bungral

Not been well the last few days so just gonna get my challenge 5 in before the weekend is up.

So I only really stumbled in to this world of premium steelbooks by chance when I was searching eBay for some random Terminator stuff.

I came across some of the HDZeta Terminator and had no idea what an “HDZeta” was.  Didn’t know if it was legit releases or some dodgy bootleg stuff so dug a little deeper and ended up on the other site due to Google.  After a week or so there I heard about MP via some PMs and came over to have a look and started to learn about all the different suppliers and different editions.

I saved a few searches on eBay and my very first premium purchase which was absolutely caused by MP was Terminator Salvation HDZeta.  It wasn’t sealed as I hadn’t really decided whether that bothers me at this point and was just happy to have it.

The next couple of purchases were also HDZeta Terminators but I need some diversity of retailer for this challenge so will skip forward a little and bring back this gem again.  I realised the gaping hole in HDZetas lineup is T2 so I went in search of the next best thing which was Novas T2 which I grabbed as soon as I could.

Things started spiralling as I learnt more and realised some of the editions I’d missed in the previous years had to be procured. Target set and aquired!

Outside of Terminator and John Wick my other favourite set of films is The Dark Knight Trilogy and this was pre HDZetas grail set so I spent some digging around to find some of the Amazon Japan White steels and managed to pick one up which I later sold and rebought 😂. Some won’t necessarily call this a premium but I treat this in way higher regard than lot of my other premiums!

Another really old purchase a few months after the above is of this DVD Steelbook from Germany.  I love everything Final Fantasy and was very happy to be able to pick this up for a very reasonable price compared so some of the others.

As that definitely isn’t really a premium I’ll add another below that is from one of my earliest group buys here on MP and still one of my favourites.  Just as above I actually sold my original when I needed some cash but have since re bought it for a bargain price.  Always kept a saved search for it going.  I feel it’s a little underrated but I really like it.

8 hours ago, extantsrevenge said:

Nobody from the MP GB had to pay for this yet, so members are very lucky. Not like direct customers like myself 😨

Ah see that’s what I originally thought but when you said payment I just assumed you’d purchased with MP.

Makes sense then 👍🏻

3 hours ago, extantsrevenge said:

So FAC send out a longer message yesterday. Sadly Predator is still not shipping 😡. It would have been nice if everyone who paid 1 year ago would have received that money back or at least be able to use it for new orders and then sinply pay for Predator again when it is happening.....

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Dear collectors,

 

we would like to inform you about current events and preparations.

 

We kindly apologize for the delay in the WONDER WOMAN 84 title due to the late delivery and subsequent complete lenticular reprint. We were not satisfied with the quality, and as we had already announced earlier, we will release the products to you when we are satisfied with them in all respects.

 

The current delivery date for lenticulars is mid-October, i.e. around 17/10 and then if everything goes well, we will proceed to complete WW84 and then move on to the next titles in order. We will update the release dates on the site in the second half of October to be more accurate than before. Unfortunately, due to delivery shifts, we were unable to plan better. We will try to improve it.

 

For the PREDATOR title, we are still waiting for the studio to finally confirm that we can start sending out the editions. Since communication is very slow or non-existent, which is also confirmed with other 20th Century Studios releases like THE LAST DUEL, they are very slow and unfortunately, this is also starting to show in the studio's reluctance to provide regular material. We dare to criticize this approach because it is retailers like Filmarena and others who have kept physical media sales afloat for a long time. And if some studios are no longer interested in these collaborations, it will be best if retailers get this information fairly and in front of their eyes. No hiding behind excuses and such. Earlier cooperation with the Fox studio was completely different than it is now, and it cannot currently be explained in any other way than the transition to the Disney studio, increased bureaucratic burden, and meaninglessly set criteria that do not correspond to specific m arket situations and customer requirements. Unfortunately, we cannot do more than this statement. How else to explain the situation when we have approved editions from an earlier time from the FOX studio, then the title goes under the DISNEY studio, which after minor corrections approve the title again, then asks to wait for the sending until it presents the PREY title and launches the Disney + channel and subsequently hardly responds to our communication. If this is an idea of future cooperation, then thank you, but we do not want to continue down this path. There are also studios where cooperation works, and we will focus on them, at least until we start to feel other signals.

 

As soon as we have any feedback from FOX/DISNEY, we will let you know. Together with the distributor, we are trying to negotiate the possibility of sending out at least separate E5 editions (steelbooks in jcards) in the first wave, but again we encounter communication that is very slow due to the strong bureaucratic apparatus at Disney.

 

We are currently not ordering more steelbooks for new titles from other studios and we are focusing on finishing work on older titles.

 

The current launch schedule for pre-orders is set as follows. Next week on Tuesday, we will launch pre-orders for the following titles:

 

FAC #167 TENET
FAC #168 UNFORGIVEN
FAC #169 F9
FAC #170 A QUIET PLACE PART II
FAC #171 GODZILLA VS KONG

 

We will present these editions to you in the coming days.

 

We will launch further pre-orders in November and now we want to continuously inform you which ones they will be.

 

At the same time, we apologize to everyone for the recent error of launching pre-orders only for the TENET title, which occurred due to our incorrect setup.

 

Finally, we have news for you regarding our own merch, which you are increasingly interested in. We have decided to prepare the first round for you, which we will present and launch as part of this round of pre-orders.

 

Thank you very much for your support and cooperation.

 

We look forward to your pre-orders.

 

Best regards,

Jan Cikanek for the FA and BB team

 

anyway the message also included a new Pre-order announcement (which I think should not happen until a few other releases have shipped).

 

They are

FAC #167 TENET
FAC #168 UNFORGIVEN
FAC #169 F9
FAC #170 A QUIET PLACE PART II
FAC #171 GODZILLA VS KONG

 

The Tenet GB is running for some time already

 

We still have copies available in UK, France and USA.

 

I guess I will open a GB for the other 4 tomorrow. So keep an eye on the GB section.

Any idea when payment was for Predator?  
 

Looks like I forgot to keep a record of that one so want to search back.

Challenge 4:

A couple of common ones here but figured I’d use a completely random one at the end.

I could have found some more interesting ones but I’ve left it late this week and a lot are tucked away!

1:  T2 - Motorbike

2:  IT - A little boat for insects

3:  Interstellar *yawn* - Space Station

4:  Solo - Millennium Falcon

5:  Eerie Indiana - Bicycle 

Ahhh just realised the challenge is films which means Eerie is out.  Will add another one tomorrow.  Shows me for trying to find something original 😂

Challenge 3:

Well I’d just taken some photos of some things I’ve liked and saw the last reply about games and that meant I had to do another.

I’ll start with it too as it’s one of my absolute favourite things I own.  
 

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Soldier 1st Class Edition which includes a Steelbook too so is relevant.  The metal buster sword wasn’t part of this set but I display it with it so added it in.  It’s made up of 10 different separate smaller swords built together.

Next up I’m going with this Grease Release that came with a sheet of magnetic “stickers” to put on the locker Steelbook if you wanted.  Some might say it’s not a premium but the steel itself is way better than some premiums that have come out.

Lastly I’ll throw in the Derry map from Cinemuseums IT.  Helps as I don’t have too many unsealed!

43 minutes ago, MikeH5856 said:

God, I love this Terminator skull with a hat on, @bungral! 🤣

Yeah all 4 of them get decorated at Xmas with antlers and such.  Always goes down well.

Challenge 2!

1:  Terminator 2 - Zavvi - UK

I’ll start with the non Steelbook release.  I believe this was a Zavvi release.  Was the first Terminator collectible I sought out and bought when I realised it existed before buying the Endo Arm and PureArts masks.  Had to put a hat on it for a while as it scared my nephew when he stayed with us.

2: The Prestige - Manta - Asia

Didn’t get the UHD Club release of this but am extremely pleased with the SL from Manta.  Quality film and think it’s the best of all the slips.

3: John Wick - Nova - Asia

Used Nova’s JW2 in the first challenge so get to use the original in this one.  Some of my favourite films and favourite Lentis!  Had to grab it off eBay so it’s one of the few I have unsealed but it is nice to actually be able to look through it all.

4: Harry Potter - Blufans - Asia

Love the books and the films are a good effort all this considered.  Really hoping someone somewhere does the full set in premium!  Can’t believe it hasn’t happened yet.

5: IT - Cinemuseum - Europe

Always loved the original growing up and really enjoyed the remake.  Had to grab this on the Bay too so another that is open.  Front and back art on this is just great.  Very nearly 2 years since ordering part 2 but good things come to those who wait!

What’s the deadline on this second challenge?

8 minutes ago, Reagh said:

They play on my iPad with no issues. I love that T2 from Nova, thanks for sharing.

Yeah that video came out good.  Really great lenti.

5 hours ago, extantsrevenge said:

 

@bungral somehow I can't watch your videos (tried two browsers), but thankfully I know most of them, some great choices.

That’s strange.  Took them on my phone and uploaded straight to the site.  They play on safari on my iPhone no issue.

Anyone else able to watch my vids on the previous page or are they busted for all?

@Parzival so which do you prefer… transition or depth?

I don’t really have a favourite out of transition or depth.  Like them both when done really well so I’ll just post one of my favourites of each and a couple extra that I like.  For the purposes of finding a winner, I’ll side with transition.

T2 Nova is probably my favourite transition.  Notable mentions for The Terminator HDZeta and Ready Player One with this one being a Target o-ring amaray slip.

For depth I really like John Wick Nova original o-ring slips with 2 edging it for me.  Inception Manta or HDZeta and I’ll throw in IT Cinemuseum as I like the depth through the image.  It doesn’t really move so doesn’t capture well on camera.  Blufans TDK is class too.

Yeah nowhere close for the higher Blufans awards even with owning a decent number.

Agree that it will be very tough for most with Blufans low print runs / slow releases over the last couple of year.  Makes being creative all the more important. 
 

All of the options above have merit.

5 hours ago, Boilersteel said:

Price dropped $50, then someone made an offer (who knows what) and now sold.  Going, going gone.  That was fast.

It went for $399

The Thing is that nobody is buying at that price.  

One went recently for £240 though.  Still pretty hefty.

On a ? For my request which is completely understandable and appreciate all the effort Nils.

If it can’t be serviced by FA moving things about then no issue.  Obviously great if it can.

18 minutes ago, extantsrevenge said:

I did not do that on France and UK because I want people to request without feeling forced to do so. My feeling from the last few FAC GBs is that these two HUB have trouble to fill the qauntity (even when it is low), so I actually consider to reduce the amount here further and give to USA, as it seems we have more demand here.

 

I will wait until tomorrow.

 

 

@j harman @jstak42 can you please get your PN order in.

Yeah I’ve taken some in the past just to help fill and been absolutely abused when I sold them but see how it goes I guess.

Hope it won’t take too much scratching around 👍🏻

@extantsrevenge is it worth saying what stock is where like with Asia so people know what needs filling or will you do that later when all requests are in?

I assume Asia was just given at the start as it’s pretty limited there.

Must have been the last one?

Nothing wrong with the first set of John Wick o ring style steels / slips!

Caps going full Zoolander in the OC lenti

That’s pretty good!  Looks great. 

Stupid queue thing cost me the DL by a couple of seconds but grabbed an SL instead as I don’t mind that either.

Ok pretty interested in this.

Liking this complete set more than Black Barons I think.