If it's a $15 figure that's supposed to be more intricate and detailed than the standard children's toy, then yes, it will probably have to look bad.
Don't quite see what your problem is with the 19" Predators, though. Every single one I've seen in person looks great. The key is to boost up size, which is why I'm not collecting 7" any more. Sadly, boosting up size means not only boosting production cost, but if it's not a popular character, less retailers will buy it because it'll sit on their shelves gathering dust.
Only the most popular characters get the 1/6-scale treatment (1/4 if they're very lucky and truly need the massive size for passable paint apps, like we've seen). Otherwise, they stay shrunk at 7" and risk looking mediocre since that's the only size at which they can be successfully sold.
Lastly, NECA has heard your pleas for 'paying the workers more' or 'pricing their items higher', but the fact is they don't cater to people with high-end mentalities. That's not what NECA is meant for. It would be nice to see them put out a beautiful 100% accurate and properly-painted 1/4 figure of every character they have a license for, but it's never going to happen because that would mean changing their market completely -- which isn't a smart business option when they've been sitting tight comfortably all these years. I say we're lucky to get the new 1/4 P1 and any others that they decide to produce. Outside of that, however, they're not the kind of manufacturer to whom you can ask these kinds of questions.
