The history and future of 1/6th scale.

[Studio49]

Hot toys Iron Man will be my first 1/6th scale figure. I started looking around at all the figures that have been offered from companies like SS, HT and Medicom, and I noticed that most of the really cool figures were not very old. I know there were 12" GI Joes and 6 Million Dollar Man figs in the 60's and 70's, but I am not old enough to have owned any. I am a child of the 80's plastic figures.

So I was wondering if anyone had a quick summary of the history of 12" or 1/6 scale figures? What came before grail figures like Hicks and SS Vader figures?

And, what is happening from here on out? There are some really amazing products coming out like the HT Alien Nostromo crew and Dark Knight figures. Is this just the cusp of something massive, or a flash in the pan?

 

[piccolodaimaoh]

As you have mentioned there have been 1/6 scale figures going back to 1964 with the original G.I.Joe and 1966 with Captain Action. In England G.I.Joe was repackaged as Action Man, a line that is still alive to this day.
In the 70's there were Six Million Dollar Man figures as well as 12" Star Wars by Kenner and of course Action Team G.I.Joe. In Japan there was Henshin Cyborg by Takara. In the late 70's Mego had a plethora of 12" Super heroes and movie figures ranging from Superman to Star Trek and don't forget the Black Hole.
In the 80's it kind of died off in the 1/6 market besides 12" V figures and Mr. T.
What really brought back 1/6 was Hasbro when they brought in their Target exclusive 12" G.I.Joe Hall of Fame Duke figures in 1991. Once the Hall of Fame series expanded other companies in the mid to late 90's jumped in the 1/6 market including The Ultimate Soldier by 21st Century Toys, Dragon Models, Blue Box toys and our friends Sideshow with their Universal Monsters line, still got my Frankenstein's monster. Hasbro further expanded their stake in the 1/6 market when they starting putting out Star Wars figures in 1996. In Japan companies like Medicom and Takara had been making 1/6 scale figures since the early 90's when G.I. Joe came back.
Hot Toys hit the market in the early 2000's with incredible and highly sought after military and special ops sets as well as movie properties like the Matrix and Mission Impossible.
Today we are in a special age for collectors of 1/6 since it seems like almost every popular property is getting the 1/6 scale treatment. What makes it even better is that these companies are making 1/6 versions of the same properties further upping the competition for our dollar as collectors.

If anyone else has further to add please do. This is the best I could think up in 10 mins.

 

[Studio49]

That's a great rundown. I remember going to a Wizard con back in 2001/02 and seeing military figs everywhere, for sale and in the hands of customers. I couldn't understand the attraction then, but I am starting to turn.

I have been a statue collector for years, on a limited scale. But something about the HT Iron Man sucked me in. Then I saw pics of Dallas and Kane, and realized no statue or garage kit will ever recreate such a great likeness for the price. I have an ALIEN model kit here unbuilt, and high res reference photos of the original suit, but I am tempted to dump it now that I read some figures may be coming out soon.

You guys would crap if you saw the price tag of some model kits. And they come unassembled and unpainted.

 

[galactiboy]

Thats a great history... over the last few years the 1/6 market has become very competitive and more of a niche market. Right now prices are at an all time high ($175+ figures are not a rare occurrence) but the quality is insane.

 

[King Darkness]

The prices of toys scares me more than the price of gas or the looming threat of world war.

Not more than a zombie out break though, that really scares the ^^^^ out of me.

 

[piccolodaimaoh]

The prices of toys scares me more than the price of gas or the looming threat of world war.

Not more than a zombie out break though, that really scares the ^^^^ out of me.

I'm with you. I feel like a dinosaur every time I say it but remember when the going rate for 1/6 quality figures was 39.99? Those were the days, but unfortunately those days are gone.

 

[King Darkness]

I'm with you. I feel like a dinosaur every time I say it but remember when the going rate for 1/6 quality figures was 39.99? Those were the days, but unfortunately those days are gone.

I know, I remember debating for a long time before I finally order the classic Freddy,Jason 3, & classic Leatherface because they were $40 a pop, and at the time I thought that was to much to pay for a toy

 

[EVILFACE]

The way 1/6th figures are now is because of 21st Century's Ultimate Soldier line. They introduced everyone to far more detailed military gear than the stuff Hasbro was passing off.

Too bad their company soon went to ^^^^.

 

[one6th_doc]

it all started with me when i purchased my first 1964 gi joe then the big jim...

 

[laudanum09]

its not so much that the figures cost more, its that money is worth less.

 

[galactiboy]

its not so much that the figures cost more, its that money is worth less.

Probably true

But also, companies are making less figures when they do production runs... so that means more $$$ out of our pockets.

I mean the first James Bond figure from Sideshow was 17,500?!? Those days are long gone... even Vader won't have that many figures.

 

[screamingmetal]

As you have mentioned there have been 1/6 scale figures going back to 1964 with the original G.I.Joe and 1966 with Captain Action. In England G.I.Joe was repackaged as Action Man, a line that is still alive to this day.
In the 70's there were Six Million Dollar Man figures as well as 12" Star Wars by Kenner and of course Action Team G.I.Joe. In Japan there was Henshin Cyborg by Takara. In the late 70's Mego had a plethora of 12" Super heroes and movie figures ranging from Superman to Star Trek and don't forget the Black Hole.
In the 80's it kind of died off in the 1/6 market besides 12" V figures and Mr. T.
What really brought back 1/6 was Hasbro when they brought in their Target exclusive 12" G.I.Joe Hall of Fame Duke figures in 1991. Once the Hall of Fame series expanded other companies in the mid to late 90's jumped in the 1/6 market including The Ultimate Soldier by 21st Century Toys, Dragon Models, Blue Box toys and our friends Sideshow with their Universal Monsters line, still got my Frankenstein's monster. Hasbro further expanded their stake in the 1/6 market when they starting putting out Star Wars figures in 1996. In Japan companies like Medicom and Takara had been making 1/6 scale figures since the early 90's when G.I. Joe came back.
Hot Toys hit the market in the early 2000's with incredible and highly sought after military and special ops sets as well as movie properties like the Matrix and Mission Impossible.
Today we are in a special age for collectors of 1/6 since it seems like almost every popular property is getting the 1/6 scale treatment. What makes it even better is that these companies are making 1/6 versions of the same properties further upping the competition for our dollar as collectors.

If anyone else has further to add please do. This is the best I could think up in 10 mins.

That's a perfect summery Piccolo. Although I'd argue that Medicom's foray into 1:6 scale figures didn't have much to to with the Hasbro 90's 12" Joe comeback, just a coincidence.
High end 1:6 scale really started with Medicom.

 

[galactiboy]

That's a perfect summery Piccolo. Although I'd argue that Medicom's foray into 1:6 scale figures didn't have much to to with the Hasbro 90's 12" Joe comeback, just a coincidence.
High end 1:6 scale really started with Medicom.

Thats a good point... Medicom really was the best from the mid-90's to 2000 for licsenced 1/6 figures. I remember going to Japan and seeing many of them first-hand for the first time and being blown away.

Medicom were the first new 1/6 figures I remember selling for over $100.

 

[yodasan]

This is a great thread - hoping for more info and stories.

 

[minivader]

I am very happy with the quality of 1/6 today, some of the stuff I got 4 years ago can't even compete with the upcoming stuff. but at the same time I am also concerned with the price hike. in less than 3 years time, most 1/6 figures' (and most toys as well) prices have literally jumped. I am sure this march for higher and higher quality will not stop, and the price will keep up with it. which probably is gonna be leaving me behind. still, I am enjoying it right now.

 

[minivader]

speaking of medicom, if I recall correctly, their first 1/6 was on the Lupin III figures. They are more like clothed vinyl statue with limited posability, (think SSC's PF) then moved on to the traditional GI-Joe body for their RAH line.

 

[piccolodaimaoh]

That's a perfect summery Piccolo. Although I'd argue that Medicom's foray into 1:6 scale figures didn't have much to to with the Hasbro 90's 12" Joe comeback, just a coincidence.
High end 1:6 scale really started with Medicom.

Thank you for the compliment but you got me all wrong on the Medicom comment. I was merely stating that while Joe came back in America at the same time in Japan Medicom came on the scene. I wasn't saying one had anything to do with the other, just timing, or a coincidence.

As far as I remember, while Hasbro was putting action figures into military garb, Medicom was putting action figures into Godzilla costumes among others.

 

[Memnoch]

Interesting read, I wouldn't mind seeing a History of SS Freaks thread sometime. Be interesting to see how to went from Dave's idea to the board we have today.

 

[Spliff]

For the future I hope muscle-suits become streamlined and perfected to where they become the norm, can be custom fitted, and don't hinder the artic. That'd be a dream come true for me.

 

[sladesuperagent]

The hobby has come along way from those Medi RAH figures in the early 90's and not just the 1/6 world. But the quality of those RAH figures (to me--the Alien and Predator especially) was probably my first realization that action figure collecting was finally becoming recognized as a true collector hobby, so I decided to trade in the comic books and I started buying figures. I picked up the 1991 Tomart hardcover and started scouring the earth to complete my 80's GI Joe collection, all the time buying the new stuff too. In a blink, Wizard went from having a section called "Toying Around" to publishing an entire mag about figures called Toyfare, McFarlane gave the big 3 the finger and made his own Spawn figures, a small co. called Toy Biz started making X-men and Marvel figures, and "direct market" figures started making their way into comic shops--which opened the door for all that sweet, Japanese import stuff.

And then eBay came along and my collection has never been the same since.