Friday, July 18, 2008

Weta

Based on the Eye of Sauron in the background and the King Kong links and the New Zealand domain name, I'm betting that Peter Jackson is a fan of using the Weta Workshop. Their other credits include The Muppet Show, At least one (new) Zorro movie, Prince Caspian and the (new) Doctor Who TV show. Besides making some of the most convincing creature effects in movies today, they sell collectibles. Like those little statues for people who... I don't know who actually buys those. And helmets for fauns.

I think that the two large holes practically inviting an archer to shoot an arrow straight into Mr. Tumnus' frontal lobe is a pretty obvious design flaw, but what do I know? In addition to these items that pale in comparison, they offer something pretty cool. LASER GUNS! Who among us hasn't wanted one of these?

Pictured above, you see the Victorious Mongoose 1902a - Concealable Ray Pistol. Also pictured is the fine leather case it comes in, complete with brass snaps and an envelope of some kind. I have no clue what that is. Not pictured is the look of shock on your face when you see that this chunk of admittedly well-crafted metal and wood costs over five hundred American dollars. A look of shock that then turns to relief when you realize that in comparison to these other full-sized ray guns, that's nothin'. I admit, I would be more inclined to purchase the derringer-sized one, the other ones are huge. She could break a wrist.

EDIT: According to Wikipedia (so it must be true) Weta makes what they call "bigatures", miniatures that can get up to nine meters in height. The chain-mail work on a twenty-foot orc was apparently so intricate that a few people actually wore off the fingerprints on their thumbs and forefingers. WOW.

No comments: