JND Studios: Aquaman - Mera (Amber Heard) 1:3

[Shoo]

Not sure if this video was posted,

It was. That's what JND posted - which is included in Wiki Figure's longer video. : )

 

[Mose Harper]

Something is off about that face. I think the bone structure isn't quite there, eyes too open, and probably a bunch of other small details are off. I don't see too much Amber there. Infinity Studio's 1:1 is instant Amber recognition.

Yeah. For one thing the eyes are too small. Makes me wonder if they couldn't deviate from a standard glass eye size, and couldn't compensate with the face sculpt.
That brings up the second issue in that the face is too wide. They aced the likeness in profile. It's just head on that it's not nearly as sharp.

Despite that it still makes for an attractive figure, especially with the colors in the hair and suit. Apart from how well what's there of the likeness holds up in production, I'm curious to see how sharp and detailed the suit will be. There are a lot of small, tight, sharp lines and shapes of color on the suit.
We'll see if they are still committed to the highest degree of fidelity to the prototype after this.

I noticed in the video they are already making allowances for not fully nailing the likeness down.
I may have imagined it, but it seemed like the first several statues their whole spiel was "these are the most accurate representations and good enough isn't what we'll settle for."

 

[Gipetto0812]

I'm surprised about this 1/6 rumor/news. Has it been substantiated yet?

I can't see how it wouldn't be a step back for them or even advisable given Hot Toys domination in the market. Maybe they're looking to do smaller batches of figures with higher quality at a higher cost than HT? Guess time will tell.

I mean idk how it can be rumor when the the CEO (James Park) in the video says "...we plan on creating 1:6 action figures..."

 

[nexus]

POed this one yesterday. I wonder how long it’s going to take to sell out through retailers/distributors. JND has really taken off. My main concern is these keep going up in price. Mera was $2,100 whereas Catwoman was $1999 and Harley was $2099. I would guess pieces like Batman, Aquaman, Superman, etc. will be around $250 more if not higher. Also, the edition size is 1,000. I don’t know how that compares to the others because I didn’t see the ES anywhere. Still that’s more than $2 million in gross revenue for just one statue, so releasing 3-4 of these a year is a pretty solid business model.
One thing I do like about JND is that they’ve kept pretty focused as opposed to Queen Studios who seems to be a bit all over the place — 1:6, 1:4, 1:3, 1:2 and 1:1 scale, busts, statues, movie, comic, anime, cartoony. Their individual pieces are fantastic, but it makes it harder to plan to get into a line. Whereas if JND produces the ZSJL I likely purchase the full line. I’d also like to see them take on a 1/3 Christopher Reeve Superman. Beyond that, though I don’t know what other DC characters I’ll be willing to spend that much on. JND branching off into 1/6 seems to be something they put a lot of thought and research into, so it’s probably a calculated evolution. It’ll be interesting to see their first teases.

 

[Shoo]

One thing I do like about JND is that they’ve kept pretty focused as opposed to Queen Studios who seems to be a bit all over the place — 1:6, 1:4, 1:3, 1:2 and 1:1 scale, busts, statues, movie, comic, anime, cartoony.

Funny thing is, JND recently announced they are going to do 1:4 statues and 1:6 action figures as well.

By the way, for those of you who are into said 1:6 figures, Queen Studios will also enter that market, according to a recent interview.

 

[Chronos1919]

I mean idk how it can be rumor when the the CEO (James Park) in the video says "...we plan on creating 1:6 action figures..."

I hadn't seen the entirety of the video. Rumors about it sprung up about a month ago. I'll take that as substantiation then.

 

[nexus]

Funny thing is, JND recently announced they are going to do 1:4 statues and 1:6 action figures as well.

By the way, for those of you who are into said 1:6 figures, Queen Studios will also enter that market, according to a recent interview.

I knew about the 1/6 action figures from the video, but this is the first I’m hearing about 1:4 scale. That would be interesting. I wonder if it would be the same statues in a different scale and lower price point or a randomized approach. If it’s the former I’d consider switching over to 1/4 provided they used the same techniques and the prices were right.

 

[Gipetto0812]

I knew about the 1/6 action figures from the video, but this is the first I’m hearing about 1:4 scale. That would be interesting. I wonder if it would be the same statues in a different scale and lower price point or a randomized approach. If it’s the former I’d consider switching over to 1/4 provided they used the same techniques and the prices were right.

The CEO says 1/4 statues right after 1/6 action figures in the video.

But I agree with you in thoughts of switching over. I think 1/4 is still my preferred scale for larger statues.

 

[Hoody999]

Funny thing is, JND recently announced they are going to do 1:4 statues and 1:6 action figures as well.

By the way, for those of you who are into said 1:6 figures, Queen Studios will also enter that market, according to a recent interview.

To have JND and Queen studios in the 1/6 space it'll put some badly needed pressure on Hot Toys for high end 1/6 scale stuff, and also hopefully lift their game.

Sure the articulation is still a differentiator, however a lot of Hot Toys pieces are put into the collection and rarely change pose due to various reasons.

I'd be very interested in some 1/6 from these two, depending on price and character.

Got to be a win-win for collectors.

 

[Remy]

To have JND and Queen studios in the 1/6 space it'll put some badly needed pressure on Hot Toys for high end 1/6 scale stuff, and also hopefully lift their game.

Sure the articulation is still a differentiator, however a lot of Hot Toys pieces are put into the collection and rarely change pose due to various reasons.

I'd be very interested in some 1/6 from these two, depending on price and character.

Got to be a win-win for collectors.

I think Hot toys getting the Star Wars license was a big win for Star Wars fans, but not so much for the rest.
I think the star Wars license took a lot of their resources and inhibited a lot of their other releases. Most of their focus is pretty much just Marvel, Star Wars and DC, with emphasis on characters that are sure to sell a lot, like Spiderman, and the rest on backburner.
I know we've always waited for figures after PO, but the wait time now is just stupid, when you have to wait 2 to 3 years before the figures get released. Aside from Endgame Cap, I have to really think what was the last Hot toys I bought.
And although it was a pleasant experience getting Endgame Cap, I got it late last year, waaaaay past the excitement from seeing the movie a couple of years ago.

I'm glad a lot of 3rd party's have stepped up to the plate as they have filled the void on figures that we probably would never see from Hot Toys.
Right now, aside from Mandalorian Luke Skywalker, the only Hot Toys I'm looking forward to is the reveal of Pattinson Batman and Zoe Catwoman.
Most of the figures I bought the last couple of years are either custom or statues.

I remember the Hot Toys vs Medicom.
Then Hot Toys vs Enterbay. And Medicom and Enterbay had to join forces. But Hot Toys was just too much.
I've wondered back then if any company would eventually take the crown from Hot Toys.
IF JND raises the bar and we're now seeing silicone heads with glass eyes on 1/6 figures,
I wonder if Hot toys will now be like the Medicom figures that are nice figures, but just no longer the same level.
Interesting indeed.

 

[Shoo]

IF JND raises the bar and we're now seeing silicone heads with glass eyes on 1/6 figures,

I think it's unlikely we're going to see see such a thing. In the interview I was talking about above, the rep from Queen Studios said 1:4 was already too small to use silicone.

 

[Remy]

I think it's unlikely we're going to see see such a thing. In the interview I was talking about above, the rep from Queen Studios said 1:4 was already too small to use silicone.

I have in my collection a 1/6 silicone head with glass eyes that's almost 10 years old, that would beg to differ
with the Queen Studios rep.

 

[Victοr]

I don't collect statues, I just marvel them from afar. I've been tempted a few times, but they're too rich for my blood currently. I have a couple of characters that I'd want to buy in statue format too, and if I have the money by the time MCU Doom rolls around I might try to wing one, but I'm on the sidelines on that matter. So I'm really here for the whole JND/QS Vs. HT discussion that's been brewing here. And I have to say, I'm torn.

On one hand, competition will be better in the long run. HT will get some pressure on them, and we might see some new innovations. Better price points too, as they're all trying to outdo one another. On the other hand, as someone with a budget and a list ticking off boxes after every buy, it's quite the anxiety inducing news. For the longest time I was secure in knowing that if I wanted a character from Marvel/DC/SW, I just had to wait for HT to make them. Same materials, same style, same everything all across the board, flaws and all. If they screwed it up, whatever, skip it. Now, with new players in the game, I don't see what they can do to differentiate themselves from HT. For my money, I'd prefer better materials (real leather for one), more lifelike sculpts (if they can use silicone and rooted hair properly) and a higher price point. They won't be running around making every Spider-Man costume like HT is doing, they'll be focusing on a select few. So maybe the average figure will cost you 500$, but it'll truly be a one-of-a-kind thing. In such a case I'd keep at it with HT for my basic displays and wants, and go for JND/QS for those special ones. But even if that were the case, what then differentiates JND from QS? I see QS makes comic-based stuff, so my first instict was that maybe they'll start making 1/6th comic-based Marvel stuff, which means that they got me and HT can kiss my cash bye-bye. But who knows?

I myself broke down and POed a BaleBat HT, mostly because I know I'd want a Ledger Joker and figured they'd re-release him too. At the same time, it's evident that between QS & JND, they'll surely show their own Ledger & Bale 1/6th figures. Do I keep my PO, or do I cancel and play the waiting game on them? I'm not a big enough fan of those movies and characters to throw the 500/1K/whatever-$ cash on them. I'd do that for a select few ones. But if they're the next step, and we'll be seeing HT go the way of Medicom, with QS & JND charging 100$ extra for more, but still not approaching their statues, then it's a game changer and we're in for a transformative period.

I know, I'm a pretty neurotic guy so I get anxious at the slightest hint of trouble. It's just that I was away for a long time, recently got back in, and as I dove in headfirst, now I've got to deal with my figures being outdated 5 months in... Good news is, all my wants are in the future (X-Men, FF), so I can just wait and see. But there's still stuff within the year I'd be into, like Moon Knight and Doctor Strange. Who's to say I'll PO and come May or September or whatever, and JND shows an MK with real wathered bandages or something? ATM, my MCU stuff are just Endgame Thanos & Iron Man, so it's not like I'm in any hurry to replace anything. But still, it's a thing to consider.

PS: I do agree that the statue looks a bit off from the front, but I'm not ashamed to say from the side I thought it was the real Amber Heard from a photoshoot or something, and it took me a bit to wise up to the pic being of the statue. As for the hair, it looks fake, but it looked fake in the movie too, so... I still don't understand why they didn't just dye Heard's hair red and went for such a cheap-looking wig. My best guess is that they wanted to make it seem as if the underwater red hair gene creates a different, more vibrant colour than the IRL gene for red hair, and thus went with very strong wigs to signify that.

 

[Sidewinder]

I think this is the most boring JND statue tbh. It doesn't look like it is worth that kind of price tag imo.

As for them going into 1/6 figures, can they even get the licence for that scale if HT has the rights? Particularly with Marvel and DC licences?

 

[JorjeCroft]

So guys I have a question, while I don't have any JND statues, I have Superman on preorder. While I mainly collect 1/6 I just couldn't pass on him,as I love Henry so much and because of all the drama around him, this was probably the last chance to get such a fancy piece of him.
I'm a very picky person so any kind of quality issues especially on the faces are unacceptable for me. Especially when they are as expensive, they must be as perfect as possible.

Just saw Mera pictures by Niek Spruijt on Facebook and first thing I saw is wonky eyes. As we remember she needs to have a determinined straight eye position, while in that picture her eyes are out of focus. So how such things happen? Can eye position be changed? Or what's going on just in general. Statue looks beautiful but wonky eyes is a last thing I want when I pay such a money.

 

[generalszabo]

Yeah I noticed the wonky eyes looking in two diffferent directions. I have heard of any issues in hand so hopefully they will fix that

 

[JorjeCroft]

Yeah I noticed the wonky eyes looking in two diffferent directions. I have heard of any issues in hand so hopefully they will fix that

even eye shapes look different? I know human eyes have slightly different shapes but on the statue one eye is obviously bigger

 

[Mogli]

I think her right eye is more closed because it looks like her mouth is turned up a little on the right in maybe a slight smirk, so that eye is squinting a bit, I might be wrong though lol. Also, sometimes pics of people from the front have their eyes appearing to look two different directions, but I can't tell if JND did this on purpose or not lol. I agree that it seems like something could be adjusted to look more normal.

Would anybody be able to post all the newest pics of this? I'm not good at that lol

 

[GaryPool]

It may just be how the eyes were inserted. My Batman came with one eye more closed than the other and they weren't quite sitting equally. Silicone is maleable so you can just adjust it to be how it's supposed to, I imagine this is what happened here.

 

[JorjeCroft]

It may just be how the eyes were inserted. My Batman came with one eye more closed than the other and they weren't quite sitting equally. Silicone is maleable so you can just adjust it to be how it's supposed to, I imagine this is what happened here.

So adjustments are possible at home? Good to know.