If you've ever mistaken a photo of an action figure for a movie still, you might have been looking at something made by Hot Toys. Based out of Hong Kong, Hot Toys has been producing high-end Star Wars figures since 2014, covering the entire Star Wars saga in 1/6 and 1/4 scales. Its work is nothing short amazing, a testament to the growth of what's possible in a collectible. Face sculpts, from Han Solo to Jyn Erso from the new Rogue One line, that look real; outfits and accessories, like Luke Skywalker's cloak or Rey's Jakku tatters, made of actual, weathered cloth and leather. Indeed, if Kenner marks the start of the evolutionary Star Wars toys chart, Hot Toys is somewhere near the end.
"It is actually one of Hot Toys’ goals to create highly-detailed and realistic 1/6 and 1/4 scale figures as if the characters look like they come straight out of the movie," Hot Toys founder and CEO Howard Chan tells StarWars.com over e-mail. Achieving that I-can't-believe-it level of realism in a figure comes through a rigorous process. "Whether it is Jyn Erso or other figures, our production team will first start with doing thorough research on the character’s visual and related information from the trailer/film," Chan says. "Following some in-depth internal discussions, we will find the most suitable head sculpt expression, hair style, outfit, and accessories for the character to be made into a collectible figure, then send the concept to Lucasfilm for approval. Once we get the green light, the prototype development starts where we will sculpt the highly detailed head sculpt, find the best articulated body for the figure, tailor the outfit, and create the weapons and accessories."
