Model figure
Model figures are sold both as kits for enthusiast to construct and paint and as pre-built, pre-painted collectable figurines.
There are larger size (12-inch or 30 cm tall) that have been produced for recent movie characters (Princess Leia from Star Wars, for example).
1/72 scale miniatures covered a much wider and diverse range of time periods with Atlantic offering figures of Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Cowboys, American Indians and many more.
Other company's such as Airfix supplied not only high-quality figures in 1:72 scale but also fine planes and military vehicles and still do so today.
Tamiya, a higher-end supplier of military vehicle and soldier kits, has, in the past few years, taken 1:48 scale modeling a step further offering an interesting line of German and American World War II figures and vehicles making it possible to incorporate tanks, jeeps, and foot soldiers into dioramas with aircraft, something which was only possible in 1:72 scale for quite a long time.
Kits came as single-cast figures molded as a unit instead of the ready-to-assemble versions found at 1:48 and 1:35 scale where arms, helmets and gear must be cut from plastic sprues and glued together.
Lately, 1:32 scale modeling has made a large push to expand as companies now sell these figures professionally pre-painted making them exceptional for large-scale military gaming of all sorts.
Many of these older kits can still be found online at a reasonable price and while they don't offer as many pieces or as highly detailed molding, they can still produce a respectable product after paint and proper weathering is administered.
There are also kits of the drivers and servicers of cars, and the series of figurines that stand in the streets and platforms of model railroads.
Model figures based on icons like Hello Kitty, as well as characters appearing in anime, manga, kaiju (monster) series, science fiction/fantasy films and video games, is a major part of otaku fandom.
It's also a large part of the global animation merchandising market from Japan which is estimated to be worth around 663 billions Japanese yen.
[1] Some hobbyists concentrate specifically on a certain type of figure, such as garage kits, gashapon (capsule toys), or PVC bishōjo (pretty girl) statues.
Through his company Kaikai Kiki, he has produced a number of limited designer toys to be sold in otaku oriented stores.
[3][better source needed] A noodle stopper is a type of figurine based on manga, anime, or even video game characters which is ostensibly meant to secure by gravity the lid for ramen containers such that they do not boil over.
In the 1970s, Aurora's figure molds had been sold to Monogram and by the mid-to late 1970s, the models had been discontinued and were difficult to find in hobby stores.
Screamin' focused primarily on characters from more contemporary slasher movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser and franchises like Star Wars and Mars Attacks.
