The pull-out engine and pop-up hood vents would have gone a long way in my book in terms of justifying the price tag. I do feel this collectible is missing one killer "that's incredible!" feature to really put it over the top.
I love this collectible. I've had it nearly a week now and I love it more every passing day. I was truly speechless when I pulled the cocoon off and saw it for the first time in person. It is an amazing, wonderful thing and I'm so glad to have it. But that said, it is my first (and last) 1:6 scale vehicle; I've only ever owned 1:6 scale Hot Toys figures before this, and I do not feel it's anywhere near the same level of high-end collectible status that their figures are.
I agree with Rorywan who said it was overall pretty cheap looking. It is a big plastic toy car. I'd go so far as to say this is basically the Barbie Car for our Batman. The details just aren't as sharp, refined, and intricate as you see in their figures. A lot of that is inherent in the design for this car - the details weren't very sharp. But even still, I feel Hot Toys could have done more with what was there (and making improvements to the source material is not unheard of for Hot Toys - I mean look at how much better the new Classic and Scar Predators headsculpts look compared to the ****ty rubber masks they're sourced from). Take for example the carseats; they're nice, but they don't look like carseats on the collectible - they look like toy car seats. The dashboard on the other hand is of course incredible.
Realistically for what it is, I feel this would have been priced fairly at $300. The finish and kind of plastic used has a lot to do with that "toy car" feel, I think. I know the car is supposed to be matte and I wouldn't want the super-glossy look of the Returns car, but I don't feel the body material or the finish is right. It ought to feel and look more metallic than it does. There's a difference between a matte metal look and a plastic car look.
I'm with you on a lot of what you're saying. I dig this to death but when you compare it side by side with the Tumbler you start to wonder where the extra $$$ went. I guess a lot of that SMH feeling has to so with the sleek design (but like you said, that's what this car is; nothing more). You'd imagine that the Tumbler took more effort to assemble with its more intricate design, wings, pistons, etc. On the other hand the 89 has a lot more functioning features.
The 89 retails for $160 more than the Tumbler and I think when you balance out their differences the 89 would have been better priced close to the same as the Tumbler or up to $550 MAX.
The shipping cost is what really makes the disparity appear worse between the two. The Tumbler shipped for about half (or less) of the 89's cost. So now, the people who got the Tumbler for $515 are paying $745 for the 89 (both high side numbers). It's easy to feel that the extra $230 isn't worth it, but a good chunk of that extra $$$ went up in smoke and was put toward moving this thing around the world and not into the product itself. I don't know anything about freighting costs but I wouldn't be surprised if some (a small portion) of the increased retail price of the 89 had to do with it costing HT more to ship these overseas.
What I'm talking about isn't fraudulent. If he has a wholesale account with SS then all he has to do is say, "my customer bought this from me and here are his pics as proof" If he is a retail customer who bought 1 piece for himself and decided to sell it, then it's better to tell SS that it's his because they won't let someone handle the matter for a third party.
