40K Action Figures - What Would you Want?

[Bigred]

Lets pretend for a moment that 40K was like any other big toy line and you could go into toy stores and buy action figures.

I'd think that aside from Star Wars, you could produce the largest line of action figures from the 40K universe.

So as a thought experiment, what would your initial set of say 10 action figures be to draw in the kids and toy enthusiasts?

Here's mine:

Ultramarine Captain Sicarius
Chief Librarian Mephiston
Warmaster Abaddon
Swarmlord
Asurmen
Ghazgakhul
Grandmaster Draigo
Lelith Hesperax
Ursarkar Creed/Kell (combo-pack)
Commander Farsight

What's your list and why?

[Scion_of_Terra]

The Emperor
The Primarchs
Eldrad
Commissar Ciaphas Cain, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM
Colonel Iron-Hand Straken

[GrauGeist]

We're talking One-Sixth Warrior, yes?

I get 10 kits?
1. Imperial Guard Stormtrooper
2. Imperial Guard Tallarn Desert Raider
3. Sister of Battle
4. Eversor Assassin
5. Callidus Assassin
6. Dark Eldar Incubi
7. Dark Eldar Wych
8. Dark Eldar Warrior
9. Tau Warrior
10. Kroot Warrior

I start with Imperial Guard - they're human soldiers in space, along with Officio Assassinorum operatives (chase figures, 1 per case). Sister of Battle is short-packed, but a fantastic model to do. Dark Eldars and Tau Empire are the opposition forces.

I have very little interest in superhumans and monsters to start out, probably don't hit them until Wave 3 (Wave 2 is more Imperials, Eldars & Necrons). Giants like Marines & CSM don't hit until later. Orks at the very last, because they're a joke army, and would look stupid as 1/6 action figures.

[MajorWesJanson]

1. Ultramarine Tactical Marine with bolter, bolt pistol, frag and krak grenade, flamer, missile launcher
2. Blood Angel Assault Marine with bolt pistol, chain sword, power sword, plasma pistol, frag and krak grenade, jump pack
3. IG Trooper with lasgun, frag and krak grenade, las pistol, ccw, melta gun, mortar
4. IG Commissar with cape, las pistol, bolt pistol, power sword, power fist, servo skull
5. Ork Nob with shoota, slugga, choppa, stick bomb, boss pole, power klaw
6. Chaos Marine with bolt pistol, bolter, chain axe, frag and krak grenade, daemon weapon
7. Tau Fire Warrior with pulse rifle, pulse carbine, rail rifle, emp grenade, gun drone
8. Genestealer with scything talons, rending claws, ymgarl head option, 2-3 rippers
9. Eldar Dire Avenger with shuriken pistol, shuriken catapult, power sword, shimmershield, plasma grenade, banner
10. Dark Eldar Wych with pistol, ccw, agonizer, blast pistol, hydra gauntlets, haywire grenade

If I added a second wave:
11. Necron Lord with tachyon arrow, res orb, staff of light, war scythe, 2-3 scarabs
12. Sister of Battle with bolter, bolt pistol, frag and krak grenade, flamer, multimelta
13. Grey Knight with storm bolter, psych out grenade, nemesis halberd, nemesis sword, psycannon
14. Thousand Sons sorcerer with bolter, bolt pistol, rune staff, rune sword, mutated arm
15. Termagant/Hormugaunt 2 pack with fleshborer and spike rifle options for the termagant.
16. Bloodletter plus Flesh hound
17. Kroot warrior with kroot rifle, pulse rifle, kroot hound
18. Ork Boy with shoota, slugga, choppa, big shoota, gretchin
19. Techpriest with bolt pistol, mechanicum staff/axe, Armed servo-skull
20. Eldar Farseer with Singing spear, 2x witchblade, shuriken pistol, small webway arch

I'd start with generic, iconic models with customizable weapon loadouts that would allow for multiple display and play options. Named characters may appeal to collectors, but generics encourage army building which boosts sales. Generics would allow for things like special edition/promotional or even later wave repaints, especially marines. As much as possible, weapons would be cross compatible for play use.

[Bigred]

Ohh that's a good list Major!

I was only thinking of the 5" Star Wars scale Action figures - but wow, the 12" 1/6 scale GI-JOE sized ones would be AMAZING. That Dire Avenger one would be on my desk instantly.

[eldargal]

I'll go with MajorWes' list with a few minor changes: Lelith Hesperax (or generic Wych) and Howling Banshee! With removable helmet. Oh and make the commissar a woman. Maybe the Dire Avenger too.;)

[Blackmonkey0]

Just want Kharn as he is the ultimate bad-***.

[Kaiserdean]

I would have an IG Commissar and Ork Warboss fighting it out on my desk as work in a heart beat!

A space wolf would be my third choice...

[energongoodie]

I'd love a techmarine :D

Wave 1

Space Marine with Boltgun and chain sword

Chaos Marine with chain axe and bolt gun

Tau Fire Warrior

Ork Warlord

Eldar Warlock

Necron Immortal

Genestealer

EXCLUSIVE CHASE FIGURE, 1 PER 12 CASES
Tech Priest with Servo Skulls

CONVENTION EXCLUSIVE
Dark Eldar riding a Reaver jetbike

[Merellin]

Aslong as I get a Tau Fire Warrior, a Pathfinder, And a Crisis Suit I'm happy. ^_^ Any others would just be extra topping.

[Cactus]

I'd like a night goblin riding a squig... but if I had to pick 40k, I'd choose an Ork nob. Perhaps with a rokkit or something with more dakka.

[AnEnemy]

I don't know too many toy stores that would be down with stocking a Lelith Hesperex figure guys...

Toy stores sell to kids. You'd have to make the line suitable for that audience in order to earn shelf space. Her butt floss might have passed in the 80's, but nowadays they'd be too afraid of angry moms and dads. That being said.

Wave 1:
Flash Git with Grot
Tactical Marine
Genestealer
Howling Banshee
Plague Bearer
Guard Veteran

All of Wave 1 to include a piece that allows the assembly of a Tau Crisis Suit.

[Thaldin]

You assume they have to be bought at a toy store and not an online sales front? =) Butt floss aside, she would make an awesome action figure... though her hair would end up being probably 70% of the figure lol

[Deadlift]

Dreadnoughts, all of them. Contemptors, Ironclads, Venerable, Bog Standard, Death Company, Libby and Furioso. I love Dreadnoughts. To me they are the iconic unit of 40k. It's a half dead corpse of a super human given life again in an armoured weaponised walking coffin. Grim dark enough for anyone ;)
After that some TH/SS Termies please.

[AnEnemy]

You assume they have to be bought at a toy store and not an online sales front? =) Butt floss aside, she would make an awesome action figure... though her hair would end up being probably 70% of the figure lol

Reread Big Red's first post.

We wouldn't want them to be sold online. Sold online means low production numbers. Low production numbers mean high cost. High costs translate into high prices. Would you like to pay $100 for a 3.75" Space Marine? Not to mention that they'd sell out fast and then...poof...the majority of the people interested in them would not be able to buy them. Making the entire effort kind of redundant.

This is all pretend of course. GW will never do this because they're stupid and have convinced themselves that the only way they can make money is by raising their prices.

[Daemonette666]

Like any good and popular range of action figures, I think they should release the generic troopers and even some of the ancillary support units as the bulk of the action figure range. By this I mean, the standard space marine power armour with different weapon and marks of power armour variants released over time, terminator armour, with weapon variants released later on Characters and officers should be released slowly maybe a new one every month. Bikers, and maybe a landspeeder could be a special release action set.

The same can be done for each army, with Chaos starting out with Cultist and Chaos Marine. Champions, Lords, Havocs, Obliterators, Raptors, Chaos Terminators and Named Lords following them. They could have Chaos Bikers and the Mauler fiend as specialty models later on.

The list goes on. Eldar, Dark Eldar, Tau, Imperial Guard, Necrons, Orks. Having a system to make them compatible for 40K skirmish type rules would be the better option for their use, and they would need a base/ stand to make them useable to play in the board game they develop.

Whether they become as popular as the standard 40K miniature games is to be seen though. I do not know whether I would buy any, but many people would. Just look at how popular Star Wars and Star Trek action figures are.

For my prefferred Chaos Miniatures that they could start with, there wold be a couple of Chaos Marines. One with a couple of heavy weapons load out options, another set up as a close combat fighter, and other as a a standard CSM trooper. I would release a few armour colour schemes though. Berserker reds, Noise Marines Pink and Blacks, Plague Marine Rotting look, Standard Black and silver, maybe a brass and black, and a midnight blue with lightning. I would like a champion miniature, and maybe a raptor model as well. Oh a couple of cultist models, that you an get different heads and costume colour and weapons options.

Later on they can release, Kharn, Cypher, Abaddon, Terminators, Possessed, Obliterators, etc.

[Denzark]

Apparently, this nearly happened...

http://www.virtualtoychest.com/w/warhammer40k/warhammer40k.html

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

i've often thought of custom building my own necron immortal action-figure and recording several voice phrases for it, using my trademark "Death robot vocals".

[gwensdad]

For some reason, my mind keeps envisioning a McFarlane-style Space Wolf Veteran (Rune Priest? Long Fang?) and what a really REALLY good sculptor could do with something like that.