2016 is an amazing time to be alive if you collect action figures. It’s hard to even think of a property that hasn’t been immortalized in plastic — if it was popular (and oftentimes even if it wasn’t) there are toys for it. The problem is, the selection of these toys is so deep and diverse that they often don’t display well together. You may love Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe and Transformers, but if you want to display them together, you’re kind of out of luck. Sure, you could, but when Snake-Eyes stands eye to eye with Raphael’s pelvis it makes the illusion of a shared universe hard to maintain. In other words, it’s a question of scale.
While 3 3/4-inch and 12-inch remain collector mainstays, it’s the 6-inch offerings that seem to be the new “norm” for action figures. From my first Marvel Legend figure all the way up to my latest purchases, if it’s not 1:12 scale then I don’t collect it. The problem is, I and others like me are out of luck when it comes to the representation of many of our favorite properties. While NECA has done an amazing job of bringing many of our favorite movie characters to the pegs, many of us can’t bring them home because they simply don’t fit with our collections. Without further ado, here are Seven Properties That Need 1:12 Action Figures!
(Note: this list does not cover import toys, due to their high cost and unavailability as U.S. mass market retailers.)
7. Predator
In spite of not being in a decent film since his self-titled debut, the Predator remains a fan-favorite. The character’s design and backstory keep audiences and collectors alike coming back for more, but unfortunately for 1:12 scale enthusiasts, there are simply no toys. Yes, NECA have crafted dozens of wonderful figures, but they just don’t look right next to 6-inch figures. What’s funny is, a decade before NECA revived the property, Kenner produced a 5-inch line based on the property, putting collectors of 1:12 scale toys between a rock and a hard place. As Bart Simpson once said “The ironing is delicious.”
6. RoboCop
Robo has a lot in common with the Predator, in that he, too, has been produced in multiple scales without ever hitting that 6-inch mark. Weird, right? In spite of his long spiral into mediocrity, the character usually occupies the higher end of collectibles. I’m not sure if that’s because his classic incarnation appeals to an older audience or if toy manufacturers simply don’t think that there’s a market. The fact that I can have a RoboCop and Batman team up to lay a Dead End-style smack-down on the Predator makes my other First-World problems seem small, indeed.
5. G.I. Joe
Collectors have been clamoring for a 1:12 scale G.I. Joe line for decades now, but for whatever reason it has yet to happen. Unlike Star Wars, which made the jump in 2013, the Joes have remained frozen at 4 inches since the end of of the ill-fated Sigma Six line. Not really sure what Hasbro is waiting for. Perhaps it has its hands full with other properties, or maybe the company is simply balking at the amount of dedicated tooling such an effort would require. They shouldn’t worry — G.I. Joe can easily rival any of Hasbro’s other properties when it comes to a collector base. I mean, there are people who have been collecting Joe since the first figure rolled off the assembly line in 1964. As long as the figures are good, this line would sell like gooballs at a Phish show. What’s a gooball, you ask? Oh, you kids.
4. Thundercats
While I was a little too old for Thundercats when it was a first-run show, I knew how crazy my younger brother was for them. And hey, why not? Its a cool concept with memorable characters and some nifty designs. He never seemed to mind the soft sculpt and limited articulation, but it always bugged me. I felt that, out of any fantasy characters, these cat people should be able to move a little better than at the neck, shoulders and hips. Heck, you could do more with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and those figures posed for crap. While Mezco took a shot at 7-inch figures in 2015, that line died a quick and graceless death. The time is right for these Cats of Thunder to return, in a scale that would help and not hinder them.
3. They Live
My “outside of the box” choice — there’s always gonna be one, folks! As They Live has never has any official action figure releases, I thought we 1:12 scale collectors should lay claim to it. The film is an often-overlooked classic, a witty and insightful deconstruction of the consumer culture of the 1980s, with a message that’s as relevant today as when it was first released. Of course, it takes more than that to make a good action figure line, but They Live has that covered, too. The film features special effects that are both exceptionally cheesy and instantly iconic. These aliens aren’t going to mate with your face and lay eggs in your belly — they just want us to obey, consume, reproduce, and conform. Is that so much to ask? Hell, that’s all 99.97% of the population wants to do anyway. Might as well get some nice action figures out of it…
2. Classic Planet of the Apes
I know that the modern versions of the Apes have had a few 1:12 scale go-rounds, but we’ve yet to get a 6-inch line consisting of characters from the 1968 classic. I don’t know about you, but I would be more than happy to buy Cornelius, Dr. Zaius and George Taylor if it meant I got a crack at having Nova in action figure form. Hel-lo, Nurse! But I kid the inarticulate sexy savages of our inevitable future. Plastic representations of John Chambers’ memorable Apes makeup would be a highlight of any action figure of movie aficionado’s shelf. Chambers did wonders with his limited budget, creating some of the most memorable movie characters of any era out of latex, greasepaint and yak hair. Replicating these designs in plastic would be a fitting tribute to one of Hollywood’s great artists and would net us some amazing figures in the process. In other words, someone needs to go Ape!
1. Batman 1989
It would be funny if it weren’t so aggravating. Collectors have been howling for a 1:12 scale Batman since the dawn of Marvel Legends, but somehow it never pans out. There have been multiple 1:6 scale versions of the Dark Knight released, as well as NECA’s recent 7-inch offering, but these were a case of close but no cigar. However, the real killer came in 2014 with the DC Comics Multiverse 4-inch figure. Talk about internet outrage — people were apoplectic that the character they had been waiting so long for Mattel to finally get around to doing was in a scale that matched pretty much nothing. Seriously, if you listened closely you could hear heads exploding all across the country. Folks took it personally, and who could blame them? The fact that Mattel recently nudged their Multiverse up to a 6-inch scale seemed like a case of world-class trolling to fans who just want a Michael Keaton to stand alongside the hundreds of other 6-inch Batman figures that have been released over the years. Where does he get those wonderful toys? Certainly not from Mattel.
