Maltese Falcon Replica

[Ozymandius]

I just wanted to give you film noir fans a heads up on a recently completed replica sculpt of the Maltese Falcon.

It's currently in a limited, signed and numbered run over at the Replica Prop Forum with heavy weighted and cold-cast bronze versions available.

Just curious to see if anyone over here is interested.

Ciao

 

[Feraud]

I received my black bird and it is gorgeous.
The sculpt, cast, and finish are all top notch.

 

[ex812]

Price? Order info ???

 

[Texas Raider]

I would be very interested to know pricing, and I bet shipping is a bear!
Thanks ahead for more info!

 

[Edward]

Shipping will inevitably be expensive due to the weight of a good bird.... I will, inevitably, buy one myself eventually though. Money no object, I'd have two - one for the office, one for home!

 

[Paul de Weerd]

What's the price on this one??

 

[John in Covina]

Looks really nice! MK had done a run or two of replicas some time ago and i have one of his in my home.

 

[Ozymandius]

Sorry guys, after not getting any response on this forum for months I completly forgot about this page. Details are as follows.

The sculpt is an exact milimeter by milimeter reproduction of the falcon, based on measurements taken from the authenticated bird that Christies had up for auction. Everything down to the number, angle, and placement of the feathers on the feet is precisely duplicated. I've had numerous Falcon aficianodos and even art experts declare it to be dead-on accurate. Adam Savage himself owns two, if that tells you anything.

The bird is offered in 3 versions to suit budget and taste.

The Resin Blackbird is a solid 5lb resin replica painted semi-gloss black. $160. Shipping to US runs about $19.

The Weighted Blackbird is the same as above, only it is internally weighted to 15lbs. $210 + about $40 shipping domestic.

And the Bronze Dingus is a cold-cast bronze that weighs about 16lbs. It's a fine art piece meant to show off the sculpt and artistry of the design. $400 + about $40 shipping.

Inquiries can be directed to ozdeshaw@live.com

Cheers,
Oz

 

[Mike in Seattle]

You can generally find other replica versions on Ebay almost anytime. True, not signed or numbered, and not the stated weight of the original, but nonetheless fun to have around.

 

[Effingham]

Holy crap, OZ!!!

Folks, I have to tell you, if you get the chance to get one of Oz's sculpts, GRAB IT. The thing is SPECTACULAR.

I have a weighted resin one on my mantel right now, and it is... well, it's spectacular. The man's an artist. This isn't a generic e-bay POS "dingus" -- I've seen lots of "replicas" of the black bird, and this one is whole magnitudes better than the others.

 

[Edward]

Hey, folks....

I'm looking to buy my own bird in the next couple of weeks, trying to keep costs down as far as possible..... Been looking at these two on eBay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Maltese-F...ltDomain_0&hash=item3cbf97fc3f#ht_2309wt_1185

and

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Maltese-F...ltDomain_0&hash=item20bff5a94d#ht_1461wt_1185

The latter one looks like a great price compared to the competition, was wondeing if anyone has any experience of the seller?

 

[Feraud]

Edward, those two birds are not looked upon favorably in the prop community. As you can see the sculpts and casts are shoddy.
The fun zone piece looks sightly better than the first one. I do not have experince buying from either of those ebay sellers.
A few years back I found what looks to be the Haunted Studios version in a thrift store for a couple of bucks. It's a really bad looking sculpt. My wife called it The Maltese Chicken..

 

[Ozymandius]

Edward, if you're looking to save a few bucks I can do a raw cast in black resin that you can paint yourself for $80.

 

[skyvue]

Edward, those two birds are not looked upon favorably in the prop community. As you can see the sculpts and casts are shoddy.

See, that's the rub for me -- I can't see that those two look so bad (though I'm willing to take your word for it). I've had a Falcon replica for twenty years or more, but it recently fell off the display shelf and was damaged, so I'm thinking of replacing it.

But I can't justify spending triple figures on it, given my current budgetary constraints. I have no idea how accurate my replica is/was. It might be one of these "shoddy" jobs. But I've gotten nothing but compliments on it over the years. I think the average person won't much know the difference (and much as it shames me to admit it, I just might be, in this sense, as average as anyone).

 

[Edward]

Edward, those two birds are not looked upon favorably in the prop community. As you can see the sculpts and casts are shoddy.
The fun zone piece looks sightly better than the first one. I do not have experince buying from either of those ebay sellers.
A few years back I found what looks to be the Haunted Studios version in a thrift store for a couple of bucks. It's a really bad looking sculpt. My wife called it The Maltese Chicken..

Ah, thanks - useful to know. Maybe I'm cheap, but even at a bit of a saving over the competition these birds aren't worth picking up at their price if the quality just isn't there.

Edward, if you're looking to save a few bucks I can do a raw cast in black resin that you can paint yourself for $80.

I would be interested in that, come January payday.... what does one paint them with? Oh.... and how would postage be? That can be the killer (some nice options I've had to turn down in the past because postage was crippling).

See, that's the rub for me -- I can't see that those two look so bad (though I'm willing to take your word for it). I've had a Falcon replica for twenty years or more, but it recently fell off the display shelf and was damaged, so I'm thinking of replacing it.

But I can't justify spending triple figures on it, given my current budgetary constraints. I have no idea how accurate my replica is/was. It might be one of these "shoddy" jobs. But I've gotten nothing but compliments on it over the years. I think the average person won't much know the difference (and much as it shames me to admit it, I just might be, in this sense, as average as anyone).

I'm in the same position - s'why I asked. Also, I suspect some of these things are often sold using the same stock photo which may or may not be representative of the actual product.

I'm the same.

 

[Ozymandius]

I would be interested in that, come January payday....

January works great as I'm not taking any new orders until after the 1st.

what does one paint them with?

I use acrylic enamel in a spray gun for a smooth finish, but rattle can paints work quite well too. Alternatively, I cast these birds in a jet black resin that can be polished.

Oh.... and how would postage be? That can be the killer (some nice options I've had to turn down in the past because postage was crippling).

Shipping to the UK is about $45 for one, and $65 for two.

Also, I suspect some of these things are often sold using the same stock photo which may or may not be representative of the actual product.

For the record, I'm a former Special FX artist for the movie industry and now freelance as a sculptor and mold maker for theme parks and corporate promotions. All of my work is done to museum quality standards and can withstand scrutiny from 2 inches away. I won't sell anything that I wouldn't be proud to display in my own home.

 

[DanielJones]

Do you have a version that has that time worn look to it? You know, the paint rubbed off here and there, looks like it has been passed around a few times through the centuries?

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Ozymandius]

You mean like this?

 

[Blackthorn]

Yes, like that.

 

[Big_Papi_T]

Edward, if you're looking to save a few bucks I can do a raw cast in black resin that you can paint yourself for $80.

Just curious, do you have a photo of the raw cast in black resin sans paint?