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Post by wortelboer on Feb 23, 2019 20:26:48 GMT -5
It is very impressive. And I remember a time where a posting like this would’ve had dozens of comments with in a very short time. It is very sad. Especially since they seem to have something remarkably Well done
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Post by dmikester on Feb 23, 2019 20:30:09 GMT -5
I'm looking forward to getting mine (whenever UPS/USPS actually decide to deliver it; they've claimed it was going to be delivered for two days now and have missed their delivery dates despite it apparently being an hour and a half away from me), but it's also been "spoiled" by the MPC so everyone knows what the big piece looks like. I'm also a tiny bit disappointed that I more or less predicted what the content of the ephemera was going to be. Still, I agree; the crickets are deafening given that this seems like somewhat of a return to form for them.
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Post by centaurofattn on Feb 23, 2019 20:45:29 GMT -5
Part of the crickets may well be people still waiting. I avoided this thread until tonight when my crate arrived.
What an interesting disclaimer. It actually makes me wonder if I read a censored or edited version the first time I read it.
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Post by thegenii on Feb 23, 2019 20:53:57 GMT -5
Lovecraft was not even a subtle racist, but really rabid and dwelt on the superiority of the Aryan race.
That said, I have done a tiny bit of looking online and didn't see any references to overt racism in Cthulu.
Must read what the MPC has sent to get the whole story.
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Post by dmikester on Feb 23, 2019 21:45:43 GMT -5
The whole conversation about Lovecraft’s racism and xenophobia is a healthy one to have (especially given his towering influence in fantasy/sci-fi/horror) and it’s interesting when you study his life and his works to see how he mellowed out with age and travel. His later works lose a lot of the racism; for example, Shadow Out of Time has a large portion set in Australia and he actually treats the continent and its people with respect. Still, no one’s claiming he’s a great role model or anything.
Sadly, many of his earlier works, while excellent horror stories, are marred by overt racism and xenophobia. Call of Cthulhu is no exception; the descriptions of the cult in New Orleans and then the later descriptions of the people his uncle encounters are not pretty. I was actually taken aback when I reread it last year, since I also didn’t remember anything particularly offensive, but wow was I wrong. I think with something like Call of Cthulhu, the imagery and writing is so evocative that when you read it for the first time, it’s easy to get lost in its descriptions and sort of fly towards the next part. But when reading it more carefully, the offensive parts become much more prominent.
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Post by chrisu on Feb 24, 2019 2:38:30 GMT -5
Part of the crickets is their shipping policy of course. I and at least two other board members are from Germany, a country MPC no longer does business with. I don't know how many board members have been from other countries the MPC no longer is shipping to. Their products are already very niche and they restricted possible customers even further.
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Post by Todd on Feb 24, 2019 8:12:56 GMT -5
Not to mention their "navigator" openly mocking a customer who expressed a quality concern, multiple bait-and-switches in both Kickstarter campaigns, and a deliberate effort to alienate the community they built....
But I'm not going to mention that.
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Post by thegenii on Feb 24, 2019 12:17:20 GMT -5
Alas, all are true.
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Post by rob on Feb 24, 2019 16:11:32 GMT -5
I've received mine and I'm pleased overall. I'm concerned that my idol is covered in an oily substance and my hands are glistening with the oil after handling it. Dabbing at it with a paper towel removes the green patina along with the oily substance. Small areas are peeling off in sheets exposing pink resin underneath and just handling the idol is enough to rub off the finish. I've messaged a friendly concierge with my concerns. What I find interesting are the layer lines when the idol is viewed from its side and the way the top of the idol's head looks like a topological map, obvious signs that the original figurine was 3D printed. Not a complaint as it's a very well done model, just an observation. It gives me the impression that the MPC didn't have this sculpted in-house but rather farmed its creation out to another party to create the STL file used in printing the original model.
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Post by thegenii on Feb 24, 2019 17:00:28 GMT -5
When I took mine out of the box, the aroma of the paint was very strong, indicating it had been painted only recently and not allowed to dry before being shipped.
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Post by rob on Feb 24, 2019 17:08:59 GMT -5
I'm not sure what's wrong with mine. It leaves greasy residue wherever it's placed, even after wiping the bottom. It's sitting on a folded paper towel for now.
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Post by thegenii on Feb 24, 2019 17:53:26 GMT -5
Wowzer, how odd.
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Post by parlortrick on Feb 25, 2019 11:20:13 GMT -5
Okay, that's much cooler than I envisioned when they posted it. Thanks for posting the pics! This would look pretty solid on display in my office...
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Post by dmikester on Feb 27, 2019 21:08:32 GMT -5
Well, I got mine today and I am seriously impressed with it. It may not be as original as what they've done in the past, but for what it's trying to do, namely do an adaptation of Call of Cthulhu in prop form, it's extremely well done. The statue itself is excellent, the Call of Cthulhu manuscript is great, and I'm really surprised and impressed by the distressed tin with a ton of fake newspaper articles and a bonus Cthulhu-related artifact. Even the crate itself is one of the best they've done, and I'm not going to lie, there was a little bit of that old magic feeling that came back when I had to pry open the crate. Honestly, and I can't believe I'm saying this given MPC's track record lately, if you have any interest in Call of Cthulhu or Lovecraft and can afford this, I'd highly recommend it when it next becomes available. Edit: Took some photos if anyone's interested. These don't include the newspaper articles or the Call of Cthulhu manuscript. These are of course major spoilers for most of the things in the crate that aren't an advertised Cthulhu statue. drive.google.com/open?id=1H--BOVRs-ONAofZWxrC_S2izVrRIj_dG
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Post by Todd on Feb 28, 2019 10:09:59 GMT -5
The disclaimer seems odd to me. While I understand wanting to distance yourself from the distasteful aspects of his persona that bled through into his story-telling, I can't help but wonder if the couldn't have found an "in-game" way to do so. Perhaps in a written letter from the Curator himself. Or less directly, some other sort of cover letter explaining the contents of the crate, perhaps a museum curator or law firm handling an estate.
Or perhaps ditch the Lovecraft and do some other authors. Perhaps a bust of Pallas bespotted with bird excrement. Or something based on The Treasure of Abbott Thomas might be interesting.
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