Gandalf the White 1/6 scale statue Unboxing & Review by Weta Workshop from The Lord of the Rings

[@AsmusToys]

Great reveiws, just dropping by, our prototype is a mixture of digital and handsculpt. All the detail on the face are hand sculpted. :)

[@thecyberhobbit]

Wow! for a hand sculpted face that's incredible, I think it's your best to date!

[@thecyberhobbit]

I've pinned your comment and added an update in the description.

[@Alex13212]

Great review! The whole time I was thinking "this is cool, but I think I like the figure more" then you showed them side by side and I was blown away by that "weight" of the statue!

[@thecyberhobbit]

It's funny before I got the Weta version I had a much higher opinion of the Asmus figure but when they are side the Weta statue really shines.

[@savitarr1162]

the statue looks like Gandalf, the figure like somebody cosplaying as Gandalf, imo :D

[@lordofthecollections]

My exact thoughts

[@thecyberhobbit]

haha yeah my opinion of the figure went down when I put them side by side. Thanks for commenting!

[@Pepe-mf1gx]

Another truly excellent video! I can't say enough good things about your work, love it!

[@thecyberhobbit]

Thank you!

[@ezequielsuarezg]

Really beautiful statue! And yes, we need more behind the scenes videos of weta please! 🙏This statue and many others deserve it!! ​​Congratulations on the new acquisition 🙌

[@thecyberhobbit]

Thanks Ezequiel!

[@BenjaminSchenk]

It is another great classic series piece to the line. I am most drawn to this piece because of the pose. Excellent review and video!

[@thecyberhobbit]

Thanks man, yeah I tried to replicate the pose with the Asmus figure but not even close :D

[@billdaly59]

Nice video Ryan, thanks for sharing. I'm not a huge fan of figures, but the dead sculpt is awesome. If I knew someone selling just the Asmus Gandalf head, I would buy it and see if I could attached it to the Weta statue. Best of both world, you might say.

[@thecyberhobbit]

Thanks Bill! for what it's worth, Asmus is selling just the head by itself if you're interested, I'd be scared to attempt something like that so if you do let me know how it goes :D

[@billdaly59]

@@thecyberhobbit Really? I didn't know that. I guess I would have to buy from them direct - right?

[@thecyberhobbit]

@@billdaly59 yes sir!

[@billdaly59]

@@thecyberhobbit Darn thing is out of stock ($120) though. 😪

[@thecyberhobbit]

@@billdaly59 😓😞

[@panupuikkonen]

Great video review! I’m the one who posted the first pictures, and I’ve been waiting to see other statues. Now I know that mine looks like all the others. 😀

[@thecyberhobbit]

Hi Panu! I remember you're photos, they made me excited to get the piece. Thanks for commenting man!

[@weiyunchi]

Gotta go with weta on this one! I know the face isn’t perfect, but I really prefer all of the rest of the detail on the statue.

[@thecyberhobbit]

Agreed I think they nailed the clothing/outfit.

[@evananderson5855]

Awesome review! I always thought it would be cool if they did a statue or figure of Gandalf The White disguised in his grey cloak seen in The Two Towers.

[@thecyberhobbit]

oh yeah that'd be pretty cool

[@rickyonthewebs9841]

I think I have to say the statue looks way better. And based on what I can see from the video on my phone, I actually think the face sculpt and colour of the statue looks more like Ian Mckellen/Gandalf. I think the difference is more that the figure is more detailed and life like. Thanks for sharing this video. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get Weta’s Gandalf the white statue based on their prototype photos, cos I wasn’t sure about the face. But now that I’ve seen your video, I think I might buy it now. EDIT: Wow! I just checked my Weta Gandalf the Grey statue and the Grey’s face actually seems waaaay more detailed in the sculpt and paint. That’s a bummer that the quality reduced quite a lot in this newer statue. I’ll have to pop into the Weta store to check it out in person.

[@thecyberhobbit]

Agreed the Grey definitely looks like a more accurate sculpt. I will probably end up picking that 1 up too.

[@rickyonthewebs9841]

@@thecyberhobbit do it! You’ll love the grey! Haha

[@aliseo85]

Great review, just a remark: it's not the sculpt of the face that's off, it's the paint application. The sculpt is spot on

[@thecyberhobbit]

I think that's fair, you may be right. I wonder if getting it touched up would be worth it. Thanks for commenting!

[@Ar2r]

Thank you for the video :) I usually prefer statues, even with the same pose 1/6 figures will usually have lesser presence (it that's the good word).

[@thecyberhobbit]

I think you're right, the accuracy of the weight to the piece I feel gives it that presence. Thanks for commenting Artur!

[@Phodis]

Another great video :) I prefer the WETA one. The only thing I think all companies could improve on would be to put ANY kind of expression into their faces. They all seem to have the dead pan stare, and it's be nice to see one that has a smirk or shows some kind of emotion. It's quite rare really.

[@thecyberhobbit]

Thank you! I agree they do seem to have a blank face, though that kind of works with Gandalf sometimes. Appreciate the comment!

[@LotrCollection]

Statue looks decent overall. Especially the pose and costume. Staff looks taller than I remember from films. Likeness to McKellen appears to be there but more like 144p instead of 720p like most other recent 1:6 Weta statues. its the facial hair sculpt that appears to be done in a rush.

[@thecyberhobbit]

haha 144p! I agree there is something not quite right but overall I really like it. Thanks for commenting Gill!

[@LotrCollection]

@@thecyberhobbit I picked this up cause I don’t have any White Gandalf yet and it should also pair well with Weta’s Gandalf the grey classic. If you watch The two towers you will see its from the first scene where he’s standing on a rock talking to the three hunters in Fangorn before revealing himself and its pretty close imo.

[@thecyberhobbit]

@@LotrCollection ahh I think you're right, that definitely seems like the spot. I'll probably end up getting the Grey as well.

[@harryjones1692]

Weta Gandalf, looks like his been on holiday and got a tan!!

[@thecyberhobbit]

yeah something is off though my lighting may not be helping.

[@Mikefig08]

Cool review! I agree though definity going with Weta on this one!

[@thecyberhobbit]

Thanks, and I agree!

[@lordofthecollections]

Great video and review Ryan, to me the best if we are comparing is the Weta statue, like someone said earlier the asmus one looks like someone dressed up like Gandalf in a bad wig.

[@thecyberhobbit]

Thanks I agree the statue is the better one... until I got the Weta piece I thought much higher of the Asmus figure, but this really just showed how much everything else was off. Thanks for commenting!

[@adamkovacs5883]

I just got mine and... to be honest mine looks a bit too grey-ish? Especially the staff... Does yours too look more grey-ish than white?

[@Brianhall1174]

The headsculpt on the Weta is a deal breaker for me at that price point. I will just stick with my Asmus version

[@jeremiahjohnsonclark4069]

Top 3 Gandalf status are prime 1,Queen’s studio and Wētā .Queens has the best face but don’t like the rest.For the hole package prime 1 looks the best.But for the price Wētā white wizard has the best face and body.Just my opinion at looking at all Gandalf statues out there.I went for the Wētā classic white Gandalf.On sale for $159 and that’s a great price for Gandalf that looks like the actor.

[@thecyberhobbit]

Weta's Gandalf the White is great, even better at the price they do on Black Friday.

[@jo.sevigny]

The staff from the statue looks more realistic (as far as I can remember from the movies, Gandalf the White was shorter than his staff)

[@TheAngmarArchives]

I think the statue is the superior piece by some distance. To my eyes, it actually looks a lot more like Sir Ian than the figure (strangely angry)...my only concern with the statue is the paint application? Perhaps it's better in real life, but on photos, he still looks quite tanned? I will wait until it goes on sale in the future before I go for this one!

[@thecyberhobbit]

I think my use of a warm colored light may have added to the skin tone, it looks better in person. Thanks for commenting!

[@arnodafe]

Little tricky to compare , although i would expect a figure from Weta to be more on point as its a statue and at that price. - the sculpt should be legit, given they are the source of the Lotr design and have the formidable workshop and skills on hand !Their end result looks lmore like a water colour version of the final piece. A poseable figure with punched hair and tailed clothing for 1/6 scale by a small company is much harder to do. The Asmus figure doesn't look so great here to be honest because of the whirlwind hair-do like he's been motoring along with Shdowfax with the top down - ha! Seriously though, with a minutes care and treatment the hair and clothing really should be doctored to give the best possible relation for the contest to have a real chance. He looks like he's been thrown off a garage roof in a reinaction of chasing the Balrog - although he should ofcourse be Gandi Grey - ha ! It is an interesting debate none the less, however i do see clearly that the Weta statues don't meet the standards of what i would expect, especially for the money involved. Then there's shipping, VAT and Customs from New Zealand..... Asmus has a problem with human faces - orcs, monsters they got nailed , but they are getting better and providing upgrades. Then ofcourse there are the custom cloaks accessories that address things like flow in clothing etc to make the figures more realistic. I have seen OT custom head sculpts and capes for Batman,items for Bladerunner Deckard and Alien Ripley that take the figures to a league that will never be matched by a statue in the same scale - ever. I think it all comes down to set up, diorama, display mods etc to what you want, but you definitely get more from the figures than the same size/scale statues. And like you said - when cats knock them off the shelves, they tend not to be so bad. I guess we'll be back at this topic when you get the InArt Aragorn etc which i'm sure you will - then we can revisit our opinions .... keep up the great work ! Cheers ! 🍷😏

[@thecyberhobbit]

Yeah it's amazing just how much the Asmus figure looks off when standing next to the Weta statue. I think I may be at fault for the hair on the Asmus figure though as I never really styled it... but on that subject I'm not a stylist and I think what I'm learning is that even though I enjoy the fact figures are pose-able I lack the motivation to set them up correctly so I may just be sticking to statues in the future. That being said, I think what InArt is doing with Gandalf and Aragorn shows that if proper attention is made some great results may happen... but then again those figures cost more than the Weta statues so there's that to consider. (definitely getting the InArt Gandalf) Thanks for commenting Arnold I appreciate it!

[@arnodafe]

Yeah, if you check your unboxing of Asmus Gandy White, you'll see how the headsculpt and hair was when you took it out - perfect! The floof hair in the Verses vid is a deal breaker ! 🍷😏

[@thecyberhobbit]

@@arnodafe if only you could attach the head without touching the hair 😆, I think that's where I messed it up. I wish it had a magnet like the gandalf the grey

[@kristiankovac]

The Asmus figure is miles better! Just need to futz the hair on the figure a little. It's not hard. You need to give it a go. Look up on a forum how to style and apply simple hair products to figures.

[@icyra1ndr0p53]

I do think you are correct that Weta hand sculpts their statues - especially the face and other parts of the body. Whereas, other companies use digital sculpt and use a resin casting method thereafter for finer and more movie accurate finish. I have always thought that the Weta human - (Istari, Hobbits, Humans, Dwarves etc.) statues from The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit has a "ceramic looking" sculpt and feel to it. It feels more handmade-ish, hence making it somewhat impressive to me & "authentic" to me. There is a con to this though, and that is that the likeness is sometimes extremely off on certain Weta pieces. In my personal opinion, I don't understand how they allow to release a certain statue when the likness is completely off. Like come on, they have literally worked on the movies and should have a sense of how the character should look like. Don't get me wrong, they have also produced many good ones, such as Elrond 1/6, Galadriel 1/6 etc., where the likeness is very good. However, I do think Prime 1 Studio is a far more superior company in terms of statue manufacturing. This Gandalf is good and I like it, but compare this to P1's newest Gandalf 1/4, and you have a far more superior statue in every way: face sculpt (accuracy), paint application, concept etc. Great unboxing and review, by the way! I enjoyed the video.

[@thecyberhobbit]

I feel you on this, I think though Weta has shined when it comes to the props and minor details they brought to the films, the 1 thing they never had to do was sculpt human faces so maybe that's where they fall behind. I actually pre-ordered the Prime 1 Gandalf and am very much looking forward to it. Thanks for commenting!

[@themiddleearthcollector2785]

Good review there bud, me personally would go for the statue. That’s my opinion. Hair is too poofy on the figure and the clothes are too bright. I like the weathering, and like you said the flowness on the statue. Cheers

[@thecyberhobbit]

Thanks Alfred, yeah having the statue next to the Asmus figure really highlights just how off some things are. Thanks for commenting man!

[@Ka_T_ya]

As an Asmus LOTR and the Hobbit collector myself , I think you are at fault for your doll’s puffy hair . They are fiddly to deal with but you gotta properly style or don’t at all ( I think yours was the video with puffy haired Thorin if I’m not mistaken ). Try using toothbrush to comb their hair and be gentle , or don’t do it at all if you are not good at it IMO.

[@thecyberhobbit]

I fully agree with you, I mentioned a bit of this in the video. That being said I think I'm learning the extra effort to get the figure to look right may be out of my skillset but I will try. Yes I had the video with the puffy hair of Thorin, though it came out of the box that way and I believe suffered because it was in the box for too long which allowed the hair to lock into place. I appreciate you commenting Katya!

[@NotMorganFreeman.]

There are those that swear that Weta pieces are the best simply because their team worked on the LOTR films, but from my purchases and experience, this just simply is not true. They are more than capable of dropping the ball on sculpt and paint at times. I'm not saying this is the case here. If you were to put the Asmuth head on the statue and style the hair it would be perfect.

[@thecyberhobbit]

One way I like to think about it... Yes Weta was responsible for TONS of amazing things in the films... but 1 thing they never had to do was sculpt a human face.

[@Computerfly]

The only thing better on the figure is the likeness. Everything after that 'hair style, pose, look of the clothing' all go to the statue. Figures will never capture the grace or presence of a statue.

[@SixScaleSteve]

Kind of an unfair comparison imo. The figure wasn't posed or hairstyled properly, so it looks like a bit of a hot mess next to the statue. With a little love in the details, the figure would have won by a mile.

[@thecyberhobbit]

I can agree with some of that. I did mention a bit of the hair styling as my fault int he video. I did however try to pose the figure in the same pose of the statue (whether or not that was achieved is up for discussion). I appreciate the comment Steve always good to hear other opinions.

[@viikiileplaisir9150]

I seriously don't think worth the price.... for the price.... can't they even provide realistic eyes instead of just a mediocre childish paint ? Iron studios provide realistic eyes on a 1/10th scale.....!!!! At 7.06, the eyes on Asmus....dats wat is expected from Weta for demanding such a price !!! And the paint job...just average....I really wonder if it's really weta team who makes these statues !!! Level up WETA !!!

[@clon76]

A few sculpters at Weta are definitely subpar, and there is much better talent out there. They should commission their sculpts

[@thecyberhobbit]

I think the issue is hand sculpting vs digital sculpting. Weta just released Elendil (made a video for that) and the sculpt was done digitally... it's MUCH better.

[@clon76]

Another otherwise good 1/6 figure ruined by rooted hair. What's the point of getting the sculpt right, when it gets Tim Allen's hair from the Santa Clause...

[@thecyberhobbit]

🤣