Totally agree on all this. I really think that Hot Toys has had its heyday which was around the 2008 - 2012 period. Ever since then as you mentioned the price have risen dramatically whilst at the same time the quality and accessories have decreased. The reaction to the porcelain trooper on the star wars forum was the first time i've seen even the most ardent Hot Toys supporters and people with obviously bucket loads of cash start to really question Hot Toys logic. I think the once infallible bubble that once surrounded Hot Toys is slowly shrinking in on itself.
I agree that the prices continue to rise while the amount of accessories decrease on HT figures, BUT... the quality of the figures have never been as good as this year (and next year looks fkin promising, I really hate Suicide Squad, but the Leto Jokers and Harley Quinn, let alone that BTTF2 Marty,Doc and Delorean, look completely wicked, I'm gonna buy almost everything next year just like I did this year).
The Bat V Superman line may be the best line ever from this company. I'm really not a fan of the movie, I felt it could have been so much better, but the thing I loved the most about it was the design of the costumes (exactly the opposite from TDK trilogy, where except from the Joker, I hate the designs but love the movies.. really absolutely hate the Batman costumes in those movies but that's very subjective) and they completely nailed them. Each figure from the Bat V Superman line may be some of the finest work they've ever done. Even Superman is dead on. Wonder Woman will be my next buy, she looks fantastic.
That Deadpool figure from the movie they released this year? Completely unbelievable.
I don't see how anyone can prefer the figures from 2008-2012 if you look at the overall look.
I want to be fair, the older figures are still cool, and some stuff they did (The Godfather, unbelievable figure) still feel like they could almost come out this year. But it's really exceptional. Most older figures don't hold up with the times.
Like, the first version of TDK Joker was good.. but it's been wiped out by the 2.0 version let alone the 2.0 robber bank one. Or another example: I still own my Keaton Batman from the first movie, I think it still looks terrific, but considering selling it to get the Batman Returns one because frankly, the Batman Returns figure completely kills the older one (which was a DX figure!).
The amount of accessories are decreasing and HT seem to have abandoned the DX line, and I don't really understand their logic anymore: like, the T-800 Battle Damaged from T1 wasn't a DX figure, but it did came with a fair amount of accessories and had a DX stand with lights. So.. are we really losing on that one? Sometimes you end up paying for a figure which isn't DX but it still feels like a DX.
And aside from that, they're mostly killing it with the headsculpts, outfits, bodies.. I can't complain. Sure it's a more expensive hobby than before, but I really feel the difference of quality when I open the box.
If I think of a 2008-2012 figure.. except from The Godfather, I can't recall one single figure that made my jaw drop like figures they released from 2013 to 2016.
I will say though, since we're on the Ripley topic: I feel she's absolutely not on par with the latest release.. but she looks far from terrible. What I don't get is that on some figures, you can't move the eyes anymore (and again it's not a matter of DX or not DX as some non-DX figures give you the option of moving the eyes), and it's really a let down this Ripley figure apparently doesn't allow you that. I hate the hair sculpt too, but that's just personal opinion (I really dig what they do on Black Widow figures or the upcoming Wonder Woman a lot more).
The earlier prototypes looked much better to me..
I don't really care since she's not going to end up in my collection, BUT... my girlfriend wants it. So I will buy it for her birthday. She hasn't seen the prototypes and isn't a collector so I hope she will love her anyway. It'll still be a better figure than anything she owns anyway, so...
And again on the price thing: it's still a hobby and not something you really need. If you go low on cash like I do sometimes, you just go to a shop who exposes the figures and contemplates them. I've done so myself a lot in the past, and again, I've never been as astonished by the quality as this year. The same shop have displayed most HT releases every year and it definitely wasn't as impressive 5 or 6 years ago.
