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Battle Of The Action Figures: The Brutal War of Scale – 1/6 vs. 8" vs. 5": Who Will Win? At NYCC

Andy Bentley wrote for Bleeding Cool from New York Comic Con.

With the action figure industry in a transitional state, I was curious how the factor of scale was impacting the industry. We've recently seen Hasbro offer 6" Star Wars in The Black Series, and Mattel downscale to ~4" for its DC Multiverse series. Were these necessary changes for production cost or to meet changing consumer demands? Neither of those companies were present, but we did have on hand Jon Roman (Nickelodeon Consumer Products), Steve Forde (Go Hero), Joe Ahearn (Captain Action) and Gerry Gladston (Midtown Comics). The discussion of scale was wrapped up in about 5 minutes with the solution being whatever scale you had as a child was often your preferred option. A panelist pointed out that once you get beyond a certain size, play sets and vehicles become unattainable and you're dangerously close to the statue market.

From there, the discussion moved to trends in the industry such as more con exclusives, new figure scales, and an overall upscale in quality and price. The burgeoning do-it-yourself market was briefly discussed, touching on 3D printing and small niche products that may or may not have license approval. A panelist stressed that although 3D tech is improving figure articulation and good for certain tasks, and artist is still required in the process.

I would have liked to have spent more time on this home brew market as I believe it will revolutionize the adult collector market. But the discussion nose dived into price vs. quality, specifically 'why do the action figures I buy cost so much?'. Licensing, shipping and labor costs were all cited by the panel. Pre orders were described as a double edge sword that can help a company survive, but can also turn off buyers if there are release delays. Hot Toys was cited as the industry leader in raising the bar, forcing Sideshow Toys to improve quality on a larger budget.

The panel ended up only being 45 minutes. I think the intentions behind it were good, but the discussion felt scattershot and unresolved. I commend the panel for reaching out to the collecting community and hopefully they can build upon this experience next year.

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