Most folks have owned a 1:6 scale toy at some point in their lives. It’s the scale of the classic G.I. Joe, Barbie, Captain Action, and many more: it effectively means “humanoid” and “twelve inches tall”. But few folks have owned the Cadillac of the 1:6 scale market, the best of the best in 12″ figures. These are made by Hot Toys Ltd. and they generally retail for $250 to $500. On the secondhand market, like in our Batman auction, these limited edition pieces (generally no more than 3,000 made) retain and grow in value much better than average. Why? Because they’re worth it!
Who Are Hot Toys Ltd?
In the year 2000, a group of Asian toymakers based in Hong Kong banded together with one goal: make the best damn 1:6 scale military toys ever seen on the planet Earth. Their mission was to appeal to adult collectors and military history enthusiasts in ways that big brands like G.I. Joe simply could not. They had some success at this mission, but like any business they had to move onward and upward. So they began making licensed movie action figures in 2003.
They have not looked back. Sculptor Yulli and painter JC Hong create incredibly detailed and lifelike head sculpts. Meanwhile the costume/accessory team put just as much work into their product as their Hollywood counterparts. More, in fact, since they’re making costumes and props at 1:6 scale without digital touch-up! The resulting figures are the closest most of us will get to having movie stars in our homes. The company also brings video game, cartoon, and comic characters to life with the same attention to detail.
One of the major selling points of the figures is their posability. They boast just about as many joints as a genuine human body, allowing them to strike any iconic pose you can remember from your favorite media. Where articulation isn’t feasible, they provide swappable body parts. These provide a variety facial expressions, hair styles, and hand gestures that put the finishing touches on those film-accurate poses.
What Kind of Toys Do They Make?
Hot Toys 1:6 scale line specializes in genre movies. You’re not likely to see them make Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, but Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jin was one of their earliest offerings. Hot Toys licenses properties from everybody, releasing figures based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars alongside DC heroes and Doc Brown. Having been doing this for twenty years now, they have a massive library of figures available…on the secondary market, since first runs are strictly limited. They do, however, often revisit popular characters with different costumes, accessories, and sculpts.
The highest level of quality and an obsessive attention to detail are Hot Toys Ltd’s trademarks, and it carries through all of their work.They also make accessories for their 1:6 scale figures. This includes vehicles, set pieces, and other items that will jazz up your display shelf. These are created with the same artistry and attention to detail as the figures, meaning they look perfect together. Finally, they produce dioramas and statues that carry the same level of visual detail without the posability or swappable pieces.
Are Hot Toys Worth Their Price Point?
In a word: yes! Assuming the figure you’re looking at is based on a character you love, you will never find a higher quality representation of them than a Hot Toys figure. They are the gold standard for detail in every aspect of the toy process, hand-painted and sculpted for screen accuracy above all other concerns. It is that extra work that drives the price point, but you can see the money you’re spending.
Additionally, getting in on Hot Toys when they’re brand new can be lucrative down the line. Many modern collector’s item toys struggle to gain value, especially in the short term. Most items designed to be collected and preserved don’t gain the rarity that drives collectible value. Not Hot Toys. Due to their high original price point, high quality, and limited production runs, recouping one’s investment is much easier than with other collectibles.
Where Do I Sell My Hot Toys?
If you’ve got a collection of Hot Toys figures (or dioramas or accessories) you’re looking to sell, we are happy to help you do that! Back to the Past handles the hard parts of selling collectibles (pricing, customer service, shipping, etc) and you just get paid. We’re a perfect fit for the collector who wants to recoup their investment without taking on a side hustle running an eBay store.
As we mentioned above, a Batman collection we recently handled included several gorgeous Hot Toys items. To keep up with what we’re doing and make sure you never miss out on what we’re carrying, follow us on social media @b2pcollect and sign up for our weekly newsletter!