[ShadowNinja]

If GI Joe would have stayed 12 inches and not went to the 3.75 that we all know and love would it still have been as popular? Everything would have stayed the same. Same characters, same weapons, same story, same comic/show, and everything the 3.75 figures had would be the same just in a 12 inch model.

[FlintWO2]

No way, Star Wars changed the market in 1978 when Kenner released their toy line. When A Real American Hero was released in 1982 they went with the 3 3/4” scale because it was the most popular scale at the time. Granted there were other lines at various scales, but kids( like myself ) loved that the lines were compatible. I just don’t think a 12 inch A Real American Hero would have been nearly as successful. Vehicles and playsets would have been cost prohibited.

[tt8l]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlintWO2

Vehicles and playsets would have been cost prohibited.

Everything would have been cost prohibitive. A huge part of the appeal was that you could get a couple Vipers and a few BATS and some good guys to fight them all for the price of going out to dinner. Kids could get their parents to buy a figure or two with pocket money. BUT they were actually well made, so both the parents and the kids saw it as a good value.

If they kept everything 12" that wouldn't be possible and the line could have been very cool but it would have never caught fire and become a massive household name across the country everywhere. There are very cool 12" lines running to this day - but it's a more niche hobby due to the cost.

[DarkLordMordred]

Not even close. The vehicles are a HUGE part of what made ARAH so great. And don't even get started about the playsets.

[theNAMmagazine]

I've wondered something similar, but different time period. Evilface once brought up the question of 12" Joes going to Dragon instead of Sideshow. While not as "high-end," they would've been considerably more affordable and I believe more faithful to the ARAH designs. I think that would've been more successful and they would've run a lot deeper than Sideshow did.

[AWOL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkLordMordred

Not even close. The vehicles are a HUGE part of what made ARAH so great. And don't even get started about the playsets.

I second this.

That being said, 12" Joes did make a comeback in the 90s in the boys aisle, and continued on until Retaliation.

[SpottedEagleSvn]

I think the size difference contributed to the success of the line. Just speaking for myself, but as a kid who owned some Star Wars when ARAH came out it was a much easier transition from SW to GIJ in 3.75" than it would have been if ARAH had debuted as a 12" product. That was still Barbie-scale in the early 80s, not action toy scale.

[280-CUSTOMS]

12” figs when I was a kid were associated with dolls and or BARBIE .. it wouldn’t have worked my super joes and my cousins 12” joes that i had were not as cool anymore when ARAH. Came out ..

[blackrazor1]

They tried during the ARAH era with the Hall of Fame and The Classic Collection (modern update of the original G.I. Joe). The Hall of Fame figures were bulky and lacked decent articulation. The Classic Collection figure bodies were decent, but the uniforms were a step down from 21st Century Toys, BBI and later Soldiers of the World offerings. The Classic Collection-style ARAH figures went super simple with molded shirts and minimal accesories.

[RedAlert Rescue]

Gi Joe got a fair wack of the Action Man stuff as repaints in the later years - but no one really pays much attention to them.

Like I have plenty of Action Man but never really felt a burning desire to import 12" Gi Joes if they didn't get released anyway in Europe (like the Hall of fame figures did for example).

I do occasionally see something in one of the 12" lines that I think would be nice for Classified though.