Frustrated

So, I wasn't going to post this over at Men With Dolls because I've moaned about this type of thing a whole bunch and always get the same reply. So congrats guys, you get to hear me whine.

I understand that brick and mortar stores are becoming a thing of the past. I realize that shapes don't like to stock big stuff, I realize that kids today like video games.

Yeah yeah yeah.

But...

Look at ebay. Look at 1/6 vehicles, either civilian RC, or military.

They are for sale, some sit there forever, some sell, for astronomical prices.

Sometimes you find listings like this.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/313509268603

That thing is beat up.. Yet look what they charge.. and someone will pay for it. Because of the lack of affordable one sixth vehicles. Someone will see that and think of how they can fix it up. It's missing loads of stuff, including the roll bar by the looks of it.

I guess this post is more of a thinking out loud type thing.

But I really wish that some company would look at these forums and listen. I mean, even a more plays already company like Mattel..

I believe there is a market out there. As for kids playing with toys. Matters shares have seen an increase in the past year, Barbie sales have gone up.

Likely because kinds being stuck indoors, they needed something to do, let's face it, video games are only fun for so long.

Point incase, I bought an Xbox last April, played games for about ten days before getting back into onesixth.. I've not touched the Xbox since, but I've certainly expanded my onesixth collection..

I'm not a child, though I act like one.

I do agree with you Sarah, prices have just gone mental, but it's not just 1/6 vehicles it's everything! The after market sales of figures for instance are just insane! and heaven forbid you want to try and find something with the Action Man brand on it!

I think if companies were to make a reasonably priced r/c 1/6 vehicle, they would sell, not only in the 1/6 market but also in the kids toy market. It would imo have to be well made though to grab the attention of a kid. as you've mentioned, kids who play with Barbie I'm sure would jump at the chance to have a realistic looking vehicle . Sadly though, I don't think anyone will ever listen .

I agree, prices have gone mental.

I had a 4-5 year hiatus from the hobby, and upon my return figures I
used to get for about $35 are now going for $70 and above!

I wonder if the pandemic has had an effect. People are not working,
so they think they can get a higher price? Maybe to help pay the bills?

I don't know. But it's insane.

Daryl

When the likes of Hot Toys and Ace came into the 1/6th world many years ago now  , the prices were ludicrous , so much so I dropped out the hobby because I was not going to keep up financially , it`s a hobby that needs feeding and is very addictive . I have drifted in and out since , but am enjoying my recent revival .   If you shop around and buy at the right time it seems you can still pick up bargains . Everything has got silly money though , I look at some stuff and think I could buy a real jacket for that money , or some real trainers blah blah blah . Vehicles are no exception , but you have to consider the shipping on those too . I can not help but think there must be hundreds of 1/6th vehicles out there , sitting in peoples sheds or lofts doing nothing , in the past a lot of collectors didn`t have the room for them . I think Jeeps have always been desirable , they are not huge and you can keep 4/5 figures in them , which is kind of space saving    The world has got greedy that`s for sure . All I can say Sarah is be patient , keep looking and something will come along you like that`s in budget , I try ( and often fail ) , to put a limit on what I will spend , I try not go over £20 on a head sculpt for example , even that is silly money but I still do it .....

I posted a similar rant about the prices of 1/6 figures recently, both here at AMMO and at OSF:

https://actionmanmobileops.forumotion.co.uk/t11589-question-new-product-releases-pre-orders-and-secondary-market-price-inflation-what-s-your-take

I received a few responses from the OSF crew. Basically, they said that because most 1/6 figures and items are limited production runs, we simply have to pay higher prices, and we have to get used to buying sight-unseen during the pre-order window or else pay a LOT more than initial retail on the secondary market.

As for "brick and mortar" stores, they have limited shelf space and they would rather fill up that space with small items that sell quickly than with large items that sit. I've also noticed that entire product lines have a very limited shelf life if they do not catch fire quickly.

I have seen the Barbie Sweet Orchard Farm pickup truck on local store shelves recently, for around $40 USD. It is not "true scale" by any means, but at least it is a 1/6 scale vehicle that can seat a couple of figures. But there's very little detailing, and the doors do not open, so figures must be put in through the windows.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Barbie-Sweet-Orchard-Farm-Truck-Doll-Set-With-Accessories/340750158

It certainly appears to me that passably realistic 1/6 scale vehicles are now specialty items with a starting price in the $300-$400 USD range, whether you're looking at new or at the secondary market.

As Chip noted, shipping costs, particularly on large boxes, have become absurd, making the selling of 1/6 scale vehicles problematic even if somebody has one to sell. Shipping costs here in the States, from one state to another, can easily exceed $100 USD for something the size of a 21st Century Jeep.

All good replies guys! Thank you!

Dal, I agree, I think some good quality one sixth RC in a decent price range like the old New Brights would sell. It would be cool if company's could do that.

Daryl, that's a real good point about the greed.

Chip, I hear you there. It's nice to think about all.of the dusty vehicles waiting for a good home.. I like to imagine boxes of those modern Russian sets from 21st Century Toys sitting in some warehouse waiting to be sold online... Sadly they'd be triple the retail price at least. I actually recently pulled the trigger on something on ebay... but shhhh, for now it's a big secret.🤫

Dave, that's the shame with brick and mortar, less space, wanting to make about in the quick fixes. Still Mattel Jurrassic line has been really good.

I once enquired about the shortage of to scale 1/6 vehicles Sarah. The answer I got was it's just too small a market as development and bringing them to market is insanely expensive, and little girls playing with Barbies far outnumber those collecting 1/6. We're all painfully aware how small a segment within 1/6 is interested in civilian, which is primarily Military figure driven, and even those are not a huge market, but enough to see a few Military 1/6 vehicles produced albeit at a high price. It follows that toy manufacturers will produce any product where there is sufficient market and sadly 1/6 just doesn't have the numbers to make it financially feasible to produce 1/6 vehicles. An exception is 1/6 motorcycles, which don't exist for the 1/6 figure market, but in spite of it. 1/6 Motorcycles exist because there's a huge community of 1/6 motorcycle collectors willing to pay the high prices.

I think it bears saying that the 1/6 market is not what it was when those of us who are old enough to remember it's glory days were kids ourselves and manufacturers have to accordingly. When I was a kid, it was largely kid stuff. They were made as toys to be played with and the fact that so many of the vehicles built by Hasbro or Palitoy in the 70's have survived, even if incomplete, into the 21st Century is proof that they were built tough to be played with by kids of 7-12 perhaps.

Today the 1/6th market is more an adult thing, and I think there are several genres and sub genres of collectors.

1. The dedicated military enthusiast who's a freak for historical accuracy . Here we find a heavy emphasis on WWII in General and WWII Germany in particular, though there are guys like Chip who seem to focus chiefly (and very accurately IMO) on Vietnam or other conflicts.

2. Fantasy / Sci-Fi / Superhero Collector. I lump these all into one because even if all you buy are Star Wars figures, and don't give a hoot about Faeries and Monsters or Iron Man, they are all subsets of a genre rooted in Movie, TV, or Comic Book fantasy pretty much. Star Wars collectors are the most fanatic, I think, but that's just my opinion as a Star Trek fan,

3. The non-conformist kitbasher. This is me...this is Dal, this is Dave, this is I think Sarah too and a lot of others. We don't limit ourselves to the universes created by other. We like to imagine our own little 1/6 scale alternate realities and kitbash our collections to conform to realities that we've created in our imaginations. Our figures have names...but not names like Batman or Luke Skywalker or Pepper Potts, but names we created ourselves like Kamiko Takahara and Glynnis Penny-Farthing or Jake Rivers or General MacCuster. We're the easiest and hardest to appeal to at the same time as we often scour the net for vendors selling the parted out pieces of kit we need to create our artistic vision. Yes...I have a James Bond / Sean Connery head sculpt now, but of my growing figure collection, it's the only one based on a movie character, whom I've re-imagined a great deal. Yes, Dal has "The Doctor" and "Dutch" from "Predator" and "Dr X" and a bunch of other figures that were conceived by others, but they are not the main protagonists in his narratives. They are 1/6 scale character actors whose only purpose is to provide a familiar but secondary character in the narratives created by the owner.

Now how does this relate to vehicles?

It's simple. Of the three groups, only the first is predictable enough in their tastes to manufacturers to produce anything in significant numbers. WWII? Always sells, and the fact that a lot of WWII vehicles were used beyond WWII is probably an advantage. The middle group? Sword an sorcery collectors won't give a hoot about vehicles and Sci-Vehicles for Star Trek or Star Wars are for the most part too large to be practical in 1/6 scale. The third group? Very unpredictable. Collectively, we like almost everything. Individually, we agree on almost nothing. Yes, Dragon periodically releases an M4 Sherman with 75mm gun, the most common US tank of WWII, but I want the M4A3E8 with 76mm High velocity gun and HVSS suspension. Better still...an Israeli Sherman Mk 50 or Mk 51.

In short, the manufactures mostly produce fairly universal stuff like Jeeps and other small vehicles which every military depends on and which they know will appeal to their most predictable market segment; the first group and largely ignore rest of us and our more eclectic tastes,

SixthShooter wrote:

I once enquired about the shortage of to scale 1/6 vehicles Sarah. The answer I got was it's just too small a market as development and bringing them to market is insanely expensive, and little girls playing with Barbies far outnumber those collecting 1/6. We're all painfully aware how small a segment within 1/6 is interested in civilian, which is primarily Military figure driven, and even those are not a huge market, but enough to see a few Military 1/6 vehicles produced albeit at a high price. It follows that toy manufacturers will produce any product where there is sufficient market and sadly 1/6 just doesn't have the numbers to make it financially feasible to produce 1/6 vehicles. An exception is 1/6 motorcycles, which don't exist for the 1/6 figure market, but in spite of it. 1/6 Motorcycles exist because there's a huge community of 1/6 motorcycle collectors willing to pay the high prices.

Quite true. The costs of building the molds necessary to produce these kits, especially high detailed kits is astronomical as is the cost of the injection molding machines which are pretty much pressed into 24 hour service to produce the parts. It's not like when were kids and everyone had a GI-Joe or two. Among adults, this is a very narrow hobby.

All I wanted at the time was an accurate to scale 1/6 Crown Vic P70 Police Car. ;-) Like that was ever going to happen. And strangely I think it would've had a market, as there are lots of Police Collectors out there who'd probably buy one, even if they're not into 1/6 Figures.

SixthShooter wrote:

All I wanted at the time was an accurate to scale 1/6 Crown Vic P70 Police Car. ;-) Like that was ever going to happen. And strangely I think it would've had a market, as there are lots of Police Collectors out there who'd probably buy one, even if they're not into 1/6 Figures.

I would definitely buy a crown vic. All of those applications Rick Grimes Walking Dead, make it from the Raccoon City PD, regular civilian stories, rip off the lights and make a cab.. so many applications.

Kimono Troop Command wrote:

I think it bears saying that the 1/6 market is not what it was when those of us who are old enough to remember it's glory days were kids ourselves and manufacturers have to accordingly.  When I was a kid, it was largely kid stuff.  They were made as toys to be played with and the fact that so many of the vehicles built by Hasbro or Palitoy in the 70's have survived, even if incomplete, into the 21st Century is proof that they were built tough to be played with by kids of 7-12 perhaps.  

Today the 1/6th market is more an adult thing, and I think there are several genres and sub genres of collectors.

1. The dedicated military enthusiast who's a freak for historical accuracy .  Here we find a heavy emphasis on WWII in General and WWII Germany in particular, though there are guys like Chip who seem to focus chiefly (and very accurately IMO) on Vietnam or other conflicts.

2. Fantasy / Sci-Fi / Superhero Collector.  I lump these all into one because even if all you buy are Star Wars figures, and don't give a hoot about Faeries and Monsters or Iron Man, they are all subsets of a genre rooted in Movie, TV, or Comic Book fantasy pretty much.  Star Wars collectors are the most fanatic, I think, but that's just my opinion as a Star Trek fan,  

3. The non-conformist kitbasher.  This is me...this is Dal, this is Dave, this is I think Sarah too and a lot of others.  We don't limit ourselves to the universes created by other.  We like to imagine our own little 1/6 scale alternate realities and kitbash our collections to conform to realities that we've created in our imaginations.  Our figures have names...but not names like Batman or Luke Skywalker or Pepper Potts, but names we created ourselves like Kamiko Takahara and Glynnis Penny-Farthing or Jake Rivers or General MacCuster.  We're the easiest and hardest to appeal to at the same time as we often scour the net for vendors selling the parted out pieces of kit we need to create our artistic vision. Yes...I have a James Bond / Sean Connery head sculpt now, but of my growing figure collection, it's the only one based on a movie character, whom I've re-imagined a great deal. Yes, Dal has "The Doctor" and "Dutch" from "Predator" and "Dr X" and a bunch of other figures that were conceived by others, but they are not the main protagonists in his narratives.  They are 1/6 scale character actors whose only purpose is to provide a familiar but secondary character in the narratives created by the owner.

Now how does this relate to vehicles?  

It's simple.  Of the three groups, only the first is predictable enough in their tastes to manufacturers to produce anything in significant numbers. WWII?  Always sells, and the fact that a lot of WWII vehicles were used beyond WWII is probably an advantage.  The middle group?  Sword an sorcery collectors won't give a hoot about vehicles and Sci-Vehicles for Star Trek or Star Wars are for the most part too large to be practical in 1/6 scale.  The third group?  Very unpredictable.  Collectively, we like almost everything. Individually, we agree on almost nothing.  Yes, Dragon periodically releases an M4 Sherman with 75mm gun, the most common US tank of WWII, but I want the M4A3E8 with 76mm High velocity gun and HVSS suspension.  Better still...an Israeli Sherman Mk 50 or Mk 51.  

In short, the manufactures mostly produce fairly universal stuff like Jeeps and other small vehicles which every military depends on and which they know will appeal to their most predictable market segment; the first group and largely ignore rest of us and our more eclectic tastes,

There are so many amazing vehicles that I'd want to buy in 1/6. I suppose it is a good thing they done make th3m otherwise I'd be broke.

Kimono Troop Command wrote:

Today the 1/6th market is more an adult thing, and I think there are several genres and sub genres of collectors.

1. The dedicated military enthusiast who's a freak for historical accuracy .  Here we find a heavy emphasis on WWII in General and WWII Germany in particular, though there are guys like Chip who seem to focus chiefly (and very accurately IMO) on Vietnam or other conflicts .

Thanks for that very kind compliment Gary .

Chip wrote:

Kimono Troop Command wrote:

Today the 1/6th market is more an adult thing, and I think there are several genres and sub genres of collectors.

1. The dedicated military enthusiast who's a freak for historical accuracy .  Here we find a heavy emphasis on WWII in General and WWII Germany in particular, though there are guys like Chip who seem to focus chiefly (and very accurately IMO) on Vietnam or other conflicts .

Thanks for that very kind compliment Gary .

No problem Chip. Your collection pays exquisite attention to detail.

Sarah,

There are a lot of vehicles I'd like to see also, and like you, i'd be broke if they were all available. But like I've said, IMO the dedicated military collector is probably the most predictable. One which I think would be an instant hit on the market if it were available is the good old M113 APC. A Vietnam and Cold War classic, it was and is still being used by so many countries that the it could fit into a great many collections.

Another Cold War era vehicle that I think would be a big hit because of the number of armies that used them is the M41 light tank. Dragon however seems bent on limiting it's production to WWII, which is predictable, given the number of WWII figures they've produced over the years. However if they put out an M24 Light tank, it would also be a huge hit because of the numbers of countries that used them post-WWII. I would certainly get either one without hesitation, though I would prefer the M41.