Statue Prime 1 Studio x Blitzway: The Dark Knight: 1/3 The Joker

[TurdFurgusonsHat]

its a far cry from the prototype IMO. I cancelled my order and managed to get my NRD back.

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I think it looks like Sichael Mhannon, who played Zeneral God in that superhero film.

Alternatively this $3k piece looks fabulous lol

The paint on the Prime One could be improved but at least the likeness and tailoring is on point. JND badly botched both of these as confirmed in the pics below.

 

[xpl0sive]

Alternatively this $3k piece looks fabulous lol

It does sculpt and tailoring looks perfect on mine as I took the time to futz it.

 

[xpl0sive]

The paint on the Prime One could be improved but at least the likeness and tailoring is on point.

It isn't though, that's the problem. The sculpt has changed from the prototype, as evident in the screenshot I shared of the proto (talking about the bust here, don't care about the statue as I've already shared my opinion on that).

The prototype was one of the best Heath Ledger sculpts I've seen. I don't like the production piece at all.

 

[DarthAlias]

Give it a professional paint job and it will look much better. It shouldn’t have to be done and shame on P1 for bait and switching twice. I won’t be ordering realistic pieces from them anymore. However, their trash paint job beats a bad sculpt from JND with highly realistic silicone and paint apps. Take P1 sculptor with JND materials and paint apps and you’ll have one of if not the best Joker sculpts. As highly realistic the JND may be in person, the accuracy and old looking portrait throws it way off. Just as the paint job throws the P1 out of the high end statue market. Both companies should be ashamed with P1 more than JND. QS still best overall with Joker.

 

[xpl0sive]

Give it a professional paint job and it will look much better. It shouldn’t have to be done and shame on P1 for bait and switching twice. I won’t be ordering realistic pieces from them anymore. However, their trash paint job beats a bad sculpt from JND with highly realistic silicone and paint apps. Take P1 sculptor with JND materials and paint apps and you’ll have one of if not the best Joker sculpts. As highly realistic the JND may be in person, the accuracy and old looking portrait throws it way off. Just as the paint job throws the P1 out of the high end statue market. Both companies should be ashamed with P1 more than JND. QS still best overall with Joker.

We all like what we like at the end of the day. I do agree with you that with a repaint this would look much better, but there's no denying the sculpt has also changed, most noticeably the chin. I never crapped on the piece either, I had it on order actually, I just simply mentioned my annoyance with Prime 1 dropping the ball on production quality (again). For some reason some people feel the need to get defensive and keep bringing up the JND piece for no reason.

To me, it's only the bust portrait that had a good sculpt (the prototype that is). KA Kim is one of the best sculptors in the business, so it's no surprise that she nailed it. Unfortunately the sculpt was let down by Prime 1's crappy production. The smiling portrait was sculpted by someone else and I didn't like it from day 1, and I don't think many people did otherwise Prime 1 would never have released the additional bust.

As for the JND, we can do this discussion again but we'll just be going round in circles. What I will say though is that as someone who has seen both in person, the JND sculpt absolutely craps on it IMO. The reason some of you don't like it or can't see the likeness in it is the stern expression which throws some people off. Much like Prime 1's smiling portrait, it's very distinctive, so you either love it or hate it. I personally love it and most people do, evident by the fact that it's sold out and everyone who has seen mine in person was blown away by it, and unlike Prime 1 JND delivered 95% of the prototype, so if you liked it enough to PO you would have been happy with what you received in hand. Anyone who didn't like the prototype were never gonna change their minds on production.

 

[tmthegame]

It isn't though, that's the problem. The sculpt has changed from the prototype, as evident in the screenshot I shared of the proto (talking about the bust here.

This makes zero sense. Why would P1 make a sculpt advertise and then go back and pay another artist to sculpt and different looking head to purposely screw everyone. That’s absurd. The sculpt is the same. The only thing different is the paint job.

 

[filip629]

This makes zero sense. Why would P1 make a sculpt advertise and then go back and pay another artist to sculpt and different looking head to purposely screw everyone. That’s absurd. The sculpt is the same. The only thing different is the paint job.

Yeah, I have to agree. It's not like the factory decided to go rogue and change the sculpt.

 

[generalszabo]

I'm surprised we haven't seen any repaints yet, the smiling head was repainted almost immediately

 

[xpl0sive]

This makes zero sense. Why would P1 make a sculpt advertise and then go back and pay another artist to sculpt and different looking head to purposely screw everyone. That’s absurd. The sculpt is the same. The only thing different is the paint job.

LOL I never said they paid another artist to resculpt it I simply meant that the sculpt has been altered in production. It looks warped and has lost detail, which sometimes happens in production. It's been mentioned several times in this thread.

Have a look at the comparison below. The production model has a massive Jay Leno chin, big nose, his entire face looks elongated, the sculpt looks soft overall and his hair lacks the detail the prototype had. It looks like an eBay knock-off.

Does this look the same to you?

 

[voypabao]

Batman statue Collector review. It looks pretty good to me.

 

[generalszabo]

LOL I never said they paid another artist to resculpt it I simply meant that the sculpt has been altered in production. It looks warped and has lost detail, which sometimes happens in production. It's been mentioned several times in this thread.

Have a look at the comparison below. The production model has a massive Jay Leno chin, big nose, his entire face looks elongated, the sculpt looks soft overall and his hair lacks the detail the prototype had. It looks like an eBay knock-off.

Does this look the same to you?

View attachment 574883

Going off that pic, it does look like it has less detail and chin looks bigget

 

[epitaph04]

I'm not saying theres no drop in quality, there absolutely is, but I think more people really need to take a lighting/photography 101 class or something akin to that. The way a simple light at a certain angle can change the appearance of something is staggering. Different lenses also very easily distort things. The actual angle of the shot as well, etc etc. Again, there is absolutely a drop in quality from prototype to final product, but everytime I see pro-shot images in studio lighting (and with some post editing) compared to a dude in his kitchen with his old cameraphone....come on.

 

[tmthegame]

LOL I never said they paid another artist to resculpt it I simply meant that the sculpt has been altered in production. It looks warped and has lost detail, which sometimes happens in production. It's been mentioned several times in this thread.

Have a look at the comparison below. The production model has a massive Jay Leno chin, big nose, his entire face looks elongated, the sculpt looks soft overall and his hair lacks the detail the prototype had. It looks like an eBay knock-off.

Does this look the same to you?

View attachment 574883

No it does not look the same. These are two different photos however the product in these photos are the same whether you want to believe it or not. One photo is fine tuned while the other is not. The problem is the shading. That’s what’s throwing most people off with the sculpt. Its making his nose look thinner and it not. The Jay Leno chin you are referring to look real close, his neck is blended in so you can barely see where his chin line is. That’s whats giving it that bigger look.

 

[GaryPool]

Alternatively this $3k piece looks fabulous lol

The paint on the Prime One could be improved but at least the likeness and tailoring is on point. JND badly botched both of these as confirmed in the pics below.

View attachment 574784

View attachment 574785

I'll grant that he can look pretty average to bad sometimes in photos. Most likely because the amount of depth he has to his face, so cameras that can't take good depth profiles of a face or aren't angled to at least show it better come out poor. But I'd rather have a slightly off portrait that has realism and looks and feels like an actual character than paying also a fairly high price for a poorly painted sculpt that looks even more off. But that's just me. Either way I think most people who got JND are happy and most people who got Prime1 are happy.

But I think me and Xplosive are more happy because ours are better.

 

[GaryPool]

LOL I never said they paid another artist to resculpt it I simply meant that the sculpt has been altered in production. It looks warped and has lost detail, which sometimes happens in production. It's been mentioned several times in this thread.

Have a look at the comparison below. The production model has a massive Jay Leno chin, big nose, his entire face looks elongated, the sculpt looks soft overall and his hair lacks the detail the prototype had. It looks like an eBay knock-off.

Does this look the same to you?

View attachment 574883

I don't think it has changed. The type of camera used, the depth of field, the contrast and lighting in person and edited after the fact all play a huge part in making an identical thing look slightly different. I've no doubt it's the case here.

It goes without saying that people use this trick also in advertising and promotion. Look at artists who do before and after pictures. They'll intentionally use unflattering light, a unflattering depth of field, lack of contrast to show contours etc. to highlight the improvements they've made. I think it is the same sculpt, just photographed and lit differently. Add that the paint app isn't good (as good) and it makes it look different.

 

[xpl0sive]

No it does not look the same. These are two different photos however the product in these photos are the same whether you want to believe it or not. One photo is fine tuned while the other is not. The problem is the shading. That’s what’s throwing most people off with the sculpt. Its making his nose look thinner and it not. The Jay Leno chin you are referring to look real close, his neck is blended in so you can barely see where his chin line is. That’s whats giving it that bigger look.

You are in serious denial bud. No matter what photos you look at of this, it's very clear the sculpt has been altered/warped. It is absolutely NOT the same, whether YOU want to believe it or not. If you don't believe me, have a look at videos of it, then have a look at the video of the prototype posted by KA Kim. It's not just the paint that has changed, but the sculpt is definitely off. Face shape has changed too, it is now more elongated. Every photo and video I've seen of it looks the same.

I'm not hating on it either. It's still decent. If you are happy with it then I'm happy for you, but there's no denying there is a serious drop in quality, not just in paint but sculpt too, and for me thats grounds to cancel. Here's some more comparison pics for you.

 

[GaryPool]

Sqwad.

 

[xpl0sive]

I don't think it has changed. The type of camera used, the depth of field, the contrast and lighting in person and edited after the fact all play a huge part in making an identical thing look slightly different. I've no doubt it's the case here.

It goes without saying that people use this trick also in advertising and promotion. Look at artists who do before and after pictures. They'll intentionally use unflattering light, a unflattering depth of field, lack of contrast to show contours etc. to highlight the improvements they've made. I think it is the same sculpt, just photographed and lit differently. Add that the paint app isn't good (as good) and it makes it look different.

It's definitely not the same bud. Have a look at Batman Statue collector's video review, then have a look at the video posted by KA Kim of the prototype. Video doesn't lie:

 

[GaryPool]

It's definitely not the same bud. Have a look at Batman Statue collector's video review, then have a look at the video posted by KA Kim of the prototype. Video doesn't lie:

View attachment 574974

It's possible that like a lot of proto-to-final products that some revisions have occurred. I've compared both at the same angles (can't do anything about camera depth) and the contours look the same to me, it's the same profile near enough. The paint app is what's killing it heavily. Either way I'd be disappointed with it. We might have to disagree on that one.

I skipped to a part in the statue review posted earlier and he said something along the lines of it's not the prototype... and we shouldn't expect it to be the prototype. I stopped it there, he may have expanded but lol. It's a single miniature head for hundreds of pounds, of course you should expect it to be like the prototype, that a write off?

 

[xpl0sive]

It's possible, that like a lot of proto to final, that some revisions have occurred. But I've comapred both at the same angled (can't do anything about camera depth) and the contours look the same, it's the same profile near enough. The paint app is what's killing it heavily. Either way I'd be disappointed with it.

I skipped to a part in the statue review posted earlier and he said something along the lines of it's not the prototype... and we shouldn't expect it to be the prototype. I stopped it there, he may have expanded but lol. It's a single miniature head for hundreds of pounds, of course you should expect it to be like the prototype, that a write off?

The chin is wider, jaw shape appears different and face is elongated in every photo. Depth of field and lighting would not change this, as its apparent in every photo from any angle. I posted some better comparison shots above in better lighting conditions. The original smiling sculpt had the same issue, so the factory who produced these sculpts clearly had issues reproducing them.

People have become conditioned to accept poor quality production now. 'We shouldn't expect the prototype' proves that. Someone even thought it was awesome for 300 bucks, like that is cheap. No one expects it to be identical to the prototype, but for the money these companies are charging it should be damn close, not 'ah thats good enough'. Queen Studios and JND manage to get almost spot on to their prototypes.

It's clear that Prime 1 have resorted to using crummy factories now, as is evident by their last few statues released. There have been rumours going around that Prime 1 have been muscling the top factories to the point that none of them want to deal with them anymore so they've had to resort to lower end factories. I'm inclined to believe this after their last few pieces, including their 1/4 scale Jungle Hunter Predator which I own. I have zero faith in Prime 1's production quality now, which makes it hard for me to PO anything from them now without seeing production pics first.