F-4 Landing Gear Door Wall Sculpture

asechrest

asechrest

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Found this. Pretty cool. $2,400 each.

Forged from metal and lifted by winds, this powerful statement piece captures the essence of flight. Artist Ward Wallau salvages rear landing gear doors from military F4 phantom jets and refurbishes them by hand, creating elegant icons of forgotten Americana.

Used by the Air Force, Navy, and Marines between 1958 and 1981, each door in this limited edition set of 32 comes individually numbered with a certificate of authenticity. Wallau polishes the aluminum to a mirror finish and adds armature to the lever for easy hanging. Doors may be mounted or positioned upright, echoing as it was years ago. A perfect landing for pilots, former flyers, or airplane enthusiasts, this once-airborne focal point anchors your home in strength and levity. Made in the USA.
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http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/f-4-landing-gear-wall-sculpture
 
I'll take 2. Any moron can buy 1, takes a real moron to buy 2. ;)

$2,400 for a piece of scrap.
 
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Yeah, pass.

Plus, it's advertised as "F-4 Landing Gear Wall Scultpture" which clearly it is not. You added the word 'door' to your post.
 
Whenever an artist, or art gallery uses the term "limited edition", or "giclee", they are reeling in the suckers. You are throwing your money away. The chances of those items ever having any significant resale value, such as what you paid for them, are about nil.

If you just like whatever it is they are trying to pawn off on you, and you can afford to spend money on a more than likely worthless whatever, then who cares, it's your home or office, and your money. If you are trying to wow your friends with such things, it is unlikely you will.

When an artist makes the claim of being a "recognized artist" or "award winning artist" ask them, "How so?"

-John
 
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Just so we're clear, I'm not buying one. But I do have a soft spot for random military stuff. :D
 
John Baker said:
Whenever an artist, or art gallery uses the term "limited edition", or "giclee", they are reeling in the suckers. You are throwing your money away. The chances of those items ever having any significant resale value, such as what you paid for them, are about nil.
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That depends largely on the artist. Not sure what kind of framing you did at your shop, but I suspect you know that.
 
Fearless Tower said:
That depends largely on the artist. Not sure what kind of framing you did at your shop, but I suspect you know that.
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I have never heard of anyone selling a giclee' or ink jet print, for more or even at the price they paid for it. So called limited editions, the term comes from the old stone lithography type of printing. Each color was applied to the print from its own etched stone. Registering a print run was time consuming and a lot of work. The more colors, the more etched stones, the more work.

The stones were placed in a screw type press, they were wiped with water and the ink rolled on, then put on the paper under pressure. Once the artist had his/her registration correct, they would do a small test run of ten or fifteen copies. This small edition was called the artists proofs. It was done to insure that each and every copy made was exactly the same.

Then the edition itself was printed, each print numbered between one and the total number in the edition. Editions were usually kept under three hundred.

Once the edition had been printed, the stones, or plates, were destroyed, thereby giving the collector an assurance and guarantee that no other prints except for the artists proofs existed.

The valuable or collectibles were the edition itself, not the artists proof.

Some artists also made silk screen prints and sold them as limited editions, they were called serigraphs. This was popular in the 1940s and early 1950s, and were considered to be legitimate as in each color had its own screen, and the registration process had to be undertaken.

Then came photo mechanical offset printing. Thousands of images could be printed in minutes. Many artists would simply number and sigh a bunch of them and sell them to the unwary as "limited editions". Sometimes an artist would "highlight" these prints by dabbing some paint here and there on them, and command even higher prices. None of these prints were real collectables, as they could be made into editions of thousands, and more editions run on different paper, then sold as a completely new edition.

Then came ink jet printing, the least expensive way for an artist to make a full color print. They are called Giclee's in order to wow the yokels.

I do not know how a part of an airplane could be called a "limited edition"

-John
 
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Fearless Tower said:
That depends largely on the artist. Not sure what kind of framing you did at your shop, but I suspect you know that.
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I won a few national awards, had been listed as one of Americas top 100 frame shops by Decor Magazine several years in a row. I did OK framing.

-John
 
John Baker said:
Then came ink jet printing, the least expensive way for an artist to make a full color print. They are called Giclee's in order to wow the yokels.
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In all fairness, If it weren't for prints and Giclees, most of us couldn't afford to have nice art in our homes unless we made it ourselves. I have the same philosophy towards art as I do cars, airplanes, boats, jewelery, watches, etc. If you want it and can afford it buy it for you, not as an investment. Just as I will not make any money on my airplane when I sell it, I won't make any on the signed and numbered prints I have in my home either, but I enjoy them everyday in the mean time.
 
On the topic of this thread, I think anybody who pays $2400 for one of these gear doors is pretty crazy. When I saw the thread title, I expected to see some cool art piece made out of gear doors, not just a piece of salvage screwed to the wall. Pretty lame, but if it floats your boat, go for it!
 
John Baker said:
I won a few national awards, had been listed as one of Americas top 100 frame shops by Decor Magazine several years in a row. I did OK framing.

-John
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Giclee is one thing, but not all Limited Editions are Giclees and you seemed to lump the two together.

Having seen alot of art come through the shop in Scottsdale, I can say I have seen some 'limited editions' increase in value. Usually after the artist is no longer with us.

That said, I would not recommend 'investing' in art to most people.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Giclee is one thing, but not all Limited Editions are Giclees and you seemed to lump the two together.

Having seen alot of art come through the shop in Scottsdale, I can say I have seen some 'limited editions' increase in value. Usually after the artist is no longer with us.

That said, I would not recommend 'investing' in art to most people.
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Sheez, I thought I gave a pretty good explanation of what exactly a limited edition was and how they are different from giclees and photo mechanical offset prints. I guess I must have been too long winded for you to read the whole post.

There is no way that I was lumping anything together.


-John
 
Dav8or said:
In all fairness, If it weren't for prints and Giclees, most of us couldn't afford to have nice art in our homes unless we made it ourselves. I have the same philosophy towards art as I do cars, airplanes, boats, jewelery, watches, etc. If you want it and can afford it buy it for you, not as an investment. Just as I will not make any money on my airplane when I sell it, I won't make any on the signed and numbered prints I have in my home either, but I enjoy them everyday in the mean time.
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I think I said that in my post #4, but probably a little blunt about it.

-John
 
John Baker said:
Sheez, I thought I gave a pretty good explanation of what exactly a limited edition was and how they are different from giclees and photo mechanical offset prints. I guess I must have been too long winded for you to read the whole post.
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Your lengthy explanation was post 9, written after I responded to your post 4.
 
Art and Beauty are in the eye of the beholder. Not that I'm spending over $2k for a gear door, but I can see where someone might want one. A true finishing to a man cave. Same as the hood of a NASCAR racecar or that humongous stick up of a fullsize football player.
I did see a website a few years ago that offered parts from a carved up B52. One item available was the pilot seat. That I might go for.
Not a Van Gogh or a Michaelangelo, but whom am I to say what art or beauty is. I gotta look in the mirror every morning. A face you get used to.
 
pmanton said:
I have some corroded Aeronca rib wall hangings for sale. These are true icons of GA's golden age.

Only $5672.99 each.
:-)
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OMG! You are a genius! You figured out what to do with America's rotting ramp queens. Dismantle them, put wall hangers on the parts and then sign and number each piece.

I figure I should be able to get at least $40,000 out of this gem-

photo2_zpsd1cbf237.jpg


And probably around $30,000 for this one-

photo1_zps6d1d95a6.jpg


eBay, here I come!! :D:happydance:
 
I'll take the left brake disc from the first one. $5,000, final offer.

Dav8or said:
OMG! You are a genius! You figured out what to do with America's rotting ramp queens. Dismantle them, put wall hangers on the parts and then sign and number each piece.

I figure I should be able to get at least $40,000 out of this gem-

photo2_zpsd1cbf237.jpg


And probably around $30,000 for this one-

photo1_zps6d1d95a6.jpg


eBay, here I come!! :D:happydance:
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