Have you ever pre-ordered an action figure (
duh?), only to forget it exists until it shows up on your doorstep a year later, like a long-lost child?
You're not alone! The
wait time from announcement to delivery can feel like waiting for an endangered species to reproduce. Depending on the brand, you might wait even longer (
#Batman1989, never forget)! So naturally, we, at
ToyFarce, decided to compare the production time of action figures from popular brands, to the
gestation of actual animals.
Because why not?
We'll rank them from fastest to slowest (let's be professional, right?):
MCFARLANE TOYS - 1-3 months
Comparable animal: A hamster (16–30 days)
Say what you want about the endless
Batman repaints and
Jokerized figures,
McFarlane Toys’s turnaround time is record-breaking. Sometimes it feels like Todd is personally 3D-printing and boxing them in real time!
BANDAI / S.H.FIGUARTS - 2-6 months
Comparable animal: A dog (58–68 days)
Quick and nimble, these figures often arrive before you finish watching the anime they’re from! Blink and they’re already doing a dynamic pose on your shelf. Just like an actual puppy dog would (
if by dynamic pose, you mean 'pee on the carpet')
HASBRO (Marvel Legends, Star Wars: The Black Series, G.I.Joe Classified Series) - 9-12 months
Comparable animal: A human (9 months)
By the time your pre-ordered
Marvel Legends wave arrives, an entire human could have been born, aged into toddlerhood, and started to try to touch the figures on the shelves at hands' reach!
MEDICOM / MAFEX - 12-18 months (delays possible)
Comparable animal: A rhinoceros (15-16 months)
Hard to predict, prone to delays, but when they arrive:
chef’s kiss. Fans have evolved to expect the unexpected and assume every figure is delayed until proven otherwise when it comes to
MAFEX.
MEZCO (One:12 Collective) - 12-24 months (sometimes more)
Comparable animal: An elephant (22+ months)
Every release is a long journey of
anticipation,
speculation, and
delays. But like an
elephant calf, when it finally arrives—it's hefty, detailed, and probably wrapped in too much cloth.
HOT TOYS - 18-36+ months
Comparable animal: Golden Alpine Salamander (up to 3 years)
The undisputed king of long waits. By the time your pre-ordered
Marvel/
Star Wars figure arrives, the next reboot of the
MCU will already be in theaters. All jokes aside, the end result is often so nice that you forget how long it took, until you remember you ordered it two apartments ago...
HONORABLE MENTION:
NECA "HAULATHON" FIGURES
Comparable animal: Quantum Bear? A Platypus with a time machine?
Sometimes they show up early, before being announced. Sometimes never. Sometimes it's just one store in Iowa that gets them. NECA operates on a plane of reality we mere mortals cannot comprehend.
No matter the wait time, remember: you’re not just buying a toy, you’re entering into a long-term commitment. So be ready, because when that pre-order finally arrives, it’ll feel like meeting a whole new being.
Special thanks to Sepher (#SayHisNameAndHeAppears) on the YHS Discord for the conversation that led to this article!
More news at 11:00...
Can those become part of the lingo? "How long before it comes out? - I'd say a rhino, maybe an elephant."
*ToyFarce News is parody news for laughs and not meant to be taken seriously!
ucsf -
2025-05-05 @ 6:57 pm
1 hour ago, Jscott991 said:McFarlane is the best company at this, for sure. But I wonder if the reason is that he is smarter about when he reveals his figures. I don't understand why Hasbro announces its stuff so far in advance (my Ahsoka Thrawn took like a year to come out; what was the point of having me preorder it?).
Mythic Legions figures take forever. They are practically legendary for this. And it hasn't gotten any better as the line has gone on.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's similar to any subscription model. You reserve funds, and they basically get a hold of your cash as early as possible. Who knows what's the world be like in the next 8-10 months, but people tend to stay in and not canceling for the most part. So it's basically for your wallet's loyalty which is a steady income especially when someone can only afford 1-2 lines at a time.Anyhow, we should definitely write an AI song where these paragraphs are the lyrics, with the Haulathon part as the chorus.
Satam -
2025-05-05 @ 5:39 pm
43 minutes ago, RobertD said:I feel like Mythic Legions and Super7 should have made the cut for this list.
Fair point. Mythic Legions are in the 18-36 month range and we seem to have more Legions collectors here than Hot Toys collectors (or they're a more talkative contingent, at least)
McFarlane is the best company at this, for sure. But I wonder if the reason is that he is smarter about when he reveals his figures. I don't understand why Hasbro announces its stuff so far in advance (my Ahsoka Thrawn took like a year to come out; what was the point of having me preorder it?).
Mythic Legions figures take forever. They are practically legendary for this. And it hasn't gotten any better as the line has gone on.
I feel like Mythic Legions and Super7 should have made the cut for this list.
Not entirely the same, but I was once on a Mezco waitlist for like 3 years. Completely forgot about it until I got an email one day... ?
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