1/12 is my favorite. I used to collect 1/18 scale I kinda still do but 1/12 is where I have been buying more figures.i also like the sh figuarts scale as well. Those are my main collection in scales.
The 3 3/4 inch figures are better for lines with vehicles and playsets. Larger figures mean ridiculously larger vehicles and buildings, so the cost at larger scales becomes prohibitive. That's why the 3 3/4 inch figures in Star Wars and GI Joe had the best vehicles and playsets.
I don't necessarily care for this toy line, I literally just think this guy is such a cool dude that I want to support him and love watching his stuff. So far I've gotten one of each figure and a few accessory kits. Proof that being genuine and passionate about something can bring in loyal customers. What an awesome guy. If he were my son, I'd be so proud of him.
China and Japan is killing it with their 4 inch lines nowadays. The Arkham Snap Kits and Hiya is on another level for the price, and the premium Joytoy, acid rain , Plant green valley are changing the game.
Great video. Very clear input from both a COLLECTOR and PRODUCER perspective. However….I have some things to say in favor of my favorite scale which is the 1:18 scale. I can understand the practical need of the 6 inch figures but let’s just be honest, tooling them at 1:18 scale was never an impossible task. If it meant the small figures were going to be more expensive collectors who grew with that size in their shirt pockets like me would ‘ve jus said “bring It on. I’ll pay” but nooo. I feel like Has…Toy Companies made that decision for me. I mean look at the price figures made for adult collectors and that doesn’t stop adult collectors for getting them. That’s all I have to say for now. Love this channel. Subscribed for life now.
I think space and quality mean something for me. I used to collect and had around a couple hundred figures mostly six inch scale. I was thinking if i ever collect again i may buy less figures but bigger and higher quality. Especially always having been poor i really could never be a completionist so for the most part i just collected favorite figures other than i did have all of the motu origins up until maybe the fifth or sixth wave until i ended up having to sell my entire collection. Biggest figure i had was the eighteen inch apocalypse baf. He was fun to pose with other legends from that era. Also i really love the look of Mondo figures but the price tag lol!
I always preferred the 1/12 (6 inch) scale the most because they’re large enough for details and can have amazing articulation but were small enough to be portable and a bit of a space saver for displays.
1/18 or 4" scale. I stupidly sold my 4" figures and vehicles for 6" then realised I would fast run out of space once I got into 1/12 vehicles. I have since 'saw the light' and am back into 1/18th scale until I shuffle off this mortal coil. I enjoy watching these videos because I still live in hope of a Valaverse 4" figure line! 🤞
Love the video. Growing up mainly in the 70s my favorite will always be the 8 inch MEGO. I think they were the most playable figures and fairly sturdy for the time. That was coming off from the Johny West figures that were solid and heavy as well as a pinch hazard.
I kinda prefer the Exo Squad scale, and even the Mega Construx MOTU scale. Those little Mega figures are loaded with articulation and customization potential. The only issue is their hands could be a soft flexible plastic instead of the fragile plastic that Mattel is currenly using.
The interesting thing that I think a company has yet to do is make a line of figures with a mix of 6 inch and 3.75 inch characters in the same universe/world building etc - so maybe 6 inch characters as the regular sized characters and 3.75 as Dwarfs/Pixies etc depending on the genre - or maybe 6 inch as giants and 3.75 as regular characters, we’ve seen it a bit here and there (Marvel Legends Giant Man etc) but it would be interesting to see an original concept action figure line that had 12 inch figures, 6 inch figures and 3.75 inch figures all in one line as different sized characters within the same world - maybe collectors wouldn’t like it and that’s why it hasn’t been done - but it certainly an intriguing idea
Love your channel and figures, I was at watching your video when my boss walked in, so as I was trying to rush and hide my phone, I guess, I accidentally pressed/ pushed tabs that reports , offensive content 🤦🏼♂️ so I apologize and in NO WAY did I report anything purposely. Again, I apologize! Great content keep up the awesome work!!
You are right. Scale depends on the purpose and your customer. The Star Wars and GI Joe 3-3/4" figures of the 80's were directed towards kids. They were part of a "world building" play style. If you made an X-wing pilot figure but never made an X-wing Fighter, there would be no way a kid could play with that figure. (Star Wars: Resistance cartoon had a toyline of pilot figures and NO VEHICLES. It died.) Today, as we have seen in recent news articles, the adult collector is driving the toy industry. So a larger figure of a beloved character will sell to an adult who only want to display it on a shelf. Playing with the toy is secondary. Yes you can do a WHOLE LOT more with detail and articulation with larger figures. The collector appreciates these features. But I don't see a kid taking a bunch of $30.00+ action figures outside to play in the dirt like I did with my $3.00 GI Joes. As always, a great video with great insights.
My only rule is I generally stay in the 6-inch or lower range. And that's mostly based out of a need to save space. 12 inch and above also tend to cost more which is prohibitive when you collect as many lines as I do. Plus I think aesthetically I just tend to like the 6 inch range. If you were to look at my collection you would see that the majority of it is in that scale. Anyway, great topic today!
Hey Bobby, I mainly collect 6" or 1:12. I do have my 12" Marvel Legends Icons. Now I have I think, but I had two 12" figures from I think Marvel Studios. It was the Punisher & Wolverine in Camo, they wore soft goods. Never seen any others like it. Never unboxed them so I don't know how articulated they were. I got two Icons Spider-Man and Green Hulk (there was a grey one - I don't have), never unboxed. There were 12" Marvel Legend ones that were packaged in just plastic. I only got two of those (never unboxed) Brown suit Wolverine and Thor. They looked pretty cool. Then others were made, but didn't look as good as the other two. Then they made ones in better packaging boxes (see through window) black boxes. these were way better. I have X-Force DeadPool (Grey Suit), Red Suit DeadPool, Messed Up Face DeadPool, Captain America (was OK), Thor (Love him), Iron Man, Hulk, Black Panther (Love it), Wolverine (one of my favorites), Spider-Man & Black Suit Spider-Man (also my favorites). The that got away Dare Devil. These were all awesome figures. I really liked them myself! Got a few Mafex & Mezco, 13 Hot Toy/Sideshow figs. And everything else is the 6"or 1:12. Love your line it's one of my favorites. Have to admit I don't have everything and of course regretting it. But I'll survive. I just gotta say thanks for all your hard work and for caring! 👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Very interesting and entertaining video Bobby, -AND- I’d be in for some 3.75-4in scale figs! Have been getting some ARAH Joes lately: The ones I never had and the ones I played “to death” with as a kid… And will definitely get some Delta17 as well as Roboskull figs soon. I bet your Steel Brigade in different paint schemes would do great in those scales, and many other of your characters as well! Just some thoughts.
I was a diehard 1:18 scale collector until I met Bobby. He was about to launch his Kickstarter (second attempt) and I saw his poster of Kerak, I immediately went to his booth and bought one and had him sign it. He briefly went over the line offerings and later on after I checked it out on Kickstarter I ended up pledging, been neck deep in 1:12 since!
It's funny because 12 inch was essentially Bowen scale statues. Since I don't play with my toys (just display them), I would buy a more detailed statue than an action figure. Now 1/6th has been abandoned by statue producers for 1/4 and 1/3 scales.
I prefer 6 inch Action Force figures. I love the detail of your figures and possibility of the figure and quality. For 4 inch modern and 3.75 vintage joes I pick and choose what I want to collect on that size. Great video once again @Bobby Val
I collect 6 inch & 7 inch myself. I love these videos , hearing your experiences on what goes on behind the scenes while you have worked with some of these companies is the icing on the cake for me. Im looking forward to getting that praetorian figure. It looks awesome.
Had to come back to touch on the McFarlane stuff. I love the guy, and me being similar in age to you, I think impactful is a good word. But I think he's also just being contrarian. 5 inch figures? Now seven? Watching an interview he did a few years ago, I feel like he gets scale confused with size. And he doubled down on this in a more recent interview, but he said that Hulk and Spider-Man aren't the same size, but they are on the Shelf together. Like he believes they both need to be 6 inch tall figures to be in scale together? Nah, Toddfather. Size is size, but scale is representing relative heights. Thanks again, my man! 👊
While there’s the possibility of it being a contractual thing, I truly believe it’s him being a contrarian. He’s had such success for such a long time being such, I think it’s his default business model. That said, I kind of understand the ruthless business rationale in terms of “collectors won’t be able to use any existing figures with this line because if the scale difference so they’ll have to start collecting from scratch rather than go ‘the DC Universe Classic version of that character I already have is good enough’”. I would have been all in if he had stuck to a Legends/DCUC compatible scale but as it is I only get the occasional item here and there. The pins is the aspect I find most fascinating since they’re often a big detriment to the look of the figure and he’s always been about what looks best. That and the actor likeness on movie figures which still lags behind pretty much everyone else’s products. Put an MCU or WWE figure up against their real life counterpart and then do the same with a McFarlane DC movie figure…
If it's just for a figure 6" looks the best on the shelf, but i like 1/18 because of the vehicles, i absolutely love gi joe vehicles. Hot toys are great for your absolute favorite character, sooo expensive
Excellent topic. Since mcfartlane started with the DCU i had my double douts after being appalled that he went bigger than the near perfect marvel legends size. But he's roughly rounding the sizes better than expected. Example, the classic green lantern which i don't mind at all. Then there's the motu cartoon series. Exactly what I wanted to see from that representation since day one. Great job Bob 😂❤🎉
Loved the Legends 12inch line!! I pose Hulk and Wolverine in my display. Can you expand on other potential skus with that project? I would like to hear what we missed out on
I'm generally a 1/12 scale guy. I have a fair amount of Marvel Legends, a ton of Mcfarlane Toys, and a couple Mezco. The only big scale figure I have is the Batman, but I do want the Catwoman, Penguin and the Turtles. I can appreciate all lines while picking and choosing the figures that are right for my collection.
As a kid I was 3 3/4 starting with Kenner Star Wars and the shifted to G.I. Joe for the better articulation. I took a break and started again as an adult with the SW 3 3/4 POF then some 25th Joes. I did get a few of the 12” SW (Han with Tauntaun, Stormtrooper with Dewback, Vader with removable helmet and slave Leia). I was collecting a lot of the McFarlane movie (Matrix, Auston Powers, etc) and sports that was kind of 6”. Also got some of the 12” sports. Black series came out and I was hesitant with the first series as it was a mishmash of figures from different movies. The second series with Han, Boba Fett and slave Leia is what got me. Marvel was also something I was not much into until the movie stuff. G.I. Joe classified had me interested from day one. Valaverse got me interested because I could use them to compliment my Joes to make the green shirt characters. I added a few of the female characters as they filled some spaces the Joes were slow to fill. So, 6” is my current line. I do have some 7” wrestlers and Mcfarlane stuff too! Space is getting tight though. I don’t think I could go to 12” (most of mine are in storage).
I was a Hot Toys collector the Prices and SIdeshow kinda turned me off. They went from 170 to 300 plus thats nuts, if Action Force goes that way Good luck, I'll pass. Now if you do something more like the 4 inch Joe's I'm all in.
Ultimately, 1/12 6" scale provides the best overall balance of cost, detail, articulation, accessory, and presence. Despite that, my favorite scale for figures is 7".. that little bit of extra size lends a great deal more shelf presence in my opinion. Now if we talk toy lines that incorporate vehicles, 4" is ideal; this 6" toy vehicle trend is really testing the boundaries of the market.
Mcfarlane being 7 inch isn't a huge issue for me. Marvel Select is 7 inch, and Select has more sculpted detail than Legends so they match Mcfarlanes style better anyway. The Spawn line is 7 inch, most of NECAs stuff is 7 inch. WWE and AEW figures are ALMOST 7 inch scale. They're like 6.5" - 6.75" but you can fudge it if you want. A lot of the old DC Direct stuff was also 7 inch so you can even fudge some of those in to fill out the missing ranks. When I have stuff on display it's not like everything is all mixed together. There's a Marvel shelf, a DC Shelf, a Turtles Shelf, a WWE shelf, etc. so it's not even that noticeable that the DC and Marvel stuff aren't scaled together.
I NOW pretty much only collect 1/12th scale figs. I prefer that my "toyline's" can intermix with one another. My favorite 1/12th scale figure: the Mezco One:12 Collective, Popeye (Special Edition, "White Sailor Suit"), that came in the circular tin
For me it's 1:12 and I don't think they have less quality at all. I personally prefer the toy look of the figures, I love seeing the articulation joints. Plus I usually don't find the soft goods to perform well. I agree that hot toys look amazing, but to me they look a bit lifeless.. I prefer my figures to look like high end toys and not necessarily a museum piece. I love the accessories of the 1/6 scale they do look amazing, but still something about the scale is just not for me. On the other hand I can see the appeal for the smaller 1:18 scale, because you cam do much more vehicles for a line that on the bigger scales will be much more expensive. For Action Force I would stay on 1:12 and if you plan to change scales I would go for the smaller scale and not the bigger ones....
This video should have included more 7 inch scale… more domestic companies do 7 inch like Neca, Mcfarlane, Mattel Elite, Masterverse, Marvel Select etc.. I think 6 and 7 inch are the 2 most dominant scales right now and are most debated by fans ..
I collect GI Classified now, in addition for 3.75"-4", but Pursuit of Cobra is an absolute benchmark for GI Joe 4" scale. They had great design, details, paint, accessories and so on. Still my favorite to this day.
I have more 6 inch than anything because I think it's hard to have a good time as a modern action figure collector while passing on all of that, but 1:18 is probably my favorite. Though I also collect hot toys for the incredible visual fidelity and creepy likeness to the actors. Those have got to be as big as they are. Dig the toy talk, BV 🤙
I do want to say I don't think it's a different collector between 6 and 12 in, it's just a different type of collecting. I go ham on the legends, because they're so cheap, and a company like Hasbro can make all the different versions of a character in all the different costumes over the years. I'm here for that, all day. But the hot toys, because of the price and the size, I limit it to one version. Except for like Iron Man and Spider-Man. Their Iron Man armors are freaking works of art and almost marvels of engineering. Veronica is my favorite figure for sure. Just a little extra insight into a weirdo and a fan. Cheers!
They should have kept 3.75 scale because you can make more stuff like play sets it would have been so awesome to make or have Action Force in 3.75 size the scale will always be the best 6 inch stuff just gets larger and more expensive and less product sold .
Mannnn-oh-mannnn do I feel ya on that point. I purchased a few of the non-posable GI Joe 2.5" figs that popped up at the dollar tree about 2or3 years ago, and pre-ordered the 2packs of the cheesy gi joe page punchers, and over the years bought dozens of the expensive, yet very posable, joytoy figs at 1/24, 1/25, 1/27, 1/28 scales. Also, years ago, 5Below had a few 2-packs for marvel civil war and GotG figs that were at M.A.S.K. scale. Till this day, from that line, I still have a Nick Fury sitting in the top seat of Cliff Dagger's Jackhammer, and a War Machine being held by the foot, by an MPP10B Nemesis Prime not too far from a Rhino in pursuit. 😅
@@lareh5501 Also, with Transformers. I hate the way most of them look now. I know it's a testament to the insane genius of the OG designers & engineers, but making something that looks like a Stingray Corvette with wheels that spin, and a microfigure can fit in the cockpit of… that's just masterful. Years ago, my buddy Forrest worked at Hasbro as a copy writer. I ran my dumb combined setting idea past him, and we sat there drinking and he was like, "Dude, if only they would listen to shit like this… it would print money. …but that's not how things work there." The idea was connecting G.I.Joe, M.A.S.K., Transformers, and Jem & the Holograms. With each property handling different scale missions. The general idea is obviously nothing new, but the specifics were a lot of fun, and tied them together in a cohesive way. …with some changes to some characters to get rid of the stuff that even I thought was silly as an 8 year old. …but hey, dreams are meant to be unfulfilled, right?
I have been trying for years to "pick a scale". It's hard to do. The nostalgia of the 3.75. the articulation and detail of the 6" figures, the straight up artistry of the 1/6 scale. I still have not decided. Been collecting them all to one degree or another. I'm older now and I have the funds so I have been leaning more into the 1/6 scale for certain lines. They are all awesome!
As a Hot Toys collector, the idea of a 12in. legends figure would have been pretty cool. Hot Toys are great but they do have their set backs. One being the pose ability bc over long periods of time bc of some of the material used for the suit or outfit. Spider-Man figures are mostly known for this. I think a lower priced highly articulated figure would have been great, but as you may know, Hot Toys recently started a branch company called Hono. Hono now makes lower priced 12in figures that sorta hit that 150-160 price point. Still would've been cool to have a figure you can do crazy poses with and not worry about. And I heard in your video that you started with the lord of the rings figure. If you think those are good, you need to check out Inart's 1/6th lord of the rings figures. Inart is fighting to compete with Hot Toys and they are even a higher price point but they are crazy good. Great video.
Sadly I don't collect Action Force puely because of the larger scale, but i totally appreciate what Bobby is creating as a product, and even more how he interacts with, and looks after his customer base. I collect Star Wars 3.75" figures and could never see myself collecting a different media or the larger scale Black Series. However, if Bobby was to do 3.75" / 4" Action Force, then all of a sudden you have my attention. I sadly don't have the space for the current scale Action Force but i really like the concept and the respect Bobby has for his customer base, so at 3.75" scale i would be all in!
The best scale for me is the biggest possible size where you can make vehicles and bases for it reasonably. As we see nowdays, 6-inch is that scale. Go higher than that, and vehicles are out of the question, so that's it.
Other issues not addressed; I think the economy is not turning around any time soon. (less disposable income) Will hurt the bigger scales first. Vehicles. The first time this hit me was when the Thunder Tank arrived. (Its the size of the robot vacuum I own) I think 1-12 is great for figures to see additional details and is easier to manipulate in older / adult hands. But the footprint the 1-12 equipment eats up... I can see the appeal of 1-18 military platforms as the action figures take a back seat to what is being displayed. I don't remember what size He Man and the larger Super 7 (seven inches?) figures go for, but my collection seem to reflect what cartoons I watched 70s - 80s. (ramen toy) South Park was spot on with Memberberries and just wanting to re-own the toys I had as a kid and the ones I never got. I also see Hiya making what looks to be GI Joe Classified at 1-18. (if they ever ship) And think how cool it would look to have them operate my 1-18 toys.
Those Hiya Joe designs are based on the GI Joe Operation Blackout video game. That's what the original Classified designs were based on. They're pretty high quality figures for the scale and price. The initial launch was supposed to be Classified, Operation Black Out, & Snake Eyes Origins all around the same time. Supported media like Bobby Mentioned. Delays to the movie messed that up and the game bombed. This is partly why Classified had a rocky initial launch and reception. Fun Fact: The initial Firefly Classified figure was originally designed to be Metal-Head in the game. The developers were asked to switch him over to Firefly late in the game's development. That's why he has an oddly different look.
Sticking with 1/12 or 6 inch scale. Premium 1/6 or 12 inch looks a lot nicer, but takes up a lot of space real quick. 1/18 would be so nice to collect, but some of what I collect doesn't come in that scale. If you get bored, make a 1/1 scale action figure of yourself and set it up in your office to scare the shit out of everyone.
for me 6-7 inch is the collector scale. 3.75 for me hold a toy feeling to it because of less detail, less articulation. 12 inch takes up to much space, i only have one hot toy figure of my all time favorite character Ellen Ripley. I was really considering the Mondo x-men line they do look breath taking, and the animated series hold a special place... but my Marvel Legends X-men collection already takes up 3 and half shelves... i just don't have the space for Mondo figures. I think Mafex is falling behind with not adapting to the raising bar... the current Marvel Legends Phoenix humiliates the mafex one in every aspect and its lot cheaper. I would probably have to go with Pandora, I love her articulation, depending on the angle she can be beautiful or very scary/creepy. She is on my desk ever since I got her. (2023 april)
Hear me out,if you decide to do a 12inch action force scale a bone collector or Kerak with Accessories & articulation. It will be fire just test it out with 3 characters 🙏🏼
Bobby I’d personally love to see different scale Action Force that could complement my 6 inch Action Force collection. So for example a Giant Swarm character or a Giant Crimson Pretorian something that could battle my 6 inch collection of Action Force
My biggest scale is 1:18th although I dabble into 6 inch. Recently rebuilt my marvel legends collection. Plan to stick with AF and a couple of other 6 inch lines while filling in gaps in my 1:18th lines.
I prefer 6-inch scale, but I also collect 7-inch scale like McFarlane and Super7. Pinless joints is a non-issue for me. Diaphragm cuts and butterfly joints are more glaring to me than pins lol
Very cool video! As someone who collects multiple scales - it’s a lot of fun to hear the behind the scenes talk on scale. As to the Legends 12 inch line - would you be willing to share (or can you share) the ideas for that line? I loved that toy line and collected it in excitement for each new release. I always wanted to see the line evolve and grow and felt like it just stalled. Which was a real bummer. The last new character was the MCU Black Panther - was the line going to shift to a more MCU focus?
As a child I had a bunch of GI Joes, Masters of the Universe, Thundercats and Ninja Turtles! Since they were all differnt scales and I played with my sister who had a bunch of Barbies, scale was never something I gave much thought too, I just bought what I liked. But I wasn't collecting, they were just toys to play with. I didn't start collecting until I had disposable income. Now in days 6" or 1/12th is my favorite scale for collecting figures. But I also buy 7" figures like McFarlane, Neca and Super7; I just keep them on a different shelf. I tend to ignore everything else, mostly because of space and price. But I do have a few 1/18 scale JoyToy Warhammer figures.
I liked the Marvel Legends 12 inch, but I think the bigger scale collectors like seamless joints. What could I have gotten from the 12 inch legends that I couldn't get in the 6 inch? They should have done some movie figures and see how fans would have reacted imo.
I would have stuck with the 1:18 gi ijoe if they had continued the 25th line. The 1:18 scale just offered more for less space; more vehicles, more playsets. I'm glad that they've gotten into stride with the 6 inch joe line. I think you might be disappointed with Mondo, if you're looking into their articulation. Your valaverse figures have more articulation range. What Mondo offers is a premium sculpt/paint deluxe accessories package that evokes a nostalgic design. For the 6 inch lines, I'm not sure if you knew, there are 3rd party companies that are producing silicone bodied figures with soft goods almost akin to Hot Toys quality; waay beyond what Mezco is offering. Bobby - I think you are in a unique position as a creator, designer, collector and producer, it would be nice to know what you think would create a better value for the prices that we are now paying for these figures. This may be a good subject for your next video. Btw - I have also mixed and crossed scale lines and company lines to display certain items correctly. For example, I have Mattel's Eternia, castle grayskull and snake mountain displayed with the mega construx MOTU figures and vehicles. The smaller mega construx amplifies the playsets relative to their own scale.
Good points. I don't really collect McFarlane much. I hate the fact that they're not 6 inch and they are they do have quite a bit of QC issues depending on the figure you get. If it's one thing I can say they're vehicles are pretty damn good. As for the 12 inch scale I would say it depends on the character on who you're buying. I love Qui Gon personally died to soon in the movie. 6 inch is the gold standards of size. me and my son collect anything 6 inch
I grew up with O-ring Joes and for me it will always be the perfect scale, but I do like the 6-inch lines as well. My collecting narrowed to MP Transformers now so the 1/18 Joes fit perfect with those too. Same with MASK. I think that scale also allows vehicles and playsets to be more possible. I am always amazing at people buying 1/12 scale vehicles and wondering where they are putting them lol. It's just cool to have so many choices.
3 3/4 inch. 1. Accessibility 2. Vehicles 3. The Fandom 4. Price 5. Sustainability Some of the 6 inch figures is good, but they take up too much damn room. I will say it though- YOU have my limited interest in the 6 inch figures that you have, and some of the Joe crossovers.
I love plenty of DC characters, but I can't with 7 inch, so if I have DC characters on my shelf, they are customs made from ML figures. Plus there is plenty of articulation stuff he does that I can't deal with.
Sometimes I get the impression that Marvel or DC will run a scale into the ground then switch to another to keep selling merch, such as Marvel Legends shifting to Marvel Universe or DC Universe Classics shifting to McF's skinny giants. I know oil prices play a role too but it's gotta be in the pro column for the licensors, right?
I like the 6’ for things I regularly handle. Marvel legends scale is a great medium ground for articulation, sculpt and paint. You don’t really fear breaking figs in that scale but they still have tons of articulation. I prefer 7’ for things based on real life though. Like movie licenses or tv shows. NECA basically has that market cornered. McFarlane being 7’ just makes me wish they were in 6’ to look good on a shelf with everything else. Having a 7’ Batman that aesthetically fits but is too tall for the rest of the collection while also not having near enough detail to fit in with my licensed stuff kinda sucks.
They're my favorite. And the price is the wildest part. A $23 fig goes for four times the price, but these are maybe $20 more than I paid for them in 2018/19? Like, what? They're legit the nicest Ninja Turtles. Far and away the thing that most wows the normies that come through my place. 🤙🐢🐢🐢🐢
I enjoy both 1/18 and 1/12. I’ve probably got like 70% of the Valaverse figures, mainly skipped the snow stuff (Arctic warfare doesn’t really interest me personally) the night black ops stuff (again, not my interest) and missed a few early characters except the couple Ninja helped me with. Love the desert themed figures and Swarm all day long. You already know your figures are dope, anyone that says otherwise is full of bantha poodoo. So I’m not gonna tickle your ear. That being said, hell yes to 1/18 Valaverse AF figures. I’d definitely buy it. I have 2 of the retro style Desert Rat already. Scales bigger than 1/12 scare me though, like, where the F would I put it all? Space starts to become an issue. So I cap myself at 1/12 being the largest scale I will collect. If Valaverse goes bigger than 6 inch, I would have to pass. Although I’d definitely admire it from afar.
6-7 inch just feels like the goldilocks zone in terms of poseability/articulation, detail/accuracy, and ability to collect and display. I want a lot of figures, and I like pro wrestling, Action Force, G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Marvel, D.C., and some anime. 6-7 inch allows me to keep all those fairly standard.
Gi joe definitely had some big misses in the nineties or so like sgt. Savage and gi joe extreme, i really did love the iron army from sgt. Savage though. I love that thor, he's on my shelf right now.
In my case, space is my worst enemy as far as collecting different scales. It was a very interesting topic. I hope to complete my video dedicated to Action Force soon, is going to be good, but it is going to be in Spanish!! See if that can help to spread internationally more ground on your awesome line!!
What's your favorite scale and figure from that scale?
1/12 is my favorite. I used to collect 1/18 scale I kinda still do but 1/12 is where I have been buying more figures.i also like the sh figuarts scale as well. Those are my main collection in scales.
1/12 is my favourite and it’s the standard in my opinion, no shade to 1/18 collectors or 1/6 collectors, but 1/12 is my Jam
1/12 is my current collecting scale as you can do more with them - toy photography wise even with vanilla pose.
I’m partial to 1/12. But … I’ll buy a figure in any scale if it’s a great looking toy.
1/12 is my favorite scale. It's tough to decide, but the Swarm Horde is my favorite figure right now.
I know it would never happen but a 1/18-4 inch scale action force line would be awsome
The 3 3/4 inch figures are better for lines with vehicles and playsets. Larger figures mean ridiculously larger vehicles and buildings, so the cost at larger scales becomes prohibitive. That's why the 3 3/4 inch figures in Star Wars and GI Joe had the best vehicles and playsets.
I don't necessarily care for this toy line, I literally just think this guy is such a cool dude that I want to support him and love watching his stuff. So far I've gotten one of each figure and a few accessory kits. Proof that being genuine and passionate about something can bring in loyal customers. What an awesome guy. If he were my son, I'd be so proud of him.
China and Japan is killing it with their 4 inch lines nowadays. The Arkham Snap Kits and Hiya is on another level for the price, and the premium Joytoy, acid rain , Plant green valley are changing the game.
Great video. Very clear input from both a COLLECTOR and PRODUCER perspective. However….I have some things to say in favor of my favorite scale which is the 1:18 scale. I can understand the practical need of the 6 inch figures but let’s just be honest, tooling them at 1:18 scale was never an impossible task. If it meant the small figures were going to be more expensive collectors who grew with that size in their shirt pockets like me would ‘ve jus said “bring It on. I’ll pay” but nooo. I feel like Has…Toy Companies made that decision for me. I mean look at the price figures made for adult collectors and that doesn’t stop adult collectors for getting them. That’s all I have to say for now. Love this channel. Subscribed for life now.
1:18 is still my favorite. Joytoy has been killing it with their 1:18. I also love the smaller 1:25 joytoy and model kits such as armored puppet.
3.75" is the way, and my favourite classic figure is Falcon, while currently the Delta-17 line is rocking pretty hard.
Action force deserves a really well animated pg rated cartoon. No cgi, old school animation. If enough like it, then maybe a series.
You think so?
I think space and quality mean something for me. I used to collect and had around a couple hundred figures mostly six inch scale.
I was thinking if i ever collect again i may buy less figures but bigger and higher quality. Especially always having been poor i really could never be a completionist so for the most part i just collected favorite figures other than i did have all of the motu origins up until maybe the fifth or sixth wave until i ended up having to sell my entire collection.
Biggest figure i had was the eighteen inch apocalypse baf. He was fun to pose with other legends from that era. Also i really love the look of Mondo figures but the price tag lol!
I would love to have a 1/18scale action force from Bobby 😊
I always preferred the 1/12 (6 inch) scale the most because they’re large enough for details and can have amazing articulation but were small enough to be portable and a bit of a space saver for displays.
1/18 or 4" scale. I stupidly sold my 4" figures and vehicles for 6" then realised I would fast run out of space once I got into 1/12 vehicles. I have since 'saw the light' and am back into 1/18th scale until I shuffle off this mortal coil. I enjoy watching these videos because I still live in hope of a Valaverse 4" figure line! 🤞
Also @valaverse do have 4" versions of your Action Force line just for you?
Love the video. Growing up mainly in the 70s my favorite will always be the 8 inch MEGO. I think they were the most playable figures and fairly sturdy for the time. That was coming off from the Johny West figures that were solid and heavy as well as a pinch hazard.
I kinda prefer the Exo Squad scale, and even the Mega Construx MOTU scale. Those little Mega figures are loaded with articulation and customization potential. The only issue is their hands could be a soft flexible plastic instead of the fragile plastic that Mattel is currenly using.
The interesting thing that I think a company has yet to do is make a line of figures with a mix of 6 inch and 3.75 inch characters in the same universe/world building etc - so maybe 6 inch characters as the regular sized characters and 3.75 as Dwarfs/Pixies etc depending on the genre - or maybe 6 inch as giants and 3.75 as regular characters, we’ve seen it a bit here and there (Marvel Legends Giant Man etc) but it would be interesting to see an original concept action figure line that had 12 inch figures, 6 inch figures and 3.75 inch figures all in one line as different sized characters within the same world - maybe collectors wouldn’t like it and that’s why it hasn’t been done - but it certainly an intriguing idea
Scales are important to me, based on look in transformers. I try to buy the ones that scale to the 4 in on up based on size in the show.
As an army builder, I really miss the 4 inch joes.
Great topic for the video Bobby. Favorite? C'mon it's just gotta be Pandora.
Love your channel and figures, I was at watching your video when my boss walked in, so as I was trying to rush and hide my phone, I guess, I accidentally pressed/ pushed tabs that reports , offensive content 🤦🏼♂️ so I apologize and in NO WAY did I report anything purposely. Again, I apologize! Great content keep up the awesome work!!
You are right. Scale depends on the purpose and your customer. The Star Wars and GI Joe 3-3/4" figures of the 80's were directed towards kids. They were part of a "world building" play style. If you made an X-wing pilot figure but never made an X-wing Fighter, there would be no way a kid could play with that figure. (Star Wars: Resistance cartoon had a toyline of pilot figures and NO VEHICLES. It died.)
Today, as we have seen in recent news articles, the adult collector is driving the toy industry. So a larger figure of a beloved character will sell to an adult who only want to display it on a shelf. Playing with the toy is secondary.
Yes you can do a WHOLE LOT more with detail and articulation with larger figures. The collector appreciates these features. But I don't see a kid taking a bunch of $30.00+ action figures outside to play in the dirt like I did with my $3.00 GI Joes.
As always, a great video with great insights.
Morning guys great video the most i collecting at that time was micro machine, mighty max,wwf,marvel stay bless
1/18 might be the Lords scale, but 3.75 is the High Lords scale!
My only rule is I generally stay in the 6-inch or lower range. And that's mostly based out of a need to save space. 12 inch and above also tend to cost more which is prohibitive when you collect as many lines as I do. Plus I think aesthetically I just tend to like the 6 inch range. If you were to look at my collection you would see that the majority of it is in that scale. Anyway, great topic today!
Hey Bobby, I mainly collect 6" or 1:12. I do have my 12" Marvel Legends Icons. Now I have I think, but I had two 12" figures from I think Marvel Studios. It was the Punisher & Wolverine in Camo, they wore soft goods. Never seen any others like it. Never unboxed them so I don't know how articulated they were. I got two Icons Spider-Man and Green Hulk (there was a grey one - I don't have), never unboxed. There were 12" Marvel Legend ones that were packaged in just plastic. I only got two of those (never unboxed) Brown suit Wolverine and Thor. They looked pretty cool. Then others were made, but didn't look as good as the other two. Then they made ones in better packaging boxes (see through window) black boxes. these were way better. I have X-Force DeadPool (Grey Suit), Red Suit DeadPool, Messed Up Face DeadPool, Captain America (was OK), Thor (Love him), Iron Man, Hulk, Black Panther (Love it), Wolverine (one of my favorites), Spider-Man & Black Suit Spider-Man (also my favorites). The that got away Dare Devil. These were all awesome figures. I really liked them myself! Got a few Mafex & Mezco, 13 Hot Toy/Sideshow figs. And everything else is the 6"or 1:12. Love your line it's one of my favorites. Have to admit I don't have everything and of course regretting it. But I'll survive. I just gotta say thanks for all your hard work and for caring! 👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Very interesting and entertaining video Bobby, -AND- I’d be in for some 3.75-4in scale figs! Have been getting some ARAH Joes lately: The ones I never had and the ones I played “to death” with as a kid… And will definitely get some Delta17 as well as Roboskull figs soon.
I bet your Steel Brigade in different paint schemes would do great in those scales, and many other of your characters as well!
Just some thoughts.
I love that so many lines have made 6 inch. You can mix and match other characters from different universes into one
For sure
1/18 Bone Collector or Kerak figs would be awesome!
I was a diehard 1:18 scale collector until I met Bobby. He was about to launch his Kickstarter (second attempt) and I saw his poster of Kerak, I immediately went to his booth and bought one and had him sign it. He briefly went over the line offerings and later on after I checked it out on Kickstarter I ended up pledging, been neck deep in 1:12 since!
Where is my 1:1 scale Unicron? I could live in it.
It's funny because 12 inch was essentially Bowen scale statues. Since I don't play with my toys (just display them), I would buy a more detailed statue than an action figure. Now 1/6th has been abandoned by statue producers for 1/4 and 1/3 scales.
i love this clips of you just telling me about toy stuff. just love it. keep it up!
I prefer 6 inch Action Force figures. I love the detail of your figures and possibility of the figure and quality. For 4 inch modern and 3.75 vintage joes I pick and choose what I want to collect on that size. Great video once again @Bobby Val
It depends on the line for me. Star Wars will always 3-4 inch because I want the vehicles. GI Joe, Marvel Legends 6 inch.
I collect 6 inch & 7 inch myself. I love these videos , hearing your experiences on what goes on behind the scenes while you have worked with some of these companies is the icing on the cake for me. Im looking forward to getting that praetorian figure. It looks awesome.
Had to come back to touch on the McFarlane stuff. I love the guy, and me being similar in age to you, I think impactful is a good word. But I think he's also just being contrarian. 5 inch figures? Now seven? Watching an interview he did a few years ago, I feel like he gets scale confused with size. And he doubled down on this in a more recent interview, but he said that Hulk and Spider-Man aren't the same size, but they are on the Shelf together. Like he believes they both need to be 6 inch tall figures to be in scale together? Nah, Toddfather. Size is size, but scale is representing relative heights. Thanks again, my man! 👊
While there’s the possibility of it being a contractual thing, I truly believe it’s him being a contrarian. He’s had such success for such a long time being such, I think it’s his default business model. That said, I kind of understand the ruthless business rationale in terms of “collectors won’t be able to use any existing figures with this line because if the scale difference so they’ll have to start collecting from scratch rather than go ‘the DC Universe Classic version of that character I already have is good enough’”. I would have been all in if he had stuck to a Legends/DCUC compatible scale but as it is I only get the occasional item here and there. The pins is the aspect I find most fascinating since they’re often a big detriment to the look of the figure and he’s always been about what looks best. That and the actor likeness on movie figures which still lags behind pretty much everyone else’s products. Put an MCU or WWE figure up against their real life counterpart and then do the same with a McFarlane DC movie figure…
Wish you would change your mind on doing 1/18.
If it's just for a figure 6" looks the best on the shelf, but i like 1/18 because of the vehicles, i absolutely love gi joe vehicles. Hot toys are great for your absolute favorite character, sooo expensive
Excellent topic. Since mcfartlane started with the DCU i had my double douts after being appalled that he went bigger than the near perfect marvel legends size. But he's roughly rounding the sizes better than expected. Example, the classic green lantern which i don't mind at all. Then there's the motu cartoon series. Exactly what I wanted to see from that representation since day one. Great job Bob 😂❤🎉
Loved the Legends 12inch line!! I pose Hulk and Wolverine in my display.
Can you expand on other potential skus with that project? I would like to hear what we missed out on
I'm generally a 1/12 scale guy.
I have a fair amount of Marvel Legends, a ton of Mcfarlane Toys, and a couple Mezco.
The only big scale figure I have is the Batman, but I do want the Catwoman, Penguin and the Turtles.
I can appreciate all lines while picking and choosing the figures that are right for my collection.
As a kid I was 3 3/4 starting with Kenner Star Wars and the shifted to G.I. Joe for the better articulation. I took a break and started again as an adult with the SW 3 3/4 POF then some 25th Joes. I did get a few of the 12” SW (Han with Tauntaun, Stormtrooper with Dewback, Vader with removable helmet and slave Leia). I was collecting a lot of the McFarlane movie (Matrix, Auston Powers, etc) and sports that was kind of 6”. Also got some of the 12” sports. Black series came out and I was hesitant with the first series as it was a mishmash of figures from different movies. The second series with Han, Boba Fett and slave Leia is what got me. Marvel was also something I was not much into until the movie stuff. G.I. Joe classified had me interested from day one. Valaverse got me interested because I could use them to compliment my Joes to make the green shirt characters. I added a few of the female characters as they filled some spaces the Joes were slow to fill. So, 6” is my current line. I do have some 7” wrestlers and Mcfarlane stuff too! Space is getting tight though. I don’t think I could go to 12” (most of mine are in storage).
I was a Hot Toys collector the Prices and SIdeshow kinda turned me off. They went from 170 to 300 plus thats nuts, if Action Force goes that way Good luck, I'll pass. Now if you do something more like the 4 inch Joe's I'm all in.
Ultimately, 1/12 6" scale provides the best overall balance of cost, detail, articulation, accessory, and presence. Despite that, my favorite scale for figures is 7".. that little bit of extra size lends a great deal more shelf presence in my opinion. Now if we talk toy lines that incorporate vehicles, 4" is ideal; this 6" toy vehicle trend is really testing the boundaries of the market.
Mcfarlane being 7 inch isn't a huge issue for me. Marvel Select is 7 inch, and Select has more sculpted detail than Legends so they match Mcfarlanes style better anyway. The Spawn line is 7 inch, most of NECAs stuff is 7 inch. WWE and AEW figures are ALMOST 7 inch scale. They're like 6.5" - 6.75" but you can fudge it if you want. A lot of the old DC Direct stuff was also 7 inch so you can even fudge some of those in to fill out the missing ranks.
When I have stuff on display it's not like everything is all mixed together. There's a Marvel shelf, a DC Shelf, a Turtles Shelf, a WWE shelf, etc. so it's not even that noticeable that the DC and Marvel stuff aren't scaled together.
I NOW pretty much only collect 1/12th scale figs. I prefer that my "toyline's" can intermix with one another. My favorite 1/12th scale figure: the Mezco One:12 Collective, Popeye (Special Edition, "White Sailor Suit"), that came in the circular tin
Now I want to know why McFarlane doesn't do pinless joints too.😂
For me it's 1:12 and I don't think they have less quality at all. I personally prefer the toy look of the figures, I love seeing the articulation joints. Plus I usually don't find the soft goods to perform well. I agree that hot toys look amazing, but to me they look a bit lifeless.. I prefer my figures to look like high end toys and not necessarily a museum piece. I love the accessories of the 1/6 scale they do look amazing, but still something about the scale is just not for me. On the other hand I can see the appeal for the smaller 1:18 scale, because you cam do much more vehicles for a line that on the bigger scales will be much more expensive. For Action Force I would stay on 1:12 and if you plan to change scales I would go for the smaller scale and not the bigger ones....
O ring action force would be amazing
This video should have included more 7 inch scale… more domestic companies do 7 inch like Neca, Mcfarlane, Mattel Elite, Masterverse, Marvel Select etc.. I think 6 and 7 inch are the 2 most dominant scales right now and are most debated by fans ..
I collect GI Classified now, in addition for 3.75"-4", but Pursuit of Cobra is an absolute benchmark for GI Joe 4" scale. They had great design, details, paint, accessories and so on. Still my favorite to this day.
Great vid! My favorite scale is ⅙! I collect Hot Toys & TBLeague! But I also collect 3¾ (GI Joe) and 6 & 7 scale (Neca).
I have more 6 inch than anything because I think it's hard to have a good time as a modern action figure collector while passing on all of that, but 1:18 is probably my favorite. Though I also collect hot toys for the incredible visual fidelity and creepy likeness to the actors. Those have got to be as big as they are. Dig the toy talk, BV 🤙
I do want to say I don't think it's a different collector between 6 and 12 in, it's just a different type of collecting. I go ham on the legends, because they're so cheap, and a company like Hasbro can make all the different versions of a character in all the different costumes over the years. I'm here for that, all day. But the hot toys, because of the price and the size, I limit it to one version. Except for like Iron Man and Spider-Man. Their Iron Man armors are freaking works of art and almost marvels of engineering. Veronica is my favorite figure for sure. Just a little extra insight into a weirdo and a fan. Cheers!
They should have kept 3.75 scale because you can make more stuff like play sets it would have been so awesome to make or have Action Force in 3.75 size the scale will always be the best 6 inch stuff just gets larger and more expensive and less product sold .
I love the 6" scale for figures.
…that being said, if I had my way, There would be a line of GI Joe, MASK, and Transformers all in 3" scale.
The 7" scale is why I don't collect McFarlane DC figures. I have a few monsters. …but that's it.
Mannnn-oh-mannnn do I feel ya on that point. I purchased a few of the non-posable GI Joe 2.5" figs that popped up at the dollar tree about 2or3 years ago, and pre-ordered the 2packs of the cheesy gi joe page punchers, and over the years bought dozens of the expensive, yet very posable, joytoy figs at 1/24, 1/25, 1/27, 1/28 scales.
Also, years ago, 5Below had a few 2-packs for marvel civil war and GotG figs that were at M.A.S.K. scale. Till this day, from that line, I still have a Nick Fury sitting in the top seat of Cliff Dagger's Jackhammer, and a War Machine being held by the foot, by an MPP10B Nemesis Prime not too far from a Rhino in pursuit. 😅
@@lareh5501 Also, with Transformers. I hate the way most of them look now. I know it's a testament to the insane genius of the OG designers & engineers, but making something that looks like a Stingray Corvette with wheels that spin, and a microfigure can fit in the cockpit of… that's just masterful.
Years ago, my buddy Forrest worked at Hasbro as a copy writer. I ran my dumb combined setting idea past him, and we sat there drinking and he was like, "Dude, if only they would listen to shit like this… it would print money. …but that's not how things work there." The idea was connecting G.I.Joe, M.A.S.K., Transformers, and Jem & the Holograms. With each property handling different scale missions. The general idea is obviously nothing new, but the specifics were a lot of fun, and tied them together in a cohesive way. …with some changes to some characters to get rid of the stuff that even I thought was silly as an 8 year old.
…but hey, dreams are meant to be unfulfilled, right?
I have been trying for years to "pick a scale". It's hard to do. The nostalgia of the 3.75. the articulation and detail of the 6" figures, the straight up artistry of the 1/6 scale. I still have not decided. Been collecting them all to one degree or another. I'm older now and I have the funds so I have been leaning more into the 1/6 scale for certain lines. They are all awesome!
As a Hot Toys collector, the idea of a 12in. legends figure would have been pretty cool. Hot Toys are great but they do have their set backs. One being the pose ability bc over long periods of time bc of some of the material used for the suit or outfit. Spider-Man figures are mostly known for this. I think a lower priced highly articulated figure would have been great, but as you may know, Hot Toys recently started a branch company called Hono. Hono now makes lower priced 12in figures that sorta hit that 150-160 price point. Still would've been cool to have a figure you can do crazy poses with and not worry about. And I heard in your video that you started with the lord of the rings figure. If you think those are good, you need to check out Inart's 1/6th lord of the rings figures. Inart is fighting to compete with Hot Toys and they are even a higher price point but they are crazy good. Great video.
Sadly I don't collect Action Force puely because of the larger scale, but i totally appreciate what Bobby is creating as a product, and even more how he interacts with, and looks after his customer base. I collect Star Wars 3.75" figures and could never see myself collecting a different media or the larger scale Black Series. However, if Bobby was to do 3.75" / 4" Action Force, then all of a sudden you have my attention. I sadly don't have the space for the current scale Action Force but i really like the concept and the respect Bobby has for his customer base, so at 3.75" scale i would be all in!
The best scale for me is the biggest possible size where you can make vehicles and bases for it reasonably. As we see nowdays, 6-inch is that scale. Go higher than that, and vehicles are out of the question, so that's it.
Other issues not addressed;
I think the economy is not turning around any time soon. (less disposable income) Will hurt the bigger scales first.
Vehicles. The first time this hit me was when the Thunder Tank arrived. (Its the size of the robot vacuum I own) I think 1-12 is great for figures to see additional details and is easier to manipulate in older / adult hands. But the footprint the 1-12 equipment eats up... I can see the appeal of 1-18 military platforms as the action figures take a back seat to what is being displayed.
I don't remember what size He Man and the larger Super 7 (seven inches?) figures go for, but my collection seem to reflect what cartoons I watched 70s - 80s. (ramen toy) South Park was spot on with Memberberries and just wanting to re-own the toys I had as a kid and the ones I never got.
I also see Hiya making what looks to be GI Joe Classified at 1-18. (if they ever ship) And think how cool it would look to have them operate my 1-18 toys.
Those Hiya Joe designs are based on the GI Joe Operation Blackout video game. That's what the original Classified designs were based on. They're pretty high quality figures for the scale and price.
The initial launch was supposed to be Classified, Operation Black Out, & Snake Eyes Origins all around the same time. Supported media like Bobby Mentioned. Delays to the movie messed that up and the game bombed. This is partly why Classified had a rocky initial launch and reception.
Fun Fact: The initial Firefly Classified figure was originally designed to be Metal-Head in the game. The developers were asked to switch him over to Firefly late in the game's development. That's why he has an oddly different look.
Sticking with 1/12 or 6 inch scale. Premium 1/6 or 12 inch looks a lot nicer, but takes up a lot of space real quick. 1/18 would be so nice to collect, but some of what I collect doesn't come in that scale. If you get bored, make a 1/1 scale action figure of yourself and set it up in your office to scare the shit out of everyone.
for me 6-7 inch is the collector scale. 3.75 for me hold a toy feeling to it because of less detail, less articulation. 12 inch takes up to much space, i only have one hot toy figure of my all time favorite character Ellen Ripley. I was really considering the Mondo x-men line they do look breath taking, and the animated series hold a special place... but my Marvel Legends X-men collection already takes up 3 and half shelves... i just don't have the space for Mondo figures. I think Mafex is falling behind with not adapting to the raising bar... the current Marvel Legends Phoenix humiliates the mafex one in every aspect and its lot cheaper. I would probably have to go with Pandora, I love her articulation, depending on the angle she can be beautiful or very scary/creepy. She is on my desk ever since I got her. (2023 april)
Hear me out,if you decide to do a 12inch action force scale a bone collector or Kerak with Accessories & articulation. It will be fire just test it out with 3 characters 🙏🏼
Yeah, what he said!!!
Bobby I’d personally love to see different scale Action Force that could complement my 6 inch Action Force collection. So for example a Giant Swarm character or a Giant Crimson Pretorian something that could battle my 6 inch collection of Action Force
My biggest scale is 1:18th although I dabble into 6 inch. Recently rebuilt my marvel legends collection. Plan to stick with AF and a couple of other 6 inch lines while filling in gaps in my 1:18th lines.
6 inch for me.
On a separate note. Can the Vanguard accept Gridiron add ons like the auto cannon kit they have?
So when are we getting a 12” Pandora with soft goods?
Yeah!!!
6" imports, 6.25"-6.5" Hasbro, 7" NECA, Mattel, Diamond Select, McFarlane, and Super7
Some massive figures to add to 1/12 scale figure group be cool!
Maybe some cyber experimental monster type character!:)
I prefer 6-inch scale, but I also collect 7-inch scale like McFarlane and Super7.
Pinless joints is a non-issue for me. Diaphragm cuts and butterfly joints are more glaring to me than pins lol
Very cool video! As someone who collects multiple scales - it’s a lot of fun to hear the behind the scenes talk on scale. As to the Legends 12 inch line - would you be willing to share (or can you share) the ideas for that line? I loved that toy line and collected it in excitement for each new release. I always wanted to see the line evolve and grow and felt like it just stalled. Which was a real bummer. The last new character was the MCU Black Panther - was the line going to shift to a more MCU focus?
As a child I had a bunch of GI Joes, Masters of the Universe, Thundercats and Ninja Turtles! Since they were all differnt scales and I played with my sister who had a bunch of Barbies, scale was never something I gave much thought too, I just bought what I liked. But I wasn't collecting, they were just toys to play with. I didn't start collecting until I had disposable income.
Now in days 6" or 1/12th is my favorite scale for collecting figures. But I also buy 7" figures like McFarlane, Neca and Super7; I just keep them on a different shelf.
I tend to ignore everything else, mostly because of space and price. But I do have a few 1/18 scale JoyToy Warhammer figures.
I liked the Marvel Legends 12 inch, but I think the bigger scale collectors like seamless joints.
What could I have gotten from the 12 inch legends that I couldn't get in the 6 inch?
They should have done some movie figures and see how fans would have reacted imo.
I would have stuck with the 1:18 gi ijoe if they had continued the 25th line. The 1:18 scale just offered more for less space; more vehicles, more playsets. I'm glad that they've gotten into stride with the 6 inch joe line.
I think you might be disappointed with Mondo, if you're looking into their articulation. Your valaverse figures have more articulation range. What Mondo offers is a premium sculpt/paint deluxe accessories package that evokes a nostalgic design.
For the 6 inch lines, I'm not sure if you knew, there are 3rd party companies that are producing silicone bodied figures with soft goods almost akin to Hot Toys quality; waay beyond what Mezco is offering.
Bobby - I think you are in a unique position as a creator, designer, collector and producer, it would be nice to know what you think would create a better value for the prices that we are now paying for these figures. This may be a good subject for your next video.
Btw - I have also mixed and crossed scale lines and company lines to display certain items correctly. For example, I have Mattel's Eternia, castle grayskull and snake mountain displayed with the mega construx MOTU figures and vehicles. The smaller mega construx amplifies the playsets relative to their own scale.
Six inches since it's the scale for modern figures.
"Man is not known by inches alone." --Pee-Wee Morris (Porky's, 1981)
Good points. I don't really collect McFarlane much. I hate the fact that they're not 6 inch and they are they do have quite a bit of QC issues depending on the figure you get. If it's one thing I can say they're vehicles are pretty damn good. As for the 12 inch scale I would say it depends on the character on who you're buying. I love Qui Gon personally died to soon in the movie. 6 inch is the gold standards of size. me and my son collect anything 6 inch
Marvel Universe & its permutations were excellent! Was Infinites the result of that period of "dumbing down" you referred to?
I really wish they would have continued the great sculpts from the pursuit of cobra and retaliation. They were getting awesome!
I grew up with O-ring Joes and for me it will always be the perfect scale, but I do like the 6-inch lines as well. My collecting narrowed to MP Transformers now so the 1/18 Joes fit perfect with those too. Same with MASK. I think that scale also allows vehicles and playsets to be more possible. I am always amazing at people buying 1/12 scale vehicles and wondering where they are putting them lol. It's just cool to have so many choices.
The o ring scale
Bro, that 12” ML Thor is a great fig!!! I will always have that on display. I love it. Also have one in box😊
That 12" Thor is one of my favorite figures.
The cloth goods game seems to really change at 1/6 scale, looks like that's the sweet spot for it starting to drape perfectly.
3 3/4 inch.
1. Accessibility
2. Vehicles
3. The Fandom
4. Price
5. Sustainability
Some of the 6 inch figures is good, but they take up too much damn room. I will say it though- YOU have my limited interest in the 6 inch figures that you have, and some of the Joe crossovers.
3.75' High Lords scale (and NOT 4'), favorite is GI Joe FLINT!
I recently got the Neca 1/4 scale Halo 4 Master Chief figure. That thing is MASSIVE.
I love plenty of DC characters, but I can't with 7 inch, so if I have DC characters on my shelf, they are customs made from ML figures. Plus there is plenty of articulation stuff he does that I can't deal with.
Sometimes I get the impression that Marvel or DC will run a scale into the ground then switch to another to keep selling merch, such as Marvel Legends shifting to Marvel Universe or DC Universe Classics shifting to McF's skinny giants. I know oil prices play a role too but it's gotta be in the pro column for the licensors, right?
I like the 6’ for things I regularly handle. Marvel legends scale is a great medium ground for articulation, sculpt and paint. You don’t really fear breaking figs in that scale but they still have tons of articulation. I prefer 7’ for things based on real life though. Like movie licenses or tv shows. NECA basically has that market cornered. McFarlane being 7’ just makes me wish they were in 6’ to look good on a shelf with everything else. Having a 7’ Batman that aesthetically fits but is too tall for the rest of the collection while also not having near enough detail to fit in with my licensed stuff kinda sucks.
Don’t fight it. Those quarter scale Turtles are great. Not too expensive either.
They're my favorite. And the price is the wildest part. A $23 fig goes for four times the price, but these are maybe $20 more than I paid for them in 2018/19? Like, what? They're legit the nicest Ninja Turtles. Far and away the thing that most wows the normies that come through my place. 🤙🐢🐢🐢🐢
Nice talk Bobby I have all like you said to each his own.....Love it.....
I enjoy both 1/18 and 1/12. I’ve probably got like 70% of the Valaverse figures, mainly skipped the snow stuff (Arctic warfare doesn’t really interest me personally) the night black ops stuff (again, not my interest) and missed a few early characters except the couple Ninja helped me with. Love the desert themed figures and Swarm all day long. You already know your figures are dope, anyone that says otherwise is full of bantha poodoo. So I’m not gonna tickle your ear. That being said, hell yes to 1/18 Valaverse AF figures. I’d definitely buy it. I have 2 of the retro style Desert Rat already. Scales bigger than 1/12 scare me though, like, where the F would I put it all? Space starts to become an issue. So I cap myself at 1/12 being the largest scale I will collect. If Valaverse goes bigger than 6 inch, I would have to pass. Although I’d definitely admire it from afar.
I was a 3.75 diehard. I collected Marvel Universe and GI Joe 25th. But Legends and Classified got me. Now I'm in deep with 6in.
6-7 inch just feels like the goldilocks zone in terms of poseability/articulation, detail/accuracy, and ability to collect and display. I want a lot of figures, and I like pro wrestling, Action Force, G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Marvel, D.C., and some anime. 6-7 inch allows me to keep all those fairly standard.
Gi joe definitely had some big misses in the nineties or so like sgt. Savage and gi joe extreme, i really did love the iron army from sgt. Savage though. I love that thor, he's on my shelf right now.
I prefer the smaller to leave more room for others. But larger scales on certain things are nice too.
Kinda got me hyped to play with the haslab Giant Man.
1/6 Pandora would be a no brainer must buy for me. Even if just a 2 Up like the 12" Legends or Mondo.
In my case, space is my worst enemy as far as collecting different scales. It was a very interesting topic. I hope to complete my video dedicated to Action Force soon, is going to be good, but it is going to be in Spanish!! See if that can help to spread internationally more ground on your awesome line!!