I am afraid I am perhaps in the minority here (we'll see when the Edition Size is announced)...but I wasn't surprised by the price at all, and don't actually agree that it's over-priced. I think it's expensive but that's the price that it is. Each piece is different - perhaps this one took a lot longer to sculpt (it certainly looks to me that way), it most definitely looks more difficult to cast than Elendil and to paint. All of the statue companies are increasing their prices - this suggests to me the factories in China have increased their production costs. Perhaps they are even using a different manufacturer for these more premium pieces. It is bigger than Elendil (549USD) and it is smaller than Sauron (I think Sauron was 899USD). Materials have gone up, price of labour has gone up, inflation is rife etc....The price is the price is the price - I don't think Weta are somehow sitting in a boardroom saying - 'How far can we push it before they stop buying them?' I think they are sitting in a room saying, 'How much realistically do we have to charge to make this as a high-quality collectible and make a little profit on it.' I think they did take a hit on Helm's Deep because of all of the issues they had at the time. I have Pre-Ordered it as I have waited for it a long time and want The Last Alliance triptych completed. I think it's a very beautiful statue by a very accomplished sculptor. I had put money aside for it as we all knew it was coming for what - 2-3 years now? Anyway, rant over! :D (It sounds a lot more angry than it is intended btw)

Initially i was quite excited for this piece. But when i saw the price my excitement immediately dropped... No way this is a 700 dollar piece. Weta must be taking the piss😂

What on earth? $700, how long until these things are a $1,000 a pop!! That’s mental, taking the Mickey

So agree. I find it even worse that weta, based in nz, only charges based of US$. I moved from america to NZ and was shocked especially since NZD is weak. Its fluctuations is ridiculous.

I really don't understand how this is $700, especially when compared to Elendil. Sure it's a bigger piece but I'm not sure $150 bigger. 100% agree I think Weta will lose customers with this one... I've seen some long collectors say they aren't getting it. I did end up pre-ordering, but I had some saved Weta dollars that really helped so it wasn't as bad for me. Nice video man!

I still remember when I paid 500€ for azog on warg, ofc, as you said, weta are loosing customers. I’m one of them.

Gil Galad price is ridiculous! More than Sideshow 1/4 pieces. Talking about prices I was charged 310 usd for economy shipping for P1 Gimli to Denmark :( This is also ridiculous and I just think they make a huge profit on shipping charges :/

💯 with you on this mate. Posted a very similar view on FB and FoU. The collectors market is rapidly changing and not all studios will survive this shift. IPs will (have to) be cut, edition sizes will continue to go down and unfortunately prices will continue to go up, making this more and more a hobby for a small group of collectors. This latest Weta piece is just the beginning and more and more collectors will soon realize that less and less can be bought with available means and hard choices will have to be. Now, specifically regarding Gil-Galad, it’s a really good piece but not without some issues, and it’s overpriced. Plain and simple. That said, every single (Weta) LotR collector out there will have to make a call if they want to get it or not, myself included. I personally think the ES will be less than 1K and thus less than Sauron and Elendil. Time will tell.

No sure if anyone has replied, but this animatic (available in FOTR appendices - link below) shows why Gil-Galad wasn't shown in the prologue anymore i.e. Sauron set him on fire. That also explains why he reaches for Isildur just before his finger and the ring are both cut off. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rd6Satebx8XXgI0.html

I think size does not always equals money Helms deep and bag end are same size but much different in price (although i agree bag end was bit over priced) The details on Gil-galad imo are on another level. People had similar reaction to price of Elendil but you can definitely see its way better than any Classic series piece.

Saying the edition size affects the price would make zero sense in the case of Weta anyway, since the ES is determined after the price has been revealed. They could sell 3000 of these (won't happen lol) and still wouldn't reduce the price by even 10%. I think they are trying to find that ceiling where people will noticeably order a lot less. Elendil sold pretty well, although you can still find that statue everywhere, and now they are testing the next pricing stage. It's funny because in parallel you have statues like Lurtz Classic Series or Gandalf the Grey, you can order these for about 350 and 320 euro respectively when you know where to look, these are GREAT prices for such nice 1/6 statues. Personally I pretty much only buy Sauron/Ringwraith-related stuff anyway so I have no skin in the game, I am so selective with LOTR pieces that I can pay a bit more when I really want something, not pre-ordering new Weta stuff every month. But it's sad to see these prices creeping up and up.

Totally agree with you, I got Elendil collecting Weta over 10 years, but Gil Galad price is...just too much :(

I only save my precious money right now for the ultimate Aragorn as Strider statue. I can't wait for the Infinity reveal!

Sadly as long as we keep buying, they will keep increasing the prices

I was going to say something about the pricing, but during the video my wife said you are looking great, so I’m away in a huff ;)

I got the email that gimli is nearly ready to ship and the shipping never went up which was a surprise

As I mentioned thousands of times my priority is the Witchking. He’s also the only one I’d pay any amount of money. With that being said I’m considering canceling my order for Lurtz so to have more money saved up for the Witchking who I still am hoping will come during the SDCC next month

Seriously lower the price and sell more, they're dumb for not doing that

I was super excited to get Gil-galad, but honestly at $700 I may be out. Rather than spend that much on a character I don’t really love (and my favorite part of the statue itself isn’t even Gil-galad, it’s the base with the dead orc), I could finally put the money to a secondhand weta mouth of sauron. So we’ll see. Am still interested in seeing what else weta puts out this summer.

Weta got me by the balls now & I had no chice to get Gil Galad to complete the set & battle against Sauron scene 😢

Yesterday I commented on this directly in Weta Workshop site. So a bit of a reiteration. It's "Greedflation" of the factories not purely down to Weta. I suspect Weta anticipate low numbers so they are hedging their price but I also expect they are suffering like all statue makers now from the inflation and greed coming from the Chinese production facilities - there is a helluva a lot of competition to get decent production runs in these factories now in meaningful timeframes. Off course Weta needs to take their fair cut but I do not believe the inflationary greed is coming from them. Even though i think these are priced too high its a beautiful and novel piece and i will add it to the rest of my magnificent Weta collection. I am sure it's not so easy to find alternative suppliers to produce to these requirements and timelines nor are the artisan skills in abundant supply. Just look at how many other producers have dropped lines or cancelled long PO products because of these issues. This in part probably explains drop in quality which should not be happening with high value pieces such as this. But I do agree with others on the shield hope they can correct that. PS - As an interesting comparison PCS on the same day released a great Ghostbusters 1/4 Scale Egon Spengler Silver Deluxe c/w Proton Stream and companion Slimer Piece (Ed Size 150). The sculpt looks lovely and well detailed and all coming in at 725$ (Silver Exclusive Ed Size 150 / Deluxe 375) with Regular at 675$ (Open?). So you have to wonder what the heck is going on here in value pricing with 1/6 scale.

Totally agree, dude

Cost is always a factor and space becomes a premium as well. In the end, it is a great piece, but for the space this Statue takes up I have other choices that will come first

Yeah, I have him on pre-order (with Hakan not Weta). Price is way too expensive. I think my collecting days are coming to an end to be honest.

$700 hunh.. that's the shipping P1 is charging on the latest Berserk 1:3. Just the shipping. Hobby is out of control.

I think that price is downright disgusting and I can’t think of any argument that would justify it.

If you compared these statues side by side you’d understand the price difference. The base is bigger, Gil Galad has way more detail than Elendil by far,I have both these statues and can completely understand why Gil’s 150$ more. There’s just way more detail and work from the base to the statue itself. There’s a dead orc for one at the base and orc shield and Gil has a shield and actual hair design instead of just a helmet cast. Not to mention all other colors and paint work. To me it’s not questions worth the extra 150$ bucks.

I ordered Gil-galad because it’s GIL-GALAD, I collect Elves and was sitting on my pile of weta dollars like Smaug on his gold. But yeah, I think that was the last straw for me.

I'm really disappointed with this though not surprised. I collect the elves and Gil-Galad has been on my wish list for years. But every new statue has seen a price increase and I just can't justify spending $1000AU + shipping on this. His space on the shelf will forever remain empty unless I get stupidly lucky.

Im general 1/6 scale cant be more than 500, im not even ok with that but thats gotta be the limit, how can they sell a 1/6 scale figure at 1/4 scale price ugh

I am so confused collecting used to be fun.

You are spot on with your comments on this. I couldn't agree more! That good old phrase 'taking the piss' comes to my mind. However, after saying that, I do love my elves. I have all the Weta male elves, so naturally I was really excited about the release of Gil-galad. So now I feel a bit undecided, partly due the silly price, and also there is one thing driving me crazy about the statue itself which is the fact part of his spear is hidden behind his billowing garments. To my mind the spear should have been at the front so we see all of it. Nobody else seems bothered about it or just haven't noticed. Perhaps it's just me been a bit picky, but it is bugging me. So at the moment I'm sitting on it. Anybody any thoughts on this?

From what i see, weta statues is always OP compare to other companies. Their scale is smaller but more exp than others. 😅

Well, "If U can't afford Ferrari buy Fiat"- simple as that... Is not personal first of all , but please let me explain mine point of view. It cost a lot but this is why those items after years cost so much on aftermarket. Weta makes art. I personally cant afford to buy statutes from all companies like slideshow, prime one, so im saving for Weta, and Im happy that it keeps prices high. Is not a Action figure Toy. I focus only on weta stuff since 2001 and first Gollumn statute i get with blueray. I think problem is ( as a general on the market) that those things slowly become a Toys, with led lights, changing heads and so on. Is not a sculpture anymore. But Weta is stil traditional , this is why I have focused only on them. From my perspective scale 1:6 and 1:4 is great and prices are fair for quality i get. Limited edition of Nike shoes cost more...

I placed my order and which statue is not overprized these days ? Sooner or later all manufacturers will push the prizes.