Hot Toys Scarlet Witch Artisan Edition - Avengers Endgame

[DioramaMaker]

Yeah!! this forum has never given InArt a hard time for anything they’ve made, we wouldn’t spend 20+ pages of pointing out a slightly inaccurate cowl that left too much of a nose exposed on one of their prototypes or anything. Wanda looks perfect, you blind fools!






You’ve gotta be ******* kidding me.

Gimme a break man, you need not scroll far into any InArt thread to find statements supporting their progress, how one thing or another isn't perfect...but don't worry it will be better on the next release! There's a big difference between constructive critique and blind distaste.

If you noticed, I 100% back InArt and have put my wallet to that statement. The reasons to be grateful for their presence in the hobby are numerous, which I'm sure you've read through (and agree with) on those 20+ pages.

But you can't possibly ignore how it's cool to hate on Hot Toys just because InArt exists. Just don't tell anyone we've burned all our lunch money on their products for the last 15 years, that definitely doesn't count, they suck. The instantaneous vitriol was and is almost comical.

 

[Nagoya]

Gimme a break man, you need not scroll far into any InArt thread to find statements supporting their progress, how one thing or another isn't perfect...but don't worry it will be better on the next release! There's a big difference between constructive critique and blind distaste.

If you noticed, I 100% back InArt and have put my wallet to that statement. The reasons to be grateful for their presence in the hobby are numerous, which I'm sure you've read through (and agree with) on those 20+ pages.

But you can't possibly ignore how it's cool to hate on Hot Toys just because InArt exists. Just don't tell anyone we've burned all our lunch money on their products for the last 15 years, that definitely doesn't count, they suck. The instantaneous vitriol was and is almost comical.

Nothing personal, I don’t know where you spend your money and it’s irrelevant to either of your two separate assertions. Thinking people will blindly praise an InArt product and saying Hot Toys is getting more critique than before, now that there’s a comparable product line, is pretty different. The former is straight up disingenuous, but there’s obviously no denying the latter; actual circumstances and causation aside as to why. InArt likewise gets more critique because HT exists and that’s competition in a nutshell.

I think it goes without saying that HT is directly competing with InArt with the Artisan line, and when you consider that the former’s first 2/3 announcements include reused assets from their “lower-end” line versus the latter’s consistent changes in response to feedback thus far, it really shouldn’t be difficult to understand the varying levels of dedication towards earning consumer confidence.

Obviously there are underlying issues as to why HT get “more” heat (not just there being god knows how many threads here dedicated to their products), but HT has the history of being lazy and it’s disappointing to see those habits continue with the new line; especially since it’s getting more noticeable in their standard releases.
InArt has already been trashtalked in every one of their threads, but they’ve conversely built a very fast reputation for remedying issues and curating outstanding results (at least in prototype forms), but I think this forum is going to go apeshit the moment InArt would start pulling something similar. If Pennywise was a more popular release, I think we’d already see a lot more referrals to the oversized collar and complaints directed at them in general.

 

[Nagoya]

It also strikes me that there are going to be three HT Wandas out anyone can buy for MSRP in one setting (and a technical fourth for 2500 people).

Gotta admit, I think HT constantly releasing new iterations of every major character is going to be retroactively counterintuitive for the Artisan line.

 

[DioramaMaker]

Nothing personal, I don’t know where you spend your money and it’s irrelevant to either of your two separate assertions. Thinking people will blindly praise an InArt product and saying Hot Toys is getting more critique than before, now that there’s a comparable product line, is pretty different. The former is straight up disingenuous, but there’s obviously no denying the latter; actual circumstances and causation aside as to why. InArt likewise gets more critique because HT exists and that’s competition in a nutshell.

I think it goes without saying that HT is directly competing with InArt with the Artisan line, and when you consider that the former’s first 2/3 announcements include reused assets from their “lower-end” line versus the latter’s consistent changes in response to feedback thus far, it really shouldn’t be difficult to understand the varying levels of dedication towards earning consumer confidence.

Obviously there are underlying issues as to why HT get “more” heat (not just there being god knows how many threads here dedicated to their products), but HT has the history of being lazy and it’s disappointing to see those habits continue with the new line; especially since it’s getting more noticeable in their standard releases.
InArt has already been trashtalked in every one of their threads, but they’ve conversely built a very fast reputation for remedying issues and curating outstanding results (at least in prototype forms), but I think this forum is going to go apeshit the moment InArt would start pulling something similar. If Pennywise was a more popular release, I think we’d already see a lot more referrals to the oversized collar and complaints directed at them in general.

For what it's worth it's important to mention that I believe in what InArt's trying to achieve and am willing to support it, lest my point present as unilateral and I get martyred as a Hot Toys shill.

Obviously you and I are not going to agree here, but disingenuous it is not...perhaps hyperbolic but nevertheless rooted in consistent observations. Hot Toys has faults that are undoubtedly worthy of critique, and InArt's presence has given many people a new perspective on which to leverage those qualms. Despite that, you'd have to willingly turn a blind eye to the rapid spikes in vitriol driven towards the brand which has fundamentally paved the current landscape. When critique devolves to a point of jousting statements likening Hot Toys to Hasbro, it's not discussion anymore, it's pedantic. From that spirals a strange attestation that InArt wouldn't commit those sins, but HT does and so on. It's bizarre tribalism that makes for boring dialogue. If I wanted that, I'd turn on the news.

While sure, HT has a bigger footprint as you said, I think holding both brands to the same degree of FAIR scrutiny is appropriate. Especially when the newcomer promotes themselves as next-level premium, and subsequently charges the prices that they do.

Honestly the first place I've seen general apathy to an InArt release is Superman, to a degree which surprised me. In my eyes it's a significant upgrade from what has preceded it. Interestingly, just like this Wanda, the sculpt is rather unexpressive. Through through that thread there's just as much dialogue about the neutrality being preferable as it is a detractor, but here it's the presiding downside. Comparably, no one's calling InArt incompetent or lazy because of it. Even the Pennywise collar is being framed in the light of a misstep rather than ignorance.

It also strikes me that there are going to be three HT Wandas out anyone can buy for MSRP in one setting (and a technical fourth for 2500 people).

Gotta admit, I think HT constantly releasing new iterations of every major character is going to be retroactively counterintuitive for the Artisan line.

Scarlett Witch is the new Black Widow for them, is she not? Black Widow had been their best selling figure (self reported by them at that). I think as long as the Artesian line exists as a unit-limited offering, it's not a huge ordeal. The people who are willing to buy three Scarlett Witch figures are the ones who are going to make every effort to get the next best one. It was the same case with the Joker, the people who wanted that edition were going to double down on trying to buy their umpteenth iteration of the character regardless.

 

[Nagoya]

For what it's worth it's important to mention that I believe in what InArt's trying to achieve and am willing to support it, lest my point present as unilateral and I get martyred as a Hot Toys shill.

Obviously you and I are not going to agree here, but disingenuous it is not...perhaps hyperbolic but nevertheless rooted in consistent observations. Hot Toys has faults that are undoubtedly worthy of critique, and InArt's presence has given many people a new perspective on which to leverage those qualms. Despite that, you'd have to willingly turn a blind eye to the rapid spikes in vitriol driven towards the brand which has fundamentally paved the current landscape. When critique devolves to a point of jousting statements likening Hot Toys to Hasbro, it's not discussion anymore, it's pedantic. From that spirals a strange attestation that InArt wouldn't commit those sins, but HT does and so on. It's bizarre tribalism that makes for boring dialogue. If I wanted that, I'd turn on the news.

While sure, HT has a bigger footprint as you said, I think holding both brands to the same degree of FAIR scrutiny is appropriate. Especially when the newcomer promotes themselves as next-level premium, and subsequently charges the prices that they do.

Honestly the first place I've seen general apathy to an InArt release is Superman, to a degree which surprised me. In my eyes it's a significant upgrade from what has preceded it. Interestingly, just like this Wanda, the sculpt is rather unexpressive. Through through that thread there's just as much dialogue about the neutrality being preferable as it is a detractor, but here it's the presiding downside. Comparably, no one's calling InArt incompetent or lazy because of it. Even the Pennywise collar is being framed in the light of a misstep rather than ignorance.


Scarlett Witch is the new Black Widow for them, is she not? Black Widow had been their best selling figure (self reported by them at that). I think as long as the Artesian line exists as a unit-limited offering, it's not a huge ordeal. The people who are willing to buy three Scarlett Witch figures are the ones who are going to make every effort to get the next best one. It was the same case with the Joker, the people who wanted that edition were going to double down on trying to buy their umpteenth iteration of the character regardless.

Nah I agree with almost all of this but it’s still disingenuous /and/ hyperbolic to think that HT is being viewed with “blind distaste” because InArt simply exists, and not because of a natural progression of reactions to their history of constant issues and laziness. The ways HT presents their products is certainly more important now that IA’s higher-end line exists, but I think you’re still greatly oversimplifying why some of those complaints exist by intentionally ignoring the circumstances and respective footprints of each company, when the context of how both companies are presenting and evolving their products is literally the most important aspect here.

I think any “unfair” complaints can and should be attributed to how HT has handled their business/products in the past, and Anakin’s re-used outfit and this Wanda’s monotone, wig-y rooted hair attempt are legitimate cause for concern and complaint.
If InArt hadn’t already rectified their prototypes’ biggest issues already, there’s no way their current issues would be considered with fingers crossed hoping they’ll just be fixed instead of as being more serious permanent inaccuracies.

HT at least has fixed their O’Hara Spidey and Peacemaker proto issues which initially legitimately looked like oversized Hasbro figures, but until they start similarly addressing issues across the board for every figure with them, even on a smaller scale—despite that likely being impractical due to their sheer number of releases—and/or when InArt begins reusing major components from previous releases to fuel more expensive counterparts, it’s simply not practical or possible to treat both of their products identically, imo. With that being said, ironically I think HT’s Artisan Joker looks much better than IA’s especially since it isn’t plagued with any typical HT reuse BS.

There are still a lot of “ifs” though, and “if” InArt didn’t exist, I personally think a lot of the complaints HT is seeing would still be there, you just wouldn’t have anything to directly compare against, regardless of the aforementioned possible contextual cause. Asmus has likewise had a history with specific issues and they’ve been getting their teeth kicked in since once long before IA started releasing anything.

Either way, I’m happy to agree to disagree, but I hope you don’t think I’m naively disagreeing with every single one of your observations; I just don’t agree with the conclusion

 

[BozoHarry]

Sculpted $357 at OSK
https://onesixthkit.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=4812

 

[Raleig.h]

wayy too much for flaky pleather

 

[Wor-Gar]

I barely see anything here that draws this into a new level or category of high-end figures. It's just the rooted hair, but neither the body nor the outfit seem too premium.

Most notably, I think the face sculpt is underwhelming. It's lifeless and for the most part neither accurate or detailed enough to warrant the "artisan" label.

 

[Josette]

Sculpt is lifeless but it’s the hair color that really kills it. There’s no depth to the color, it’s too brassy, and she looks like that pop singer from years ago, Vitamin C. Style is fine otherwise.

The original figures released with rooted hair had hair that looked much better in color than this. For a supposed artisan line, this is a failure.

 

[goatchumby]

I've been ok w/ the CW version so far, but those movable eyes...

If I do end up getting the artisan, @Zurdo95D gets my CW Wanda...free of charge

 

[nexus]

Looks nice but no real interest. I prefer Wanda’s “Scarlet Witch” look.

 

[histrionics]

If InArt made this, folks would be on their knees praising it. Sure it's not Gandalf, but few things are going to be, even from InArt.

But Hot Toys bad, amirite?

Nah, honestly, I think if InArt previewed a Scarlet Witch that looked like this we'd be trashing it just as much. If not outright trashing, at least questioning it and first of all because we'd be asking how InArt jumped into the coveted HT Marvel license. We're talking about an underwhelming and noticeably problematic release that HT decided to label as artisan. The premium artisan quality simply isn't there and the InArt moniker wouldn't blind us to think otherwise. Blind brand loyalty doesn't have to be an issue when we look at quality.

 

[ThorRagnarok]

the sculpt looks like lifeless

 

[The Buffinator]

I don't think this is that much of an improvement on the Infinity War prototype that HT was showing 5+ years ago.

• Yes the hair is made of a higher quality material but it's the same Day-Glo orange color nonetheless;
• Rolling eyes are a plus but they'll do nothing to offset the lifeless stare;
• Outfit looks basically the same and there's no mention of the jacket or pants being made of real leather;
• It's a newly developed body but I don't recall any complaints about the old ones;
• New light up diorama bases to distract from what they aren't giving us (an expressive face) and to jack up the price further. Gee thanks HT!

 

[TheBatman]

Maybe we will get an Artisan IW Falcon now, lmao

 

[MyenShi]

I don't think this is that much of an improvement on the Infinity War prototype that HT was showing 5+ years ago.

I agree, and still maintain that these are really just their main line figures with upgrades that are expected now (mostly the moving eyes). Just with better hair material than dollhouse plastic.

Artisan is the new Diecast. Using “premium materials” to pull try to pull the wool over our eyes (not sorry about the pun) and charge more. They needed a new gimmick to up the prices and they’ve found one.

This is still a nice figure, but I really don’t like the Artisan label for all it represents.

Outfit looks basically the same and there's no mention of the jacket or pants being made of real leather

Anakin doesn’t have real leather so likely this won’t. That would’ve been an important upgrade. More people would be excited about that than the hair probably. Hot Toys dropped the ball big time on that.

 

[Austano]

Well it is officially Monday. Do we think she will go up for preorder today from sideshow?

 

[WolfBoy]

I'm surprised all this "next level/Artisan" labelling isn't enough for HT to be using real leathers? that's a very clear step forward for a line that's meant to be more premium.

 

[Gipetto0812]

I'm surprised all this "next level/Artisan" labelling isn't enough for HT to be using real leathers? that's a very clear step forward for a line that's meant to be more premium.

It’s very interesting especially when you consider HT is using real leather on their general MMS DoD Indy figure. Why does that “lower tier” MMS release get real leather, but this supposed higher tier figure, as well as Artisan Anakin, still use pleather materials?

 

[Mike86]

Hot Toys makes weird choices like that often. Real leather would be nice especially for the Artisan line which is supposed to be more premium.

As far as this Scarlet Witch- it’s not for me. Truthfully I think I like the version from Multiverse of Madness more if I was to get one.