Most kids don’t really care about scale and size. Typically, if an action figure is about the same size as another line they can be played with together.
However, as kids get older and mature they learn about scale. And as collectors, they start to care more about it.
Scale is used not only for toys, but also for model kits and drafting. It is the math that is used to keep items in relationship to one another. It’s mostly stated as a ratio.
For example, Star Wars figures are typically considered to be 1:18. This ratio is the relationship to what a unit in the scaled item measures on the real world item. In our Star Wars example, 1 inch on a Star Wars would equate to 18 inches in real life. So, if Luke measured the 3.75 inches in plastic form, he would measure 67.5 inches in the real world.
It’s important to note that Scale is a ratio. It doesn’t matter if the units are inches, centimeters, or kadams. The math works the same.
In drafting that triangular ruler is called a scale. If you have ever picked one of these up and used the wrong side, you got an inadvertent lesson in scale. Drafting scales have graduations in different scales on different sides. The most common is an architectural scale with graduations for feet and inches marked in different scales on each side. Scales also come in engineering style for English (Inches) and Metric. And if you ever use one of these to draw a straight line, a drafting teacher will smack your knuckles with a ruler.
There are some fairly prevalent sizes in the action figure world.
3.75″ or 1:18 Scale. The small size of these figures is great for lines with lots of characters and/or vehicles. This size has regained some popularity in recent years. It has been the main stay of Star Wars figures since the ’70′s. However, G.I. Joe also lives in this scale among many others.
12″ or 1:6 Scale. This is the Barbie or vintage G.I. Joe size. This scale seems to come and go. The large size allows for more detail, frequently cloth clothing, and great likenesses. However, all of that comes at a price. For that reason, collectibles, outside of Barbie, tend to be more collector focused that kid oriented.
6″ or 1:12 Scale. This is somewhere between the kid oriented 1:18 scale and the collector focused 1:6. Clothes tend to be sculpted, rather than cloth. These figures may or may not be well articulated depending on the license. Best know for being the Marvel Legends scale.
1:64 Scale. While out of range for a true action figure, this is the typical scale of a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car. Some liberties are taken generally with scale in these lines, so it is more of a generalization.
Miniature gaming use a mm scale rating for it’s sizing. This is the size a 6 foot male would be in that scale. Your 6′ tall heroic barbarian would be 25mm tall in a 25mm miniature. These scales, again, tend to be generalization limited by sculpting, bases, etc…
Even larger scales exist in the model world. If you think about a model aircraft carrier for example, it would be huge if made to 1:18 true scale. The same can be send for various lines such as Transformers and Robotech.
While this is not a definite guide on scale and size. We hope it helps explains a bit for the newer collectors of the world.
(Editors Note: When converting from Inches to mm always use 25.4. One inch is 25.4mm. Using the decimal method induces a certain amount of rounding error in your calculations.)
Want to add something? Please feel free to leave a comment below.
