The Return of the 3 3/4 Action Figure...

It looks like this mess of an economy we’re in could be good for one thing… The return of the 3¾ action figure. Now I know what you’re thinking, they never really went away, right? Well, maybe not completely, the Star Wars line has carried the 3¾ torch since Hasbro released the Power of the Force line in 95. Which is fitting as it was the original Kenner Star Wars figures from 1977 that really put the 3¾ scale on the map.

But before Star Wars redefined the market, there was another 3¾ figure out there. Microman from Takara, an action figure line born out of the company's struggle with manufacturing costs (of 12 inch dolls) during the oil supply crisis of the 1970s. Hmmm… Sound familiar in any way? With oil and gas prices all over the place, the economy in despair, and people having less disposable income, less has become more. And for those of us who are fans of the 3¾ figure, that means a great year for figures!

GI Joe is leading the charge, already having spoiled us with their 25th anniversary collection, Hasbro is moving into a year that will see the release of more 25th anniversary figures, GI Joe Resolute figures (from the soon to be released web-cartoon), and of course, figures and playsets for this summers potential powerhouse GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra.


But the Joes are not alone on the 3¾ front, they’ll be joined by Terminator: Salvation, Star Trek, and Wolverine movie figures all in the 3¾ size. And the Hasbro Star Wars collection continues to reinvent figures they’ve already put out, or come up with new ones that we just can’t live without. I can’t think of a time I’ve seen this many figure lines coming out in the 3¾ scale. It’s very exciting, the cost for collecting these toys will be affordable, the playsets created for them will be realistic in price and size, and the modern quality of the sculpts and articulation will keep them looking great!


Personally, (I’m sure this reflects the era of toys I grew up with) I’ve always preferred the 3¾ figure. I loved being able to place Luke inside his X-Wing, or take over the living room with a full-scale battle of Gi Joe vehicles and figures.

The 1990s and early 2000s were a tough time for the fan of the 3¾ figure. Sure there were Star Wars figures and scattered Gi Joe releases, but for the most part with the 90s the collectors wanted larger, more display piece type toys, and the big movie tie-in figures aimed at kids every summer ranged in many odd sizes, few of which were 3¾.


Because of the size and cost, we haven’t seen many cool vehicle playsets for toys in the last ten years. Yes, Star Wars, of course, and a cool Batmobile here and there, and Playmates Star Trek: The Next Generation had an awesome bridge and shuttlecraft toy to go along with the figures. But otherwise the larger the figure, the larger the playset would be, and the larger the cost.


We've survived the McFarlane collectible statue era. All the toys were being created specifically to sell to collectors, kids and toy playability left out, the figures were being produced in mass quantity but not mass in quality. They were fragile, not very well articulated, and sadly most never even removed from their original packaging (It was the only way to keep them from breaking).

But the toys that started it all, the ones we all got hooked on, they last even today, not only in physical condition but also in financial value. Just take a look at ebay, plug in that ever-elusive Spawn figure you couldn’t live without in 2001. Odds are it’s worthless, odds are, there are a ton of them sitting in a comic shop somewhere right now collecting dust, never to be purchased again.


And then look at the toys created in the last twenty years aimed at kids, or as movie tie-ins. The Thundercats, Gi Joe, He Man, Star Wars, Batman, Transformers, Silverhawks, Power Rangers, TMNT, etc… and you’ll see there is still a healthy collectable market for them.

But… I digress… lets stop looking back and now look forward to a year where we’ll get all kinds of awesome movie figures and playsets, all in scale with each other. The big toy companies are pretty clever, leaving no stone unturned, many are offering figures in the 12 inch, 6 inch, and 3¾ inch sizes. But for an early 80s classic kind of guy like myself, it’s the return of the 3¾ that’s got my attention.