All developments have a direct or indirect influence on their predecessors and this can be seen anywhere around us and in most cases its clear that the newer options influence the known state in a more progressive but negative way, that's undeniable.
I've mentioned the perfect job you guys have done on those repro shields because its clear they are perfect reproductions BUT that also implies that due to this high quality result it will have a bigger influence on the genuine items out there. 99,9% of ALL collectors will purchase a complete repro shield set above that single genuine one which is listed for a similar price as the whole set. You can be the biggest advocate of genuine stuff, like myself, but even than the decission is not to hard to make because it can safe you over a $1000 if you just take that REPRO 2013 on the back for granted, which isn't a big issue in most cases either for display anyway. So the prices on the original will definetly make a free fall right away as long as the attention, for as long as it lasts, is based on these repro's. Ebay is a great medium when you'd like to look into the price development of certain items and it will show within the next weeks or as soon as a genuine shield will come up. On the long run the influence is hard to predict but it mostly depends on the amount of repro shields which will be produced and the way they'll be spread.
That said and knowing I'm 100% pro-genuing stuff its also good to know I'm 100% against the design of the shields and the chariots, but that's an issue which had enough attention and its commonly known. So I don't have all the original shields simply because of the fact that their design is not of any positive influence when displayed together with the well detailled figures definetely not knowing their prices. I've always said that these are have been the items, together with most of the weapons, that've probably ended up on the garbage bin the most of all items from this line simply because of the fact the look cheap ass and don't do any justice to the clasic sculpts of the figs IMHO.
Which means the fact I'm not into these shields is a combination of bad design of which I don't see any correlation with the figs and the fact that the prices off those genuine shields are just way to high on top of it. I have one and had a couple simply due to the fact that they came in a lot or with a figure I needed but in most cases I flipped them for the 'big' money right away.
Going from there, its not a secret that I'm a collector but also a reseller as that's something I've mentioned the moment I joined the board. I also explained the reason behind it namely the fact that I use the profit I make to invest and improve my own collection. Most people don't see the effort which is done behind the scene to get a figure completed before it can be resold in good condition and in complete state. I often happens that I need to get an item from the US or Japan to get my figs from Japan or the US completed and so on. All this repro stuff, the ones that are not marked, are a big pain in the ass when it comes to this because I don't want to get burned myself but I definetely don't want to burn a fellow collector with stuff I resell or trade because we all know that condition and genuinity are an important factor for collectors. The genuinity point is one that becomes instable depending on the amount of die hard collectors which are accepting the repro shields, because as mentioned it is hard to deny them due to their quality so that's an influence that has to be monitored carefully to prevent paying high prices or to low prices depending from which point of view you look at it.
Think that all of the boardmembers out here can agree with the fact that while I'm on here I'm the collector and trader because I've helped quite a lot of fellow collectors out here with pieces they needed and vice versa. So the community and knowledge out here means much more to me than making profit, and part of this community is also the development of those repro shields and other repro stuff so its just something I have to deal with looking at it from my resell point of view.
Hope this cleared a lot of your questions but now I have to answer your most important one of course because that's the one where it all comes together;
If you don't have a set, are you planning on buying a set of the recent reproductions to complete your set?
Well that's a hard one because its contrary as we've on one side the high costs on the genuine shields which was one of the reasons I was holding off and on the other hand the repro stuff which I'm completely against. Since the design is just a one on one copy, ok one of the shield projects is different but in the core the idea of their design is the same so that doesn't change much to the story. I've been thinking this over the past few days seeing those complete shields sets out on the Bay for just a bargain knowing I'd probably have to pay a price like that to get one geniune one BUT like I said these repro will influence the market and the prices of the genuine stuff will drop FOR SURE at least for a certain period. This is were I'll take advantage of trying to complete my genuine collection with the genuine shields because I think I just can't handle it accepting anything repro within my collection, its just a crazy and expensive mindset but that's the way it is. So the answer to your question is no because I feel like I have to keep my guard up against any repro stuff but thanks to these I'll probably be able to pick some of the genuine ones up for a good price. And in case they will remain high in price I'll end up without shields which doesn't change a thing in the end for me either 
The reason for me to show my aversion for any kind of repro stuff is the fear I have for the effect it will have for the original and genuine items, which have been stored and maintained properly for so many years making them the collectables they are, because where will the whole reproduction thing end and how difficult will it actually become to authentify the real original figures and items when at some point the marking of those repro's does dissapear!? I've only heared the damage repro stuff has done within other toylines like Transformers and Star Wars and I'll be fighting this as much as I can to save our treasured and valued Battle Beasts line till the end. Because the repro stuff does look like a cool development and cheap alternative now but it wouldn't be the first time it will end up in a catastrophe for the old situation. The love for this line is a mixture of nostalgia and the love for vintage toys which is all blown away in an instant with a 2013 release IMHO.
But these are my thoughts and eventhough I might be the last man standing defending this idea or these ideals, so be it for the sake of Battle Beasts history than I'll go down with the ship!
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