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Review
Saruman the White | Artist: Mike Asquith | Edition Size: Open
Sideshow Weta’s seminal Saruman the White was my first introduction into the world of ‘high end’ collecting. And what a fine introduction it was; one that leaves you little choice but to be enticed by this new territory. Winning it as a prize made it all the sweeter.
And after all of these years– frightening how many it’s been– Saruman remains an undenied classic. It’s a statue that does not leaving you wanting or wishing for this or that. Furthermore, never is it clumsy or encumbered with unnecessities. If you’ve been collecting more than a short while, you know such balance is not terribly commonplace. Hat’s off to you, Mr. Asquith.
The image of Saruman ruminating over the Palantir is hauntingly iconic in the best way. There’s a certain classical aura here, as is there with the finest SSW pieces. It’s what sets these beauties apart from everyone else. The likeness, the pose, the composition; nothing is lacking here.
And then there’s Grima, a pairing with which adds an extra dynamic, though one should never make the mistake in thinking it a crucial addition. It’s Wormtongue that gets the most of out of this pairing. This White Wizard stands well, in his palantiri solitude or not.
It’s a complete piece of art, a satisfying one- the sort that never goes out of vogue.
Information
- Saruman the White
- Make: Sideshow Weta
- License: The Lord of the Rings
- Artist: Mike Asquith
- Retail Price: $150
- Edition Size: Open
- Scale: 1/6
- Type: Polystone statue
- Purchase Options: Sideshow | Ebay
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Forum member Oxfordian recently caught up with Peter Lyon at the Weta Exhibition in Leeds, UK. Not only did he manage to chat with the master swordsmith after his presentation, he also got Mr. Lyon’s to inscribe one of his works from the Sideshow Weta days to give away on our forum. Swell chap ain’t he!
Do check out Oxfordian’s recap of Peter Lyon’s presentation as well.
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Lurtz | Sculptors: Mike Asquith | Edition Size: open | product page
::Sculptural Quality::
The main problem if it should be qualified as such, is that Lurtz, a creature of unbridled strength and ferocity, is depicted here at rest. The Uruk still manages to be plenty imposing, but it’s not quite the dish most collectors were craving. My own wild speculation is that this is a maquette-turned-collectible, as (I suspect) of many others in the line. I’ll have to bring it up with Weta one day to see if there’s any truth to it. It’s an interesting exploration at any rate, of how you might imbue a mostly inert figure with tension. I think Mike succeeded brilliantly.
::Paint Application::
In this department Lurtz ranks mediocre at best. The final product contained nowhere near the complexity and detail of the prototype, artist proof, or whatever you may prefer to call the piece seen in the representative product photo. Another point should be deducted for the blunder on the skirt- painted flesh tone instead of a distinct color as seen in the officials. With all that said, there are still some very well done areas, particularly the face. The eyes and mouth area are nicely painted, giving the piece that appropriate amount of creepiness.
::Parting Notes::
Sideshow Weta collectors were hoping, wishing, and praying for an ‘armored’ version of Lurtz. And we nearly got it, as glimpsed with a near-mythical prototype which would be transfigured into Ugluk. Sideshow would eventually satisfy this request with its own Lurtz premium format several years later.
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GTW on Shadowfax | Sculptor: B. Wuest | Edition size: 8500 | product page
::Sculptural Quality::
This is something magnificent. Even with a large portfolio of dazzling sculpts beneath her belt, this is Brigitte Wuest’s most stunning work yet. And perhaps the most conventional. Instead of what could have been a supremely idealized portrait, we are offered gritty realism. Shadowfax is rearing up, in a beautiful display of power. The Wizard is caught in a battle grimace, riding without saddle as in the films. His staff held high and Glamdring not long away from piercing a foe. Everywhere you look there is not only detail but movement, there is energy in Shadowfax’s mane and Gandalf’s cloak is flowing along with the action. There’s even a strand of hair across Gandalf’s face, a further indictment of the chaos. Knowing the finicky nature of Sideshow Weta collectors, this decision was something akin to playing with fire. It takes confidence to do something like this and challenge the masses a little. The likeness to Ian Mckellen still stands as one of the most faithful.
No stranger to sculpting horses, Brigitte’s knowledge of equine anatomy greatly benefits her work here. The mighty Mearas depicted in this statue is powerful and assertive but not at the expense of being ungraceful. High on his hind legs, but without wild-eyed panic, he remains authoritative and majestic. For assembling, this piece is rather unique in that it forgoes the traditional peg system for a jigsaw fit. The rocks on which Shadowfax is attached fit into a formed niche in the base. It is stable, of course, but things do get tricky when moving- the fit is not snug enough to keep the piece for elevating away from the base if you’re not careful. The weight that is ‘floating’ in the front half of the statue is substantial- hopefully Weta has implemented a strong armature throughout the entire statue, and not just at the legs.
::Paint Application::
Being that the bulk of the statue is composed of variations of white, my only real main areas of concern were the faces of Gandalf and Shadowfax. Obviously by now you should know that paint will vary from piece to piece, with that in mind, needless to say I was quite happy to find that the paint looked fantastic on each of these areas upon inspection of my statue. Individual variations in paint work aside, the overall color scheme is flawless- the fan fueled ballyhoo about Gandalf’s robes being ‘too yellow’ is a non-issue. Furthermore, looking at the actual statue now it’s clear that a bright white may look out of place.
::Parting Notes::
I was extremely pleased at the announcement from what now seems like ages ago now. Not having Gandalf represented yet in statue form as part of my collection, this I felt this would not only fill the void, but exceed the existing variations at the task. It was the best of the three Gandalf sculpts in my view- with Shadowfax, Glamdring, his staff, as well as a better likeness to Sir Ian all in one. In addition to providing a nice counterpoint with my Ringwraith on Steed, Gandalf on Shadowfax achieves an artistic watermark all its own.
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Theoden | Sculptor: Virginia Lee | Edition size: 2000 | product page
::Sculptural Quality::
This bust has earned its acclaimed reputation amonst collectors even as it remained in stock for a long while. Sculpted by Virginia Lee (daughter of Alan), this is a stunningly lifelike and expressive portrait of Bernard Hill’s distinctive features. His pronounced chin, heavy forehead crinkles, strong nose and the weary bags beneath his eyes all culminate to form an expression that speaks of authority, and of concern- which is beautifully appropriate. Here Theoden is dressed in his travel cloak and robe, as seen in the Warg sequence of The Two Towers. Highly detailed patterns in the tunic lead to an eye-catching clasp: An elaborate thing, with the Rohirrim sun motif realized quite intricately. The cloak itself is stamped with texture to suggest the soft cloth fabric of the real thing.
::Paint Application::
The tone in the face might be darker than most would expect, but not in an alarming way. Luck of the draw will depend on how the skin tone of your Theoden as it is with so many other Sideshow pieces. Another thing worth mentioning is that the patterned areas on the tunic are much much brighter in the actual costume. They are bright golden yellow where the paint here is nearly bronze- but it’s just as well as it does not draw attention away from the face, which is the most important aspect of any bust, especially one sans substantial armory.
::Parting Notes::
Looking back on SSW’s treatment of Theoden– it’s good to be the king. This bust serves as a perfect foil to the statue. This bust remains Lee’s lone contribution to the Sideshow Weta line aside from the “Escape” plaque. Regrettable to say the least!
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Gondorian Helm Col. | Sculptors: R. Asquith, P. Fickling | Edition Size: 1000 | product page
::Sculptural Quality::
This collection consists of four helms (pictured above from left to right): Helm of Faramir, Fountain Guard, Citadel Guard and Gondorian Soldier. Three sculpted by Rebecca Asquith with Philip Fickling tackling the duties for Faramir. With its massive “winged” ceremonial feathers (done in metal, by the way), the Fountain Guard helm asks for serious attention– though all are spectacular in detail. The Gondorian gull wing motif is prominent on all, with the White Tree and Stars adornments logically reserved only for Faramir.
Curiously, Faramir’s Helm is the smallest of the four. I partly attribute this to simply being the inherent differences among two sculptors. On closer inspection you can see that by design, the helm has a less pronounced point at the top and lacks the substantial curved neck guard in the rear, all of which contribute to make the helm slight in appearance.
The Citadel Guard helm may be my favorite. It’s the most ornate piece of the set, yet still functional for battle unlike the extreme Fountain Guard. The intricate combination of tightly detailed embellishments and golden highlights make it a true stunner. The Gondorian Soldier piece is the most pedestrian of all, but still a wonderful design in its own right.
::Paint Application::
Extremely tidy application, especially where it counts- in all of the miniature inlays, the gold paint rarely strays. Really quite impressed by this. This solid attention to detail goes a long way to lending a sense of timeless quality to this set of helms. Folks aggravated by the distressed and battle-worn look of previous helms (such as Elendil and Isildur’s) can rejoice as the Gondorians are presented as well preserved artifacts.
::Parting Notes::
The helms come as a set- all housed in one box, sharing the same edition number. The right combination of desirability and execution will keep this set wildly sought-after for a long time to come.
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Attack Troll | Sculptors: Beswarick, Bolton | Edition size: 3000 | product page
::Sculptural Quality::
It should come as no surprise that this maquette is sculpted by Jamie Beswarick, who is quite the Troll expert at Weta Workshop. Beswarick has produced all of the Troll related sculpts from the Cave Troll to the upcoming Battletroll and of course on this entire set of maquettes (four total produced for sale). A master at realizing anatomy in the three dimensional form, Beswarick is often called upon by the workshop to work on pieces requiring strong grasp of anatomy even beyond that of trolls, as witnessed by his fine renditions of the Berserker and Ugluk. One of the fanastic aspects I’ve always found in Jamie’s troll sculpts is the amazing texture of the skin, one of the big factors in not only making the sculpts look great, but also help sell the realism of these imaginary creatures on screen as well. A big principles for Weta’s trolls is that their backsides are hardened, weathered and scale-like, while their front appears much more fleshy and soft. This is demonstrated here too on the Attack Troll Maquette to great effect, with leathery texture finalizing the convincing illusion.
Judging from the portfolio of past Sideshow releases, one can reasonably assume that Jamie handled bulk of the troll work while Shaun Bolton fabricated the helms on these maquettes. The Attack Troll helm here in particular, is well done, with bolts securing the rough hammered metal designed for function rather than form by some orcs in Mordor one would imagine. Its spikes capable of taking out two or three unlucky grunts who might happen to be in its falling path.
Lest you think the “maquette” moniker a simple marketing gimmick, rest assured that these were used in actual film production. (Look through the “Art of…” books) Designed to help Weta iron out the varying color schemes of trolls that appear in The Return of the King, and their headgear too of course. This also explains why these maquettes are not in scale with the other busts. Decidedly wider and thicker than a typical human bust but does not approach true 1/4 scale.
::Paint Application::
The paint on the troll mirrors the sculpting philosophy as the dark spots of color are concentrated on the hardened back and shoulders whilst lighter tones soften the flesh bits. Very very cleanly painted with subtle shades around the mouth and fiery eyes. There is even gloss applied on the teeth and dripping from the nostril! The helm is mostly great, with spots of orange rust shades really selling the effect. What I find debatable are the areas of highly reflective ‘chrome’ on the helm, especially as they are only applied along the edges. I know this is done to help indicate the material of the helm, but it would be more effective had it been sparingly embedded in some of the textured grooves. I say this because as it is, the silver looks more like paint than metal, though it does add a great sparkle when the light hits it.
::Parting Notes::
This is far from the most spectacular or valued bust. But I think one of the great appeals of the maquettes is to have something so closely tied in with the concept design for the film as opposed to something that was produced purely from a collectibles aspect. I suspect a few other statues started life as a maquette as well although they are not advertised as so, but that is another subject entirely. It is certainly worth a look for the troll fans out there.
(review bust courtesy of Tom Miller)
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Aragorn | Sculptor: Mike Asquith | Edition size: open | product page
::Sculptural Quality::
It’s ingenious that the helm serve as the only piece of protection on these creatures, meant to represent an crazed variant of an already crazed breed. From the neck down, this Uruk is rather naked, making this a tour-de-force showcase of the figurative arts. Messrs. Beswarick and Unwin present a phenomenal understanding of anatomy, with superb handling of the musculature flowing through this dynamic pose. An amazing sense of motion and power is seen here that is not easy to capture. The Berserker is brilliant in its kinetic energy.
::Paint Application::
Quite good, everything was just about right. The helmet and mouth area look great. Splashes of mud on the lower body, splatters of blood. Really a very excellent looking piece, paint-wise. The overall skin-tone is much more sophisticated than it is on Lurtz., more natural and well blended. A few white hand splotches here and there top off this very finely painted piece.
::Parting Notes::
Perhaps the most polished example of untamed Uruk ferocity in the entire line.
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Aragorn | Sculptor: Mike Asquith | Edition size: open | product page
::Sculptural Quality::
The Asquith-Aragorns (statue and bust) have always caught a certain amount of flack for their lack of resemblence to The Viggo. Likeness aside (I still think they’ve held up very well with age)- Mike has never failed to capture the pensive and uncertain quality of Aragorn as we see observe his struggles with destiny. I believe there’s a lot to be said for that.
This does suffer a bit of the ‘wet hair’ syndrome that is common in many Weta pieces- what I mean is that the hair is lacking a bit in thickness, almost as if it is damp. And the fact that it looks neat doesn’t really help things considering the disheveled and grungey nature of “Strider”. I believe the sculptors know that these will be mass-produced, and therefore restrain themselves from doing anything too elaborate with the hair that might be fragile. A similar case of wet hair syndrome can be seen on the Arwen statue. Overall, a very solid sculpt, even if most people are clamoring for a more ‘action-packed’ pose.
::Paint Application::
Adequate. There’s a capable portrait here, what more can one ask for?
::Parting Notes::
A well done bust of one of the main characters in the entire trilogy. For those amassing any sizable collection of busts, you will naturally want to pick this up just for that reason alone. Though it’s doubtful that anyone will be paying much attention to it if you have it next to say… Elendil.
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