Im more of a 3.75 fag personally, but i absolutely see why 1/12 scale took off as the industry standard scale as there are way more well made 6 inch figures then well made 1/18 figures if you look at toys as a whole within the 21st century
>>11922158>but i absolutely see why 1/12 scale took off as the industry standardThat's no hot take, THIS is. He-man 200x is better than 80's He-man
Apparently this is a hot take; Articulation should be prioritized over sculpt. If you want to prioritize sculpt then I would suggest you buy statues.
Diecast only works when the robot toy is a brick with limited articulation, otherwise you need VERY strong ratchet joints, which make the thing too expensive. Also, I know that most robot toys are for collectors now, but do you really have to make the points so sharp along with being fragile? There’s a reason why my 20 year-old Gundam MSIA still have their V-fins intact.
>>11922237Action figures with poor articulation essentially ARE statues, so your point is moot. I greatly favor sculpt over articulation, because I enjoy the art of sculpture over the engineering of articulation. Both interests can be satisfied by the same product, but it's a tricky balancing act, and you can't satisfy everyone.
My hot take: I prefer visible pins on Marvel Legends and similarly engineered figures for better kitbashing capability. Just heat the knee/elbow and push out the pin with a punch or narrow rod, then swap it with the other part of the similar size. Ever since the pinless move you now have to swap out entire legs and arms to get the right limbs' sculpt (which makes it harder to get right for some desired swaps).
>>11922158It costs almost the same to tool a 6" figure as it does a 4" figure if they have the same level of articulation and number of parts made from different plastics. They can sell the 6" one for much higher prices and thus larger profit margins. That's the main reason 6" took off over 4"
>>11922237No, that's genuinely a terrible way to look at doing toys.
I sincerely believe people who look down upon and detest adult action figure collectors are not simply annoying or even assholes but are actively hiding serious skeletons in their closets. I'd list the myriad of valid, easily understandable reasons as to why an adult would find them appealing but that's besides the point. Anyone who finds the hobby to be that contemptable is obviously trying to paint themselves as bastions of maturity and success but if that were true, they wouldn't see any purpose in getting worked up over adult collectors. No one who has no respect for adult collectors isn't because of scalping, increased prices, or any weird and creepy behavior around toy aisles. It's a deeply personal issue that speaks to the void in someone's soul involving their own lack of happiness stemming from them "putting away childish things" against their will and seeing anyone who didn't as "getting away with something". It's another perfect example of a Homer Simpson vs. Frank Grimes dynamic and it's pathetic.I call this a hot take because this dumb social taboo is still so pervasive that even adult collectors/reviewers have to throw in some self-deprecating comment about being a manchild, feel some need to justify their hobby (i.e. I like action figures and I'm a grandfather, got my shins blown off, and run my own farm, am I one of the good ones?), or even outright hold this view and are actively ashamed of their hobby.
why are 1/12 fags this insecure and keep making this thread? holy shit stop writing essays, its subby levels of mental illness
>>11922336Just a few years ago I was buying 3 Star Wars TVC figures for every one Black Series figure. Now the prices are so high that I no longer buy more than 1 of a figure unless it's an army builder (which I usually max out at 4 anyway and wait for sales for any extras) and dropped the 6" stuff altogether. I hope it was worth it to them.
>>11922412>tvcyou do know theres other brands out there with more interesting designs right? and not the same gluppo shittorino star wars has been?
>>11922425I do but I also don't really care. I collect TVC for the glups just as I've done for the last 30 years.
>>11922158I would tell that story in reverse. Because 1:18 scale figures collapsed in both quality and quantity, 1:12 scale became the industry standard by default. And the reason 1:18 scale figures collapsed is because the kids action figure market collapsed. Which is unfortunate because the kids action figure market was (and still is) also the budget action figure market.Let's look upon the state of kids action figures, shall we?Hasbro - Has no fucking clue how to make kids toys anymore. They turned The Vintage Collection into a collector's only toyline with prices nearly identical to their Black Series counterparts. Their 5POA retro line was a massive failure. Their 375 line was good, but they failed to expand into vehicles and playsets, which is the biggest advantage of 1:18 scale figures. Then they transitioned into the Epic World of Action line, which was an improvement in every way except for the fact they abandoned it just as the brand was getting established. This was done to make way for Actionverse, their 3rd rebranding in 5 years, which is a huge step backwards in almost every way. The figures are now 4.5" scale for some stupid reason, which means they don't scale with any previous Hasbro figures, or really any major toyline from the last 30 years. They put ugly holes in the characters arms for no good reason. The AT-RT that comes with a 4.5" figure is so out of scale that it actually fits 6" Black Series figures. The line is a mess, and I hate that Hasbro has spent more effort supporting and promoting this toyline than all their recent kids action figure lines combined.
>>11922531Mattel - In some ways, they're actually doing TOO well. They've debuted not one but two action figures toylines with a $10 price point (that was quickly raised to $13 due to the economy imploding). The first is their Masters of the Universe Core line, which is 5.5" scale and looks almost identical to their Origins line (just less swole). I don't know if this was a loss leader to promote the new MOTU film, but it was the best value in action figures until ....... the debut of their DC Premier line, which is a 6.5" scale action figure for only $13. I would argue, aside from a few points of articulation, these figures stand toe to toe with Marvel Legends at less than half the price. Both these toylines include vehicles and playsets - although, if we're being honest, most vehicles and nearly every playset ever made are actually 1:18 scale. They just make the doors and seats fit whatever scale the figures are. Which means, aside from the odd Jurassic World human, I doubt Mattel will be making any 1:18 scale figures anytime soon.Spin Master - While I'm glad McFarlane lost the DC collector's license to Mattel, I do feel some regret that Spin Master won't be making 1:18 scale DC figures anymore. Although they fell off in recent years, the 3 in 1 Batcave Playset, the Batman movie playset with the giant staircase, and the premium 1989 RC Batmobile with the motorized turntable are some of my favorite super hero playsets. More than any other company, Spin Master recognized the unique opportunities offered by a 1:18 scale toyline and made some big, fun, dumb toys that I really enjoy (I'm looking at you, 3' tall Bat-Tech Batcave!).
>>11922533Jakks Pacific - Although it's seemingly dead (again), I think Jakks' Fortnite line is my favorite 1:18 scale line in recent memory. As long as you're okay with "generic" characters, you can find all kinds of funky soldiers, wizards, monsters, cowboys, and most everything else in good quality for a cheap price. The only problem with the line (aside from shoddy distribution near the end) was Jakks' assumption that young gamers would buy action figures of their favorite characters, without realizing that DLC skins simply ARE those action figures to said gamers, and they already bought them inside the game. Jakks teased its return, but sadly I just don't see that happening. Also, their Stranger Things line does nothing for me.Super7 - I'm very conflicted about Super7's Reaction figures. They've made tons of them, and many are very unique characters you would never get anywhere else. They've evolved from looking intentionally crude to having very nice, stylized faces. They're the action figure equivalent of Funko Pops, except in one respect: they are stupidly expensive for what they are. However, setting aside my collector bias, from a business perspective, I kinda get it. These are niche products for a niche audience. Sure, they could sell more GI Joes at $15 compared to $25, but would they sell more Biz Markie figures at that price? Probably not. And, how would they justify such a massive price difference amongst functionally similar products? There's an equilibrium between price and profit, and like it or not, Reaction figures may exist at that precise intersection. The only thing I do know is that I loathe the new Reaction+ O-ring figures, so I won't be buying any of those.
>>11922534Chap Mei / Lanard / Etc. - They make some awesome toys for dirt cheap, but for some reason they don't distribute most of them in North America. I especially enjoy the big, dumb military playsets, but I've never found most of them, so to me they basically don't exist.Boutique / Nostalgic / O-Ring Slop - I don't really care for O-ring figures, but I would be tempted to pick one up here or there if they didn't cost $25-$35 a piece. Though well-intentioned, I see these nostalgia-focused, GI Joe knock-offs as proof positive that 1:18 scale figures are circling the drain.Unless somebody figures out how to consistently deliver 1:18 scale figures that cost cheap and look nice to both kids and value-oriented adults, I don't see this format living much longer. Any one of these companies could put out a great 1:18 scale toyline if they wanted to. But you have to find an audience beyond your typical collectors. That's why 1:12 continues to thrive. Collectors will shell out huge sums for expensive, high margin items. 1:18 scale toylines have to take a different approach, and that requires creative vision. Does anyone in the industry have that, outside of collector products? Only time will tell.Thank you for attending my TED talk.
>>119223252nd
>>11922534People giving long, detailed accounts of toy lines and such but totally not being able to distinguish one company from another is so funny to me. Jakks does Mario and Sonic. Jazwares does Fortnite, Stranger Things and Pokemon.
>>11922237Sculpt absolutely matters, otherwise people would be satisfied with old figures. Lots of old figures had a ton of PoA, Microman, Toy Biz, early SHF, but the sculpts were lacking or the articulation didn't feel in line with the sculpt so people wanted better versions. A lot of improvements in articulation engineering isn't so much to add more articulation as much as it is to make the articulation look more natural. If the sculpt wasn't important you wouldn't see characters get constant updates to improve sclpt alongside articulation and how they intersect.
Collectors have ruined toys. All the toys people loved and actually prize are stuff from the 80s and 90s that were actual fun toys. People pushing for super articulated super accurate toys have ruined all fun and imagination when it comes to toy design. 1/12 is the industry standard at this point and it's pathetic how drab and boring it all is.
>>11922590This^, my favorite toylines currently is stuff like hasbros actionverse or mattels motu core series that are made specifically for play. I wish the collectors market wasnt so anal and perfectionist i miss when collectors toy lines and toys meant for kids to play with were merged more like in the early 2010s
>>11922221>He-man 200x is better than 80's He-manTruth is never a hot take>>11922237I do buy statues. Haven't because the characters I would buy statues of - the company with the license is making those glorified plastic poly resin BS but charging what used to be charged for porcelain 10-20 years ago.
>>11922871>Truth is never a hot takeAnd yet 80's-man is all Mattel focuses on anymore.
>>11922582I mixed up Jazwares and Jakks Pacific, two very similar companies with very similar names. Thanks for your contribution, anon!
>>11922158Articulation is a meme. Fun action features and playability are more important. If your $500 "adult collectable" with working individual knuckle articulation can't stand up to a kid playing with it, it's not worth the plastic it was made from.
>>11922945Goated message and i totally agree but saying this type of shit will get you banned in some forums
>>11922392People look down on each other for a mirad of reasons. Often times, completely unjustified. I mean look at me. I think you're a fucking retard and looking way too much into things. See? I think you're a gaywad without it even having anything to do with action figures.
>>11922590>>11922821Sorry brother, not all of us are stuck in some weird arrested development where we still actively swoosh around our toys. Most adults just want a little plastic representation of the thing they like that they can throw in a shelf or a desk. You need to realize there actually aren't many grown ass men actively playing with literal children's toys. You are not the target demographic and never will be. That is all.
When this site goes tits up in 2028 the terminally online trolls will anhero and the toy community can finally heal.
no matter how good a figure is, if I don't care who it is I'm not going to get itwhy jada shillers are the most annoying "collectors" because news flash nobody cares that much about street fighter, sure its great they nice articulation but I don't care about shodo number 45
>>11922955they have*
>>11922950The toy collectors who draw a rigid line between themselves and those who collect kids toys remind me of film/animation snobs who are secretly very insecure about themselves. They strut around doing performative maturity, which to them means demeaning anything that might be enjoyed by anyone who's not as "smart" and "serious" as they are. Meanwhile, films like Spirited Away and The Neverending Story are true works of art aimed squarely at children that can be appreciated by anyone, even adults. I don't like the vast majority of kids toys, not because they're for kids but because they are bad. However, the good ones can be just as good as any adult toy, and I'm not going to deny enjoying them just to prove my maturity to irrelevant people.
>>119229514chan will never die. It will just get shittier as it limps along and it's userbase shrivels.>>11922945seconded. 60 POA madame tusseau adult collector crap bores me. We need more all ages toy lines.
>>11922951>When this site goes tits up in 2028
