1:6 Scale Modeling - History of Modern 1:6 Miniaturism

History of Modern 1:6 Miniaturism

Playscale miniaturism (with emphasis on articulated figures) emerged as a hobby in 1964 when the toy company Hasbro introduced the first fully articulated action figure: G.I. Joe. The figures originally represented American military men; as American involvement in the Vietnam War continued, war toys and figures fell out of favor with parents, and G.I. Joe's sales declined. A change to a less martial Adventure Team theme did not revive sales, and by 1976, GI Joe was no longer produced in 1:6 scale. The UK had two equivalents; Action Man and Tommy Gunn; the latter first appeared in 1966 while the former continued through various incarnations until 1993 in the "vintage" form and in a revised form to the current day.

In the early 1990s Hasbro began reproducing G.I. Joe in 1:6 scale again as a Classic Collection marketed towards adults. The shift in focus towards collectibility rather than marketing the figures as a toy invited competition, and soon other companies began to market detailed 1:6 figures toward adult consumers.

In 1997 21st Century Toys began producing 1:6 scale accessory and uniform sets representing equipment used in the Vietnam War and soon expanded their product line to include World War II, Law Enforcement, Emergency Services, and Modern Armed forces Accessories under the names "The Ultimate Soldier" (TUS) and "America's Finest" respectively. The company offered more detailed and historically accurate products than Hasbro. 21st Century further expanded their line to include vehicles and a "Villains" series. Through 2000–present rumors have persisted of a resurgence of the TUS line, however production, mostly of RC vehicles and "lower quality" figures have been inconsistent in both areas of release and numbers produced, and a shift in emphasis to smaller scales has caused a lull in production.

In 1999 Dragon Models Limited (DML) entered the 1:6 scale figure market; their figures were held in high esteem by collectors due to their both high quality and accurate products. Their main focus became World War II figures, but they have released figures from the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, Korean War, both the first and second Gulf Wars, and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. They have also released vehicles and crew-served heavy weapons in 1:6 scale.

Around 2001 Blue Box Toys (BBI) began producing modern era figures of the same quality as those manufactured by DML. These figures were notable for their die-cast accessories and quirky "Custom Expression Mechanism", by which facial expressions could be adjusted somewhat by turning a small screw in the back of the head, both of which were met with mixed results by collectors yet indisputably made headway in the evolution of accessory and headsculpt detail. BBI later produced WWII era figures as well, but the company has also recently shifted its focus to smaller scale figures.

Recently, companies associated with smaller scale figures such as Toy Soldier Workshop, ACE, Battle Gear Toys, DiD (Dragon in Dreams), Armoury, RMC (Realistic Miniatures), In The Past Toys, Toys City and New Line Miniatures have begun to provide extremely accurate gear made from good quality cloth and leather. This trend to move towards the 1990s mentality of cottage production and scratchbuilding has left a unique feel when combined with the mass-produced figures of today. Customizers also have started to produce custom kits for armored vehicles such as half-tracks and tanks. While these techniques have been developed in military arenas, they are increasingly being used in non-military genres.