So, looking around the site, I found a thread that tells that the same place that makes the Sting sword for NC made the high-end UC version as well. Someone in the thread mentions that the Glamdring sword didn't get the same quality treatment, but the Sting sword did. So I ask again, how is quality lower for the NC than it is for the UC version?
It seems funny (to me, and not "ha-ha") that because overall, the NC swords are inferior to the UC versions except in this case, and yet the NC Sting swords are worth less on the after market. If not all NC swords suffer from the same quality issues, why are they universally accepted as inferior? To me, being a comic-book person, that is like saying "this comic is in 6.0 condition and only worth $100 - since you have the same comic, even though it is in 9.4 condition, it is still only worth $100."
That does not make sense.
Anyway, my Sting is back up under my bed, to gather dust until I have somewhere to display it.
Hi. I looked around a while back through multiple LotR and sword forums to learn if there were any differences in quality between NC and UC and came up with the conclusion that its all down to personal preference. Its quite unfair to call NC props low quality, "crap", etc., because really, if certain people will call NC crap, then those replicas are the nicest pieces of crap I've seen. I've looked closely at knockoffs and its quite an insult to NC that people say they're low quality crap, which is what 95% of knockoffs are.
The only different thing I DID notice between NC and UC is that UC replicas are more accurate to the screen used weapons. NC replicas have the slightest of inaccuracies in a few places. With Sting, it was the raised vines on the handle and the human/actor scale size. People complained about NC's Sting over that which is funny because a decade or so later, Sting now has those raised vines on the handle as Peter Lyon originally intended to have...well, at least the MSC edition. And people accepted that NC used a human/actor scale sword. UC used a "hobbit"(scale double) size sword.
Its little inaccuracies in NC that people are able to point out that for some reason makes some people think NC is low quality. In some NC replicas, I've noticed that the handle taper, blade profile, pommel roundness, etc. are not as accurate to the screen used props like UC is. They're small, almost insignificant inaccuracies you'd have to really care about to see. As for what the replicas are made of, UC are 420 stainless steel if its not the MC version whereas NC are carbon steel. Carbon steel is supposed to be better than stainless steel in terms of functional use but some people are just under the impression that UC swords are battle ready swords. As far as I'm aware, both NC and normal UC have rat tail tangs and are definitely not battle ready. Both are wall hangers.
Such people I can't believe. Those kinds of people, who buy replica swords hoping to whack things with and hope they never break or chip, are also the same people who purchased Master Replica's polycarbonate Sting (same blade material as their lightsaber replicas) and got angry because it was plastic! To think there are people in this world who expected a metal sword that actually glows. lol. Master Replicas delivered a great looking glowing Sting and people trashed it. Noble made a glowing Sting sword 90% similar to MR's glowing Sting and delivered an inferior product.
Imo, NC sword replicas don't look as nice as UC replicas do, NC LotR Sting being the only exception. You should keep your sword because iirc, Noble first sold their Sting at $300. You won't get anywhere close that anymore, I'm afraid. And c'mon. Its Noble's nicest sword. Their current Hobbit Sting isn't as nice. Maybe get a nicer plaque, because the oval one that came with NC Sting is kinda ugly.
I just picked up the Noble Collection Hadhafang on Craigslist for 50 bucks. It looks different than the UC version and the movie version, which has a darker handle. But the blade is really nice steel, and I actually like the raised leaf motif that the NC version has. At least I know it's not going to wear off if I hold it. I guess if you can find something that you like the look of for a decent price... I'm all for it.
That's not a bad price at all for something that originally cost twice the price of UC. I, too, like the raised vines on Noble's Sting. None of the swords in LotR had raised vines, due to tech limitations Peter Lyon had. I believe he said something about it in a Making Sting video that streamed on Weta's site once, but it seems Noble's Sting always had that. All of the elven swords that appear in the Hobbit, that have a vine on the handle, now have raised vines or deep engravings as opposed to being vinyl transferred like they were in LotR.
