Boss Fight Studio Figures: H.A.C.K.S. Lines, Scales and How to Pick

What Boss Fight Studio makes

Boss Fight Studio makes action figures with a lot of joints. Its own site calls it a creator-owned company that makes high articulation action figures, toys the people there want to play with themselves. That second part shows in the grid. These are figures built to be posed, re-posed and handed a different sword next Saturday.

In our data, Boss Fight Studio covers action figures and figure display stands. All 18 listings in the grid are action figures. That's a short list next to some makers, which makes it easy to read every row, and I'd suggest you do.

The site splits its lines in two groups:

• Its own brands: Epic H.A.C.K.S., Hero H.A.C.K.S., Vitruvian H.A.C.K.S., Immortal Champions and Saurozoic Warriors.
• Pop culture brands: Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja, Court of the Dead, Legends of Lucha Libre, Popeye, Fraggle Rock and others such as Hellboy and Sam & Max that aren't in our grid right now.

At the shop, the guys found out about the Legends of Lucha Libre line before I did. I've been "Lucha" on the schedule board for a month. Nobody admits writing it.

Boss Fight Studio lines in the grid

Hero H.A.C.K.S. (1:18)

Hero H.A.C.K.S. is the 1:18 line. 1:18 means the figure is one eighteenth the size of the character, which puts most human characters at a small, pocketable size. The Hero rows in our grid:

• The 21st Phantom and Hero Steed: two pistols, a posable horse with saddle, a stand.
• Alejandro Murrieta, Zorro's Protégé: hat, cape, sword, whip, display stand.
• Flash Gordon Prince Barin: crossbow, whip, sword, sheath, alternate hands, display stand. This one sits in Boss Fight's lowest tier in our data.
• Accord Paladin: 25 points of articulation, per the listing.

A posable horse in the same box as its rider is worth calling out. Check shelf depth for that one: a horse is long.

Vitruvian H.A.C.K.S. (1:18)

Vitruvian H.A.C.K.S. is also 1:18 in our grid. Two listings:

• 10th Anniversary Edition Athena. The title marks it as a 10th-anniversary release of the line.
• Fantasy Series Leonidas V3: short sword, copis sword, spear, shield, sheath, helmet and alternate hands.

"V3" in the Leonidas title means a third version of that character. If you already own a Leonidas from this line, check which version before you buy.

Epic H.A.C.K.S. (1:12)

Epic H.A.C.K.S. is the 1:12 line, so these figures run bigger, about one and a half times the size of a 1:18 figure of the same character. The rows:

• Blanks 1:12 Champagne Beige Male: three interchangeable heads, open and closed hands, bare feet and shoes, display stand, 30 points of articulation.
• Core Wave 1 The Dark Hand: Space Pirate Clan: three sets of hands, knife, saber, two sheaths, helmet, hair, shield, two alternate heads and a stand. The listing names the character Delger Bat.
• Skeletons Set of 4 (Grim Spectre, Pirate, Gladiator, Barbarian).
• Limited Edition Red Sonja Gold & Red: two armor sets, sword, sheath and belt, knife and sheath, axe, stand, three pairs of hands, three heads and two hairstyles.

A "blank" is a plain figure with no costume or character. The listing gives you three heads, two kinds of hands and two kinds of feet to choose from, which makes it a starting point for a character of your own. If you've ever wanted to make a figure that nobody sells, that's the row to start on.

Licensed 1:12 figures

Several licensed figures in the grid are 1:12 by title:

• Popeye Classics Wave 1 Castor Oyl: Eugene the Jeep, Bernice the Whiffle Hen and three removable hats. Lowest tier in our data.
• Legends of Lucha Libre Lady Maravilla: ages 8+, 32 points of articulation, three sets of interchangeable hands, an alternate head, a smartphone and a selfie stick.
• Saurozoic Warrior Triax Skiver: ages 8+, a halberd axe, two blaster pistols, a knife, two smoke grenades and armor. The listing gives a 6-inch scale.
• Fraggle Rock Sprocket: ages 12+, 14 points of articulation, a food bowl and alternate paws.

Other sizes: Court of the Dead, Conan and Gobo

Three more lines give inches instead of a ratio:

• Court of the Dead (4 inches): Demithyle with alternate hands, a soft-goods cape and a giant scythe; Gallevarbe, Eyes of the Queen with alternate hands, a water feature and knives. The listings tie these to the H.A.C.K.S. system.
• Immortal Champions Conan the Barbarian (5.5 inches): sword, shield, and an armored belt with a sword loop.
• Fraggle Rock Gobo (6 inches): 20 points of articulation. Lowest tier in our data.

1:18 vs 1:12: which size fits your shelf

This is the choice that matters most with Boss Fight Studio, so let's put numbers on it. A 1:12 figure is 18 ÷ 12 = 1.5 times the size of a 1:18 figure of the same character. So a character who'd stand about 4 inches at 1:18 stands about 6 inches at 1:12. That's a rough guide, not a spec. Characters differ in height.

What that means on the shelf:

• 1:18 rows fit almost anywhere. A bookshelf, a desk edge, the top of a speaker.
• 1:12 rows need a real shelf. Especially once the figure holds a halberd or a scythe out to the side.
• Mixing the two looks like two families, not one cast. Keep them on separate shelves or separate ends.

My one opinion for this page: for a first action-figure shelf in a small home, start at 1:18. The reason is the division above. Two-thirds the size means you fit roughly half again as many figures across the same shelf. In a casita with one closet, that's not a style choice. That's floor plan.

How to pick a Boss Fight Studio figure

1. Pick the size. 1:18 (Hero, Vitruvian), 1:12 (Epic and the licensed 1:12 figures), or a figure that lists inches.
2. Pick the character or the build. A licensed character, an original like Triax Skiver or Accord Paladin, or a blank you'll dress yourself.
3. Read the parts list. These listings are detailed. Count the swords, hands and heads before you decide the box is "just a figure."
4. Check the age label. Only three listings state one: 8+ for Lady Maravilla and Triax Skiver, 12+ for Sprocket.
5. Check the articulation number if posing is the point. Lady Maravilla's 32 and the Epic blank's 30 are the highest in the grid.

When I showed Theo the ages, he skipped the swords and went to the corner of the box. "Eight on the box means eight. It's the one number on a toy I've never seen anybody win an argument against, and I teach seventh grade."

Buying for a kid who meets the age

If the figure is a gift for a kid 8 or older, the two 8+ listings are the place to start, because they're the only ones in the grid that say so for that age. Lady Maravilla is the posing pick by the numbers, with 32 points of articulation. Triax Skiver is the gear pick, with an axe, two blasters, a knife, smoke grenades and armor. Both are 1:12, so they stand together.

For a teen, Sprocket lists 12+. It's the only Fraggle Rock figure in the grid with a stated age.

Stands come in the box, mostly

Several listings say a display stand is included: the Phantom and his horse, Alejandro Murrieta, Prince Barin, the Epic blank, the Dark Hand figure and Red Sonja. A stand matters more for a posable figure than for a statue. It holds a wide stance or a mid-swing pose that the figure's feet can't hold alone. If a listing doesn't mention a stand, plan on buying one or posing that figure flat-footed.

Budget tier

The Popeye Castor Oyl, the Flash Gordon Prince Barin and the Fraggle Rock Gobo sit in Boss Fight's lowest tier in our data. Most of the grid sits one tier up. The Epic H.A.C.K.S. Skeletons Set of 4, the Red Sonja Limited Edition and the Fraggle Rock Sprocket sit a tier higher. We don't print prices. Use the Check price button.

Who should skip Boss Fight Studio

Skip it if you want a figure that stands in one pose and never gets touched. The whole point of these figures is the joints and the parts, and a shelf of unposed high-articulation figures is a bit like a toolbox nobody opens.

Skip it for a child younger than the stated age. And skip the licensed figures that don't state an age for a young child too. With no age on the listing, they're collector figures by default.

Safety and the parts problem

Every Boss Fight Studio listing in our grid that lists parts includes small ones: hands, hats, knives, smoke grenades, a smartphone, a selfie stick. Check the age label on the listing. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3. Keep spare parts in a closed box, out of reach of little kids.

For the rest of us, the risk is losing them. A small lidded organizer with one compartment per figure works. Label each compartment with the figure's name. The Lady Maravilla box alone lists a smartphone and a selfie stick, and I'd bet money those two are the first to go missing in any house.

Boss Fight Studio next to other makers

For posable figures at 1:12 or 6 inches, compare McFarlane Toys, NECA and Mezco. For a Japanese take on posable figures, see the S.H.Figuarts page. For retro-styled figures and licensed lines in a different look, Super7 is the one to check.

What the Boss Fight grid shows, row after row, is how much comes in the box. If your favorite part of a figure is deciding what it holds today, this is a grid worth reading all the way down.

Size first, parts second, pose last.