My perspective on buying 12" figures

I'm a long time collector of DML WWII figures, and have only recently started buying SST (I do have some of the old Universal Monsters), mainly because of SW and LOTR. I've also bought Medicom's SW figures and HotToys' Colonial Marines.
Having all those different types of figures from different manufacturers, I thought about how much these things cost and what is feasible nowadays in 1/6 scale, and decided to do a little comparison.

I hope this is not taken as SST bashing, it's just my very personal look at the dollies I buy, and hopefully food for thought on what is currently being done in the "high-end" mass produced 1/6 scale market.

So here's my findings and thoughts.

The figures are SST's Luke, DML's Theodor Wolte, HotToys' Hicks and Medicom's Luke.

This will be image intensive, so I'll start with Luke and Theodor.
Now you might say there's no point in comparing a SW figure with a WWII soldier and a Colonial Marine, but what I wanted to look at was the quality in manufacturing, paint apps and such. This is by no means a definitive review of any of these figures, just a couple of shots to highlight differences.









I've had all of my DML figures in storage for ages, so I was very surprised when I got Theodor and saw the difference in sculpt and paint apps. I've always felt that SST's paint apps are a bit heavy handed, but the difference is striking! DML's figure is much more detailed, the head is not huge, the paint job is very subtle, yet keeps a very life-like appearance, the detail of wrinkles, hair line and expression are enhanced by the paint, not covered by it.
Taking these pictures I also noticed the seam on Luke's head for the first time. I wasn't too impressed...





Hands are not exactly DML's forte as you can clearly see in these pics. SST's hands are much more detailed, and the extra swivel joint gives them much more poseability.





You can't really tell from these pics, but DML's belt and harness are a true wonder! Real leather, fully functional and even the clasp on the belt closely matches the real thing. Useful in 1/6? Not really, if you ask me, but it just showcases what can be done. SST's effort looks a bit crude in comparison.





Enough has been said about SST's boots, but I thought it would be nice to see them (almost) side by side with DML's. It's not just the shape, it's the lack of detail and the hard material used that make SST's boots look a bit odd.

I'll post a couple more pics and then move on to Hicks and Medi Luke.

Just a few shots of both figures to judge overall appearance.







Next up: Medi Luke and HotToys Hicks!

I think the HS on Luke is heads and tails better than the other one.

pixletwin said:

I think the HS on Luke is heads and tails better than the other one.

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Excellent, that's what these forums are for, to discuss different oppinions and points of view. So what is it that you like better about SST's HS and paint apps?

Mostly what I don't like is the sculpted look on the DML. Not sure how else to explain it. It just looks too... I dunno.. the only word I can think of is chalky. You are definately right about the costuming though. Very cool.

if you want to compare belts and accessories you need to compare Anakin's instead of Luke's. sorry but i'll take Anakin's over Theodore.

Luke's hands look much better too. Luke's look life-like and the soldiers hands look pale and plastic like.

Personally, I think that's a beautiful apple and a gorgeous orange!!

Do you have any of Sideshow's military figures to compare? That would be interesting to see as well. Thanks for these pictures!

tomandshell said:

Personally, I think that's a beautiful apple and a gorgeous orange!!

Do you have any of Sideshow's military figures to compare? That would be interesting to see as well. Thanks for these pictures!

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Haha!
No, unfortunately not... but still, I wanted to look at manufacturing and detail, not necesarilly the other elements.

About the "chalkiness", yeah, I know what you mean, DML's sculpts tend to give the skin a rougher texture, perhaps that's what your seeing, pixletwin.

tomandshell said:

Personally, I think that's a beautiful apple and a gorgeous orange!!

Do you have any of Sideshow's military figures to compare? That would be interesting to see as well. Thanks for these pictures!

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Perfectly said...apple & oranges....perhaps when SS realeases it firts LOtR figure you should do another comparison, because lets face facts, SS Luke offers very little in the way of a highly detailed costum...and Theodor clearly has much more to offer in the costum...

Dragon heads are rougher, and sculpting a likeness as opposed to a generic head is very different.

I agree that SSC had some problems with some detailing when they started out, but looking at Anakin, you can see how far they've come. I think a fairer comparison would be a Grail knight to a Timeline knight, but without looking at similar subjects, I think it's difficult to draw any legitimate conclusions as to the superiority of either figure.

kingdarkness03 said:

Perfectly said...apple & oranges....perhaps when SS realeases it firts LOtR figure you should do another comparison, because lets face facts, SS Luke offers very little in the way of a highly detailed costum...and Theodor clearly has much more to offer in the costum...

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Maybe I didn't explain myself clearly enough. The point is not to compare the accesories or extras on the figures, but the manufacturing, detailing, finish, paint apps, materials... that kind of stuff.

Anyway, off to Medi Luke and HotToys Hicks, but first a couple of pics of helmeted figures:





Here I just wanted to point out that DML's helmet is metal and the liner is an accurate replica in faux leather. Hicks' helmet is plastic, but really nicely done and detailed.

Don't forget, WW2 is a cheap license compared to Star Wars, and the DML figure doesn't look recogniseable to me as anyone I would know. Then there's cost. Costs between the products mentioned do have a bearing. Why not wack a Hasbro in there as well as a Barbie.

All the various companies have their pro's and con's. Sideshow just happens to have the best mix overall for my money.

Alright, here the next two high-end figures I wanted to comapre: Hot Toys Hicks and Medicom Luke Skywalker.
I purposely decided not to show SST Luke and Medi Luke, and the DML german and HT Hicks as direct comparisons, so that maybe we can focus on the quality of each figure in general, and not compare whether Medi Luke or SST is better (and we already know the answer to that one, don't we?)

Off we go.





So, exactly why does Luke have green highlights in his hair? Beats me, those japanese guys do like punk stuff though...
Anyway, paint apps on both headsculpts look bland, but I kinda prefer the less is more Medicom approach here. What little paint is actually applied is done very well and does help bring out some of the features. HotToys really looks subpar compared to the others. On the issue of the sculpt itself, again Medicom has a much better quality than HT.
Still, I like DML's efforts better overall.





HT's hands are very similar in look to DML's, but better. The sculpting is a bit better and the detail crisper. Also, the joint is a marvel of mobility! Medicom's has a great sculpt, truly well made and proportioned, but the joint is awful, and no paint apps to speak of.





Not much to talk about here, really. But I will point out that HT's belt is extremely functional and well made, while Medicom's really is just a piece of plastic. SST and DML seem to show the way with leather (where applicable) and metal.





Again, not much to directly compare in the case of Hicks' boots and shinguards, but they do showcase how much detail can be put into these small accesories. Medi Luke's boots though do show how much work SST has to put into their new sculpt if they intend to be up to par with DML and Medicom in that aspect.

creecher said:

Don't forget, WW2 is a cheap license compared to Star Wars, and the DML figure doesn't look recogniseable to me as anyone I would know. Then there's cost. Costs between the products mentioned do have a bearing. Why not wack a Hasbro in there as well as a Barbie.

All the various companies have their pro's and con's. Sideshow just happens to have the best mix overall for my money.

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That is an excellent point.
Indeed, DML has specialized in WWII, where they can crank out a zillion pieces and reuse them in different figures, thus making R&D much more cost effective. HotToys Aliens figures are much more unique, and SW is obviously a very expensive license.

Hello Abake, I noticed that you intentionally did not enter pricing into the equations. I understand that you intent was simply to discuss the levels of detailing found in the figures from the major manufacturers, but I think that pricing plays a key roll and is just as important.

In my opinion, DML has managed to increase the level of detailing without raising their prices considerably.
Medicom's pricing are ridiculously high but the figures more limited in numbers.
Hot Toys are very expensive as well but provide much in the way of 'extras', such as pouches, gear, kit, etc.
Sideshow's level of detailing is a given but they have definitely raised the pricing with their Star Wars line, but I'm sure that the Lucas license is partially to blame.

Last two pics of Medi Luke and HT Hicks.





One last point: pricing.
Obviously, these are very different figures, with varying ammounts of accesories, but the pricing does give some (more) perspective.

SST's Luke had an MSRP of USD 49
DML's Theodor Wolte is out there for USD 57
HotToys Hicks can still be obtained for about USD 72
Medicom Luke for USD 150

Of the three, Theodor is the one witht he most and most intricate accesories, you literally can't put all of the stuff he comes with on him, using lots of leather, faux leather and metal, with intricate working mechanisms.
Next in line would be Hicks, with tons of equipment, all very well sculpted and with lots of tiny working mechanisms.
Both Lukes offer about the same accesory-wise, with a little bit more on SST's Luke.

Again, you have to keep in mind that DML's german figures are 90% reused stuff, whereas the three others are more or less unique figures in sculpt, accesories and clothing. Although it's also fair to say that Hicks' armor, uniform and gear are basically the same as Apone's and will probably be used in upcoming Colonial Marines. His HS is also the same as HT's earlier Terminator figure.

So, what's the point you ask?
I love all four figures and enjoy them immensely.
I think both SST and HT are putting out awesome figures from incredibly popular franchises, and I can't thank the powers that be enough for living in this golden age of 1/6 action figures collecting.
But I think there's quite a big opportunity for SST and HT to work more on their headsculpts, and especially on their paint apps. The job on the DML figure is really excellent (IMHO) and there is absolutely no deviation from the pics shown on the DML site, no glaring differences from prototype to production figure. The detail on the sculpt is perfectly preserved and enhanced by the paint (whether you like the rougher texture or not), whereas it seems that SST's paint apps do cover some of the detail in their otherwise great sculpts. Also, size is not an issue, which again makes me question why SST's heads are so large. It seems it is not a production issue, it's just the way they make them. Why? It doesn't look better. Same goes for the hands.
So I guess this is just my way of giving SST feedback and some constructive criticism.
Even if they (SST) stick to their trademark look (which they are obviously entitled to), it doesn't mean the heads have to be too big and the paint has to blot out some of the detail, and it certainly shows that paint apps can be made much more consistent with prototypes.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the pics and had fun looking at what is being made by other 1/6 companies! Thanks for reading.

FlyAndFight said:

Hello Abake, I noticed that you intentionally did not enter pricing into the equations. I understand that you intent was simply to discuss the levels of detailing found in the figures from the major manufacturers, but I think that pricing plays a key roll and is just as important.

In my opinion, DML has managed to increase the level of detailing without raising their prices considerably.
Medicom's pricing are ridiculously high but the figures more limited in numbers.
Hot Toys are very expensive as well but provide much in the way of 'extras', such as pouches, gear, kit, etc.
Sideshow's level of detailing is a given but they have definitely raised the pricing with their Star Wars line, but I'm sure that the Lucas license is partially to blame.

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Pricing addressed!

Yes, I also believe DML has made a quantum leap in detailing and accesorizing (sp?) their figures, but I believe that also has to do with DiD and the tough competition they represent, and BBi before them.
Unfortunately, SST seems to be on their own, their only competition being absurdly overpriced Medicom, and their own fandom.
That's why I'm hoping Medicom will keep making SW figures. They'll probably have to check their pricing strategy, and both lines will appeal for different reasons to different people, but competition is always healthy.

Luke's face is definetely not as good as the WWII soldiers. It still won't stop me from buying it though. Good comparison though!!:chew

This was an interesting read, and a fun chance to see some sides of 1/6 collecting that are outside my area of interest. That WWII soldier is really nicely done, but I never went for the military toys much. Hot Toys, and some of the current Medicom Pre-Order figures are stretching the limits of my bank account, but the quality is certainly there!