1:6 SCALE ACTION FIGURES TUTORIAL

The best way to keep your action figure collection’s greatest dollar value for reselling is to never unbox and keep the boxes pristine. But what’s the fun in having a bunch of boxes in your closet you never touch?  For all the purist collectors who can’t bring themselves to open their own boxes, you can live vicariously through my tutorial and stories as I show you what’s inside.  
This tutorial will cover 1/6 scale action figures in my collection and will have my personal opinions of usage.  No assumptions will be made of other types of figures on the market.

MALE ACTION FIGURES

There are too many action figure manufacturers to list here, so I’ll just go over my most commonly used ones.  

(1) Hot Toys

(2) COO Models

(3) DID (Dragon in Dreams)

(4) DAMToys

(5) VTS Virtual Toys

(6) Enterbay

(7) Kumik 

(8) Soldier Story 

(9) KODOXO Toys

(10) Worldbox

(11) Obitsu

(12) Custom Made Heads (Ebay & AliExpress)

 

HOT TOYS

In my opinion, Hot Toys has become the Lamborgini of action figures.  They have some of the most lucrative movie/TV licenses around (Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Terminator and many more). Their head sculpts look almost exactly like the celebrity movie character they’re based on.  Their costumes are meticulously created to resemble movie/TV characters’ costumes with extreme attention to detail and quality.  Their bodies have fabulous articulation, a good range in body sizes, and are high quality, lasting for years without breaking.

When I first started collecting Hot Toys TrueType bodies were my go-to for my entire male action figure collection because of their high quality and fabulous articulation.  I’ve noticed that other competing action figure companies have used Hot Toys body size, hand pegs, and feet size as the standard for clothing, shoes, additional expressive hands.  Many body types fit Hot Toys heads and use their neck peg as the standard.  Custom hands for action figures are Hot Toys standardized and fit most action figure bodies, which provides much more expression and posing. 

As Hot Toys creates figures mostly for collectors that want to have specific movie characters displayed in their homes, my needs veer from the norm.  I tend to stay away from other people’s characters, I need actors who can play many parts for my own original stories.  Even though I love Star Wars, you won’t see me purchasing a C3PO as it’s forever a Star Wars character and cannot be used for anything else. So as the prices rose drastically on Hot Toys full figures, I started buying only their heads, or custom copy versions of their heads by other parties to get the actors and put them on COOModel bodies.   

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Any Action figure store online – SideShow Collectables, Monkey Depot, Cotswold Collectables, etc., as well as eBay and directly from Hot Toys.

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COOMODEL

This company makes fully dressed action figures, really good historical knights and other Hollywood movie and TV show figures.   At this time I only purchase bodies from them.  The reasons that the four models below are my favorite action figure body are: (1) Maximum articulation (2) Quality body that lasts for years & doesn’t stain easily (3) Height options, tall enough for 12.5″ Integrity Toys girls, and short enough for younger ages (4) 

COOModel Body Types:

BD001  25 cm – For Long Neck Heads

BD002 – 27 cm  – For Long Need Heads

BD009 – 25 cm – With Neck

BD010 – 27 cm – With Neck

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Most online action figure stories and eBay and AliExpress.

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DAMTOYS

DAMToys make a lot of military action figures, and have various licenses to make many video game characters (Assasin’s Creed, Warcraft & Resident Evil) and even ones for the Godfather movie series. I think I only have one DAMToys body.   They only make the 12″ tall or slightly shorter bodies, and I need taller boys. I mostly buy head sculpts on eBay.

The head sculpts come with both long necks (which fit any Hot Toys sized neck plug) and no neck head types.  The holes inside the heads of the ones without necks are usually a smaller ball and joint than Hot Toy’s heads.   Standard Hot Toys heads usually have the circular joint inside the head glued in. 

For DAMToys the heads have a plastic insert head sleeve that slides out while still attached to the ball joint.  The smaller ball joints are harder to find for purchase on eBay.  A workaround is removing the sleeve insert, using a Hot Toys ball joint and wrapping it in masking tape, or putty to make it fit inside the head hole.

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Most online action figure stories and eBay and AliExpress.

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DID Corporation (Dragon In Dreams)

DID or Dragon in Dream makes Napoleonic Series, WWI Military Series, WWII Military Series, Modern Military Series, Japanese Samurai Series action figures.   Back in 2008 when I first started collecting action figures, they were the first company I noticed that had the majority of the action figures being sold on eBay and action figure online stores.  

Today they usually make many of their newer action figure with long-neck heads with proprietary bodies and head joints.  That means the neck hole only fits into a DID body, which is only 12″ in height.  Due to the short stature I only own a few DID bodies.   The older than 2018 heads I have fit on the CooModel bodies and would fit on most other action figure bodies that are ready for long necks.

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Most online action figure stories and eBay and AliExpress.

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ENTERBAY

Enterbay introduced the 13″ basketball series of NBA players several years back, after which I noticed other figure manufacturers making taller 13″ bodies.   When Enterbay was the only company making these taller bodies I paid what I found as an insane amount of money for a Derrick Rose figure and was very disappointed when his body broke into pieces after having it only 11 months, first in his torso and his knee after very little handing and redressing.  I don’t know if I got a rare faulty body, or if there was a temperature or weather issue (I live in an arid climate), but I hadn’t had the funds to take a chance on more of their bodies.  Since then I’ve only purchased their heads or custom replica heads and placed them on CooModel bodies which unfortunately don’t always match their skintone.   Skintone is a huge issue with African American action figures, they only make a few body shades, but an endless amount of head sculpt shades.

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Most online action figure stories and eBay and AliExpress.

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KODOXO

KODOXO may not still be in business, I can’t find a website or any information on them.  Several years back they made famous international soccer players from all over the world into action figure sets, in their original team uniform. The sets are now very hard to find, only their heads are available on AliExpress or sometimes on eBay.  I’m thrilled to add more diversity to my collection wherever I can find it.

They have similar heads with kneck sleeves as DAMToys, and can fit on Hot Toys balls with tape or putty once you remove the plastic sleeve if you don’t have a smaller ball joint.   

Country of Origin: Unknown

Where to Purchase:  eBay and AliExpress.

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SOLDIER STORY

Soldier story has created exclusively military figures from WW1 until present.  Earlier bodies had no removable heads, hands, or feet.  In the early 2010’s their bodies had rubbery torso parts and they shifted to more Hot Toys body standard removable heads, hands and feet.  However, their neck joints were very different more of a long peg that fit into a very small hole.  In the last few years the head sculpt have quickly standardized to the same neck sleeves as DAMToys and KODOXO.  They can also be adjusted to fit on COOModel or other Hot Toys standard neck joints.  Because of their short height, I mainly purchase their heads so I can make them taller on COOModel bodies. 

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Most online action figure stories and eBay and AliExpress.

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VTS – VIRTUAL TOYS

VTS Virtual Toys is new in the last few years.  They make military and movie character action figures.  I’ve only purchased head sculpts on eBay.  They come in both long neck and no neck types.  They fit standard Hot Toys neck joints and are good quality and likeness to the celebrities they fashion them after.

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Any Action figure store online, as well as eBay and AliExpress.

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KUMIK

Kumik is a South Korean company that makes realistic male and female action figure heads, many times of K-Pop or Korean drama stars.   The male heads usually have long necks.  The females usually have no necks and can fit on Kumik bodies & other female bodies such as Phicen. The females are described in the Female Action Figure section below.   This gallery will only have male bodies and heads. 

Country of Origin: South Korea

Where to Purchase: Any Action figure store online, as well as eBay and AliExpress.

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WORLDBOX – LAKOR

World Box makes action figures, handsets, and many child sets.  In the last year I’ve found just the child body without a head sculpt, which is wonderful as it has expanded my collection of children.  Children of all ages are sorely rare and missed within 1/6 scale figures.  Any articulated child I can find delights me.  The quality is just okay, as their bodies are fragile and can be difficult to change clothing. Their articulation is half as good as adult action figures, making it difficult to get truly human poses.  But their awkwardness in posing sometimes helps them look more like toddlers, so they’re worth having.

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Any Action figure store online, as well as eBay and AliExpress.

CLICK ON THE 1ST PHOTO TO START THE GALLERY:

 

OBITSU & DISONO

Obitsu figures should be categorized in the Anime, Blythe, Lati dolls where the heads are much larger than the bodies.   

I can’t find a lot of info on Disono,  from the limited places they sell I’m assuming it’s a Chinese company that makes similar Obitsu’s baby body.  Disono also offers the body in 6 different body skin tones, while Obitsu usually only had a couple of very Caucasian skin tones.   It’s unknown if they make any heads at all.

With heads being limited I have to use either Mattel’s Kelly line, or find custom child heads on eBay.   I love having children in my stories and would love to have more of every race, cultural background and age.  So far, the options are very limited, with heads being the hardest find, and more inclusive skin tones being the second hardest.  I pondered purchasing one of the white Obitsu bodies and spray painting it another skin tone.  But knowing how to spray paint can glob and possibly restrict joints from moving, I decided against it.   

Country of Origin Obitsu: Japan

Country of Origin Disono: China

Where to Purchase: Obitsu direct distributers, eBay and AliExpress.

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CUSTOM HEAD SCULPTS

eBay and AliExpress both have Custom head sculpts, which are copies of manufacturers head by private vendors, or just new sculpts no one else has done yet.  They don’t have a manufacturer name or company, just an eBay account selling them.   Some are of fantastic quality and photograph better than the original they copied due to the type of resin they used.   

NOTE: The resin type on a head sculpt can determine how much your photographic lighting passes through the surface of the face vs. bouncing off the face.  Some heads are what I call ‘spongy’ that suck up the light and make it very challenging to photograph them as they come out blurry, the surface of the skin rough and vague.  I’ll label those in the gallery.   Most of the custom heads that I get photograph beautifully, it’s just harder to tell what the quality of these heads are until you get them as they may not have professional photos when listed on eBay.   For ‘spongy’ heads, too much lighting will actually make their skin glow, blur or look yellow/green or whatever color the resin is under the paint job.  Less lighting works best on these heads. 

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: eBay and AliExpress.

CLICK ON THE 1ST PHOTO TO START THE GALLERY:

 

FEMALE ACTION FIGURES

My female action figure collection is very small with only the three manufacturers to the right that I know of. 

(1) Hot Toys

(2) Kumik

(3) TBLeague

(4) Unknown Manuracturer

 

sDISCLAIMER: Action Figure Girls will be where my LEAST amount of knowledge lies.  With very few in my collection, there is a vast amount of information I don’t have about the different lines.  If you collect action figure girls and have better websites to source them or more info for me let me know at: JATMANStories@gmail.com.  I’m always happy to learn more from others. 

Many readers have asked why I use fashion dolls instead of action figure females with my males in my stories.  It’s true that the figures of the same design look naturally better together as characters.  Some have commented that they are jarred by my use of Integrity Toys girls with more realistic action figure boys.  My reasons for not using more action figures girls are below:

MY STORY NEEDS:

      (1) ARTICULATION: Articulation must be in the neck, breastplate, elbows, wrists, hips and knees for human poses.  Action girls check this box and actually exceed Integrity Toys fashion dolls.

      (2) CLOTHING: Here’s where the majority of the limitations in using action figures girls start and end. 

             (a) BODY ISSUES: Voluptuous to extremes and for all the wrong reasons, heads that don’t quite meet the necks so they look strange 

             (b) ALLERGY TO SEAMLESS  BODIES – Some of the seamless bodies skin gives me a rash and breathing issues. 

             (c) CLOTHING: Too expensive for each piece and the vast majority is highly sexualized which limits character development in my stories.

             (d) SHOES: Shoes for seamless bodies are easier to find, but shoes for figures with ankle pegs are harder to find as they’re not standardized

      (3) HEAD SCULPTS: Their faces are perfect, they look human and match my boys.  The size of their heads varies and they can come extremely small related to the bodies, looking unnatural.  The vast majority come with resin hair with the same hairstyle forever. If they come with nylon hair, the wig cap is floppy and awkward, not meeting the hairline in a natural way in many cases.  

      (4) DURABILITY:  Their bodies are NOT durable enough to handle years of redressing and posing.  The very expensive seamless bodies rip easily at the joints such as elbows and knees.  And any of the bodies with soft material as the seamless ones stain easily from dark-colored clothing.

UPDATE: Meng bodies from China provide a way to place an action figure head sculpt on a fashion doll body which solves all the issues above, but does mean a decrease in articulation to a fashion doll’s movement.  See the Mend section below for details.  

HOT TOYS

I only own one Hot Toys female, a Star Wars, Princess Leia Bespin action figure.  After taking her out of the box to pose for photos I quickly realized I was going to have to treat her differently than all my other female dolls.  She needs to be stored carefully in her original box, naked as her body is fragile and her torso will stain from her red outfit. 

Princess Leia was my first hero as a kid when Star Wars ‘A New Hope’ came out.  I had to have this action figure, not only because Star Wars ‘Empire Strikes Back’ was my favorite of all the movies, but because I loved Carrie Fisher and this character so much.  The head sculpt is beautiful and a lovely representation of Carrie.  I splurged big-time on this figure, as it was way out of my normal buying range.  Hot Toys figures pricing starts at $200/figure and can go up to $500/figure.

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Any Action figure store online, as well as eBay and AliExpress.

 

CLICK ON THE 1ST PHOTO TO START THE GALLERY:

KUMIK

ADULT FEMALE (11.5″ Tall) 

The first Kumik body I purchased off of eBay came to me along with a separate order for two Kumik head sculpts which I assumed by the pictures would match skin tones.  Never assume.  The body was green, the head was a natural Asian skin tone.  The body was dressed one-time before the hand broke off and became unfixable without supergluing the hand together and eliminating the articulation in it. I need to be able to remove the hands to dress the body, the break stopped that from happening without breaking the hand more.   Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I ordered a 2nd Kumik body from a different eBay vendor hoping for a different body color and better hands.  I now have 2 green bodies with fragile hands.  I posed the two heads on them once and never used them again.  Issues with this body are:   

        (a) Body Skin tone can be way off from human tones  

        (b) Hands are too fragile to use 

        (c) Heads can be too small to be proportionate to this body (the smallest 27cm Phicen bodies may work for              these heads)

        (d) Heads don’t cover either Kumik Body or TBLeague body neck joints, leaving large gaps when you lift the              head up or turn it side to side. Gallery shows these gaps also exist on a seamless body 

        (e) Heads come with hair caps that don’t completely fit onto heads, when hair is pulled back the hair cap is              clearly visible and the line surrounding it is unseemly. Its purpose is to supply a variety of hairstyles.

        (f) Soft torso material is a lint and dirt magnet, very hard to keep bodies clean for photographs

CHILD BODY (MID SIZED 8.5″ Tall)

Before I tell you any issues with this body, I want to start with THANK YOU KUMIK for making them at all.  Why children are so rare in 1:6 scale is a mystery and I’d like it to be solved with MORE CHILDREN PLEASE!!!!!!!!!  More Bodies and heads in every skin tone are a huge request by me, begging really.  Another plus: the child bodies are all made of the harder plastic material, no soft torso’s. 

Here are the list of issues below:

         (a)  Wrists and hands break more easily than the adults.  I’ve ordered several replacement bodies just to keep the same character in the story I’m working on.  It’s very difficult to change clothes on this body without breaking the hands.  Even heating up the wrist area with a blow dryer before removing the hand stem doesn’t help.  The hand will break into 2 pieces and gluing it back will eliminate the wrist from moving up and down, thus killing articulation.   

          (b) More like 20-points of Slight Articulation in the elbows, knees and thighs… much less than the adults or any other action figures.  Semi-Articulated Barbies have more extended movement.  They’re posable standing up, not sitting, lying down or in other positions.

          (c) Clothing has not so far been found, I use smaller Barbie clothes as I have nothing else. Anyone know of a place to buy this sized body clothing? 

Country of Origin: South Korea

Where to Purchase: Any Action figure store online, as well as eBay and AliExpress.

CLICK ON THE 1ST PHOTO TO START THE GALLERY:

TBLEAGUE

Their former name was Phicen Limited and when you shop for them on eBay, you’ll most likely see ‘TBLeague Phicen’ in the descriptive names for their seamless male and female bodies.  

I haven’t given up on seamless bodies, but so far… There are many companies making seamless bodies, copying Phicen/TBLeague who makes the best ones.  The copies have to change the materials they use, and so far, I’ve been very allergic to many of their mysterious materials.  I’m very slowly trying to find the best body that will meet the long list of story needs I’ve listed above. We’ll see what happens in the future.  For now, I have the tallest Body, in “Tan”, really?  This company does not sell darker color skin tones, when they say ‘Brown’ it’s still not even tan, but a pale Caucasian woman.  

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Any Action figure store online, as well as eBay and AliExpress.

CLICK ON THE 1ST PHOTO TO START THE GALLERY:

 

MENG Body on AliExpress

Meng (Fashion Doll Body)

This body provides a Fashion Royalty body replacement, with a neck that fits most action figure female heads. Now action figure girls can wear all my fashion doll clothing and shoes, yea!!!!

Articulation: The same as an Integrity Toys Fashion doll, knees and elbows do not fully bend like action figure bodies. Less articulation.

Installation of Heads: Easy slip-on/slip-off installation of most action figure heads after removing rubber head insert used for ball neck connection.  Also works for Barbie and Integrity Toys heads. 

Hands set sold separately on AliExpress

Country of Origin: China

Where to Purchase: Heads: any action figure store online, as well as eBay and AliExpress.  Bodies: AliExpress, search for this phrase “Joints Body for FR” and there will be many vendors that sell them.

CLICK ON THE 1ST PHOTO TO START THE GALLERY:

 

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48 Comments

  1. Anne Schley

    Wonderful tutorial. I’ve been collecting Fashion Royalties for many years now and only recently discovered 1/6 Action Figures.
    Of which I have two now and one on order.
    I miss the female action figures in your story.

    Kind regards from Holland

    Reply
    • admin

      Thanks Anne! Hi to you in Holland. Unfortunately I only have a handful of action figure females. I don’t have any clothes or shoes for them, so I tend not to use them very much. There’s a Triad girl action figure in my ‘Duende’ Mexican Novela, and I’ll be using a Kumik Korean girl or two for an upcoming Korean drama, but that won’t be until next year. Thank you for reading my tutorial and visiting my site!

      JATMAN

      Reply
  2. Jane Reeds

    Great tutorial, I just bought a head and a hot toys body is on it’s way. This is my first purchase and wondered how the head would go on. Now I know. I was wondering if you could help me with where I might find a pinstripe suit for this new figure since you said with the TTM20 it’s hard to find clothes. I have the George Clooney head and I want to make a set with him marrying Amal. So a suit is needed and they often don’t state what size body the suits will fit on. I could use your knowledge and advice!
    Thanks,
    Jane

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Thanks so much for your comment Jane. I get my men’s clothing mostly on eBay (do a search for “1/6 Suit” and you’ll find a ton), I also use Cotsworld Collectibles and Monkey Depot a lot. Some of the outfits have come with the action figures, but most are purchased from those three sources. Good luck and thanks again. JATMAN

      Reply
  3. Rabbit-moon

    Very nice tutorial!

    Love all your examples! A very big help to me.

    I was hoping you would show how to remove a Ken doll head from his body. Im a little wigged about doing that.

    Thanks,
    Rabbit

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Thanks Rabbit-moon. I wish I could help with the Ken doll beheading… I’ve yet to do it correctly without making some minor cuts that then make the neck unusable on action figure bodies. Kens with the long necks are tricky. You’ve got to really heat him up good. Stick his head under the facet with hot water and then try using a tiny screw driver like I do to wiggle in under the rubber and dislodge it from the plastic grove on the neck joint. Hope you have better luck than me. The ones on the articulated bodies like the Hunger Games boys are much easier and can be removed just like fashion dolls in my tutorial. JATMAN

      Reply
  4. Lila Phillips

    This is great! Looking forward to learning more! I’ve just rebodied a Lucy Liu Jakks doll head to a Barbie, & her neck is a little short now. Any tips? I really love all your detail! Thanks!

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Thanks Lila. I wish I had a Lucy Lui Jakks head, those are hard to find. I don’t know what their neck is like to give you any advice, sorry. I’ve only seen them on action figure bodies when they’re re-bodied. If I come across one, I’ll let you know. Thanks for your nice comments. JATMAN

      Reply
  5. Ronald Moore

    Great information on body types ! A couple of other sites for bodies and clothing are justicefigter.com and war-toys.com.

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Thanks Ronald! Those are two great sites as well.

      Reply
  6. Jocelyn Earle

    Thanks so much for this tutorial – it is exactly what I was looking for! I am trying to discover which action figure clothes and shoes will fit FR Homme. Do all action figures use replaceable foot pegs as ‘shoes’ or do some have actual shoes that fit in their feet? I have seen some Dragon In Dreams shoes and boots I really like the look of and the length of foot looks like a match for FR Homme, so I was wondering if they would work? Also, do you know if any of the action figures pants fit FR Homme? The Hommes seem to be the tallest guys on the block and so far I have found only Barbie My Scene Boy clothes to fit but I’m not always keen on the style of those (trousers all seem to be wide legged flares!! ?) Thanks again – I’m following you on Flickr and love your doll stories! (Dolldiva67)

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Most of my action boys have feet with the exception of my one Enterbay basketball player who’s feet are his shoes. I have more action figure shoes than I can count and all the Hommes shoes fit them. My three go-to places to get action figure clothes which usually come with shoes are Ebay, Cotsworld Collectables and Monkey Depot, but there are plenty of other on-line stores. Google ‘1/6 action figure’. Ken doll shoes are too small for most of my boys unfortunately. I hope that helps. Thanks again! JATMAN

      Reply
      • Jocelyn

        So sorry to have missed your reply – I have been away from doll activity for some time and only just returned. I have now found some lovely action figure clothes and shoes for my Hommes, so they are very happy! I still find it bit hit and miss on the sizing though, given the variability of action figures physiques and height etc.!

        Reply
  7. Billytedt

    I am new to the work of 1/6 figures. I purchased a Kumik body and I am building a Wolverine. Figure I purchased an outfit with shoes that require removing feet. I cannot seem to get the peg to seat in the shoes. Size looks right. Not sure how much pressure these will take. Need help about how to do this. Any help will be MUCH APPRECIATED!

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Shoes with round peg holes can differ depending on the body type. The EnterBay older body shoes and the newer Bruce Lee set of shoes only fit the Enterbay body it came with. I like shoes that go over the feet of the action future much better, I can use them with just about any kind of body type or manufacturer. Try boiling a cup of water for 3 minutes in the microwave, drop the shoes in the water to soften them up, then try putting them on the pegs. If that doesn’t work, those shoes are not meant for that body.

      I hope that helps. Thanks for your post! JATMAN

      Reply
  8. Lu

    Great blog! This is my first time seeing your blog. I love 1/6 scale action figures, but my collection is very small. Your collection is very impressive! You mentioned that you don’t possess many female action figures. Several years ago there was definitely a dearth of female action figures and accessories, but because of great companies such as Hot Toys, Sideshow, Phicen, Kumik, etc. the selection has increased so much. Also, with the new figures there is a more diverse selection of clothing, shoes, etc. that a person can pick from — thank goodness! When you get a chance check out blogs onesixthrepublic.com onesixthscalepictures.blogspot.com for new releases. Also, check out onesixthwarriors.com which is a forum that has a wealth of information regarding everything from customization help, sharing, contests, product releases, etc.

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Thanks Lu!

      Reply
  9. Leo

    Hello, will you make a tutorial about how to remove head, hands or feet? I got the Pique ZC World player and it seems that it does not have feet, rejust the sneakers attached. I have some spare ZCWO feet but no sure if they can be installed in the new soccer player action figures from the same manufacturer. Thank you!

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Hi Leo,

      I won’t get my ZCWO Pique for another week or two (he’s in transit). So, until I see the body, I’ll hold off on any instructions. I’m not sure what kind of hands and feet they have. I will try to update my Action Figures tutorial with some of the new bodies I have gotten in the last year or so. So I will get to it. Thanks for the suggestion! JATMAN

      Reply
  10. Ronda Vallejo

    Thank-you so much for taking the time to do this! I have looked in 1/6th forums and asked friends, but I was really still pretty confused and unsure of what brands were compatible. I have two Sideshow figures that I bought complete, but there are some wonderful head sculpts that I’d love to get to make other characters. I just can’t afford some of them as complete figures. I thought I’d try putting them on less expensive bodies and buying 1/6th scale clothes for them, but I quickly became confused about all of the different body types, which brands worked together, etc. At one point, I thought it would just be easier to fork over $400! After studying your tutorial, I was able to find the right body and pegs and such. Now I just have to decide on which head sculpt to get first. I’ll be back for more information many times, I’m sure. Ronda

    Reply
  11. Kath

    Hello-
    I stumbled upon your great site while looking for answers to a 1:6 scale question. I’m just getting into the 1:6 scale figures and head sculpts. I purchased a Kumik head sculpt (on eBay) months ago. I also bought a body the seller assured me would fit the neck . The body came with multiple pieces and the head (and very long neck) did not seem compatible. It’s never stayed on the neck area. I’m wondering which body style is best with the Kumik heads as I just purchased two more Kumik head sculpts. I’m also a huge Kdrama fan as well. =)
    Thank you for your time!

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Kumik heads tend to have a loose ball area in the neck where the round neck post fits into it. My Jimmy-Rig method… take a small piece of masking tape, wrap it around the neck ball, then snap the head/neck on top of it and you’ll get a much tighter fit, plus the head will be articulate and not flop around. This works for any body you put them onto. They also fit on the taller COO bodies I like to use, also needing the masking tape to make the ball a little bit bigger. I hope that helps. Thanks for you post! JATMAN

      Reply
  12. Bobby G

    I purchased a pair of female boots on eBay. They have built in feet but the peg looks like it should have a slot to connect to the boo
    Any suggestions
    Great site

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Thanks for your post Boby. Your question was cut off, so I’m not sure how to answer it. Type it again and I’ll give it a try to answer. Thanks!

      Reply
  13. Alexis

    Excellent Tutorial! I agree with you about the advantages of Mattel clothing. A question. Would a Hot Toy head fit on a Ken Harley Davidson body?

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Thanks for your comment Alexis! I’ve never tried removing y Ken Harley Davidson head to see what kind of neck joint it has, so I can’t give you a definitive answer. I’m guessing probably not since Mattel’s neck joints are so different from Hot Toys. I’ve seen pictures of other collectors who have put the Harley Davidson head on an Integrity toys Homme body, so I’m guessing the neck joint is a bigger version of the female Barbie round disks. I hope that helps. JATMAN

      Reply
  14. Joan

    I just came across your tutorial and am gobsmacked! This is the absolutely best and most informative tutorial that I have found anywhere. I’ve been collecting articulated fashion dolls for dioramas but am now trying to get action figures precisely because they are so much more articulated.
    I want to sincerely thank you for taking the time to put this together. The information is invaluable.

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Thank you Joan! Sorry for the late reply, just found your comment in the wrong box. You’re so sweet, I truly appreciate it!

      JATMAN

      Reply
  15. Derrick

    This is a great tutorial. Just wondering if there is any way to remove the neck peg on that Guardians of Galaxy head? Thank you

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Hi Derrick, running the neck under hot water is my favorite because it gets down into the neck and round post and loosens everything up, they you can just pull things off. Really hot tap water works, so does wrapping the head in a heading pad, then gently pulling out the neck post. I hope that helps! thanks again, JATMAN

      Reply
  16. irina

    hi there I have purchased a hot toys steve rogers doll and I have a truetype body at home but for the steve rogers doll (look at pics) has a neck piece attached to it and I was wondering is it possible to remobve the neck and place the head on the true type body?

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Emailed you. Good luck with your very good looking Chris Evans head sculpt. JATMAN

      Reply
  17. Hazel

    Where do you get the little people articulated bodies?

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Both my toddlers are Mattel Kelly heads on Obitsu 11cm Mini Doll Natural Skin Color bodies. The bodies are available on the Obitsu website as well as eBay. Thanks for your post! JATMAN

      Reply
    • JATMAN

      Emailed you with a link for a body. Good luck! JATMAN

      Reply
  18. Fernando

    Great tutorial. I have a doubt, I’d like to know if the Hot Toys clothes fit the Ken Doll?

    Reply
  19. Holly

    What a fabulous reference page! Thanks so much for the across the board information.

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Thanks Holly! JATMAN

      Reply
  20. KpK

    Wow, I’m new to 1/6 figures. This is very helpful. My only question is that – all these heights you’re saying are with or without the heads? I’m currently asembling my John Wick and I’m looking for a body for my JW head. The head, including neck, is 5cm. Since Keanu Reeves’ height is around 185, I just don’t know which body fits the most. Any suggestions? Thanks!

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Emailed you links for the COO 27cm body. JATMAN

      Reply
  21. MangaBottle

    Hey! I stumbled across your site during a Google search on 1/6 playscale figures, and this page is a great resource! I’ll probably also check out you stories later, too. Quick question because I really couldn’t see it when I scrolled through the tutorial — are there any online stores you recommend? I live in a semi-rural area in Australia with few toy stores, so stuff is hard to find. I’m mostly focused on best value for money since I’m still just curious about the hobby at this point in time and money is tight for me.
    Thank you!

    Reply
  22. Chris

    Hi.

    This tutorial is awesome. I am looking for a dark brown aa head to match the coomodel 27 cm body. The body is such a rich tone I can’t seem to find a nice looking head. If there aren’t any heads that match this body, how is it used in the action figure world? I am looking to pair these males with my dolls as you do.

    Thanks

    Chris

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      Matching head and body with action figures may be the most difficult task there is. I’m not sure why by the makers of bodies and heads don’t seem to care if they match. They make a very limited amount of body tones and an unlimited amount of tones on the heads. Unless you buy the head and body together from the factory, it’s a challenge to find matches. This is especially true for darker skin tones. The COO model makes 1 AA body, there are many AA heads in different skin tones. I usually end up just mismatching the head and body like most of my darker boys in ‘Sister Williams’ series. Until the action figure makers diversify their bodies and heads more, you’ll have to let go of expectations of skin tone matching for now. Wish I could help more. Thanks for your post! JATMAN

      Reply
  23. Zbigi19

    Hello.
    Here is a post from another newbie in 1/6 figures hobby.
    Having already read most of the article and some posts, I still have some questions to ask.

    1) I plan to purchase a female toy.
    I now know to make sure that if I want the head and body tones to match, I really should make a purchase from the same
    producer. I have my eye on “ZSMD” brand, present mostly on Amazon website, from
    the shopper named AMITD.

    Q: If I decide to look for accessories elsewhere, do you think that just by typing “1/6 figurine accessories/clothes” I can go
    no wrong with matching items? Or is it possible that for some reason the extra stuff will not go with my doll? Like clothes would be too big or the toy could not keep weapons in her hands? I am assuming for the moment that the clothes, being clothes, must be flexible in this matter. And since there are to be more than 1 set of hands for the doll, her grip on items
    should not be a problem either.

    Anything else that comes to your mind for me to consider?
    Wouldn’t want to rush the purchase.

    Reply
    • JATMAN

      If you need a gun grip hand, make sure it comes with the female action figure body, as the hands from other manufacturers may not fit the body you purchase. Skin tone matching is extremely difficult if you’re mixing and matching heads with bodies they didn’t come with. If you purchase a complete action figure with head and body, the skin tone should match (not 100% guarantee, depending on the manufacturer). Female body type choices have increased greatly in the last few years. They have tall, short, small, medium, large and extra large breast plate choices and hip sizes may also vary, so clothing no longer fits all of their bodies across the board, just like new muscle-bound action men don’t fit into standard clothing for men. You’ll have to read the description to see what breast size the clothing is for, and if it stretches to adjust to different-sized bodies. Check out eBay as well to see all the different sized of female action figures. It will be a trial and error process ordering clothing from different sources. I hope this helps. Thanks for your post.

      Reply
  24. Suwi

    This is the most helpful information page I have ever found! Thank you for all your hard work in putting this together.

    Reply

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