1/6 Military & Action Figures
These figures occupy a very niche market in the world of collectors. I had no idea this world existed when I purchased a BBI Elite Force soldier over 3 years ago and have since come to know about how much time and money people are willing to invest in these figures.
I got my figure after seeing a Brothersfree article in IDN magazine which showed one tiny image of a custom 'Baby' figure, kitted out in heaps of the firefighter models clothes and accessories. The amount of bulk and detail made the kit look so awesome. It turned out mine came with quite a few accessories but I happened to like the simple look and left them all off him anyway. A few years went by till I saw the Medicom Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater kit with the face paint camouflage. What a ridiculously good figure. Being long sold-out I had no real hope of finding it nor would I find it easy to drop $350 collector price to have it on my shelf. This is where I began to find more on customisation and the world surrounding 12" action figures.
I since purchased the HobbyJapan SpecFigures 3 Mook which showcases modelers custom creations and kit-bashes. The book includes tutorials on achieving certain weathering looks, body mods, even making your own clothing and accessories. It's beautifully published and designed and even in Japanese, is intuitive enough to follow.
I plan on tracking down as many second hand 12" accessories as I can (old Gi-Joe weapons and outfits on Ebay are a good start), weathering clothing and weapons and finding ways to strap the items all over my figure. I really like the skull face paint concept so I will attempt to colour the face in a similar way as the Metal Gear kit.
This has only breached the surface of this industry. You can go into detail about each manufacturer body types and swappable features, even weapon upgrade packs. It's more fun diving into the world for yourself. For those looking to start out, I have compiled toy makers that produce solid work below.
Hot Toys - http://www.hottoys.com.hk/
Hot Toys have the finest range of stock figures available. They are extremely limited runs of figures that come out sporadically and offer complex detail and many accessories to kit out the model. Incredible toy makers.
BBI (blue box toys) - http://www.blueboxtoys.com/bbi2005/ - view the Elite Force range
Produce a wide range of military figures both modern and historical. BBI don't include as many accessories as Hot Toys nor is the detail quite the same but you will still enjoy these models especially at more competitive prices. A great base for customisation.
Dragon - http://www.dragonmodelsusa.com/
Dragon offer a large range with variety and have included scene props to go with their figures. They have some gems in their collection but you may have to look for them. I prefer modern figures and less historical however there are some solid characters to see.
Look out for these additional manufacturers:
DID (Dragons In Dream) figures
Amina figures
Red Horse (Accessories)
Twisting Toyz/Armory
21st Century Toys
Very Hot Toys (hard to find - http://www.veryhot.com.cn/)
Saturday Toys
View product ranges:
Once you have a choice in mind shop around to find some good prices.
http://www.store-rooms.com/ - Free Shipping? Can't get better than that.
http://www.actionfigure2002.com/ - Big range.
http://www.triadestore.com/ - Fully custom figures. Honest store and great products.
http://www.goodstufftogo.net/ - Supplies and accessories.
Forums
http://com5.runboard.com/bmedicom/ - Mediworld, Medicom toy Forum.
http://www.onesixthwarriors.com/
http://onesixthnet.yuku.com/
Blogs
http://testicular-fortitude.blogspot.com/
http://www.mwctoys.com/
http://popprolific.wordpress.com/
I got my figure after seeing a Brothersfree article in IDN magazine which showed one tiny image of a custom 'Baby' figure, kitted out in heaps of the firefighter models clothes and accessories. The amount of bulk and detail made the kit look so awesome. It turned out mine came with quite a few accessories but I happened to like the simple look and left them all off him anyway. A few years went by till I saw the Medicom Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater kit with the face paint camouflage. What a ridiculously good figure. Being long sold-out I had no real hope of finding it nor would I find it easy to drop $350 collector price to have it on my shelf. This is where I began to find more on customisation and the world surrounding 12" action figures.
I since purchased the HobbyJapan SpecFigures 3 Mook which showcases modelers custom creations and kit-bashes. The book includes tutorials on achieving certain weathering looks, body mods, even making your own clothing and accessories. It's beautifully published and designed and even in Japanese, is intuitive enough to follow.
I plan on tracking down as many second hand 12" accessories as I can (old Gi-Joe weapons and outfits on Ebay are a good start), weathering clothing and weapons and finding ways to strap the items all over my figure. I really like the skull face paint concept so I will attempt to colour the face in a similar way as the Metal Gear kit.
This has only breached the surface of this industry. You can go into detail about each manufacturer body types and swappable features, even weapon upgrade packs. It's more fun diving into the world for yourself. For those looking to start out, I have compiled toy makers that produce solid work below.
Hot Toys - http://www.hottoys.com.hk/
Hot Toys have the finest range of stock figures available. They are extremely limited runs of figures that come out sporadically and offer complex detail and many accessories to kit out the model. Incredible toy makers.
BBI (blue box toys) - http://www.blueboxtoys.com/bbi2005/ - view the Elite Force range
Produce a wide range of military figures both modern and historical. BBI don't include as many accessories as Hot Toys nor is the detail quite the same but you will still enjoy these models especially at more competitive prices. A great base for customisation.
Dragon - http://www.dragonmodelsusa.com/
Dragon offer a large range with variety and have included scene props to go with their figures. They have some gems in their collection but you may have to look for them. I prefer modern figures and less historical however there are some solid characters to see.
Look out for these additional manufacturers:
DID (Dragons In Dream) figures
Amina figures
Red Horse (Accessories)
Twisting Toyz/Armory
21st Century Toys
Very Hot Toys (hard to find - http://www.veryhot.com.cn/)
Saturday Toys
View product ranges:
Once you have a choice in mind shop around to find some good prices.
http://www.store-rooms.com/ - Free Shipping? Can't get better than that.
http://www.actionfigure2002.com/ - Big range.
http://www.triadestore.com/ - Fully custom figures. Honest store and great products.
http://www.goodstufftogo.net/ - Supplies and accessories.
Forums
http://com5.runboard.com/bmedicom/ - Mediworld, Medicom toy Forum.
http://www.onesixthwarriors.com/
http://onesixthnet.yuku.com/
Blogs
http://testicular-fortitude.blogspot.com/
http://www.mwctoys.com/
http://popprolific.wordpress.com/