Merrick again...
Beyond the Marquee has posted side-by-side comparisons of Matty Collector's Hoverboard replicas -vs- the screen used props . You can find 'em HERE!
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Over the past many months, we've posted a number of articles pertaining to a BACK TO THE FUTURE II Mattel Hoverboard replica which was being developed by Matty Collector.
In one of these articles, BACK TO THE FUTURE series Producer/Co-Writer Bob Gale visited Mattel to assist in said replica's design and preparation - a process you can see documented in an embed HERE.
Alas...
As those who ordered the limited edition piece finally began to receive their Hoverbaords, it didn't take long to glean that the pricey item had in some way disappointed recipients (as evidenced in THIS video review).
Seems like the guys in that review aren't the only one who didn't entirely groove on the Hoverboard.
Bob Gale himself has now issued a formal statement about the quality of the product via a statement newly posted on BTTF.com and Beyond the Marquee.
Last week, I received the first of my hoverboards. I had seen the review on “Beyond the Marquee” a few days earlier (http://beyondthemarquee.com/15970/), so my expectations were lowered. Nevertheless, I was disappointed. Jon and Steve’s review was spot on, and my issues are basically the same as theirs. The plastic stand is poorly designed and damn near impossible to make work. And although it was indicated that the board would somehow glide across certain smooth surfaces (like carpet), mine certainly didn’t. I too thought the sounds the board makes were underwhelming. But I would have forgiven all of these things if they had just gotten the lenticular quality of the movie board correct. This, in my opinion, is the product’s biggest problem. It’s supposed to be a prop replica so, at a $120 pre-sale price, it should look perfect. But it misses that mark. It’s not a disaster — far from it: the colors, dimensions, weight are great with a solid build quality, and the box graphics are a lot of fun (even though it’s missing the sticker that says “warning: does not work on water!”). And if it was $70, I’d give it an A. But at almost twice that price ($130 now), it is, at best, only a B. And dammit, I expected an A.
[EDIT]
I put myself out there to promote this, so now I want to publicly stand here with egg on my face and apologize. This product, at this price, falls short of the top notch standards that you and I have come to expect for something that carries the Back to the Future brand.
...says Gale in his statement, the entirety of which you can read HERE.
As a tremendous fan of the BACK TO THE FUTURE film, I'd been kicking myself for not ordering a Hoverboard when their limited sales window opened up a while back...economy simply didn't permit at that time. Now? It's seeming like I didn't miss out on much at all. Disappointing, if true, Given that it doesn't have to actually HOVER...you'd think a replica of this nature wouldn't be that difficult to get right.
