Hot Toys The Dark Knight Joker DX/Artisan 1/6 Scale Figure

[DiFabio]

Could be, you’re correct about the Dx11, but that was 10 years ago and Maybe they’ve changed their ways for this release?

They’ve got a lot to prove with Anakin & Joker. If this turns out well for them they will run with this artisan line as a side project directly opposing Inart, a new DX if you will. While still controlling the rest of the market from the top with vast IPs and general releases. They have SS at their disposal and ask any new collector where they go when they want a new figure, they’re browsing new releases there.

Every Hot Toys release has that “hand painted” claim though. There’s also this little disclaimer on all the specs pics that states “prototype shown”.

I’m sure Hot Toys would love to have people think that JC Hong and the team sits there and paints every single head . . . but they don’t.

 

[rayeknor]

If they're doing 3000 anakins and 4000 jokers as their limits with the number of hair implementations possible until release dates, I see no reason why they would not also hand paint each one at least supervised by their top staff. 3 and 4k are numbers low enough where that is possible, and they have all interest in these two figures especially being a success - to show they can match Inart, that these selling out in 30 minutes figures are on par with shown prototypes so that the line will maintain its hype and popularity.

Despite all the talk on the Joker especially about the care going into the costume, tailoring and new body etc. if the headsculpt, hair and paint are not top notch everything else does not matter.

Personally I prefer the Anakin paintjob but the Joker's eyes - you can see Anakin's eyes having painted on hairs but he jokers has his makeup and as such dont need painted lower brows etc. Both figures got really good eyes on photos and prototypes and I've shown prototype photos (not official edited photos) to people and so far 6/6 took the Joker to be the actor while women especially see Anakin and his eyes tell them it's a doll within a few seconds on closeups.

On a shelf as a 1:6 figure I think these two if they nail the hair will look like you're a crazy wizard who kidnaps and shrinks people then dress them up as movie characters. Just like we all want.

 

[DiFabio]

Time will tell I guess.

I don’t see where all this goodwill came from all of the sudden. There’s nothing in their production catalog that proves Hot Toys can handle this rooted hair.

And their last attempt at the Ledger Joker, the Quarter Scale 1/4 version was/is terrible. Lotta faith for an unproven entity.

I was pretty skeptical of InArt until I got my set in hand, so maybe if Hot Toys follows their lead, like they clearly have been, they’ll follow their manufacturing style and produce something nice.

 

[Nick D]

Imagine someone comes, posts up shop right next to your shop, in the same line of work as you, charging more & getting it from the very audience you sell to. What do you do? A competent person would match it at the very least. Your neighbor cuts his grass, what do you do? Howard doesn’t want to look bad, this will do just that. There’s a reason these are 3000 & 4000 units. He doesn’t want to screw it up and lose a bigger share of the market than he has to.

 

[Wor-Gar]

It's HT's game to lose at this point. Gandalf is releasing at the end of this month. By the time HT's Joker and Anakin are released, InArt may have already established itself as a reliable upscale 1/6th company with 5-6 figures under its belt for a proven track record. And they may just get better with each release.

 

[rayeknor]

As of now, two dogs in the game vs just one is nothing but good for consumers. They have to fight on price and quality etc

 

[darth dennis]

Every Hot Toys release has that “hand painted” claim though. There’s also this little disclaimer on all the specs pics that states “prototype shown”.

I’m sure Hot Toys would love to have people think that JC Hong and the team sits there and paints every single head . . . but they don’t.

I'm fascinated by the computer printing that detail on a 3D object, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised as the very 3D object itself can be printed now. I would speculate that there's still "some" sort of touch up or addition of something specific that checks the hand painted box. Whatever their process, their recent Star Wars releases have been excellent. The production figure consistency (I mean against other production figures, not the prototype) would certainly imply that the lion share of the paint is done via computer... Cool stuff...

 

[DiFabio]

I'm fascinated by the computer printing that detail on a 3D object, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised as the very 3D object itself can be printed now. I would speculate that there's still "some" sort of touch up or addition of something specific that checks the hand painted box. Whatever their process, their recent Star Wars releases have been excellent. The production figure consistency (I mean against other production figures, not the prototype) would certainly imply that the lion share of the paint is done via computer... Cool stuff...

Yeah I’m not against the paint being done by a computer.

To my knowledge, Japanese companies pioneered the “face printing” technology and toy companies like Hasbro have followed suit.

I’m just saying that Hot Toys is very disingenuous with what they claim, if Howard Chan’s public video about Joker wasn’t enough proof. It’s like a fast food chain claiming their fast food is green, organic, farm fed and homegrown. “Hand painted” sounds better.

 

[rayeknor]

I think part of the point calling the line "artisan" implies its all "stunning hair/paint craftsmanship" done by people. Once you do sub 5000 runs you can do that with a few skilled people in the time of a year easily. Personally I do not care if it is done by hand or machine, whatever gives the best result.

I know Weta workshop have automated a large part of their statue production process by now, with pretty much only qc done by a person.

 

[Wor-Gar]

It’s like a fast food chain claiming their fast food is green, organic, farm fed and homegrown.

Some do, and I don't believe them either.

 

[Nick D]

The fact that both HT & Inart are using custom artist to work on these figures is the best thing we could’ve hoped for, HT using Ambrosials sculpt and Inart literally hiring Viper who used to commission custom rooted Joker sculpts.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Once you do sub 5000 runs you can do that with a few skilled people in the time of a year easily.

Perhaps yours will be painted next week... and sit somewhere for a year or more before being assembled.

Now, the new "mine's better" war begins -- who's was painted most recently?

 

[rayeknor]

I got far more important things to worry about like should I cut my toenails before or after I shower tonight. Or if the obi wan kenobi show deluxe vader's helmet is a rehashed rogue one helmet or a new sculpt etc. The big things in life.

 

[Nick D]

It's HT's game to lose at this point. Gandalf is releasing at the end of this month. By the time HT's Joker and Anakin are released, InArt may have already established itself as a reliable upscale 1/6th company with 5-6 figures under its belt for a proven track record. And they may just get better with each release.

That’s the goal, makes me wish Ledger Joker was further down the line and not their first attempt at 1:6. Could you imagine if they got all the bumps and inconsistencies out of the way first. Let pennywise suffer instead ffs.

 

[Wor-Gar]

If it was Pennywise to start though, no one would know about InArt still.

 

[rayeknor]

At least both dx artisan releases got better headsculpts than any 1:6 version of Darth Vader they had a go at so far, I think only iron man has had more iterations. Though the dx28 deluxe one seems to turn out ok, but still no kaiyodo.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Funny enough, both InArt and HT both started out of the gate with Joker.

HT could drown InArt simply by making Star Wars, MCU and Indiana Jones Artisan figures going forward.

 

[Nick D]

Funny enough, both InArt and HT both started out of the gate with Joker.

That should negate any questions on the character we’re talking about, it’s the character that started the entire rooted hair, custom clothing runs that fill up every time someone changes something. The entire idea of innovation in the custom world was due part & parcel to Heath Ledgers Joker, nothing will ever sell like it.

 

[rayeknor]

Joker seems more popular then I was aware of, both figures sold out in 30-35 minutes with Joker having probably in the ballpark of 500 more stock at sideshow. I'm not surprised Anakin went out the door as fast as he did but I expected Joker to stick around for a few hours with both higher edition and price plus an alternative non wool edition otherwise identical.

 

[THE dAY]

Here's my newbie take,
this HT artisan is gonna be amazing, just like InArt's is amazing and most everyone that was able to pick one up will be satisfied. If the new kid on the block was able to pull it off then HT will do it too.
Another angle, taken from popcollectibles