An intro to Hot Toys and one-sixth scale figures

Why this line of action figures is next-level good.

August 16, 2019

When it comes to toys, Hot Toys is by far the highest-end toymaker for collectors. The limited releases from Hot Toys are all about creating hyper-realistic action figures with life-like sculpting, points of articulation and fabulous details. You can see it in the tiny details in their Groot action figure, or how their Ghost Rider action figure literally lights up. That’s next level flames!

A standard of their line of toys is the one sixth scale figure, which has been a hallmark of the company since 2000 when they were founded. Hot Toys initially focused on producing military special forces action figures before transitioning to production of high-end figures based on media properties, with their focus primarily serving movies like Marvel Studios productions, Star Wars, and DC Comics characters. You can even pick up a lifelike rendition of Marty McFly if you so desire.

It’s like the fire is real when it lights up.

The two toys above are figures I own, but it’s the kind of collectible line you don’t just buy willy-nilly. The one-sixth scale is a major factor in this since not any home can handle the sheer size of these bad boys. That’s one reason why these figures are the centerpiece of my mantle and display cases. Considering how detailed these figures are, they better be!

We’re not just talking about the detailed paint jobs or detailed articulated skin and faces, but also the clothing. The Ghost Rider figure, for instance, wears a real leather jacket. The chain that is wrapped around his chest is made of real metal. The sneakers are made from the same materials you’d wear on your own feet. It takes something like a toy and energizes it to the point where it’s so lifelike you could picture this at full scale and it’d stand up to the strongest scrutiny.

There is also the cost, which might price out a lot of fans, but for those who save up, the Hot Toys figure will be the best toy in their collection. It’s a high-end collector item since most range from $300 to $900. Considering their Wonder Woman action figure has no seams in the shoulder and it looks like real skin, it’s worth the price. That’s not only next-level attention to detail, but it’s an innovation pushing the quality of action figures to new heights.

The detail on Groot is so high it might convince some he’s really in your living room.

Of course, while the prices may be high, the production on figures are limited, so the resale value is high too. That makes purchasing figures from Hot Toys a slightly less stressful situation knowing these high-end collector’s items can actually fetch a pretty penny down the road. Toyorigin.com has a good article on reselling Hot Toys figures if you’re interested in the best process. Considering how Hot Toys seems to be raising the bar with details, articulation, and new advancements in figure design like lighting, it’s a no-brainer you’ll be buying new ones in the future.

Hot Toys is without a doubt the upper echelon of toy collecting. Having collected Marvel Legends for years I eventually wanted something in a larger format but in higher detail to show off to friends and add to my own collection. It was an easy decision to start collecting Hot Toys and, frankly, I haven’t looked back since.