Jazzinc Dioramas 1/6 Ultimate Catwoman (Batman Returns, 1992)

Good points made on both sides here, but I'm reserving final judgement given this was a proto that was shown.

I do agree that the paint -- while very good -- was not up to today's standards and the sculpt seemed a little odd or soft in places.

But it was a prototype.

I'm ignorant of the details for processes used by HT and Inart as regards painting human portraits so I'm not sure if Joost and company will be able to get close to that level of depth and texture, but time will tell.

Joost is better off buying the talent quickly to move things along than to hope his team will be capable of painting at that level any time soon without having a leader who can. There’s a reason InArt took off so quickly, they were familiar with what they were going to do before they did it, hired the correct people and have been able to somewhat skip the infancy stage, prototype or not, I’ve never seen amateur paintwork even suggested from them. These other companies buy artists left and right, Kojun left HT to start JND with his friend. If you can afford to have this be a licensed release, then you can afford a professional painter with serious work ethic and experience on the job.

S. Griffin said:

You sure about that?
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This is one of Sean Dabb's Catwoman sculpts from a few years ago, painted by Jacob Rahmier last year.

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Yes, Im sure. Here is a paint by Onesixthvisage of the same sculpt done a few years ago…

LiLJawa said:

Yes, Im sure. Here is a paint by Onesixthvisage of the same sculpt done a few years ago…

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Well, then you're wrong. That looks like the painted sculpt I posted on the last page. It's obviously not the same headsculpt as the one Jazzinc posted.

We’re not saying it’s the worst thing we’ve ever seen here. What we are saying is the subtle differences don’t matter, that’s not a sculpt or paintwork that should be on a $300-400 licensed figure. The new HT Catwoman has received nothing but negativity and this sculpt looks similar to that in that they both lack inspiration. That’s not something that should be hot off the press for 2025 release.

S. Griffin said:

Well, then you're wrong. That looks like the painted sculpt I posted on the last page. It's obviously not the same headsculpt as the one Jazzinc posted.
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Are you blind? There is no real significant differences between any of these sculpts. My point is there is nothing new happening here.

LiLJawa said:

Are you blind? There is no real significant differences between any of these sculpts. My point is there is nothing new happening here.

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Am I blind? Bro, are you trolling? The shapes and proportions are all different. The likeness is much stronger. Everything has been significantly refined since that older sculpt. Is it perfect? No. But it's being refined again.

S. Griffin said:

Am I blind? Bro, are you trolling? The shapes and proportions are all different. The likeness is much stronger. Everything has been significantly refined since that older sculpt. Is it perfect? No. But it's being refined again.

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Agreed. The sculpts looks very different to me.

Beyond obvious that these are different sculpts.
How is this a point of debate?

Scykpt and paint on the Jazz proto is better though- or at least on par with Jacob Rahmier’s old work.
I’m sure he’d blow that out of the water today.

Just got my Marstoys riddler today, I'm very impressed with the quality. The paint job on the heads are Hottoys level if not better. This will be an uphill battle for Jazzinc for sure.

Nick D said:

Joost is better off buying the talent quickly to move things along than to hope his team will be capable of painting at that level any time soon without having a leader who can. There’s a reason InArt took off so quickly, they were familiar with what they were going to do before they did it, hired the correct people and have been able to somewhat skip the infancy stage, prototype or not, I’ve never seen amateur paintwork even suggested from them. These other companies buy artists left and right, Kojun left HT to start JND with his friend. If you can afford to have this be a licensed release, then you can afford a professional painter with serious work ethic and experience on the job.

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But isn't that what he's doing? From Post #594:

Joost said he had a production team of painters lined up that used to work for Hot Toys.

Given the past products he's delivered on (and the fact that he is a collector himself) I think we all should give Joost a little benefit of the doubt when it comes to sourcing the paintwork for these sculpts. I'm sure he has requested samples of their work and the "HT level" quality will need to be demonstrated before he signs off on contracts and (ultimately) full-scale production. It's not his first rodeo.

The Buffinator said:

But isn't that what he's doing? From Post #594:

Joost said he had a production team of painters lined up that used to work for Hot Toys.

Given the past products he's delivered on (and the fact that he is a collector himself) I think we all should give Joost a little benefit of the doubt when it comes to sourcing the paintwork for these sculpts. I'm sure he has requested samples of their work and the "HT level" quality will need to be demonstrated before he signs off on contracts and (ultimately) full-scale production. It's not his first rodeo.

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It’s his first rodeo in this field, completely different. Being a collector yourself doesn’t mean you’ll be able to master production in something you’re just starting to dip your feet into. Joost has said it himself, he’s quickly finding figures to be far more complex than admittedly he’s used to or comfortable with. I have his 89’ Batmobile PO, when he pulls out all the stops, on an IP I want, I show support with tangible money.
The vast majority of people voicing opinions on the FB page probably aren’t showing up for a $400+ Catwoman, let’s be real.

We saw how IA has struggled to deal with production, getting product out, coming close to the prototype, and they’ve had plenty of experience via their parent company Queen Studios. I’m glad to see him try his hand at something new, there’s only so many vehicles to make, and only so much space customers have.

I think that is the expectation. We give Joost some leeway due to his history. I like the insight of the progress; it is always interesting. However, I personally don't know if this is how it works. Are those paint-ups just a way to gauge the general idea of the product? Like mock-ups or story boards? If they are great. If not then I'd be a little worried. It does look like a custom.

Everyone says they’re just showing prior work non-related to this licensed product, but then why say “realistic paint” plastered over a photo of amateur paint, genuinely? That gives the impression that the paintwork you’re presenting in your image is what you’ll attempt to deliver via mass production, which is not in any case up to todays standards from any official company.

Nick D said:

It’s his first rodeo in this field, completely different. Being a collector yourself doesn’t mean you’ll be able to master production in something you’re just starting to dip your feet into. Joost has said it himself, he’s quickly finding figures to be far more complex than admittedly he’s used to or comfortable with. I have his 89’ Batmobile PO, when he pulls out all the stops, on an IP I want, I show support with tangible money.
The vast majority of people voicing opinions on the FB page probably aren’t showing up for a $400+ Catwoman, let’s be real.

We saw how IA has struggled to deal with production, getting product out, coming close to the prototype, and they’ve had plenty of experience via their parent company Queen Studios. I’m glad to see him try his hand at something new, there’s only so many vehicles to make, and only so much space customers have.

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All true but it's apparent that Joost is striving to take all the right steps to insure that both the initial prototype and the production figures turn out great. At this point we're basically in wait-and-see mode. But as you've intimated, astute figure buyers aren't going to pre-order based solely on his past vehicle and diorama quality so the prototype quality needs to be there across the board - likeness, paint quality, sculpt expressions, suit material, etc.. But if it's not all there come August (his target for taking orders I believe) he'll be upfront about it and push the launch back until he's satisfied. I just hope the $300 price point isn't viewed as non-negotiable. Most serious collectors will pay more if that means he doesn't have to make compromises in quality or features. This is an iconic character that figure collectors have been wanting for decades, so a $350 to $400 price isn't going to scare off many of us.

Some of the most elite sports players have made horrible coaches or General Managers.

Excellence in one field does not guarantee excellence in another field.

There will be stumbling, definitely, but if he gives all of his effort on this line as he is on the 89’ Batmobile then I believe he can pull it off. However all of this talk about being firmly against rolling eyes, without giving it a shot behind the scenes first is a bit off putting if true.

If this is to be the Ultimate Catwoman then you pull out all the stops, no shortcomings, try everything. These other companies will see collectors gladly play $600-700+ for a two pack that doesn’t feature rolling eyes and wonder why they’re offering them for $300 a figure. These companies are making Hot Toys appear to be a bargain and that will be very short lived soon. In fact, we’re seeing them implement it already, who was willing to pay $400+ for a Scarlet Witch MSRP or a Loki before now.

There was a gif of Michael Jackson eating popcorn. That would be perfect here…

The constructive criticism is also needed to contrast with the facebook people comments, especially this early on when Jazzinc can still test out designs. When those Catwoman painted pics came out, read someone there saying those eyes would have never looked that good if they were moveable

The way Hot Toys does their cowl also has the eye pieces molded, painted, and attached separately under the cowl which adds to the aesthetic realism.

I need Catwoman to hold up to this. I don’t like varying levels on a shelf, plus they’ll be near Yunsils Nicholson suit and Jazzincs Batmobile.