InArt Phoenix Joker 1/6

[Scout Trooper]

I always dislike the lapels when it comes to these things. Even with customs. So many get those wrong with Ledger. Either too round, or too flared out, or not sitting flush, or missing the pick stitching...

 

[HyperDrive]

I don't see many parting out the main attraction though. Main attraction being the most iconic, not necessarily the "best" figure of the 4 of them.

Agreed. It’d be hard sell, hoping I come across the opportunity tho.

 

[HyperDrive]

I always dislike the lapels when it comes to these things. Even with customs. So many get those wrong with Ledger.

No one has gotten them right yet lol

 

[spindrift]

These look fantastic to me- HT also looks great. Not paying the huge cost of Inart's big set though

 

[Scout Trooper]

Inart got absolutely screwed with the price mandate

 

[fantomascr]

It's interesting comparing these.

I like aspects of each Diorama. I think the backdrop from Hot Toys looks a little more classy with the Murray show signage. But Inart's windows are a lot more scenic. Hot Toys could have done with a window behind those curtains.

As for the curtains, I don't like either of them. I like Inart's stage better. But I think Hot Toys did a lot better with the chair (except in color).

I'm getting more "realism" from Inart's figure. A little more detail (Hands, shoes etc..).

Better tailoring and proportions perhaps? But I intend to display mine seated which mitigates some of that.

On the other hand, I feel that Hot Toys captures him better. Even if it translates into something a little more stylized. I also think the overall presentation blends more coherently.

I think I'll stick with Hot Toys ultimately. But having both would yield interesting results.



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The thing is that HT suit is horrendous, at least to my eyes. I think I will keep my preorder and try to sell the Arthur and diorama. Idk if together or separate, I don't need both tbh and at least I will get some money back.

 

[Hologram AI]

Inart got absolutely screwed with the price mandate

Yeah it’s unfortunate. I’d imagine if they just did a single red suit version we would have gotten two sculpts, one with a bloody smile. Similar to the offering Pennywise got. One outfit/body, two sculpts and a diorama base.

The thing is that HT suit is horrendous, at least to my eyes. I think I will keep my preorder and try to sell the Arthur and diorama. Idk if together or separate, I don't need both tbh and at least I will get some money back.

HT’s outfit gives big third party vibes. Better likeness on their sculpt but good lord is the suit not good. INART’s suit also has its own share of problems but looks better than the cheaper looking suit HT tailored. Neither come close to IRIS’s suit.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I think they all look great. I agree, the dancing one and the silly salesman clown may be best! I think the red suit may be my least favorite (because highest expectations), but the sculpt looks very good on it.

Not worth the price, but then... what really is?

 

[Wor-Gar]

not to say hot toys is any better, they're both major let downs.

So was the Phoenix Joker, ultimately.

 

[agonistes86]

I don't know if I'd call it negativity. I guess we all see things differently. I'm glad that a lot of people are happy. At the same time, I think there's validity to those expressing disappointment / concern. I'm not going to downplay either side.

This company has put out some banger figures no doubt. Their Aragorn is probably my FOTY. But there's also good reason to be skeptical. It's not baseless or premature. The company does have a track record. They've disappointed on occasion. They have an issue with consistency. And quality control. And customer service. And they haven't always delivered on their promises.

This is a very expensive set, so emotions are running high. Some have shown less enthusiasm with what's been shown, and they too have a stake in this (up to $300 in NRD).

Is that going to change when we see some better photographs?

Possibly.
Hopefully.
But not necessarily.
It hasn't always.

In my experience, I don't feel as comfortable giving Inart the benefit of the doubt. I don't think they've earned this kind of trust.

Agreed with all your points.

I guess I wasn't trying to single anyone out in particular, but rather addressing the overall mood. Right after the first in-hand video was posted, it was 3 pages full of talk of the various shortcomings, drops in quality compared to proto, canceling, eating NRD's, better custom options, etc. It was all doom & gloom, particularly just based on the usual bad quality first look, which really killed my excitement when reading.

I also might have been rather drunk coming back from a great party, so the contrast once the overall sentiment in the thread started shifting was even more exaggerated in my mind.

 

[TheBatman]

Agreed with all your points.

I guess I wasn't trying to single anyone out in particular, but rather addressing the overall mood. Right after the first in-hand video was posted, it was 3 pages full of talk of the various shortcomings, drops in quality compared to proto, canceling, eating NRD's, better custom options, etc. It was all doom & gloom, particularly just based on the usual bad quality first look, which really killed my excitement when reading.

I also might have been rather drunk coming back from a great party, so the contrast once the overall sentiment in the thread started shifting was even more exaggerated in my mind.

It was definitely negative, and it's by the usual suspects too. Life must be difficult this time of year for them to be pouring that much negativity here.

 

[HyperDrive]

Agreed with all your points.

I guess I wasn't trying to single anyone out in particular, but rather addressing the overall mood. Right after the first in-hand video was posted, it was 3 pages full of talk of the various shortcomings, drops in quality compared to proto, canceling, eating NRD's, better custom options, etc. It was all doom & gloom, particularly just based on the usual bad quality first look, which really killed my excitement when reading.

I also might have been rather drunk coming back from a great party, so the contrast once the overall sentiment in the thread started shifting was even more exaggerated in my mind.

Yeahhh, when I read the three pages of “dooming and glooming” in the manner of which it was and the types of things being said, I was like, this can’t be..

It was definitely negative, and it's by the usual suspects too. Life must be difficult this time of year for them to be pouring that much negativity here.

Yeah man, I noticed it was the peeps that are usually biased against INART lol

 

[Wor-Gar]

Interesting shelf display...

 

[Zbond10]

If people aren’t happy with this then I doubt they’ll be happy with anything .

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I stand corrected! Happy with what I have been seeing with the unboxing videos from collectors. Hoping mine would arrive with hair like the ones shown.

I feel a lot of reactions wouldn’t be as volatile if InArt got better lighting for their unboxing

 

[TonyD15]

Some folks wants $1000 individually custom tailored models for the price of $300.

Same ol story, rinse and repeat, have yet to recieve one inart figure where I'm disappointed, are they perfect no, but even customs aren't.

There are ways to be critical without coming off as a snob, and like I always say the community could do alot better.

 

[Nick D]

How can one be critical if not pointing out things they’re displeased with? That’s what criticism means right?

But in pointing out things they’re displeased with, oh what a snob. All I’ve seen are details that are missing being pointed out, some issues with tailoring here and there, a few comments about the drop from proto. That’s about it.. you know, something that gets discussed regarding every release, every brand.

Do you have to cherry pick what criticisms warrant a comment from any given member..

 

[shadows]

Yeah it’s unfortunate. I’d imagine if they just did a single red suit version we would have gotten two sculpts, one with a bloody smile. Similar to the offering Pennywise got. One outfit/body, two sculpts and a diorama base.


HT’s outfit gives big third party vibes. Better likeness on their sculpt but good lord is the suit not good. INART’s suit also has its own share of problems but looks better than the cheaper looking suit HT tailored. Neither come close to IRIS’s suit.

HT’s suit tailoring is pretty bad I can’t unsee the lapels sticking out so much, and I disagree that HT likeness is better, it’s hard to see JP there. Inart has captured likeness a bit better. I have no dog in this race btw.

 

[Gipetto0812]

Interesting shelf display...


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McFarlane did it better

 

[xXJ0kerXx1]

Curious as to your thoughts as to why you say the Hot Toys captures JP better!

I think the outfit top to bottom is better on INART’s.

And I hear ya on the personal higher standards. I think you and others on here have higher expectations and standards for sure. I realize I’m a bit more forgiving than some of the folks here, but I also stand by my read on figures, when specifically evaluating each of them for what they are – things that are mass produced at the end of the day. Case-by-case basis. I intend to still keep pushing for constructive feedback, despite being let down at times when these companies/licensors don’t do anything about it.

And yes, INART’s tier list is simply referring to whether a set brings more to represent that character/source, as in extra portraits, accessories, dioramas, etc. A ‘price-to-added value based bracket’, I’d personally say lol. I’m kinda glad it’s not referring to providing the higher tiers with higher quality, cause I’d also hope that the base Mercury and Silver sets are also receiving the same quality treatment.

i think in terms of the raw likeness, aside from the paint and ****** hair. the sculpt itself is quite nice. his face is a lot rounder than people think or remember, inart went really narrow to try to emulate what a skinny person might look like

tailoring wise, inart is better but its not saying much when youre comparing hot toys when it looks like a crap 3rd party set

my expectations are naturally higher for this figure because this is *my* character that i gravitate towards. from top to bottom, i know everything. the likes of say inart superman or some others, i dont really give a **** about and just write it off as a meh figure with bad design choices and call it a day. at the end of the day the 4 pack is just fodder to me to fill space because i like the character. im set to have a total of about 6-8 ledgers and even more phoenix jokers/arthurs

customs, mass produced whether its licensed or 3rd party i hold to the same accord. theyre all not different from each other. some companies, obviously carry a reputation for putting out ****** products and that's what they are at the end of the day like why studios for example.
if its wrong, its wrong and thats final to me. that's how I run and others are less invested in this hobby and want to just enjoy it for face value (and that's okay), but that's not what makes this hobby enjoyable for me. people may think its a very miserable style to collect instead of enjoying it or being grateful (because wow first world problems), but I enjoy diving deep and studying characters I love and it just happens to be jokers specifically. I've done it for others but I hold jokers to a higher standard.

and people might be wondering why I own hot toys, inart, etc. when I crap on them so much. its stops becoming a want or like. I have my personal customs that are the real deal and ones I truly cherish because it has history behind them. inart's set is just because I like the character, not because I enjoy the figures and their construction/design

I'm not lashing out at people's figures, but the companies when they hire these crap researchers. limitations exists to an extent but c'mon, you're getting paid to look at characters all day and I'm only doing it for a few days out of like a month or two and get **** right but that stems from passion

ill crap on ropa clothes any day, the same with inart and hot toys. just because the price is higher doesn't exclude it from being critiqued.

original kraken shoes, awful and i paid almost 200 just to go back and pay an additional 200 to send to someone else to fix up and make it better. shame on the runner for not telling ahead of time that the body needed modifications.

at the end of the day i can fix the figures but I want to avoid the habit of buying stuff over 1 grand just to go back and pour more money to fix, I've done it too many times and it adds up an awful lot.

start doing your own **** because people are just gonna disappoint you when you start setting high standards, but that's to be expected. i usually keep quiet or only speak to a selected few and they know I am far harsher on custom stuff than mass produced stuff

 

[Captain Clown]

I dunno, I see more Joaquin in InArt’s sculpt, but maybe that’s just me.

They seemingly made the forehead a bit too big though - it could use more unpainted skin around the hairline too. Hot Toys got that right.

Painting the eyelashes blue would’ve been nice too.