How would you rate the quality of 1:6 scale figures these days?

[BACON!]

I am not new to toy collecting, but I have only been collecting 1:6 scale figures for about 4 years. When I saw the first Hot Toys Star Lord, I was truly blown away by the detail and thought he was one of the best looking, most original figures I had ever seen (although I found it difficult to find a natural looking pose for him). A few years pass, and Volume 2 far surpasses the first one in terms of detail, accessories, and just plain playability. This to me is more than just refining details on a second go-round, its just on another level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that makes it irresistable to me as a collector. From Marvel to Star Wars, DC, Matrix, even Ecto-1, where can we go from here, or really, how much detail is too much? Or is it about the detail for everyone? it could also be the character choices.

In another thread on this forum, some people were speculating what these figures would cost new in 10 years. I think consumer demand has a lot to do with it too. Would I pay $1600.00 for a 66 Batmobile that far surpassed my expectations? Probably. I am already preordering figures I don't have room for, and tell myself I will just rotate the displays more often. It's not like I have no willpower; I have passed on many, many figures with no regrets. However, Emperor Palpatine looks f'n amazing.

Maybe the question is Hot Toys notwithstanding, where can 1:6 scale action figures go from here? Will most of the decent (or classic) licenses be exhausted by then, or will we all be suckered into buying version 3,4,5 of the same character?

 

[Lejuan]

In another 10 years HT still won’t have released an accurate Vader.

 

[shells075]

I am not new to toy collecting, but I have only been collecting 1:6 scale figures for about 4 years. When I saw the first Hot Toys Star Lord, I was truly blown away by the detail and thought he was one of the best looking, most original figures I had ever seen (although I found it difficult to find a natural looking pose for him). A few years pass, and Volume 2 far surpasses the first one in terms of detail, accessories, and just plain playability. This to me is more than just refining details on a second go-round, its just on another level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that makes it irresistable to me as a collector. From Marvel to Star Wars, DC, Matrix, even Ecto-1, where can we go from here, or really, how much detail is too much? Or is it about the detail for everyone? it could also be the character choices.

In another thread on this forum, some people were speculating what these figures would cost new in 10 years. I think consumer demand has a lot to do with it too. Would I pay $1600.00 for a 66 Batmobile that far surpassed my expectations? Probably. I am already preordering figures I don't have room for, and tell myself I will just rotate the displays more often. It's not like I have no willpower; I have passed on many, many figures with no regrets. However, Emperor Palpatine looks f'n amazing.

Maybe the question is Hot Toys notwithstanding, where can 1:6 scale action figures go from here? Will most of the decent (or classic) licenses be exhausted by then, or will we all be suckered into buying version 3,4,5 of the same character?

Yeah I'm also at the stage of having to rotate figs as I am out of display space.

I personally find it hard to believe one sixth action figures will see such strides forwards in the next 10 yrs as we have seen in the last 10. Maybe it will be seen as the golden age of action figures like the golden age of comics? TBH are the figures produced by HT today such a big improvement on figs released 3-4 yrs ago?

Maybe we will se rehashes of figs like how Hollywood like to rehash everything, certainly I can see a market for 2.0 versions of current HT figs in the future.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Lightyears from where it used to be

 

[a-dev]

I don't think there's much improvement to be done except nailing likenesses every time and nailing the tailoring of clothes every time - but I don't think that will happen. There'll always be hits and misses.

What I'd like to see though is getting more than one headsculpt per figure. It would settle the situations where you get person X complaining about a bland, dead expression and person B complaining that the sculpt is too scene-specific.

 

[Lejuan]

I don't think there's much improvement to be done except nailing likenesses every time and nailing the tailoring of clothes every time - but I don't think that will happen. There'll always be hits and misses.

What I'd like to see though is getting more than one headsculpt per figure. It would settle the situations where you get person X complaining about a bland, dead expression and person B complaining that the sculpt is too scene-specific.

Yeah, two sculpts would be great. Gone are the days when an MMS set offered two, and the DX sets are few and far between. HT Leonidas was a great set, both sculpts were very different but both really good - bit of regret there in having sold it.

 

[a-dev]

I remember mulling over Leonidas back in my irresponsible collecting days. I'm amazed I managed to pass on him. Him and Blade.

Two sculpts as standard would be fantastic. Doc Brown badly needed an extra. Any given Wolverine figure should have had two. Female figures would benefit because those are frequently described as lifeless. And Terminator figures would ideally get 3 - normal head/alternate expression head/battle-damaged head

 

[Stryker2011]

The future of 1/6 is that there will be less and less in the box, and prices will become so high it’ll be like the custom market where only 20 - 30 are made world-wide; or, the quality will go down so badly no one buys the over-priced junk anymore (see BCS and Star Ace). Either way, this hobby will ultimately implode, much like the general toy market.

 

[darthkush]

I feel like we're on the very slow train now to implosion. It'll start with the continuing price rising stuff. Less and less in the box...but more expensive. Headsculpts will continue to get better....for awhile. Character exhaustion will probably hit within 5 years as EVERY license you've ever thought about wanting will probably have sixth scale representation of some kind by then. If you're a bigger license like Marvel, DC, or Star Wars, other than figures from brand new films, many figures will be "new" versions of figures we already have(even more than now).

At some point, the prices will get so high, people won't pay them and it'll have to be a major release that suffers before anything changes. Calling it now, but I'm expecting the first standard looking Iron man to hit $500(and I don't mean a huge one like a Hulkbuster or an Iron Man that comes with a giant gantry or lab or something but just a regular Mark whatever of normal size)....will underperform. Then an regular A list character who normally sells well will hit $400....and underperform. The companies will slowly lower prices....but they'll start lowering the quality. The quality goes down, sales go down, the companies make less and less sure thing characters/figures and collectors complain about lack of variety and choices(more than they do now). Suddenly these things become more limited and the hobby shrinks. Until eventually....poof. No more sixth scale figures. I hope it doesn't happen exactly like that but I could see this scenario happening more easily than I'd like it to.

 

[SilverStar17]

Lightyears from where it used to be

Pretty much this, since we haven’t yet seen how good they can be in the future. All we know is where they are now is considered the best quality.

 

[darthkush]

I feel like we're on the very slow train now to implosion. It'll start with the continuing price rising stuff. Less and less in the box...but more expensive. Headsculpts will continue to get better....for awhile. Character exhaustion will probably hit within 5 years as EVERY license you've ever thought about wanting will probably have sixth scale representation of some kind by then. If you're a bigger license like Marvel, DC, or Star Wars, other than figures from brand new films, many figures will be "new" versions of figures we already have(even more than now).

At some point, the prices will get so high, people won't pay them and it'll have to be a major release that suffers before anything changes. Calling it now, but I'm expecting the first standard looking Iron man to hit $500(and I don't mean a huge one like a Hulkbuster or an Iron Man that comes with a giant gantry or lab or something but just a regular Mark whatever of normal size)....will underperform. Then an regular A list character who normally sells well will hit $400....and underperform. The companies will slowly lower prices....but they'll start lowering the quality. The quality goes down, sales go down, the companies make less and less sure thing characters/figures and collectors complain about lack of variety and choices(more than they do now). Suddenly these things become more limited and the hobby shrinks. Until eventually....poof. No more sixth scale figures. I hope it doesn't happen exactly like that but I could see this scenario happening more easily than I'd like it to.

Bumping this because with Infinity War....this is kind of starting. We're all freaking out about a 400 buck Iron man. I stand by my belief that when the first 500 dollar standard one is announced, THIS will all come true. Any new thoughts? I'm now thinking it happens within the next year or so.

 

[Sixth Scale Man]

Man, I’m hoping to round out my Star Wars collection with a few more from Empire and Jedi before the prices get too crazy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[ebor]

Price increases will likely kill this hobby. Hot Toys needs stiffer competition (no not you Sideshow with your Hot Toys pricing LOL) I thought Star Ace was the ticket, but they have so few licenses--and ones they do have have suffered from a decline in quality paint and sculpting. Blitzway are great but soooo few licenses.

 

[Franken Berry]

I'm optimistic about the future of toys. Here are my predictions:

- Advancements in 3D scanning will make character likeness more accurate
- Advancements in 3D printing will result in greater competition
- Greater competition will result in lower prices
- Home 3D printing/painting will enable more/greater custom work
- The rapid deterioration of older Hot Toys will create demand for more quality materials (real leather, better rubber and plastic)
- Accurate hair-punching techniques will be developed. No more sculpted hair!
- Animatronic toys?

 

[Malgus]

I'm optimistic about the future of toys. Here are my predictions:

- Advancements in 3D scanning will make character likeness more accurate
- Advancements in 3D printing will result in greater competition
- Greater competition will result in lower prices
- Home 3D printing/painting will enable more/greater custom work
- The rapid deterioration of older Hot Toys will create demand for more quality materials (real leather, better rubber and plastic)
- Accurate hair-punching techniques will be developed. No more sculpted hair!
- Animatronic toys?

No more sculpted hair? That would be the day I quit collecting figures.

 

[PH@Ben]

I would like to see a fewer number of figures and more add-ons for the figures available. Accessory packs, diorama sets and new sculpts with different expressions seem to be an untouched market ripe for the taking on the mass-market scale.

 

[Lejuan]

I would like to see a fewer number of figures and more add-ons for the figures available. Accessory packs, diorama sets and new sculpts with different expressions seem to be an untouched market ripe for the taking on the mass-market scale.

That's what HT and EB let go of...

 

[xipotec]

I'm optimistic about the future of toys. Here are my predictions:

- Advancements in 3D scanning will make character likeness more accurate
- Advancements in 3D printing will result in greater competition
- Greater competition will result in lower prices
- Home 3D printing/painting will enable more/greater custom work
- The rapid deterioration of older Hot Toys will create demand for more quality materials (real leather, better rubber and plastic)
- Accurate hair-punching techniques will be developed. No more sculpted hair!
- Animatronic toys?

I agree with most of this....

But I think you underestimate the power of price gouging. Cheaper to make does not translate into cheaper prices even with competition. People who will enter as new manufacturers will do so and match HT prices for the most part.

We will be seeing 300 for bare bones soon enough. That’s the real danger here....because that will limit buyers. The question is...are there enough rich and OCD buyers out there so producers can make and sell one $600 Iron Man/Spider-Man/Batman for every two $250 dollar figure they used to make?





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sidewinder]

Of course they will continually improve, but the price will go up because of it.

I remember when I paid $315AUD for Jake Sully, a towering 1/6th figure and now $340 + AUD is the price for a standard size 1/6th , $500AUD for an die cast Iron Man. Quality as certainly improved with Hot Toys, but we've had to pay for it.

I also agree with another poster that 3D printing for the sculpts is where it could end up in the future. Just like so many other jobs, machines and robots will take the place of sculptors.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Franken Berry]

I agree with most of this....

But I think you underestimate the power of price gouging. Cheaper to make does not translate into cheaper prices even with competition. People who will enter as new manufacturers will do so and match HT prices for the most part.

We will be seeing 300 for bare bones soon enough. That’s the real danger here....because that will limit buyers. The question is...are there enough rich and OCD buyers out there so producers can make and sell one $600 Iron Man/Spider-Man/Batman for every two $250 dollar figure they used to make?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I disagree. I think advancements in 3D printing and painting technology will drive down prices. Collectible toys will not be the exception to literally every other area within the competitive market. We now have Hot Toys, Sideshow, Blitzway, Threezero, Medicom and Tamashii all competing from within the same market. We also have Chinese bootleggers pulling off remarkably similar knockoffs for a fraction of the price.

Worse, people are going to become increasingly aware of deterioration issues with many of these figures. You're about to see a swell of angry reviews depicting what happens to your Hot Toys and Sideshow collectibles while sitting in a box in your closet. Figures from the 70's and 80's have aged fine, while these new figures are falling apart. I just purchased old stock SSC Snake Plissken from BBTS and both the pleather jacket, and the body arrived deteriorated. Fortunately, I can send it back... but it really makes me reconsider my collecting habits.

Meanwhile, most figures are depreciating after they've sold out. It wasn't that way a couple of years ago. A quick look on my local craigslist, and I can find a DX Jack Sparrow, Robocop and several other "grail" figures at purchase price or cheaper. Very few figures are fetching more than purchase price on the used market, and most of those are old enough to be deteriorating.

We're a recession away from seeing deep discounts.