Just what the hell is it about 1/6th that makes it so addictive?

[Voorhees27]

For me, it starts with being a huge fan of movies. On and off I always collected horror stuff (Mcfarlane/NECA) back in the 90's but it was never good enough. I then went on to collect hockey cards .......... years later it was ridiculous how much money I had dumped into a hobby that never gave back.

Depreciated rather than appreciated.

I suppose I was just a much bigger movie fan than I was hockey. In 2006 I dicovered the 7" Jakks Pacific "Rocky" line. They were $10 a pop and always appreciated. I am a big Stallone/Rocky/Rambo fan so I had to have them.

From there, I found a link to Sideshows site and eventually the Rocky IV Hot Toys figure. The rest is history. It just took a while to finally find the best of the best.

Here we are.

 

[Atheris]

Hate to break it to you bud, but these statues are gonna be worth about the same price as the dollies say, 10 or 15 years from now. People are into these things for similar reasons at this point in time, and once collectors move on to something else (whatever that is going to be), their prices will slowly plummet until they aren't worth but a fraction of what they initially costed. If you are trying to invest in something, trust me, there are a lot more lucrative ways to go than investing in statues of comic, cartoon, and movie characters.

These are all geeky, glorified toys, no matter how you try to spin it, just with variable sizes and levels of quality and articulation. If you want to treat a statue of a character created for 5-10 year old boys to read about as "art" but won't treat a fancy toy as such, that's your prerogative, but in my opinion it's not a distinction that makes a lot of sense upon objective scrutiny.

Eventually everything ends up in the garbage. I just believe large higher priced quality statues have a longer shelf life in terms of resale value over plastic dolls. Of course im not in it just for the investment, but it helps to know if anything came along where they needed to be sold I could break even on my money spent or even make some money. I think my 1:1 Darkness bust will hold up much better over time than lets say a 1:6 batman figure. Which is why I believe you will lose money on 1/6 figures about 10x faster than anything else. It just isnt worth it. But hey....if it makes the person happy who cares about the price or resale value.

Chris

 

[robbiethepainter]

For me, it starts with being a huge fan of movies. On and off I always collected horror stuff (Mcfarlane/NECA) back in the 90's but it was never good enough. I then went on to collect hockey cards .......... years later it was ridiculous how much money I had dumped into a hobby that never gave back.

Depreciated rather than appreciated.

I suppose I was just a much bigger movie fan than I was hockey. In 2006 I dicovered the 7" Jakks Pacific "Rocky" line. They were $10 a pop and always appreciated. I am a big Stallone/Rocky/Rambo fan so I had to have them.

From there, I found a link to Sideshows site and eventually the Rocky IV Hot Toys figure. The rest is history. It just took a while to finally find the best of the best.

Here we are.

Im with you. We are in the Renaissance of 1/6 figures.

 

[uscmhicks]

Eventually everything ends up in the garbage. I just believe large higher priced quality statues have a longer shelf life in terms of resale value over plastic dolls. Of course im not in it just for the investment, but it helps to know if anything came along where they needed to be sold I could break even on my money spent or even make some money. I think my 1:1 Darkness bust will hold up much better over time than lets say a 1:6 batman figure. Which is why I believe you will lose money on 1/6 figures about 10x faster than anything else. It just isnt worth it. But hey....if it makes the person happy who cares about the price or resale value.

Chris

why is that though , because they're stone ?.
Most hot toys figures nowadays have better paint apps and look more realistic than statues so I do think its debatable.

 

[robbiethepainter]

why is that though , because they're stone ?.
Most hot toys figures nowadays have better paint apps and look more realistic than statues so I do think its debatable.

Im with you on the paint apps. The funny thing is that they aren't stone. They are resin mixed with stone dust, so basically they are plastic.

 

[ck1]

Hate to break it to you bud, but these statues are gonna be worth about the same price as the dollies say, 10 or 15 years from now. People are into these things for similar reasons at this point in time, and once collectors move on to something else (whatever that is going to be), their prices will slowly plummet until they aren't worth but a fraction of what they initially costed. If you are trying to invest in something, trust me, there are a lot more lucrative ways to go than investing in statues of comic, cartoon, and movie characters.

These are all geeky, glorified toys, no matter how you try to spin it, just with variable sizes and levels of quality and articulation. If you want to treat a statue of a character created for 5-10 year old boys to read about as "art" but won't treat a fancy toy as such, that's your prerogative, but in my opinion it's not a distinction that makes a lot of sense upon objective scrutiny.

Very sweeping statement here and not backed up with any facts.

How many Hot Toys 'dolls' are worth several times their original worth? Quite a few in the MMS range, just take a look at the Colonial Marines, T-800, Robocop to name but a few.

If you are selective, then there is money to be made. Supply and demand will prevail.

 

[Maglor]

...right now, we seem to be in a golden age with so much amazing stuff available and due out soon.
But what got you hooked, what is it that made you decide... right, I'm gonna spend $100 + on a toy for my shelf?

And am I right in thinking that after the pain, and soul searching of that first purchase, it got easier to justify... and ever so slightly addictive, do you now search out a weekly, monthly, occasisional fix of the good plastic stuff?
Statue shmatsue... 1/6th is the new black!

:emperor



In brief, I started with Sideshow's Nosferatu, collected Sideshow for a while (still the vast bulk of my collection) and then discovered Hot Toys!

The DX Joker has me hooked and now I'm 5 Hot Toys figures deep, and that's in the course of a few months!!!

Can't wait for the Hot Toys Reeves Superman and Avatar!!!!


Although my wife and I did kind of 'have it out' today... and I really am going to have to watch it with this addiction!

 

[creecher]

I was addicted before but since I joined the Freaks board it's become an OCD.

 

[Maglor]

In answer to the question: "Just what the hell is it about 1/6th that makes it so addictive?"

All I can figure is that they are like statues that you can express yourself with!

One figure can be displayed 1,000,000 different ways, whereas a statue is...well, a statue.

I love tweeking the pose and futzing the clothes. I love the moment when a figure transforms (in my eyes) from a toy into a 1/6 scale person! Especially when it's a character that I love and I have captured the exact persona I was going for!!!

I own a few statues but get very little joy out of them.

1/6 scale figures are like a gift that keeps on giving. If you get bored with one... well just re-pose it!


Don't care much about the investment. I figure that my figures are worth whatever it would cost to replace them with a brand new piece, because I have no intention of selling them. And in 10 years, when Hot Toys has long stopped making my DX Joker, I have a hunch that to buy him then will be more expensive than it was to preorder him... to me this is a plenty good investment!



Great idea for a thread btw!

 

[Maglor]

I was addicted before but since I joined the Freaks board it's become an OCD.

Heh, yeah it's like an alcoholic hanging out with a bunch of drunks!

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

I was addicted before but since I joined the Freaks board it's become an OCD.

If 1/6 is an addiction, the Freaks board is the pusher.

 

[tylerdurden]

Most hot toys figures nowadays have better paint apps and look more realistic than statues so I do think its debatable.

spot on. many so-called high-end statues have laughable paint apps.

i collect all formats, be it 1:1 or 1:6, prop, vehicle, statue or figure. if it's a well-made rendition of a character/prop i like, i'll buy it, regardless of format/scale.

making a sweeping statement like statues are superior over 1/6 figures is just self-delusional, elitist nonsense. each collectible should be judged on its own merits. and this goes for its monetary value in the after market too. some statues go for significantly less than original retail, while some 1/6 figures (like ht's robocop) go for ridiculously inflated prices. and vice versa.

not attacking anyone's opinion here, just pitching in my 2 cents'...

 

[Maglor]

Well said!

 

[jinroh75]

amen brother amen

but i think the best part about figures over statues is you can play dress up with your dollies.

 

[Bullet]

Ive always enjoyed collectible toys (1/6th scale specifically). My father has collected and dealt in all manner or vintage and modern toys for my entire life (he started collecting/dealing over 30 years ago). So i grew up around this stuff, his main collecting vice if i can call it that is vintage action man (British version 12" Gi Joe for those on th eother side of the pond).

I think thats why i appreciate pretty much all toys whether they be old, new, statue or figure but the fact i collect 1/6th scale has to be attributed to him. There was always the understanding growing up that i had my toys and my father had his lol although i have been told ive broken some pretty expensive pieces in my time lol.

Anyway collecting is now pretty much my job (well collectibles are my job no1 actually pays me to purchase toys, well i suppose in an odd way they do but anyway) as 5 years ago my father decided to go fulltime with his hobby and become a 24/7 toy dealer. Now got 2 shops (one of which i run), a website, sell on ebay and amazon. Therefore just about everything I do is toy related as its work (i find it funny calling it work since i love it so much) so its pretty much 24/7 for me.

Like i said always been around toys ever since i can remember however ive only been proparly collecting 1/6th scale in a big way for the last 6 months (owned a few bits and pieces and always loved the hobby just never jumped in with purchases) needless to say now 25 figures deep with 22 of them being hot toys!

I really dont know what makes it so addictive I blame my father as does my g/f!

 

[Mad Old Lu]

It all started with the Six Million Dollar Man when I was a kid. It was my favourite show and my favourite action figure. Then I moved on to Star Wars and the 3 3/4 GI Joes from the eighties. I stopped with toys for a long time, switching to comic books in HS and college, and finally to antique cameras, scales, typewriters, optometry equipment, basically anything old (pre 1940s) and mechanically, when I first started going out with my wife and she exposed me to great antique stores where she lived. I bought a few of the first wave of SW POTF figures in the mid nineties and I would pick something up here and there if it looked good.

A friend of mine started talking to me about high end miliary 1:6 figures around late 2007 or early 2008 and would send me links to toy reviews (like Mike Crawford's site). They looked interesting, but not enough to make me go out and buy them. I also thought it was odd that you would have to swap out hands--it just seemed like a weird thing to have to do.

THEN, around the same time, I saw a web ad for Sideshow's Indy. I checked it out and thought it looked fantastic! But $90? Ouch. Way much more than I was willing to ever spend on a toy. But I would keep going back to Sideshow's site and drool over the Indy prototype pictures. My wife was nice enough to offer to get it for me for our anniversary, so I graciously accepted! I was also eyeing the ANH Han and all the SW offerings. Around May I thought, "what the hell, Han is only $65 and he comes with loads of accessories". So I talked myself into ordering him. A couple of months later I got him and was over the moon at the great quality of the figure! I had no idea how much of a difference there was between these figures an the typical Hasbro 12" figures widely available. I quickly got Boushh on ebay pretty cheap, and would start building my collection from there.

I am still simply in awe over the quality and detail of these figures. I definitely like the posing aspect of 1:6 figures over statues and I never would have guessed how giddy I would get when looking at and posing them. It makes the hefty price tag completely worth it, IMO. I wish I could buy most everything that comes out, but I'm trying to be very very selective with what I get because of lack of space and lack of infinite funds. I even dabbled in a repaint of my Indy and am actually in the process of sculpting a Steve Austin head for a custom 6 Million Dollar Man for myself (it's come full circle!), two things I never would have thought I would ever do.

Alas, my wife regrets ever having made the offer to get me Indy and curses my friend for exposing me to this hobby in the first place, as it has taken over every minute of my spare time!

 

[wookster]

My god I coveted the Six Million Dollar Man figure so much, a friend had him, and the face changing robot (with Oscar Goldmans mask), he even had a medi-center tube thing that you put Steve in for minor surgery... I was so, so jealous.
And likewise, my wife kicks herself for getting me that first Sideshow Frankenstein's monster.
The floodgates opened.
I still have all those early ones like Spinal Tap, Young Frankenstein and Python's Holy Grail.
I think out of all Sideshows 1/6th, my favourites are still the Karloff monsters and the Nosferatu Vampyre.

 

[eighthsamurai]

i think if HT had never made that first rambo 2 figure, and takara hadn't done their batman begins, i would never have collected 1/6.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

maybe its b/c you can customize the piss out of them

 

[FDBMath]

For me, its a combination of a number of factors. 1/6th figures are basically statues that I can pose so it isn't the same as everyone else's. Also, they kind of remind me of when I was younger and the action figures that I had then (like GI Joes and Star Wars figures), just bigger. Plus, it is a way for me to connect with things that I am interested in.