Where is the 1/6 hobby going

[PSCMATT]

Hmmmmmmmmm, as I look at the forum and work on assorted 1/6 projects
I reflect and see the 1/6 hobby maturing. I started in the hobby with Hasbros RAH and graduated to TUS and 21st Century Toys and finally BBI,TS, ACE, Dragon, Hot Toys and so on.

Now we see the little guys popping up with great stuff, Triad, Saturday Toys, Very Hot and Human Wave just to name a few. Is this hobby going the way of Mom and Pop companies.

Do you think the big guys are done in this industry, since they cant gauge the publics desire for certain items ie: modern vs WWII gear and accessories or the lack of supply and vision of a popular item.

Will the 1/6 hobby become even more segmented with customizers only offering one of a kind items at uber cost.

Dont get me wrong Im all for the little companie, but sometimes I worry with ultra exclusives and high costs for these items the new blood to the hobby will dry up.

Im curious where do you guys think the 1/6 scale industry will be say in 3 years from now.

[Broadshore]

Truthy man? I see that a lot of the Bigger companies are not pluging out the Modern stuff that people are asking for.

Lets look at Dragon for an Example... For a while they where doing Modern Era Vietnam to lets say the beganning of the war in Afganistan. Now, the company was doing great till they started to bring More and more WWII era stuff. <Which I am not complaining as much I was before. Getting into the WW2 stuff very soon> But it isn't as desireable with the collector in mine. Personally, Dragon dug itself a big hole? Well it recovery by coming back to the Modern era figures or maybe back to Nam?

Here my thinking with BBI? I notice they haven't been bring out a lot of new stuff lately. Matter a fact, it seems to me that there bring out figures that they have throw together using parts from older set. As I well note about the Female figure they introduced doring WoH 06. It was missing parts, it look like that they just threw a bunch of crap together and said. "Here WoH 06 Exclusive! So LIKE IT JERKS!" That how I felted about that figure. I think they dug a pretty good size hole for themselves after WoH 06. But, I do want to note about the BBI Mass Production which makes me fell that it bring out the newer figure collectors out. It gives the younger people a fell of collecting this figures and soon they well grow up into the larger more expensive hobby of 1/6th.

ACE has been bring out some new stuff here and there. So I can't really complain about that because I don't have anything that is made by ACE. I know, I am neglictive to the hobby. Same goes for TS, the company has been bring out some newer stuff too. Hot Toys is now getting into the Nam side of 1/6th so I do wish HT the best of luck.

Now for the little small companies IE: Traid. This little companies are coming out to compet with the larger companies. Mine myself that when I saw Traid figures and clothing line for 1/6th Fem figs and Male Figs stuff I was like wow. Very Hot fells like a copy company that is based in Tawain or somewhere near there that is making HT Figures for cheaper. Don't know about Saturday Toys or HW yet. I like to read more reviews about their stuff.

Now, this is how I fell or think about the companies.

Where its going in 3 years.

in 3 years, BBI well be in the 1/6th cheap side of figurings. Bring out new stuff for TRU. Dragon well be bring out more and more WWII that people are going to say. FORGET IT Dragon. ACE and TS well be in the lead with there own line of figures that well be in the 50 dollar range. But this new figures well be as detailed then BBI stuff. The small little companies, well... All I am going to say is, there well be more little companies popping up here and there during that 3 years. More and more little companies well be selling there goods to us the collector and Hobbist. If I do remember, ACE and TS where small companies too and they grew up to be part of the bigger industry of 1/6th.

There my two cents.

Sorry for the god aweful grammer.

[Bobby]

This hobby is going to hell and we are all going with it!!!! Hahahahaha!!!!!!

I think the mom and pop's out their will get big and eventually push the want for cheeper and yet quality items to such a high demand that bigger companies will start up with it, possably TUS or something new all together to fill the demand. Then after a while it will die down and it will go to the mom and pops again. I see this hobby as having a cycle in terms of retail.

[laughinggravy2]

Has it been a month already?

I'd say the hobby is trotting along at about the same pace as it has been since this question was addressed last month...and the one before that...and the one before that....and.......

[MIFUNE]

the 1/6 industry is prolly gonna be the same 3 yrs from now, maybe a bit cheaper and each fig will be loaded with accessories to keep up with competition. but if yer talking about 10 yrs+ i bet we could see some really amazing things, such as 1/6 flashlights that work....etc etc

[Devgru-08]

hey bbi and dragon get off your sorry a$$e$ and get with the program ace,ts, keep up the good work ht's well we need more........more........more..........hell in three years god only knows i want new ..... now!and good luck to all you mom and pops out there just keep it not to pricey and very much in detail thank you! speaking of mom and pops hey spartan! wheres the sopmod 14 @?

[DeltaForceChung]

IMHO, the big boys don’t have the presence they once did. Our hobby evolved with collectors going into different niches and new and smaller companies producing products to fill those niches. As far as where the hobby will be three years from now, I’m sure the hobby itself will still be around because we’ll still be buying and collecting whatever is still being produced more or less.

[sesshomaru]

I will say in 3 yrs time,we will still be on this topic...haha...seriously,i will feel every once in a while,there will be a shift in power,just like how dragon and bbi used to dominate 21 C and TUS and then now comes Hot Toys...Till now,i still cant fathom why dragon decided to concentrate on WWII (no offence guys) but i felt they sucks compared to DID,they should instead improve on their modern,why are they afraid of Hot Toys? Kudos to saturday toys and very hot...at least they got the guts to take on HT...well done guys, as for BBI,another disappointment...saw the 2 so called limited 10th SFG figures,c'mon lah,i have seen better works here in OSW,bring back goood old swat and ur sales will go up!!...haha..enough of my bitching...

Seriously,i will feel 3 years down the road,there will be not much change but price may be more competitive with the smaller companies coming up,of cos for all those exclusives,pple will still bear to pay more...why? Cos a tee in the streets stall may cost $5 but pple are still willing pay up to $500 for a designer brand tee...why?nobody knows....

[Bunnisher]

I feel like PSCMATT is right, three years from now it will be about smaller companies, and hopefully, some new ones as well. I am just glad this was not ANOTHER DOOM and GLOOM thread......

[Catalyst]

Has it been a month already?

I'd say the hobby is trotting along at about the same pace as it has been since this question was addressed last month...and the one before that...and the one before that....and.......

Ah, but where will it be next month?

[laughinggravy2]

Ah, but where will it be next month?

Not to worry. There will most certainly be an enlightening thread then, right on schedule, to address the issue.

[rogerbee]

Hmmm, ok, let's try and keep it clean...

As far as the UK goes, if Product Enterprise and Character can ramp up their output, I'll be fine. Other than that and.....

I'M SCREWED!!

CHEERS!

[Bobby]

Ah, but where will it be next month?

As I said, in hell, with all of us bashing in a burning pool of fire

[nan1000]

Some of you guys are a little to new to this hobby... It all began with $200.00+ customs (remember guys like Tripwire. Major Midnite) to enhance the reborn 12" G.I.Joe (classic collection). This is all Pre-1998, Pre-21c, Pre-Dragon, Pre-BBI, Pre-Toy Soldier, Pre-everybody now. Wow almost 10 years. You guys really don't know how good you have it now.

nan

[Sawgunner]

Nan.....you speak the GOSPEL!! I remember tripwire..wow! The prices were outrageous!!!!This is a great time to be in the hobby...I don't think it peaked yet.If you were to subtract DML's huge outpour of Modern guys all at one time...things would look better than at that time.

[nan1000]

Butch,

You're right about the Hobby not actually peaking (lots still to produce). The problem with Modern vs. WWII is the items to make/Produce is capped, the WWII era is set in stone and the manufacturers know what falls into this category and have 50+ years of collectors to draw from. Modern is still going on and technology is evolving every minute. A company can't invest as easily into something like that. Besides, all you newguys (now) in 20+ years will all buy 1990-2009 stuff and the current new guys (then) will complain there isn't anything current to buy...

nan

[Kungfu_Husky]

Let's see....... Hot Toys is turning to movies, seems like it. BBI is taking it slowly with its releases. Dragon has gone completely WWII, I think. DID is still doing high-quality WWII figures. Toy Soldier & ACE are adding more figures & churning out more fan favorites - casual style attire soldiers like PMCs & V-NAMs.

Something tells me the smaller new companies might get just as big or bigger than the big boys. Some old big boys MIGHT have to take a back seat....further (esp. BBI or Dragon). I think Hot Toys will still be top dog and be quite impossible to take down. But Very Hot MIGHT just step up to the plate and be Hot Toys' biggest challenger when it comes to Modern Millitary. Seems like many people are getting Very Hot's new SDUs. Must be the price I think.

Overall, I think we are all spoilt for choice. Some of us are will be doomed, we simply can't keep up with so many kick-ass releases from so many toy companies.

[Bravo_2_Zero]

I used to be like major kitbash'o'holic at one bit, It had to be modern US gear, nothing else would do. Most if not all of my collection of now 33 figures ALL started off with Dragon figures . These were bought from local shop in Sheffield (UK).

Then eBay cought my eye and i was buying kit like crazy and kitbashing everything in sight.

I then had a taste of a BBI nude i bought off chance on a blind bid on eBay, I was hooked i like the BBi G3.5's.

Very slowley the supply of DML/BBi figures boxed and loose dried up like an old well in summer.

Since i've been buying Global Asia , USA , Aus i was like an adict looking for a fix. This now is getting way too dear for me to keep doing. I'm looking at spending £50 - £80 on a figure i like, this mean not as many figures bashed.

Then It was like ' Hand of God ' TS / HT shon it's light on good quality and very good priced boxed figures. Now I have ALL TS's boxed figures, i'm finding they are nearly 99% perfect leaving little need to spend anymore on Kibashing. All i have to buy are top-up bits than a 30% re-build like DML figure were.

TS for me are stunning value for money, They are a real investment.

I say Bring on the Little boys from Asia , Show the corperate BIG boys who's the King of the little World.

[Jørg]

Go click through this for a trip down memory lane:
http://www.mastercollector.com/deale...directory.html

[Bunnisher]

Until someone makes a Desert Aussie...they are all going to fail....LMAO!!!

[556man]

Wow... this hobby sure has changed since the several years that I used to collect. I can't believe all the good stuff available. I started collecting this stuff back in 1995 in the Bay Area when Armando Bravo would have GI Joe Shows in a small Catholic Church in San Jose. I remember paying $2000+ (pretty sure that was the price) for a Major Midnite Tiger tank way back in the day. I got rid of most of my original GI Joes (had most everything ever made) when Dragon hit the scene. I still have about 300 Dragon figures but my interest faded around 3-4 years ago. I continued to purchase them for my little boys when I would see them.

I even started an online company back in the day that some of you might remember.. World War Toys. It got WAY to big WAY too fast. I sold it to a kid named James and his father. They changed the name to War-Toys (my idea as well) and ran with it for quite some time. I remember thinking that this hobby would go maybe 2-3 years tops at that point because only so much product can be develped... well I was wrong.

I signed up here today to dump most of my collection that has been sitting for several years. I still have about 100 (at least) figures still sitting in glass case that hasn't been touced in at least 2 years. The boys are drooling at the mouth to get all those figures but I would hate to just through money downt the drain like that. My two younger boys (5 and 8) are driving my wife crazy with all the figures. They have probably about loose 100 Dragon figures and at least 17-18 vehicles (5 Stuarts, 6 US Jeeps, Kubels, Kettencrads, helos, schwimwagons, others) and since school let out, our house has been one HUGE battlefield. The maid spends half the day cleaning up toys before she even gets to start cleaning the house. I am glad my boys still love this stuff but it does get a bit messy with "stuff" everywhere.

I have been collecting real weapons (dreaded and evil "assault rifles") lately and have lost interest in the hobby. I have close to 100 firearms and enjoy KITBASHING AK47's kits now. You can purchase an AK kit for about $100 and make your own receivers. Reminds me of all the time I spent on weathering German helmets or making leather slings for my Dragon M1 Garands when they first came out.

Glad to see the hobby still going strong and even bigger than before

thanks,
Ron

[Anti-Personnel]

i feel like every month is more awesome then the last.
cant wait to see what happens in 3 years down the line

[Sawgunner]

Rob.......WOW!!! Seems like ancient history!! Those prices ...just for a Load Bearing Vest!!!!!!!!JAKERS!

[onesixx]

dun mind a stranger chipping in? ...

three years ago i was full-on into the 1/6th, from brick'n'mortars, to online stores and ebay (ebay is the devil's masterplan). life was great. action figures were my main passion (and still is).

i've been off 1/6th for the better part of a year+ (last) bcoz of 1/1-financial woes and have recently re-started my addiction and the glaring thing i've noticed is the price-points for most (if not all) figures, from the big boys to the exclusive independants ... and it's getting progressively harder to get what i want ... but at the same time, the amount of detailing has jumped pretty high, which is a good thing, i reckon.

in the next three years?

two things:

01. price points will continuely grow higher, but with better detailing and design. the big boys will still survive but not thrive (hence the price-points to survive) and the emphasis will shift towards the entertainment genre (ie: Hot Toys) with properties and concpets that already has a different fan-base. military figures (which i admittedly do not collect much of) will soon find themselves out of concepts, except for more "obsure" country's military ... other than that, the big boys will still produce the same reharshed figures, until it can fill up a Historical Guidebook of Military Figures.

02. with the increae in prices and mediocrity, more folks in the hobby will start kitbashing more stuff and mayhap start customizing more ... and with the stuff i constantly see on this forum (which i had chosen to stay away for a long time) ~ it sure looks like a bright future which lays in the hands and minds of the individual collectors, spurring each other onwards

*IMHO anyways*

thanks for reading

[mike45]

Iwasnt gonna reply to this thread , but i just had to. My thoughts are this,the big companys will get bigger doing what they do now, the smaller independants will either grow or die.If they listen to the market and give the market what it wants ,they will survive and even grow.If they try to diversify into diffenet markets/genres on a whim they will die.If they dont listen to what the market wants and needs they will die,so far in my opinion the only company that is listening and acting on their listening/intelligence is Toy Soldier and as i have only found out , they are a very small producer,yet we hold their product in such high regard that we will all keep on supporting them,why?you know why and so do they.Its just a piss off that the rest of the 1/6 gurus dont get it????Well thats gonna be their bad luck.

[Kibagami Jubei]

modern toys = iffy hot-toys and bbi but toysoldier and ACE for sure.

who knows. another company might rise. like saturday toys. you gotta admit that their swat set was dope.

you gotta love sideshow for pioneering 1:6th movie / tv figures. nobody has ever really been good at it. and they've done. medicom's been doing long before it as well but that stuff is too expensive. now hot-toys is in the mix and you gotta love their series. pulling out the COOL movies that matters.

this hobby is crazy.