Well, you did what anyone who ends up not pleased with the end result should do...voted with your wallet.
Those of us who've been at this for a while already know that it's a very rare thing that we see a production version of a figure match the prototype exactly. Sometimes they're close and sometimes they are significantly different. There have been the rare occasions where the production piece actually looked improved in production (the recently released Endgame Captain America seems to fit this category with most who've received it so far).
Does Jinn match the prototype? No, of course not. It's softer in detail, it's paint is less intense. But the prototype had it's detractors as well regarding the likeness to Neeson. But this change in detail and paint is often the case with these figures. Weather it's a licensor-mandated change or simply the way it went through final production, a great many of these portraits often end up with the same quality issues. They end up being well-crafted with a likeness that looks great in certain angles or conditions, but lacking in that elusive "realism" some collectors pursue.
For me, it often comes down to a few factors. Do I like the presentation? Is it a character I really enjoy and want featured in my collection? Are enough of the features (the outfit, the portrait, and less so, the accessories) look well-rendered? In this instance, it was a resounding "yes" to all.
......
I'm a huge fan of Qui-Gon and am extremely pleased with this figure. The more I snap shots and try different poses, the more I like it.
Well said - I think I see what you see...or, I had to go back and look hard at the studio shot...
I can't do much with a tablet, but, basically - it's the same sculpt as the proto; except it's not custom painted and so some corners were cut with shading and toning. For me *shrug*. It'd be NICE to have all that delicate eye shading and whatever other washes were done for the studio job (I guess + image tweaking), but since my figs are usually kept fairly shadowed, for Qui-Gon that doesn't make a lot of difference in my case.
Realistically for me - I'm not seeing a problem here for production work. And it's not like I haven't had sculpt or paint meltdowns
(IW Cap, CW Bucky, BP v2, EndGame Hawkeye). Come to think of it, most of my figs could be considered slightly off in sculpt/likeness - I think IW Bucky, IW Rhodey, Vision, Roadworn Thor, maybe CW Ironman are the only ones I'd think of as absolute dead-on.
Mostly I was worried that this fig would have that blobby softening
, but the details are sharp and clean in hand (the better photos here pick that up).
But, folks should buy what speaks to them. I'm obviously happy with this fig
, and he's a shelf asset - great to work with. I can't be mad that HT didn't put enough eyeshadow on him.
PS. There are outstanding photos being posted!
No regrets on my Qui-Gons, but really kicking myself for not picking up HT Obi-Wan. 
Anyway worst things I can say about this fig is fighting with head articulation and Qui-Gon is a bit of a dust magnet - nothing new there.
