For the first time EVER, a prop replica actually left me speechless when it arrived.
That was Sarednab’s story grail diary.
After getting in the mail, and spending an entire day looking through it and reading it, I wanted to write my feelings. The longer I have been a part of the RPF, the more I have come to seek and expect high quality items.
It means a lot for me to say this, but this is by far the best prop replica I have ever owned. Yeah, it is that good. Out of every single piece I have stashed in a box or displayed on a perch, in over fifteen years of collecting, this is the crème ala crème. It is worth by far every single penny (I actually felt guilty for paying so little after seeing it), and I am grateful I ordered it when I did.
To help illustrate how amazing his work really is, here is my breakdown:
Overall appearance: First and foremost, the book arrived in the mail safely and wrapped very well, always important. Removing the bubble wrap, I found the diary wrapped as it was in the film with the brown paper, realistic stamps, and Indy’s address. As soon as I opened the wrapping, I knew the diary was special. It just FEELS like the diary. The cover was perfectly aged (not too much, not too little), and the leather was SOFT. Taking the elastic band off, and opening it, I was STRUCK with its quality, it’s hard to explain, but it utterly blew me away.
Accuracy: Even though I went for the story prop, the pages in the Archives book were also included in mine as per my request. Comparing Sarednab’s book with the photos we all know of the diary will produce euphoria. To me they are dead on. Sarednab has found a handwriting I feel is very true to Henry Jones.
Quality: Sarednab is quick to note his book is printed. Well, you could have fooled me! His pages are very crisp and dark. I looked at each page as if a heavy fountain pen etched strong deep lines and not as if it came out of a printer (I like that black space is uniformly filled). I thought the rich black color of the ink made each page POP. The handwriting, which is a font, is absolutely believable. I would not have known each word was not hand written unless Sarednab told me.
With regard to aging, each page is perfectly aged. Again, not too much and not too little. The pages were flat and crispy, not wavy as I have seen in other books. I know Sarednab has improved his aging techniques and I was fortunate to get a next generation book with his new techniques.
The inserts are all aged and produced with a lot of care. I asked for some not glued in case I wanted to swap them out, but after seeing them, his inserts are strong enough to stand on there own.
The binding is professionally done by him, and I know it will last forever. The pages are flat, even, and secure.
Customer Service: Want a cover that is only slightly aged? Want a brand new book without aging? Want it very aged? Want no inserts? Want them glued? Here is by far the best part of this purchase. Sarednab is probably the kindest person I have dealt with. He is quick to respond to PMs, ALWAYS provides updates without needing to ask, and sends photos of your diary upon requests. He will tell you, I was a pain. When I first PMed him, I sent him a LONG list of requests from cover aging, to page order. After reading his response and seeing more photos, I threw out most of these requests. They were unnecessary, he knows what he is doing and you can rest assured you will receive a terrific item. He did accommodate my request to substitute a page here and there to match the Archives book and he did so happily. If you want more pics, PM Sarednab, I am sure he would be happy to oblige.
Thank you Sarednab.
So far, I own his grail diary and Abner Journal. I hope he moves on to other movies as well!
See pics and more info here:
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=60009&highlight=grail+diary
That was Sarednab’s story grail diary.
After getting in the mail, and spending an entire day looking through it and reading it, I wanted to write my feelings. The longer I have been a part of the RPF, the more I have come to seek and expect high quality items.
It means a lot for me to say this, but this is by far the best prop replica I have ever owned. Yeah, it is that good. Out of every single piece I have stashed in a box or displayed on a perch, in over fifteen years of collecting, this is the crème ala crème. It is worth by far every single penny (I actually felt guilty for paying so little after seeing it), and I am grateful I ordered it when I did.
To help illustrate how amazing his work really is, here is my breakdown:
Overall appearance: First and foremost, the book arrived in the mail safely and wrapped very well, always important. Removing the bubble wrap, I found the diary wrapped as it was in the film with the brown paper, realistic stamps, and Indy’s address. As soon as I opened the wrapping, I knew the diary was special. It just FEELS like the diary. The cover was perfectly aged (not too much, not too little), and the leather was SOFT. Taking the elastic band off, and opening it, I was STRUCK with its quality, it’s hard to explain, but it utterly blew me away.
Accuracy: Even though I went for the story prop, the pages in the Archives book were also included in mine as per my request. Comparing Sarednab’s book with the photos we all know of the diary will produce euphoria. To me they are dead on. Sarednab has found a handwriting I feel is very true to Henry Jones.
Quality: Sarednab is quick to note his book is printed. Well, you could have fooled me! His pages are very crisp and dark. I looked at each page as if a heavy fountain pen etched strong deep lines and not as if it came out of a printer (I like that black space is uniformly filled). I thought the rich black color of the ink made each page POP. The handwriting, which is a font, is absolutely believable. I would not have known each word was not hand written unless Sarednab told me.
With regard to aging, each page is perfectly aged. Again, not too much and not too little. The pages were flat and crispy, not wavy as I have seen in other books. I know Sarednab has improved his aging techniques and I was fortunate to get a next generation book with his new techniques.
The inserts are all aged and produced with a lot of care. I asked for some not glued in case I wanted to swap them out, but after seeing them, his inserts are strong enough to stand on there own.
The binding is professionally done by him, and I know it will last forever. The pages are flat, even, and secure.
Customer Service: Want a cover that is only slightly aged? Want a brand new book without aging? Want it very aged? Want no inserts? Want them glued? Here is by far the best part of this purchase. Sarednab is probably the kindest person I have dealt with. He is quick to respond to PMs, ALWAYS provides updates without needing to ask, and sends photos of your diary upon requests. He will tell you, I was a pain. When I first PMed him, I sent him a LONG list of requests from cover aging, to page order. After reading his response and seeing more photos, I threw out most of these requests. They were unnecessary, he knows what he is doing and you can rest assured you will receive a terrific item. He did accommodate my request to substitute a page here and there to match the Archives book and he did so happily. If you want more pics, PM Sarednab, I am sure he would be happy to oblige.
Thank you Sarednab.
So far, I own his grail diary and Abner Journal. I hope he moves on to other movies as well!
See pics and more info here:
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=60009&highlight=grail+diary
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