Oh they're definitely getting nuts on the pricing. I guess that's keeping in spirit with Keaton's Bruce Wayne
Seriously, it seemed like a lot and reading comments from the veteran collectors, they all agree it's a lot. I think Prime 1 knows that fans have been wanting an '89 Batman for a LONG time and they figure a lot of collectors are going to pay the premium even if begrudgingly. I personally would NEVER preorder this statue. We don't know if the production units are going to look this good. The sculpt is awesome but the paint application is what makes these figures. It's way too much money to gamble on a preorder of an unseen product. And even if the end product looks this good, that's still a high price. Then again, I know the Weta Lord of the Rings statues have gone up considerably. Things are just getting expensive I guess.
Funny you mention the Hot Toys 89 because I'm sure you're aware it's getting reissued so if anyone is thinking of selling theirs, do it now. What I really want to see is them reissue the 1/6 scale 89 Batmobile. They're about to release a new BTTF Delorean so I'm guessing if an 89 Batman is on the way, an 89 Batmobile is not far behind.
There's also a 1/3 scale 89 Batman in the works from Darkside Studio. So, there's options out there. Definitely a wait and see.