SDCC08 - Dr WHO Replicas!

Tom Starkiller said:
He has stated in an interview that his costume and sonic have been locked up somewhere safe, in the event of a return.
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More than one sonic though (may even have been an MFX version). He made the statement about the box of his Doctor stuff being given to him on the Graham Norton show. He also said that he wasn't keeping it at home :lol
 
VortexRunner said:
Does the prototype of the Laser Screwdriver have the tactile switch button - which wasn't on the toy? :confused
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Do you mean the one seen in this image?

MasterWithLaserScrewdriverEdit.jpg


The button I've circled in yellow? :confused

If so, I would hazard a guess that it will be there, as MFX Warehouse has direct access to the original filming props. But I've only seen 2 pictures of the prototype they made, and that section of the prop isn't visible in either photo. So there's still that 0.01% chance that it might not be there.
 
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Before I get any more people banging on at me about CT and his accusations regarding our replicas and sending me PM’s let me make my one and only statement on the matter.

Firstly and most importantly – I have no interest in or desire to enter in to any debate with CT or anyone else who wishes to take up his ‘cause’ and I have numerous reasons for this. My primary reason is that CT is running a business making illegal unlicensed replicas and infringing my license, a license I have to pay for and meet many conditions on. He is stealing from me in effect. Why on earth would I want to then have a cozy chat with him about anything! I have nothing to say to him because he is doing everything he can to damage my legitimate business. He is attempting to take business away from me and damage my livelihood and livelihood of my employees by trading illegally while also making libelous accusations about me. What on earth makes anyone think I’d then feel obliged to communicate with him never mind be asked to ‘defend myself’ against these ridiculous claims from someone who is so blatantly ripping me off. He's simply making these claims solely as a means of propaganda in order to try and claim a bigger share of a market he has no legitimate right to!!!. Would you entertain a guy who had burgled your house and stole your TV if he came knocking on your door a few days later asking you to show him how to operate the remote control?

Secondly CT has also posted a blog which includes many untruths and half truths and makes – I’ll say it again – libelous claims against myself and my business. Two years ago he started out by posting what he called an ‘open letter’ to me in which he accused me of getting a license by “blowing Russell T David on set!” and proceeded to make even more crude homophobic remarks. Do you think I really want to have any discussion with this foul mouthed fool. My wife read that letter which made lots of crazy claims about me, and in which CT directed vile, vitriolic bile at me, and was very upset because she couldn’t understand why a person who has never met me, and knows nothing of my business or me as a person, would be so aggressive in his attacks on me and make such crude and offensive remarks in such a public way. What, she asked, had I done to deserve such uncalled for abuse? All I could say to her is, sadly it comes with the territory! Again, why would I wish to communicate with this individual???

His comments are designed to mask the fact that he is producing replicas illegally and his attitude is designed to justify these illegal actions and convince you all that what he’s doing is perfectly ok. He’s not just a fan producing a small run of an unavailable prop, he’s a full on business charging a lot of money for these items. In comparison to me his profit can be much higher as he’s producing in China and has no royalties to pay!

He’s also hugely inconsistent. I recently read a thread in which he attacks an RPF member for not divulging photographs and his source for information regarding the Tom Baker sonic while, at the same time, CT himself claims to have had access to new series sonics but also refuses to back up these claims with any evidence. There’s just no winning with this guy and ultimately no reason to enter in to any discussion with him as, no matter what you say, he’ll just run in circles saying and claiming whatever suits his purpose and version of reality as he sees it at the time.

He’s claimed that he approached the BBC to get a license but was re-buffed. This is a lie as the BBC have no record of any contact from him. They even asked me if I knew who he was as they’d become aware of his website? If he was making applications for licenses they’d know who he was. It’s all lies to justify his behavior and his illegal practice and to convince you he’s some modern day Robin Hood character.

So I just thought I’d state my position right now before I got any more PM’s or post from members hassling me to enter in to discussion. Not interested guys as I’m offended by and disinterested in having anything to do with this individual or answering anything he has to say. I’m also saddened to see his illegal operation given credibility here on the RPF. You’ll get angry and indignant at people who re-cast but it’s okay for this guy top blatantly operate an illegal, unlicensed business and peddle his wares on this forum and even have members giving him support and congratulations!!!... I’m completely shocked and UTTERLY disinterested.

I’ve been nothing but polite, consistent and as helpful and honest as possible to our customers and to anyone who has asked questions or PM’d me on this forum but I refuse to get involved with or comment on anything that is said by, or originates from, CT.

End of discussion.
Neill
 
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Neill

You offer a fully licensed product, made in house by the effects team that works on the show with unquestionable proof that you have direct access to the screen used prop as reference. You have also been polite and shown great customer service to support your product (I have had no problems with my two but am very impressed with how you have helped out others in this thread).

That is being balanced against someone who is not licensed,has no affiliation to the show and absolutally no proof that they are using any refrence material that is not currently publicly avalible. The persons behavior has been very un-bussiness like (to say the least) and I would fully expect to be instructed to stick the product up my *** if I bought one of his products and had a problem with it.

Keep up the good work man, if I can throw a few bucks in the direction of the people who are making stuff for a show I enjoy and get a sweet prop out of the deal, all is good :)
 
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Neill has every right to complain about a non licensed maker and his honesty was never in question. But pretty much all of you fellas above who are backing the licensing argument have bought an unlicensed replica classic sonic in the last few weeks, including me. We are just as guilty for condoning such work.... sorry, but it's true.
 
My comments were on soundness of the investment of a licensed prop made by the shows FX team not on the morality issues of purchasing a non-licensed prop. I do not think anybody would be left on the RPF if nobody ever bought non-licensed props. :lol

Although most of us are hobbyist here I think it is good thing to throw a little money in the direction of the actual industry prop people when we can. And I do.
 
I bought the MFX Sonic. I love it. I have no intention of buying the CT one. My girlfriend found out how much it cost on Saturday, when I was showing it off at a Who con. I died for you, man! :lol

I would like to know about the innacuracies of the MFX, though. This is, ya know, the RPF :angel
 
Asp9mm said:
Neill has every right to complain about a non licensed maker and his honesty was never in question. But pretty much all of you fellas above who are backing the licensing argument have bought an unlicensed replica classic sonic in the last few weeks, including me. We are just as guilty for condoning such work.... sorry, but it's true.
Click to expand...
Well, here's how I've had to look at it: Russ produced a group run of only 100. They are machined aluminum, and on top of that, they're finished with an anodized aluminum "halo"! I would think that an anodized part is more expensive to produce than a painted one, but I could be wrong. :unsure

Anyway, he did a run of only 100 and was able to offer them for only $84 SHIPPED TO OUR DOORS! Even with his clear acrylic display stand, it was only $108 shipped to my door! :thumbsup

Now, let's compare that to the officially licensed 4th Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver, produced by the BBC's official licensee, Sixteen 12 Collectibles. The emitter ring is PAINTED, the black piece on the rear of the "bullet", which we now know was a button magnet, is less accurate than Russ'. The main handgrip has a thicker wall than Russ', which some people prefer, as they say it looks more like the prop seen in a particularly well-liked story, but based on the screen caps I've seen, it looks LESS accurate to the original prop TO ME. But most importantly of all: They produced 8 TIMES the quantity that Russ did, most likely manufactured in China for an even lower manufacturing cost than Russ incurred, and they charge 3 TIMES THE PRICE! :confused

Granted, the included display case is AWESOME! But I can't justify paying $300 US for it, when I could buy 3 of Russ', with display stands, for the same price! Granted, Sixteen 12 has the official license, and no doubt has to pay license fees to the BBC that may be sizeable. And yes, they DO have a right to make a profit on their product. That's not in dispute here. What IS in dispute is why it costs as much as it does. If they produced 8 times as many as Russ did, the manufacturing cost should have been correspondingly lower, and they should have been able to pass those savings onto the collectors. They didn't. And therefore, they put themselves out of the price range that many fans can afford to pay these days. At $150 US, I would've bought one in a heartbeat. At $200, I would have waited for a sale to knock it down a bit lower. At $300, I won't even consider it. And that's their loss. I'd love to own the officially licensed one, but I simply can't afford it. :(

And that's due in part to the fact that I DID buy the MFX Warehouse New Series Sonic. It was, at the time the ONLY available option for a replica of that sonic, so as soon as I had the funds available, I ordered one, and I'm quite happy with it! Neill and his team did an AMAZING job on the prop replica, and it WILL be the centerpiece of my prop collection for many years to come! :):thumbsup

But I could only afford to buy ONE prop in that price range. I made my choice and I stand behind it. If by purchasing Russ' sonic, I deprived Sixteen 12 Collectibles or one of their authorized sales outlets of a sale, that's too bad. I've exercised the only power I had in that situation: I spoke with my WALLET. The Sixteen 12 sonic is simply TOO EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT IT IS. Especially given some of the inaccuracies in its design. Now that I know what I'm looking for, they jump right out at me.

The gentleman that designed Sixteen 12's prop replica has talked to me on the forums at Gallifrey Base (and I believe he's a member here, too) and he's a really nice guy. He DID make a nice replica of the sonic. Make no mistake, I firmly believe he did the best job he could, and made the best recreation possible using the reference materials available to him at the time. And I don't believe for a second that he had any say in the price of the product. Those kinds of decisions are usually made by corporate bean counters, not the craftsman hired to design and make the prototype prop.

So, long story short, I understand Neill's points, and I agree with them. In a perfect world, every prop we want would be made by official licensees, with the level of accuracy we here at the RPF demand, at the price we can afford to pay, and in sufficient quantity to meet demand for years to come! But this old world, she ain't perfect, and we can't always get what we want... especially when companies that try to give us what we want (such as Master Replicas) keep going out of business. :unsure

I will continue to support MFX's efforts to bring us the Doctor Who props and costume items we, as collectors, want. Whenever they offer a prop replica I want to own, I WILL buy it from them as soon as I have the money to do so. So, Neill, please, bring on the Laser Screwdriver! My collection feels empty without it!
 
mfxreplicas said:
Before I get any more people banging on at me about CT and his accusations regarding our replicas and sending me PM’s let me make my one and only statement on the matter.

Firstly and most importantly – I have no interest in or desire to enter in to any debate with CT or anyone else who wishes to take up his ‘cause’ and I have numerous reasons for this. My primary reason is that CT is running a business making illegal unlicensed replicas and infringing my license, a license I have to pay for and meet many conditions on. He is stealing from me in effect. Why on earth would I want to then have a cozy chat with him about anything! I have nothing to say to him because he is doing everything he can to damage my legitimate business. He is attempting to take business away from me and damage my livelihood and livelihood of my employees by trading illegally while also making libelous accusations about me. What on earth makes anyone think I’d then feel obliged to communicate with him never mind be asked to ‘defend myself’ against these ridiculous claims from someone who is so blatantly ripping me off. He's simply making these claims solely as a means of propaganda in order to try and claim a bigger share of a market he has no legitimate right to!!!. Would you entertain a guy who had burgled your house and stole your TV if he came knocking on your door a few days later asking you to show him how to operate the remote control?

Secondly CT has also posted a blog which includes many untruths and half truths and makes – I’ll say it again – libelous claims against myself and my business. Two years ago he started out by posting what he called an ‘open letter’ to me in which he accused me of getting a license by “blowing Russell T David on set!” and proceeded to make even more crude homophobic remarks. Do you think I really want to have any discussion with this foul mouthed fool. My wife read that letter which made lots of crazy claims about me, and in which CT directed vile, vitriolic bile at me, and was very upset because she couldn’t understand why a person who has never met me, and knows nothing of my business or me as a person, would be so aggressive in his attacks on me and make such crude and offensive remarks in such a public way. What, she asked, had I done to deserve such uncalled for abuse? All I could say to her is, sadly it comes with the territory! Again, why would I wish to communicate with this individual???

His comments are designed to mask the fact that he is producing replicas illegally and his attitude is designed to justify these illegal actions and convince you all that what he’s doing is perfectly ok. He’s not just a fan producing a small run of an unavailable prop, he’s a full on business charging a lot of money for these items. In comparison to me his profit can be much higher as he’s producing in China and has no royalties to pay!

He’s also hugely inconsistent. I recently read a thread in which he attacks an RPF member for not divulging photographs and his source for information regarding the Tom Baker sonic while, at the same time, CT himself claims to have had access to new series sonics but also refuses to back up these claims with any evidence. There’s just no winning with this guy and ultimately no reason to enter in to any discussion with him as, no matter what you say, he’ll just run in circles saying and claiming whatever suits his purpose and version of reality as he sees it at the time.

He’s claimed that he approached the BBC to get a license but was re-buffed. This is a lie as the BBC have no record of any contact from him. They even asked me if I knew who he was as they’d become aware of his website? If he was making applications for licenses they’d know who he was. It’s all lies to justify his behavior and his illegal practice and to convince you he’s some modern day Robin Hood character.

So I just thought I’d state my position right now before I got any more PM’s or post from members hassling me to enter in to discussion. Not interested guys as I’m offended by and disinterested in having anything to do with this individual or answering anything he has to say. I’m also saddened to see his illegal operation given credibility here on the RPF. You’ll get angry and indignant at people who re-cast but it’s okay for this guy top blatantly operate an illegal, unlicensed business and peddle his wares on this forum and even have members giving him support and congratulations!!!... I’m completely shocked and UTTERLY disinterested.

I’ve been nothing but polite, consistent and as helpful and honest as possible to our customers and to anyone who has asked questions or PM’d me on this forum but I refuse to get involved with or comment on anything that is said by, or originates from, CT.

End of discussion.
Neill
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That's nice Neil but you avoided the specifics of the inaccuracies pointed out clearly on CT's blog with the vague statement that he is making ridiculous claims. That's not addressing the real issue he raised Neill. Many many points were raised and you addressed none.

You definately told us what you think of CT, but I think that the buying public on the whole deserves to know why the finished product is so different than the prototype. Sure, those difference are small to some, but they are big enough to not allow the item to be called 100% accurate to the screen used prop. I may be alone on this here (but I know I am not) and I see no reason to keep quiet in concerns to the evidence provided by CT. I don't care if you don't like him or how he says something but just because you don't like the source of the information that does not automatically invalidate that information. You don't want to have a cozy little chat with CT, fine. How about telling us point for point how CT is indeed wrong in the overwhelming photographic documentation and construction. I don't think you will though because if you are proven to be wrong you are guilty of misrepresentation.
 
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Straker said:
That's nice Neil but you avoided the specifics of the inaccuracies pointed out clearly on CT's blog with the vague statement that he is making ridiculous claims. That's not addressing the real issue he raised Neill. Many many points were raised and you addressed none.

I think that the buying public on the whole deserves to know why the finished product is so different than the prototype. Sure, those difference are small to some, but they are big enough to not allow the item to be called 100% accurate to the screen used prop. I may be alone on this here (but I know I am not) and I see no reason to keep quiet in concerns to the evidence provided by CT. I don't care if you don't like him or how he says something but just because you don't like the source of the information that does not automatically invalidate that information. You don't want to have a cozy little chat with CT, fine. How about telling us point for point how CT is indeed wrong in the overwhelming evidence?
Click to expand...
Just FYI... the mods/admins issued a permanent ban to C.T. today and deleted the thread discussing his products. So I'm not sure how much more discussion they're going to allow regarding the things he said.
 
Jack T Chance said:
Just FYI... the mods/admins issued a permanent ban to C.T. today and deleted the thread discussing his products. So I'm not sure how much more discussion they're going to allow regarding the things he said.
Click to expand...


That's fine but the questions still stands. If i am banned for asking why the buying public isn't getting what is promised then that itself should be a statement as to how this information is not or will not be addressed when asked.

My questions isn't about CT's product but MFX's product. I think Neill owes it to a site about replica props to answer those questions satisfactorily.

I have stated in the past that I seen no point in picking apart inaccuracies to a prototype that is not what you would get in your hands were you to buy the finished production version of the item. This however IS the finished production version of item. It differers greatly in many key points from not ONLY the prototype but from the screen stills taken by many people from seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well as the DK Visual Dictionary and pictures posted on this forum by forum members. All the evidence is posted on CT's blog and was reposted here on the forum. Comments from Neill addressed CT's actions but not the evidence and questions raised on a forum Neill himself is a member of. Members aside from CT have asked these questions and I think he can answer them.
 
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