JEDSTER
Super Freak
I've started thinking, and I'm getting to a point where I'm starting to believe it may not be in my best interest to purchase these. Bill is a fantastic pitch man, but I'm just not sure he can walk the walk like he talks the talk. I said I wouldn't compare them, but I believe that, from what I've seen thus far, the Hot Toys releases feature superior likenesses and features on par with the Enterbay releases. The fact of the matter is that these things are massive, and they're expensive, and, they're meant to be definitive.
From a technical standpoint, if Hot Toys can surpass Enterbay in terms of likenesses at a smaller scale, wouldn't it be in our best interest to see what they could offer in 1/4 scale? It's impractical to treat these things like 1/6th scale figures, and it's impractical to have to resell them only to upgrade a short while later when something better comes along. If I'm going to buy a 1/4 scale figure, I want to buy it once.
From a technical standpoint, Hot Toys have shown that they're set on competing, and they are advancing to a level where they'll be able to compete. Kato sets a new standard in tailoring? HT hires him as a tailor. Adam sets a new precedent for sculpting characters such as The Joker and Bruce Wayne, HT try to compete by making their likenesses and sculpts as accurate as possible. The point I'm trying to make here is that HT is always going to try to be the best, and I believe that it's only a matter of time before we see their attempts at these characters.
In May, we saw an image of the inside of HT's Korean studio, on a computer screen, there were multiple screenshots and reference photos of Batman from Batman Begins. The most recent Batman figure HT released from that license was the Batsuit Begins version in August of last year. It is extremely unlikely that they would be planning yet another version of the character in 1/6th scale this soon after the last was released not even one year ago.
The more likely explanation is that they are creating their own 1/4 scale Batman figure from Batman Begins in an attempt to surpass the precedent set by Enterbay. Also shown in those photos was what appeared to be a 1/4 scale Bruce Wayne head, whether this is for the The Dark Knight Rises line or for a Batman Begins release is unknown, but I suspect we'll find out soon enough.
As for The Joker, it's simply a matter of logic. Take a look at the few DX 2.0 threads inside of this forum, and how popular they are at this forum. If they're that popular here, they're most likely very popular with the rest of the collectors currently on the Internet. The Joker is a big money maker for Hot Toys: Fact. They do not want to stop making money, but if they create another 1/6th Scale Joker, it will undermine the very existence of the DX 2.0. The most logical next step: 1/4 Scale. You continue to make a profit off of one of your most successful characters, while also offering them something different and new in the form of 1/4 scale.
Currently, Hot Toys has the advantage. The reason is that they haven't shown a single thing. This allows them to see what Enterbay is going to release, and react accordingly. For this reason, I suspect that HT will have the superior product, as they will know where the bar is, and just how far they have to raise it. As I mentioned before, this is, for the most part, an impractical scale for me, and if I am going to buy a 1/4 scale TDK Joker or a 1/4 scale Begins Batman, I aim to buy them only once.
Good posting.
You made a very valid point there and I totally agree.
