Originally published May 12, 2017. This article preserves One Sixth Society’s original reporting and images; product availability, pricing, and opinions reflect the original publication period.
Some figures stay with you even when the wider hobby moves on. These ten releases stood out to us in 2017 for their portraits, costumes, unusual characters or custom work.
This is a list of personal favorites, not a ranking based on sales figures.
Hot Toys: Man of Steel Jor-El
Hot Toys’ Jor-El captures Russell Crowe’s beard and stern expression. His layered Kryptonian costume gives a Man of Steel display a very different look from Superman’s familiar suit.
One’s Custom’s: Alf
Montwain Gonzales of One’s Customs recreated ALF with a fully furred body. The custom construction carries the character’s shape from the head through the body, instead of treating the fur as a detail on the portrait alone.
Hot Toys: The Crow
Hot Toys’ Eric Draven pairs the familiar makeup and black outfit with a weather vane, crow and guitar. Those accessories give The Crow a distinct place in a collection, especially beside the company’s more common superhero releases.
Legio7: RoboCop Toxic Emil
Legio7’s Toxic Emil recreates the character’s melted appearance from RoboCop. The body sculpt, paint and tailoring all serve that one disturbing screen effect. It is a striking example of a custom artist taking on a character outside the usual leading cast.
Hot Toys: General Zod
General Zod’s expressive Michael Shannon portrait is backed by a detailed armored suit. The textured surfaces and paintwork make him an imposing counterpart to Superman, even in a simple standing pose.
Storm Collectibles: Hulk Hogan
Storm Collectibles’ Hulk Hogan came with two expressive portraits and a broad selection of accessories. The original article praised those portraits while noting concerns after the Mike Tyson body problems.
Hot Toys: Mars Attacks!
The Mars Attacks! figures bring the film’s exaggerated Martian design into sixth scale, with mixed plastic and rubber construction and facial articulation. That unusual face and body make them memorable beside more realistic human figures.
Sideshow Collectibles: Snake Eyes V2
This one is a bit different, where the entire Sideshow G.I. Joe line flew under the radar. This is not to say that these figures were perfect, but they came with an insane amount of accessories and it was clear that there was a ton of love put into them. This Snake Eyes figure is reminiscent of the classic 3 ¾ inch figure, but with a new modern twist. Truly a figure and series that was overlooked.
Hot Toys: Tonto
Tonto’s face paint is central to the portrait, but Johnny Depp’s likeness remains visible beneath it. The detailed costume completes one of Hot Toys’ more unusual film characters.
Hot Toys: 89 Joker Mime
The DX14 Mime Joker offers a different Jack Nicholson look from the better-known purple costume of DX08. The black-and-white outfit recreates a specific moment from the 1989 film and makes an interesting companion to the DX09 Batman.
Those are our 2017 picks. Which figure in your collection deserves more attention, and what makes it stand out to you?
What Makes an Overlooked Figure Worth Revisiting?
These choices fall into several different groups. Jor-El, Zod and Tonto show how costume and likeness can make a supporting character satisfying on its own. The Crow and Mime Joker recreate more specific screen identities through their props and clothes. ALF and Toxic Emil go further into custom work, where a less common subject can be the reason the project exists at all.
That distinction matters if you use this list to research a purchase. A factory release can be checked against its published inventory and model number. A custom piece needs a record of who made the sculpt, who painted it and which body or outfit belongs to that particular build. A photograph of one artist’s finished example does not prove that another seller’s figure contains the same work.
Condition also changes the comparison with a review written in 2017. Mixed rubber parts, applied fur and layered costumes age differently, and an old asking price is not a current valuation. The useful part of revisiting these figures is identifying the feature that still interests you: a character rarely made, a distinctive portrait or a costume you would actually want to display. Popularity alone cannot make that choice for a collector.
