I’ve noticed some slight differences from the proto. The proto has more texturing and an armor like pattern on the webbing. The final product seems to have that detail just printed onto the suit.
Good call. I probably would have never noticed if you never pointed it out. I just went and compared the proto pics to the released pics. While I do prefer the textured look, I think ultimately it was done to reduce bunching, creasing, and wrinkles when posing the figure. By having printed webbing they're able to make the suit thinner and therefore reduce the aforementioned issues.
In the end, Hot Toys made the right call making that change as it probably helps with the longevity of the suit material/figure. I'd imagine the textured webbing could also be prone to flaking if over-posed after awhile. Anyways, I'm looking forward to getting this next month.
I think you're correct in surmising that they did it for QC related reasons, but I'm not sure they made the suit any thinner. I think it may be that the deeper grooves on the prototype suit made it more prone to tearing in extreme poses (or fatiguing over time) because the material was thinner in those areas. But regardless, I agree that HT probably made the right call.