JJByers
New Member
Hello RPF, its been awhile to say the least!
Though in that time I have not stopped my quest in collecting, I would dare say its gotten worse :lol
In this post I'm hoping to also have Mr, Kit Rae clear a thing or two up for me, info passed on from FlameofUdun.net
In this post I will be covering my recent eBay find. I hope you find it informative and enjoy.
United Cutlery's UC1454 - 2nd Age Gondorian Shield
The Shield - Build Quality:
Overall, at a cost of $200.00, I have to say I'm very pleased with it despite its age. Its held up fairly well. Some paint was missing up top revealing
a tongue and groovepattern, which I'm guessing was glued together. Though I cannot verify this, it feels fairly sturdy and the pieces do not flex. From what UC's sale ads read, the shield was supposed to be stained, however, I would definitely say that they were painted, as I've never known stain to flake off and reveal bare wood. The wood itself upon touching up definitely seemed like cheap composite wood, definitely not something impact worthy (not that I thought it would be, it is a wall hanger).The metal... I don't know to call them bands or inserts or what, they are not caps. Nor from the picture above can you see well fitted (bottom corner, right) and are held down with what I initially thought would be rivets, but its more like thumb tacks. You can pop them right out if desired. For what they are from a distance they do the job just fine. Behind the top "accent" piece are two rings for hanging, the shield weighs around 10lbs I'd say, nothing too serious. I found medium sized hangers for picture frames work great and keep the shield flat to wall.
The Shield - Cosmetics:
As mentioned above I do not believe its stained but painted. From what I've seen online, each shield has a "war torn" and "weathered" appearance. From scuffs, bare wood, scrapes, etc. As it was this one seemed fine but I didn't care for exposed wood and had them touched up. Some black acrylic matched up nearly identical, though not quite. The metal bands also appear to have a painted weathered effect too. What sets the piece apart though is of course The White Tree. The silk screened tree is, nearly, flawless, on this one still. Though UC's poly-resin shield has it molded onto the shield raising it up somewhat, I've only seen 1 I like and it's owner repainted it due to being unhappy with the finished product he received. Unfortunately, seen above, 1 of the 7 stars is almost lost completely, I thought of touching it up as well, but for the time being have left it as is. The wood as seen in some photos has really rough and smooth spots, made cosmetically visible by the added finish.
The Shield - Overall Impression:
For the right price, get it. I had an eBay seller tell me its value is $750. But my retort is no its value is what someone is willing to pay for it. At $200 bucks heck yes. For $750 I could make a house payment and insurance, so heck no. This is a Limited Edition, advertised of 2500 pieces. Here is where my question for, if it should find his way to him, Mr Kit Rae comes in, I was told UC did not produce all of these at once, and upon going bankrupt did not complete them, and only about 1250 (the user quoted you as saying "roughly half were made") and I was just wondering if this was true as mine is numbered 1501 on the plate on the back.
To continue, if you're in the market for the Gondorian shield, both are a winner. Its a matter of wanting the original or polyres version (which looks great repainted). I am very happy to add this to my collection and thank you for reading.
YouTube up close look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhS6N24LVDI
Though in that time I have not stopped my quest in collecting, I would dare say its gotten worse :lol
In this post I'm hoping to also have Mr, Kit Rae clear a thing or two up for me, info passed on from FlameofUdun.net
In this post I will be covering my recent eBay find. I hope you find it informative and enjoy.
United Cutlery's UC1454 - 2nd Age Gondorian Shield
The Shield - Build Quality:
Overall, at a cost of $200.00, I have to say I'm very pleased with it despite its age. Its held up fairly well. Some paint was missing up top revealing
a tongue and groovepattern, which I'm guessing was glued together. Though I cannot verify this, it feels fairly sturdy and the pieces do not flex. From what UC's sale ads read, the shield was supposed to be stained, however, I would definitely say that they were painted, as I've never known stain to flake off and reveal bare wood. The wood itself upon touching up definitely seemed like cheap composite wood, definitely not something impact worthy (not that I thought it would be, it is a wall hanger).The metal... I don't know to call them bands or inserts or what, they are not caps. Nor from the picture above can you see well fitted (bottom corner, right) and are held down with what I initially thought would be rivets, but its more like thumb tacks. You can pop them right out if desired. For what they are from a distance they do the job just fine. Behind the top "accent" piece are two rings for hanging, the shield weighs around 10lbs I'd say, nothing too serious. I found medium sized hangers for picture frames work great and keep the shield flat to wall.
The Shield - Cosmetics:
As mentioned above I do not believe its stained but painted. From what I've seen online, each shield has a "war torn" and "weathered" appearance. From scuffs, bare wood, scrapes, etc. As it was this one seemed fine but I didn't care for exposed wood and had them touched up. Some black acrylic matched up nearly identical, though not quite. The metal bands also appear to have a painted weathered effect too. What sets the piece apart though is of course The White Tree. The silk screened tree is, nearly, flawless, on this one still. Though UC's poly-resin shield has it molded onto the shield raising it up somewhat, I've only seen 1 I like and it's owner repainted it due to being unhappy with the finished product he received. Unfortunately, seen above, 1 of the 7 stars is almost lost completely, I thought of touching it up as well, but for the time being have left it as is. The wood as seen in some photos has really rough and smooth spots, made cosmetically visible by the added finish.
The Shield - Overall Impression:
For the right price, get it. I had an eBay seller tell me its value is $750. But my retort is no its value is what someone is willing to pay for it. At $200 bucks heck yes. For $750 I could make a house payment and insurance, so heck no. This is a Limited Edition, advertised of 2500 pieces. Here is where my question for, if it should find his way to him, Mr Kit Rae comes in, I was told UC did not produce all of these at once, and upon going bankrupt did not complete them, and only about 1250 (the user quoted you as saying "roughly half were made") and I was just wondering if this was true as mine is numbered 1501 on the plate on the back.
To continue, if you're in the market for the Gondorian shield, both are a winner. Its a matter of wanting the original or polyres version (which looks great repainted). I am very happy to add this to my collection and thank you for reading.
YouTube up close look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhS6N24LVDI
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