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

[DiFabio]

Wor-Gar sucks. Hate that guy.

 

[Mr.Tanker]

To an extent sure, but in one way or another, if you don’t introduce discipline, it will eat at you. I’m not solely talking about collecting here, it becomes present in one’s everyday life. Getting one character spot on isn’t addiction, buying tons of releases is.

I guarantee half of the figures people buy haven’t been futzed or any thought gone into their purchase after owning it.

- My point with that is, it’s no longer collecting in an art form but to simply have everything you can because the tv show said so.

Main characters are main characters for a reason. Tried and true, worth owning if you fancy the actor’s portrayal and that’s it. I could care less about Two Face so I wouldn’t own him, he’s a main character in TDK his story runs throughout the film just like Wayne, parallel even. Still not worth owning to me, you should collect what you have strong emotional attachment to, not because they’re a main character, Bale is the quintessential Batman for me so I own him as a yin yang with Ledgers Joker.

Or you can just let other people buy what they want and like what they want.
It's their lives and it's their money. Who cares?

 

[Nick D]

I’m not hurt man, people are going to spend their money on what they want regardless what Nick said. I’ve told you, my hands aren’t entirely clean either, I’ve also stated how I’m no better than anyone else, but I know how to take accountability. You know damn well the majority of collectors do not have the funds or the space you act like they do to spend the way they do, that’s not me judging but looking from a different pov, it doesn’t matter that you or me may have the funds to spend.

People always talk about how customs are too expensive to obtain. I offered a solution, sacrifice the constant figure purchasing to make that one character that you just have to have, just right, it’s worth it in the long run, promise.

You’ve mentioned how you’re selling off your entire MCU collection, or at the very least the bulk of it? My question is why? Why are you doing that? Because what I’ve said rings true, simply put. The hype around the Marvel cinematic universe has dwindled and you’re experiencing regret, it happens, try to avoid it next time.

 

[Raleig.h]

To an extent sure, but in one way or another, if you don’t introduce discipline, it will eat at you. I’m not solely talking about collecting here, it becomes present in one’s everyday life. Getting one character spot on isn’t addiction, buying tons of releases is.

I guarantee half of the figures people buy haven’t been futzed or any thought gone into their purchase after owning it.

- My point with that is, it’s no longer collecting in an art form but to simply have everything you can because the tv show said so.

Main characters are main characters for a reason. Tried and true, worth owning if you fancy the actor’s portrayal and that’s it. I could care less about Two Face so I wouldn’t own him, he’s a main character in TDK his story runs throughout the film just like Wayne, parallel even. Still not worth owning to me, you should collect what you have strong emotional attachment to, not because they’re a main character, Bale is the quintessential Batman for me so I own him as a yin yang with Ledgers Joker.

It may not be an "addiction" but could easily be classified as an obsession ,which really aint much different

But I agree with the comment above, were all different and have different goals in our hobby. Some completionists and some just wanting a minimal amount to represent a property thery love in their collection, its all right.

 

[Raleig.h]

But this argument is truly pointless in the grand scheme of things on both sides, none of us NEED any of these things but we spend ridiculous amounts of money regardless.

It doesn't matter if you spent $250 on a figure or $2000 on a figure, most people who aren't in the hobby are gonna think its stupid either way, so just do you, and enjoy for yourself.

 

[potatocorner4life]

But this argument is truly pointless in the grand scheme of things on both sides, none of us NEED any of these things but we spend ridiculous amounts of money regardless.

It doesn't matter if you spent $250 on a figure or $2000 on a figure, most people who aren't in the hobby are gonna think its stupid either way, so just do you, and enjoy for yourself.

^ Collect what you want, as long as you’re happy. Theres no right answer collecting 1/6 specifically or 1:1.

If you want one franchise of all scales go for it, different franchises same scale no problem.

People are going to judge you no matter what so why does it matter.

 

[Cocoboloboy]

But this argument is truly pointless in the grand scheme of things on both sides, none of us NEED any of these things but we spend ridiculous amounts of money regardless.

It doesn't matter if you spent $250 on a figure or $2000 on a figure, most people who aren't in the hobby are gonna think its stupid either way, so just do you, and enjoy for yourself.

This right here. And many may not think it’s stupid but at the very least just won’t get the attraction. But I guess that really goes for a lot of things people may collect if you’re not collecting it too.

 

[Gipetto0812]

I found Nick D’s collection.

Gipetto, as a professional architect, I need you to rate his display.

View attachment 658046

In all seriousness, I even have a hard time designing interiors spaces sometimes as I don't know all about what fabrics, paint colors, textures, built-ins, etc. make a room feel a certain type of way. That's why I made mention of Interior Designers in my previous post. The ones I've been fortunate enough to work with in recent years really make the spaces come alive.

You’ve mentioned how you’re selling off your entire MCU collection, or at the very least the bulk of it? My question is why? Why are you doing that? Because what I’ve said rings true, simply put. The hype around the Marvel cinematic universe has dwindled and you’re experiencing regret, it happens, try to avoid it next time.

I'm guessing this is aimed at me given the context, so I'll answer. It's not regret. I go through phases of collecting and stuff that once interested me doesn't anymore so I sell it. It's how I collect. I've sold the majority of my collection 4 times over if we include the purge I'm going through currently. I don't mind it b/c I usually buy my stuff below retail and most of the time can sell it for more, so I make more money at the end of the day than I spent. Sometimes I want more comic inspired pieces and sometimes I want more movie based pieces. But how you collect is different and thar's ok. However, by your posts, you're implying that we all need to obsess over one or a few characters the way you do about TDK Joker as if that's the one and only correct way to do this collecting figures thing. There is no right way.

You say you're not judging ppl but yet again, with what you're posting comes off as "I know I spend a lot of money but I do it only for TDK Joker so that's ok, you guys do it across x amount of characters/movies/franchises. That's the wrong way to do it. Means your bad with money and you have a problem. I don't have a problem b/c I only obsess over TDK Joker."

EDIT: Also, I got into this particular hobby b/c I was already sculpting and painting as a hobby on the side. This hobby brought my love of action figures, pop culture/geeky stuff, and movies together with the sculpting and painting hobby. I love to customize stuff. And, a lot of the times, I'll buy a figure just to see if I can actually improve it. If and when I do, I sell it as the purpose wasn't to own the figure/character itself but rather the project/puzzle that presented itself that I wanted to solve. Keeps my mind fresh and always thinking "hmmm what can I do to make this right/work/better" which helps in the real world in terms of critical thinking about how things are made and how can existing things be improved upon.

 

[Nick D]

It may not be an "addiction" but could easily be classified as an obsession ,which really aint much different

But I agree with the comment above, were all different and have different goals in our hobby. Some completionists and some just wanting a minimal amount to represent a property thery love in their collection, it’s all right.

There’s no hostility in my comments, if they come off that way perhaps another read, this isn’t directed specifically to you man.

I’m not pointing fingers and calling a specific person a pos for their views not being identical to mine, that’s immature.

But what I am saying is that people make fun of the poor folks on hoarders on tv, but if you aren’t careful that could be you, very easily with a few years collecting, goes back to what @TheBatman said, experience is a virtue in this hobby. It’s this experience that can help one to avoid buying things they don’t truly want, time is the best remedy.
You want it now but you may not in a year, be selective, be picky, some people get stuck with figures of characters they can’t move because the IP lost popularity or a new version of it came out.

All I’m saying here is for people to aim for a tasteful display filled with characters that truly have them over the moon every time they glance at them. It’s very difficult to do that with tons of figures filled to the back of your shelves, at that point you’re collecting Marvel Legends, not accurate scaled down actors. It’s my two cents as always, doesn’t make it a set in stone rule.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

Why do we continue to do it though? Most of the people in this thread already have/had several Jokers, not to mention all the Batmen. These aren’t the type of toys we had as kids either. Most of us younger collectors had chunky, plastic dudes, not the “taller ones” with fabric clothing outfits. What I collect now would be lame to me as a kid, especially the “real hair”. Obviously the MEGO and GI Joe generation were different (and are on their way out), but you and I aren’t of that breed.

I have friends that played with toys just like I did. Batman, Superman, GI JOE, Star Wars, etc. Same age I was then. They’re not still doing this crap. They don’t collect. It’s just me with the dolls and “plastic men”. I mean yeah, my weirder friends do it too, but they’re not the most social. My woman used to play with Barbie, Polly pocket, Bratz etc. but she’s not still collecting that ****. She’s moved on to more productive hobbies. In fact, her and her cousin started playing “extreme Barbie” as preteens with their dolls and proceeded to destroy all of the ones they had through various destructive scenarios. We would all cringe doing that. Nobody here is taking their DX01 Joker and melting his head with a blow torch or taking the DX11 and running it over with their car. Most people don’t even throw away their broken or deteriorated TrueType bodies. “I can save that, I can use it.”

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.”

Us Joker guys haven’t become men? Is that why it’s different for us? Some of us have been in the game for decades now, pushing the twilight years. Why the compulsion? How many more Batman and Luke Skywalker figures is it going to take to make us feel complete?

I’ve noticed the baby boomers are like this with automobiles, locomotives and guns. They have retired and spend their days buying trains and cars, with a good bit of their scale models all boxed up or stored away. Some do full fledged dioramas. While I don’t share the same obsession they do, I do get the mindset. I would say their hobby is much more productive however. They’re changing out and customizing motors, laying down actual, functioning tracks. They’re creating more than consuming. What are we doing? Talking about millimeter flower buttons and the green shade of vests. Their hobby is a little different than obsessing over the minutia of fabric and doll hair.

Lego is another one I get but don’t dabble in. Atleast with that you’re constructing something, creating a model. The less commercial and unlicensed, the better. We don’t really do that. We take fantasy characters like Batman, Harry Potter and Gandalf and almost make a hallowed shrine of them. You ever do that? Ever sit back and look at the little guys all lined up in their glass/acrylic prisons with specific lights cast down on them and think “what the hell am I doing?” I don’t know, it’s kind of weird bro. Now that the future is hair and moving eyes, it makes it all the more stranger. Wor-Gar going to 100% in creep factor cements it.

1:1 makes more sense. Statues make more sense. Even your clunky, colorful stylized Kenner/Mattel/Hasbro ~points of articulation action figures make sense. The miniature dolls are just kind of . . . creepy. Yeah, Artisan Anakin and InArt Aragorn are impressive but it’s also kind of weird now.

Those are all good questions worth looking into. I'm not a psychologist, but I presume that collecting is some kind of mental issue, perhaps an addiction, and like most addictions it can escalate. Maybe we're sick in the head and we do our best to justify it.

I'll give you a personal example of collecting and escalation. As early as I can remember, I was a fan of Rambo. When I was a kid, I had a Coleco Rambo action figure that I used to take with me everywhere until I lost it. By the time I was in college, I found that same figure in the box at a flea market, paid $25 bucks for it. That wasn't enough. When Neca made the Rambo figures, I bought them all. That wasn't enough. Threezero and Hiya toys are also making multiple figures, even Stallone himself made one, so I got them all. That's not enough. I'm also fascinated by the Rambo knife, so 20 years ago I got some replicas by United Cultery, about $75 bucks each. That wasn't enough. About 3 years ago I got new Rambo knives made by the official companies/ knife makers, Lile, Hibben, Pohl Force...etc. That wasn't enough. They weren't accurate enough to the one used in the films, so I found an English knife maker named Andy Wood, he makes the most screen accurate Rambo knives, so I ordered two, from the first and second film. Still waiting for those. Three years and 10 grand later, I'm thinking, how much would an actual screen used Rambo knife cost? Will that be enough?

So yeah, dolls with moving eyes and real hair... things keep escalating. We're loco.

 

[Princess Banana Havok]

Why do we continue to do it though? Most of the people in this thread already have/had several Jokers, not to mention all the Batmen. These aren’t the type of toys we had as kids either. Most of us younger collectors had chunky, plastic dudes, not the “taller ones” with fabric clothing outfits. What I collect now would be lame to me as a kid, especially the “real hair”. Obviously the MEGO and GI Joe generation were different (and are on their way out), but you and I aren’t of that breed.

I have friends that played with toys just like I did. Batman, Superman, GI JOE, Star Wars, etc. Same age I was then. They’re not still doing this crap. They don’t collect. It’s just me with the dolls and “plastic men”. I mean yeah, my weirder friends do it too, but they’re not the most social. My woman used to play with Barbie, Polly pocket, Bratz etc. but she’s not still collecting that ****. She’s moved on to more productive hobbies. In fact, her and her cousin started playing “extreme Barbie” as preteens with their dolls and proceeded to destroy all of the ones they had through various destructive scenarios. We would all cringe doing that. Nobody here is taking their DX01 Joker and melting his head with a blow torch or taking the DX11 and running it over with their car. Most people don’t even throw away their broken or deteriorated TrueType bodies. “I can save that, I can use it.”

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.”

Us Joker guys haven’t become men? Is that why it’s different for us? Some of us have been in the game for decades now, pushing the twilight years. Why the compulsion? How many more Batman and Luke Skywalker figures is it going to take to make us feel complete?

I’ve noticed the baby boomers are like this with automobiles, locomotives and guns. They have retired and spend their days buying trains and cars, with a good bit of their scale models all boxed up or stored away. Some do full fledged dioramas. While I don’t share the same obsession they do, I do get the mindset. I would say their hobby is much more productive however. They’re changing out and customizing motors, laying down actual, functioning tracks. They’re creating more than consuming. What are we doing? Talking about millimeter flower buttons and the green shade of vests. Their hobby is a little different than obsessing over the minutia of fabric and doll hair.

Lego is another one I get but don’t dabble in. Atleast with that you’re constructing something, creating a model. The less commercial and unlicensed, the better. We don’t really do that. We take fantasy characters like Batman, Harry Potter and Gandalf and almost make a hallowed shrine of them. You ever do that? Ever sit back and look at the little guys all lined up in their glass/acrylic prisons with specific lights cast down on them and think “what the hell am I doing?” I don’t know, it’s kind of weird bro. Now that the future is hair and moving eyes, it makes it all the more stranger. Wor-Gar going to 100% in creep factor cements it.

1:1 makes more sense. Statues make more sense. Even your clunky, colorful stylized Kenner/Mattel/Hasbro ~points of articulation action figures make sense. The miniature dolls are just kind of . . . creepy. Yeah, Artisan Anakin and InArt Aragorn are impressive but it’s also kind of weird now.

As to your first point, I think it's because most of us here are lovers of FILM, first and foremost.

That's why the Lego and the train sets etc dont appeal to all of us (no judgement, different strokes for different folks, I get their value)

And it's not just about growing up with action figures/dolls either, as 1/6 is also popular (still as a niche) with the current generation who grew up predominantly on phones and iPads and weren't as interested in kids toys.

These collectibles give us almost little wax museum style replicas of characters we love from said films

I know I definitely wouldn't want to live in such a museum though

So 1/6 scale is definitely good for me, and alot of others.

I do appreciate the philosophical nature of the discussion you've brought up though

 

[Nick D]

You’re right @The Clown Prince of Crime

We’re all a bit crazy to an extent, everyone is, not just in this hobby. See the world we’re dealing with now? Not to get into all of that but it’s bat **** out here.

The goal is to limit your crazy, implement self control.

If one character is just too good for you then make all the upgrades for him / her, you deserve to because it’s the bread & butter in your collection. The issues start to arise when you do this for every single figure released, regardless of the IP or emotional attachment (this is wrong, that’s wrong etc).

@Gipetto0812 made an excellent point about the Superman suit,

You guys don’t see me in the Inart Henry Cavill 1:6 thread talking about all of the details page after page, because I’m not well read, nor emotionally attached, so I don’t want to speak out of my ass about something I know very little on. I’ll look at the figure sure, because I love art, but I’m not going to talk over others if they know more than I. I’m sure Gipetto could run circles around me on Cavills suit, this is why we all need to get along, and listen, maybe we’d learn something. We all have an eye for details, it’s just that those details vary due to what collectors put that effort into.

 

[BrooklynWolf X]

People can question why we collect the way we do. Question the lengths some would go to for perfection. Why certain things are excused/overlooked, whereas others are inexcusable.

I don’t care about any of that. I have my reasons for collecting that may or may not resonate with others. That’s not to say I don’t have my own questions or hang ups. Such as:

I don’t get why people collect sneakers, don’t get why funko pops are a thing, can NEVER get behind the culture of spending thousands on a TSHIRT and all it has to show for it is a red banner with white letters on it.

does it affect me? No. Do I care? Well…KIND OF. The hype culture I alluded to before, where spending 1k on a tshirt grants you some kind of social status…that’s just…CRINGE. But people do what they gotta do to be happy right? I won’t hobby shame them just as I hope they won’t hobby shame me.

Though What I DO question is: how some people get SO carried away with this hobby. Carried away with regards to choosing and picking a side. BLINDLY. No research, no critical thinking. Just BUY BUY BUY, don’t question any of it, and attack those that don’t agree with other POVs. TRIBALISM is THE worst thing in the world.

 

[Nick D]

I agree about the picking sides nonsense, it’s inevitable HT will make a superior version to IA and vice versa. So then it just comes down to how do they scale together? I’m sure we will see differences in scale on purpose due to companies wanting you to buy their ****, look at Apple, everything they do is to make it where you’re solely dependent on their brand of tech and none of it can be compatible with the competition, that’s business 101. They want us to pick sides, so don’t. Inart did this with the magnets instead of pegs on purpose, not just because of innovation, but to avoid their product ending up on a HT. Gloved hands for example.

 

[BrooklynWolf X]

Having a preference or favorite is one thing, blindly devoting your every waking moment-where you will take a bullet for-to a brand, sports team, esports competitor, influencer, performer is another.

(One of the most recent things that REALLY P***ED me off was the d-bag streamer that caused that riot in my hometown NYC earlier this month. All those morons, whose parents should’ve doubled up on them rubbers to prevent conceiving them, just had to act like a bunch of idiotic fools because they want to be just like that d-bag streamer where SOCIAL MEDIA! CLOUT! reign supreme in their effin minds. People rightfully blamed that d-bag for causing a stupid riot, and his brainless sheep would attack those that complained about him)

When you have grown ‘adults’ like a certain YouTuber constantly talking trash about other companies without ever acknowledging their strengths and will only praise HT. even if HT tossed a literal steaming turd onto his front doorstep…he’d still rub his cheeks all over it thanking the heavens HT exists. The definition of a bootlicker.

 

[Captain Clown]

1:1 scale will have your gf thinking you dress up in it when she leaves.

 

[Gipetto0812]

I don’t care how well off someone is, having a room filled with collectibles to the point you can’t walk or have to tell your wife & kids they have to pick up shop because you need more space is selfish.

Genuine question: is this what you think all of our rooms like? Is that why you've been coming down so hard in this thread about ppl's displays instead of having the 2 detolfs with one figure per shelf?

B/c, I have to tell you, while yes I've seen that from time to time, in my 10+ years on this forum, the majority of guys who have shared their collections here don't look like that. If anything, some have rented out a storage unit for their boxes and such rather than clutter up their actual house, or use their attic/basement as storage for the boxes and overflow. Most collectors on here from what I've seen aren't living in a hoarders nest of HT boxes

 

[Nick D]

Genuine question: is this what you think all of our rooms like? Is that why you've been coming down so hard in this thread about ppl's displays instead of having the 2 detolfs with one figure on a shelf?

B/c, I have to tell you, while yes I've seen that from time to time, in my 10+ years on this forum, the majority of guys who have shared their collections here don't look like that. If anything, some have rented out a storage unit for their boxes and such rather than clutter up their actual house, or use their attic/basement as storage for the boxes and overflow. Most collectors on here from what I've seen aren't living in a hoarders nest of HT boxes

I’m not pointing fingers at anyone specifically man.

In my years in this hobby I’ve also seen very well executed displays, they make me all the more happy when I do, regardless of what is actually in their collection.

Anyone into design knows how hideous exposed LED wires, warm lights, not having any lights at all in a detolf, cluttered accessories all around your expensive figures, killing any chance at realism it had, is almost a universally mutual understanding by everyone with an eye in design, things I’m stating are tips for someone to up there display game. Why else do we buy these items if we don’t cherish them enough to make them look their best? New people to collecting may not know how to display and may be looking for tips, you’re not going to park your new Porsche in the street, in front of your house on trash day when you have a useable driveway are you? I say that to say you should take care of what you own, displaying them beautifully makes just about every dime spent worth it. Education isn’t bad, you can always grab that accessory from a drawer, just a thought, nothing more. Everyone in this hobby isn’t going to just randomly read this and take note, but for the people it may help, I’m glad.

What I was getting at, if you don’t want to just undermine everything I say, is instead of cluttering shelves, running out of space, getting every release, use those funds to upgrade the figures you already own, as well as upgrading your display, and knowing your limits on how much room is actually available for your collection, if you’re single and on your own, by all means get a 1:1 scale Ledger stood by your coffee table, I wouldn’t do it, that is all.

 

[TheBatman]

Its amazing how many people have told you straight out how judgemental you are, yet you keep doubling-down every single comment you leave here. We get it. You're on whatever high horse you are on. Cool story.

 

[Gipetto0812]

I’m not pointing fingers at anyone specifically man.

That's fine. Like I said, it was a genuine question as I'm trying to understand where you're coming from.

I say that to say you should take care of what you own, displaying them beautifully makes just about every dime spent worth it. Education isn’t bad, you can always grab that accessory from a drawer, just a thought, nothing more. Everyone in this hobby isn’t going to just randomly read this and take note, but for the people it may help, I’m glad.

What I was getting at, if you don’t want to just undermine everything I say,

Not trying to undermine what you say. How you're saying things is coming off more like "I'm better than you. My way of collecting is the right way to do it" than actually helpful, which is why I'm asking questions. Again, I'm trying to understand where you're coming from rather than judge you. You've said before in previous posts that you're intention is not to judge anyone, and all I'm saying is the way you're presenting yourself is coming off as very judgmental of others rather than helpful. From what I've read, and how other's have responded to your posts, the posts aren't coming off as helpful. If that truly is your intent, then it might be helpful to rephrase some of what you're saying. There's scoops of helpfulness in there surrounded by judgement like below...

is instead of cluttering shelves, running out of space, getting every release, use those funds to upgrade the figures you already own, as well as upgrading your display, and knowing your limits on how much room is actually available for your collection, if you’re single and on your own, by all means get a 1:1 scale Ledger stood by your coffee table, I wouldn’t do it, that is all.

What does being single matter? Again, this is you judging someone even though you said you're not trying to. How do you know their partner doesn't like that 1:1 statue of x character, or for that matter wanted them to buy that? How do you know someone in the family is resenting the collector for their purchases? You bring up kids and relationships in previous posts being resentful of the collector like the person collecting is the problem and everyone in the family is judging them for doing it. This is why I wonder if this has happened to you and you're projecting that on us. My brother and sister-in-law both collect different things and they both fuel each other's collections. My brother got his job at Marvel b/c they could see his collection in the background in view during his interviews, a collection his wife helped build.

Yes, I agree that ppl should know their limits in their collecting habits, but that's not for any of us here to judge them on or tell them what to do unless they specifically ask for help, as we're all part of the collecting community. Some ppl may like their cluttered shelves, some may prefer to spend money on the next full figure release rather $500+ on a set of upgraded clothing. Not everyone collects the same way or for the same reasons and that's ok.