What is Your Favorite Figure "Scale"?

[Brian]

While working at re-arranging, packing away my collection - as well as looking at what is coming up in various toy lines - I got to thinking about the issue of scale again.  Although I really have always liked the 3 3/4" scale for its ability to flesh out a line with deluxe, playsets, vehicles, etc. - and also that it is easier to display (and often times cheaper) - it does seem like it is in the minority at retail anymore.  Although the smaller Joes are making their way back to TRU stores, and lines like Justice League Unlimited (probably only a year or so left) and the Zizzle POTC line are following suit - aside from Star Wars they are a couple of the few available at retail anymore.

While their seems to be more popularity gaining in larger figures, with many superhero/movie figures being in the 6" scale (or, in Mattel's case, 5") - and the prices staying in line with what we pay for Star Wars figures.  There also seems to be more and more attention being paid towards the 12" scale now, with Sideshow getting a lot of hype and acclaim for their Star Wars and Lord of the Rings lines (and probably others I'm not famliar with) - and also now ToyBiz/Marvel joining the fray with the recently released Marvel Icons line (basically 12" sized Legends figures).  From what I've read online, retailers were so enthused about the initial Icons figures, they bought into two more assortments right away.  Anyways, just curious what some of your thoughts are on scale at this point.  What do you think is the most popular scale going forward into the future now - are we moving towards larger figures/smaller assortments?  Are the days of a Star Wars section of 10-20 different figures on the pegs a thing of the past?

[efranks]

I've always been a fan of the 3.75" scale because of a lot of reasons mentioned previously in this thread; the ability to have vehicles, playsets and multiple accessories.  Plus I grew up with Fisher Price Adventure People, SW and GI Joe RAH.

Although I still like my 3.75" figures I'm also a fan of 12" because of the cloth outfits and the ability for more detail than at the smaller scale.  The Sideshow SW figures are a perfect example.  I'm a big 12" Joe fan and have some Action Man, 21st Century, bbi, Dragon and Max Steele items as well as Hasbro SW items.

I'd love to see a 12" scale line with $10 figures and various accessory packs similar to how Joe ran in the '60's and '70's and Barbie does now.  It won't really happen though.  Even Barbie is hurting these days.  Kids, and parents, just want to drop cash on one box and have everything included for that toy (not counting vehicles). 

It's a shame, really, that the way kids play today has changed so much since the late '70's/early '80's when a lot of us were growing up.  Nobody has an imagination any more. 

I may be wrong but just based on what I see in local neighborhoods and the apartment complex where I live, kids don't play with toys any more.  When I was a kid on a Saturday you could find me and my friends with SW and/or Joe figures spread out over two or three front lawns.  Now I see kids walking around with their iPod in their ears and their PSP in their hands.

Eh...sorry for the rant.  Anyway, 3.75" is my favorite scale with 12" running a very close second.

   E...

[Brian]

I was wondering, do you think that oil prices/economic issues will get toy makers (action figures in specific) to look more and more into transitioning towards smaller scales (like 3 3/4").  Does it make a difference to collectors?  Looking at the action figure aisle (and into the future), you've got Star Wars, Indy, Joes, etc. sitting in the roughly 3 3/4" scale.  The lines like Marvel and DC that have always focused on 6" scale figures, are now starting to explore the smaller scale as well (with Marvel Universe in 2009 and DCIH at retail currently).  Plus, you also have price increases across the board (possibly hitting $15 for the 6" scale stuff, and approaching $10 for the smaller scale stuff), with no price breaks in sight anytime soon.  Those days of paying $4.99 for Star Wars figures and $6.88 for Marvel Legends seem so long ago now.

On a more personal side of it, I'm starting to look more and more at 3 3/4" lines only with options out there for Marvel and DC.  Not only for the pricepoint, but for the display part of things.  Don't get me wrong, in the lines I'm interested in that are the larger scale (Marvel/DC), those larger figures are a much higher quality "collector" type figure.  I'll probably always buy those in some capacity, but as many of us have said before, it would have been nice if they had started at 3 3/4" in the first place.  Many of us are so invested at the larger scale at this point that it doesn't make sense to start from scratch again.  If Marvel Legends (although its switching to two packs next year) and DCUC start hitting a $15 per figure pricepoint consistently, I'm really going to have to cut back.  Anyways, in a nutshell, do you think that the larger scale stuff will be phasing out eventually because of these reasons?