Hot Toys TDKR: 1/4th scale Batman [QS001] - Full Reveal & Specs

[Darkavatar]

Well in regards to offering 3 sculpts, Batman is less work for them given the mold of the cowl is the same. Imagine providing 3 different Joker sculpts? More hand painters needed means more cost. 1 sculpt looking left, the other looking right and one dead center. What if I wanted a face down upwards stare?

I see your point, but I honestly do not see the need for moveable eyes so it doesn't really bother me what they do. Most of the figures I have bought are hand made and thus, the eyes are either painted on or have glass eyes. I am neither for it or against it, well I am against the current system but not against people who like moveable eyes, each to their own. If you are the type of collector that appreciates something that looks very realistic like Enterbays BD Terminator 2 and not another gimmick to play with , I really do not think it matters what direction the eyes are facing. Well looking up or down would be kind of stupid (apart from the Joker) but looking sideways or straight is good enough I think. This can be accomplished with two different head sculpts, which is what Hot Toys usually gives us anyway.

I read up somewhere that Bill was playing with the idea of sticker decals for options to compete with HT's signature PERS system about a month ago. Mind you it hasn't be confirmed but he's playing with the idea.

Well that is really stupid, Enterbay already has poor QC, so they are already failing in one way, if they do this then they are pretty much finished as it is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. A few months ago Bill said although moveable eyes are fun to play we have abandoned the idea because it sacrifices realism.

 

[Darkavatar]

To use on their existing Joker?

I doubt it, I would assume it would be for future releases. If they are going to do it, I hope they give us one sculpt with painted eyes and one sculpt where we would stick them on however we wanted, the non painted sculpt would just sit in the box in my case. Nevertheless, like I said before such a stupid idea. People must be really desperate to have moveable eyes if Bill feels the need to do this.

 

[xpl0sive]

Wow, you guys don't like the Bale sculpt on the DX12?! I thought everyone loved that, especially since the mouth was sculpted to make a faceplate by Robbie and everyone loved it lol. I showed that sculpt to a friend who doesn't collect figures and he thought it looked amazing and said it looks exactly like Bale.

Anyway, in regards to PERS, I agree that painted eyes do look more realistic and I prefer it, but I don't really have an issue with the PERS either, because when I pose my figures in my Detolf with the lights turned on, it casts a shadow over the sculpt and the eyes can barely be seen, unless I tilt the head up which I never do. It's probably because the PERS eyes on both my figures (DX12 and DX11) are sunken into the head a bit, especially DX11. I can barely see the eyes on my DX11 when it's posed in my detolf lol the eye area almost looks black, so I think even if the eyes were painted I probably wouldn't notice it on the shelf anyway, unless the eyes were not so sunken in. I think it would be more noticeable on 1/4 scale. Maybe the eyes are more visible when using Dioder strip lights instead of the pucks which I use, not sure. Granted, I'd still prefer painted eyes if I had a choice, as less chance of f--king it up and I know it will always look good, from all angles and light sources. Having multiple posing options is cool, but at the end of the day it's all just a gimmick, and like Darkavatar, I just want the most realistic representation of a character on my shelf.

Oh, and lol @ enterbay wanting to use stickers as a replacement for moveable eyes. God, that is so much worse than the PERS system. Either offer multiple sculpts with eyes painted in different directions, or just pick one direction and that's it. No *****ty stickers.

 

[dominishin]

I thought they were talking about the cowl, lol.

The Bale sculpt is excellent.

 

[xpl0sive]

Sounds like they were talking about both

 

[Tyranus7]

I thought they were talking about the cowl, lol.

The Bale sculpt is excellent.

One of the few things I actually like from the DX12 is the Bruce Wayne headsculpt. So I got it from ebay... And now I think the nose is kinda fat compared to Christian Bale's nose. Not a bad sculpt.. just not as accurate as many people think.

 

[Darkavatar]

Wow, you guys don't like the Bale sculpt on the DX12?! I thought everyone loved that, especially since the mouth was sculpted to make a faceplate by Robbie and everyone loved it lol. I showed that sculpt to a friend who doesn't collect figures and he thought it looked amazing and said it looks exactly like Bale.

TBH I am neutral on the subject because I don't care for a Bruce Wayne sculpt, however, I agree with you about the mouth piece that is why I mentioned it in a previous post saying Kojuns must not of done that bad of a job. Nevertheless, so many people were complaining about the Bale Bruce Wayne sculpt on facebook that there was even a big picture of the prototype Bruce Wayne sculpt (DX12's Avatar pic) saying wanted dead or alive. I think people are just pissed off that it looks a lot different to what was promised. I think the 1/4 proto pic of Bale looks fine but so many people on here and facebook hate that to!

If your friends are amazed by the DX12 Bale head sculpt, then I wonder what they would do if they saw Innimines one.

Anyway, in regards to PERS, I agree that painted eyes do look more realistic and I prefer it, but I don't really have an issue with the PERS either, because when I pose my figures in my Detolf with the lights turned on, it casts a shadow over the sculpt and the eyes can barely be seen, unless I tilt the head up which I never do. It's probably because the PERS eyes on both my figures (DX12 and DX11) are sunken into the head a bit, especially DX11. I can barely see the eyes on my DX11 when it's posed in my detolf lol the eye area almost looks black, so I think even if the eyes were painted I probably wouldn't notice it on the shelf anyway, unless the eyes were not so sunken in. I think it would be more noticeable on 1/4 scale. Maybe the eyes are more visible when using Dioder strip lights instead of the pucks which I use, not sure.

Yeah the bad features of the PERS like poorly painted iris and large eyes are the most noticeable in natural or bright light, which coincidentally is the lighting I have since I don't have fancy LED stuff. That being said, I find it hard to believe that unless the lighting is really dark that you would not be able to notice the big eyes on the DX01 and DX02, so what I mean is I guess it depends on the figure. I can understand that you can't see the DX11 eyes but I am surprised that you can't notice the DX12 eyes though because the eyes are really weird and big on mine. I guess I will have to have the same lighting as you then.

Nevertheless, like you said the PERS is probably going to be really noticeable on this 1/4 scale figure and I really think if it is, it the figure will look strange.

Granted, I'd still prefer painted eyes if I had a choice, as less chance of f--king it up and I know it will always look good, from all angles and light sources. Having multiple posing options is cool, but at the end of the day it's all just a gimmick, and like Darkavatar, I just want the most realistic representation of a character on my shelf.

Yeah I agree but I do not think there is any thing wrong with having multiple options but it is just not my thing. IMO If you are going to have multiple options make sure it does not sacrifice realism and likeness.

Oh, and lol @ enterbay wanting to use stickers as a replacement for moveable eyes. God, that is so much worse than the PERS system. Either offer multiple sculpts with eyes painted in different directions, or just pick one direction and that's it. No *****ty stickers.

Well anything is better than that, their old system was better than that. I totally agree with your last two points!

Sounds like they were talking about both

Well I was mainly talking about the cowl, but HeubertMichael and DX12 made me think that changes need to be made because Kojun is not good enough. So at first I kind of disagreed but I guess it would be nice to have a change.

 

[Darkavatar]

One of the few things I actually like from the DX12 is the Bruce Wayne headsculpt. So I got it from ebay... And now I think the nose is kinda fat compared to Christian Bale's nose. Not a bad sculpt.. just not as accurate as many people think.

Think you should change your signature then T7, since there is something you don't hate about the DX12.

 

[xpl0sive]

Nevertheless, so many people were complaining about the Bale Bruce Wayne sculpt on facebook that there was even a big picture of the prototype Bruce Wayne sculpt (DX12's Avatar pic) saying wanted dead or alive. I think people are just pissed off that it looks a lot different to what was promised.

Seriously? Didn't know there was so many people complaining about it on Facebook. In fact, I had no idea it looks different to what was shown in the prototype lol. All I remember is taking that head out of the box for the first time and thinking 'holy ***** that looks sick!' haha. Granted, it was my first Hot Toys figure. I guess I'll have to compare the head with the proto pics then. What was actually so different?

I think the 1/4 proto pic of Bale looks fine but so many people on here and facebook hate that to!

I'll be honest, I wasn't a fan of this when it was first shown too, but I think it was mainly the facial expression that put me off. I do like it more, the more I see it though, but I still prefer the DX12 Bale sculpt as I think it looks more like him.

If your friends are amazed by the DX12 Bale head sculpt, then I wonder what they would do if they saw Innimines one.

lol they'd lose it haha. These guys aren't picky collectors like us, so they aren't used to seeing stuff like this. Iminime's is amazing, but it's also not a mass produced figure. If that was mass produced, no way would it look as good. Got me thinking though, I wonder what that sculpt would look like on my DX12...

I am surprised that you can't notice the DX12 eyes though because the eyes are really weird and big on mine. I guess I will have to have the same lighting as you then.

I have the head of my DX12 tilted down, with the eyes looking up. In this position, I find it hard to see the eyes, as when I turn the lights on it casts a bit of a shadow over the eye area, so it looks pretty dark.

If I take the figure out of the detolf and look at the head, I notice the big, googly eyes lol. In the detolf though, it sits on the top shelf, which has the wooden top covering it. Without the LED lights turned on, it's actually quite dark in the detolf, even with the room lights turned on. You can still see the figures in there, its just a bit dark though so hard to make out details. It's probably also where I've positioned the cabinets in the room, as I have down lights so the cabinets don't pick up a lot of light from them. As I said though, the LED puck lights work wonders in terms of casting shadows in the right places. Just gotta play with figure placement to get the right effect. The end result makes the figures look very realistic. Placing the figures all the way towards the back of the cabinet makes the eyes more visible as they capture more of the LED light, but placing them closer towards the front of the cabinet makes them harder to see as it casts a shadow over the top. I have my figures placed more towards the centre. I'm going to experiment with mirror shelves, and see what effect this has on the figures, as the mirrors will reflect the light.

 

[Darkavatar]

Seriously? Didn't know there was so many people complaining about it on Facebook. In fact, I had no idea it looks different to what was shown in the prototype lol. All I remember is taking that head out of the box for the first time and thinking 'holy ***** that looks sick!' haha. Granted, it was my first Hot Toys figure. I guess I'll have to compare the head with the proto pics then. What was actually so different?

TBH I don't really know but you can tell by the comparison pictures here that it looks different from the prototype pics. I thought maybe Hot Toys proto one was photo shopped but it looks the same in this asian website pic below which isn't photoshopped. I think the final product's face is wider and more blocky and masculine, whereas the proto is looks more oval and and smoother. The proto looks pretty much perfect to me. People said the proto was perfect and could not understand why Hot Toys changed it.

Proto pic (not photoshopped)



Actual product pics

I'll be honest, I wasn't a fan of this when it was first shown too, but I think it was mainly the facial expression that put me off. I do like it more, the more I see it though, but I still prefer the DX12 Bale sculpt as I think it looks more like him.

Oh it is not dead on likeness but I can't see how people could actually hate it!

I think the jaw is too square and face too chiseled or something. I think Kojun is use to doing 1/6th scale so it is probably a challenge for him to do better in 1/4 scale. Even though it seems easier, he is just probably more use to scaling smaller heads, like it is second nature for him and now for him to jump right in and sculpt a 1/4 scale head might feel more like a learning experience to him?

lol they'd lose it haha. These guys aren't picky collectors like us, so they aren't used to seeing stuff like this. Iminime's is amazing, but it's also not a mass produced figure. If that was mass produced, no way would it look as good. Got me thinking though, I wonder what that sculpt would look like on my DX12...

At first, I did not think it would look good for a DX12 because the hair style is different but then again his hair was kinda like that in TDKRs. So I think it would work but only for that film.

I have the head of my DX12 tilted down, with the eyes looking up. In this position, I find it hard to see the eyes, as when I turn the lights on it casts a bit of a shadow over the eye area, so it looks pretty dark.

Yeah I was just telling someone that in the DX12 thread pretty much the same thing. However, I think most people pose him like that anyway.

If I take the figure out of the detolf and look at the head, I notice the big, googly eyes lol. In the detolf though, it sits on the top shelf, which has the wooden top covering it. Without the LED lights turned on, it's actually quite dark in the detolf, even with the room lights turned on. You can still see the figures in there, its just a bit dark though so hard to make out details. It's probably also where I've positioned the cabinets in the room, as I have down lights so the cabinets don't pick up a lot of light from them. As I said though, the LED puck lights work wonders in terms of casting shadows in the right places. Just gotta play with figure placement to get the right effect. The end result makes the figures look very realistic. Placing the figures all the way towards the back of the cabinet makes the eyes more visible as they capture more of the LED light, but placing them closer towards the front of the cabinet makes them harder to see as it casts a shadow over the top. I have my figures placed more towards the centre. I'm going to experiment with mirror shelves, and see what effect this has on the figures, as the mirrors will reflect the light.

Wow, you should post pics of your collection in your display case. I would post pics of my collection but I do not have a display case.

Thus, my collection is all over the place.

 

[a-dev]

If I were to pinpoint a singular reason why I dropped all consideration of buying the DX12 it would be the eyes. The squinty panther eyes are a very distinctive characteristic of Bale in that suit - after the DX02 didn't manage it, the DX12 should have captured this look. It also failed.

 

[Darkavatar]

If I were to pinpoint a singular reason why I dropped all consideration of buying the DX12 it would be the eyes. The squinty panther eyes are a very distinctive characteristic of Bale in that suit - after the DX02 didn't manage it, the DX12 should have captured this look.

Which is why I used the Medix head for my DX12.

However, in order to have that distinctive squinting feature the eyes need to be as small as Medicom's ones. At this stage this can not be achieved if they continue to use PERS.

It also failed.

In Hot Toys mind they didn't fail because they were not aiming for likeness as much as having something with an extra feature to play with. They were just trying to make it as accurate as they can whilst allowing moveable eyes, because most Hot Toys collectors want to have the ability to have different looks even if that results in less accuracy. It is all about wanting to keep the fans happy and not about producing the most accurate or realistic product if they have to ditch an extra feature to achieve that. Which is unfortunate for us collectors who care more about accuracy than another playable mechanism.

 

[xpl0sive]

TBH I don't really know but you can tell by the comparison pictures here that it looks different from the prototype pics. I thought maybe Hot Toys proto one was photo shopped but it looks the same in this asian website pic below which isn't photoshopped. I think the final product's face is wider and more blocky and masculine, whereas the proto is looks more oval and and smoother. The proto looks pretty much perfect to me. People said the proto was perfect and could not understand why Hot Toys changed it.

Wow that is different! You're right, the prototype looks much more like Bale. Didn't notice that before. Doesn't really look that blocky in hand though.

Yeah I was just telling someone that in the DX12 thread pretty much the same thing. However, I think most people pose him like that anyway.

Wow, you should post pics of your collection in your display case. I would post pics of my collection but I do not have a display case.

Thus, my collection is all over the place.

Haha I would man, but my display isn't finished yet. I only have 3 figures so far. Got the 1/4 endo on PO which should ship soon, picking up a Godfather off a member and then battle-damaged T800 in July. Nothing on the Horizon after that. Right now the display is lacking a bit. I still need to add my mirror shelves and then sort out some back drops for each shelf. Then I'll take some pics, but I'll need to find a decent camera to do it. My phone just doesn't cut it lol.

If I were to pinpoint a singular reason why I dropped all consideration of buying the DX12 it would be the eyes. The squinty panther eyes are a very distinctive characteristic of Bale in that suit - after the DX02 didn't manage it, the DX12 should have captured this look. It also failed.

should've got in on MRM's head. Combined with Robbie's faceplate it's the ultimate DX12 head

 

[a-dev]

I haven't been keeping track of the Batman customs. I'm kinda dropping out of licenses other than the Aliens & Robots ones anyway for financial reasons. At this point I'm not even positive that I'll be buying Batman Returns figures.

 

[dominishin]

People are crazy. It's the same sculpt with more distinct wrinkles.

 

[The Batman Professor]

You nailed it with your first sentence.

I predict that the 1/4 scale HT will blow the Enterbay out of the water when released.

 

[batfan08]

You nailed it with your first sentence.

I predict that the 1/4 scale HT will blow the Enterbay out of the water when released.

I really, really, really hope that you're right.

 

[DX12]

People are crazy. It's the same sculpt with more distinct wrinkles.

People aren't crazy just meticulous. If it was a medicom going for around $100US perhaps thats too much nit pick. However at $250US - People should have a return for something near flawless, especially if HT had about 3 goes at Bale. There is no doubt about it being the same sculpt but why add anything more or less? That's like DaVinci finishing the Mona and decided to add wrinkles on a young face. Sometimes the standards are higher for others than oneself, so going off calling people crazy is a little too strong. There is definitely room for improvement especially for the upcoming 1/4 scale. I'm pleased with Kojun's efforts on the DX12 but I know he can do better. We've seen it.

 

[Darkavatar]

People are crazy. It's the same sculpt with more distinct wrinkles.

Nice comparison pics of the two sculpts but could you compare a DX12 pic to a front on pic to the one below? I was unable to find one the right size like you did, which is why my comparison pics are not very good.



When I compare my DX12 sculpt to the one in the first pic I posted I cant see any resemblance, that pic looks nearly dead on to Bale. I do not think it is the exact same sculpt but not because Hot Toys changed it on purpose, but because the mold from resin to plastic got deformed for mass production purposes.

Anyway this has already been discussed in the DX12 thread and no one could agree if it had been changed or not. I am not saying it has or hasn't changed but IMO I think it has. It just looks different, maybe it is the eyes but something about it mask the the likeness to Bale. The proto looks more symmetrical compared to the final product to.

 

[Tyranus7]

You nailed it with your first sentence.

I predict that the 1/4 scale HT will blow the Enterbay out of the water when released.

I predict your prediction will fail.

People are crazy. It's the same sculpt with more distinct wrinkles.

Something about the nose is different.. not just bassed on the picture you posted (I own that sculpt)... And the paint job on the eyes is a lot worst in the final product, kinda cockeyed...