Medicom Toy Figures: MAFEX, UDF, RAH and Vinyl Lines

What Medicom Toy makes

Medicom Toy makes collectible figures in several lines, plus a lot more than figures. Its own site says it plans, makes and sells its products, runs its own stores, and works on collaborations with artists, brands and characters. The product range goes from toys to apparel and household goods.

On Amazon US, our data shows the figure side: posable MAFEX figures, small UDF figurines, 1/6 Real Action Heroes, Vinyl Collectible Dolls and BE@RBRICK. The licensed lines named on the listings include Marvel, DC Comics, Evangelion, Ultraman, Kingdom Hearts II, Kirby, Sesame Street, Peanuts, John Wick, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and others. Here they're listing names only.

The grid above shows Medicom listings first. Below, I go line by line from small to large, the way I'd lay them out on a shelf.

Medicom Toy lines by size

Medicom Toy's site lists BE@RBRICK, MAFEX, Ultra Detail Figure, Real Action Heroes, Vinyl Collectible Dolls and sofubi among its lines. Here's how they show up in our data.

UDF (Ultra Detail Figure): small figurines

UDF figures are small, posed figurines. Our data has Kingdom Hearts II Riku (No. 785, 4.2 inches, non-scale) and Chip 'n Dale (No. 787, 1.7 inches, two pieces), three Kirby figures (No. 813, 814 and 815, the last at 4.3 inches), Sesame Street Big Bird (5.5 inches) and Elmo (2.5 inches), WALL-E (2.6 inches) and Peanuts Series 11 Charlie Brown & Snoopy (with a base).

Most are listed as figurines and most sit in the lowest price tiers of the Medicom listings we track. Most UDF titles carry a number, which helps when you're looking for one specific figure.

Size is the thing to read twice in this line. The Chip 'n Dale pair at 1.7 inches and Big Bird at 5.5 inches are both UDF, and one is more than three times the height of the other. A row of UDF figures from different series won't line up, and that's fine. A small shelf of mixed heights looks like a shelf somebody actually picked. Just check each height before you plan the row, so the tall one goes at the back.

Who it suits: a desk, a windowsill, a bookshelf with two inches of spare depth. Who should skip: someone who wants to pose a figure. UDF figures hold one pose.

MAFEX: posable figures around 6 inches

MAFEX is the posable line, and it's the biggest Medicom group in our data. Medicom's site describes MAFEX as pairing a strong sculpted form with a wide range of movement and a full set of accessory parts. The listings back up the accessory part:

• Marvel: Wolverine (Brown Comic Ver., No. 138, 5.7 inches), Psylocke (Comic Ver., No. 141, 5.9 inches, two heads, sword, sheath, effect parts, movable stand), Jean Grey (No. 160, 5.9 inches), Spider-Man (Classic Costume Ver., No. 185, 6.1 inches), Iron Man Mark 85 Battle Damage Ver. (No. 195, 6.3 inches, three head parts), Daredevil (Comic Ver., No. 223, 6.3 inches, batons, movable stand), Rogue (Comic Ver., No. 242, 5.9 inches, fabric jacket) and Spider-Man (Integrated Suit, No. 245, 5.9 inches)
• DC Comics: Batman Hush (Reissue), The Return of Superman and The Batman (2022) at 6.3 inches with two masked and two unmasked heads, a wired cape and more
• Film: John Wick (Chapter 3) and Caine (Chapter 4), each with two heads and a posable stand; IG-11 from Star Wars: The Mandalorian at 7.3 inches with a carrying bag and a tea set
• Others: Astro Boy (Ver. 1.5) and an Evangelion Eva-01 Shogo-Ki (2021 Version)

A tea set in the IG-11 box. I've read a lot of accessory lists. That's the most polite one.

Who it suits: someone building a shelf of posable figures that line up. MAFEX heights in our data stay between 5.7 and 6.3 inches for human characters. Who should skip: someone who wants a figure that comes out of the box ready to display with no posing. MAFEX is built for posing.

Real Action Heroes: 1/6 figures

Real Action Heroes, or RAH, are 1/6 figures. Our data has RAH Henry Jones (No. 395, 11.8 inches), Evangelion 2.0 Kaworu Nagisa (12 inches, 1/6), Ultraseven (Ver. 2.0, 11.8 inches, 1/6), GANTZ Reika (No. 596, 11.8 inches), the Evangelion RAH Neo Shogo-Ki (2021) at 15.4 inches, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure DIO, and a Fist of the North Star RAH Kenshiro listed at 30 cm.

A 1/6 figure is about a foot tall for a person-sized character, and our listings agree: 11.8 to 12 inches. Most RAH listings sit in the higher tiers of our Medicom data.

Who it suits: one collector, one shelf with headroom. Who should skip: anyone with a shelf under 13 inches between boards. Measure first.

Vinyl Collectible Dolls and soft vinyl

Vinyl Collectible Dolls (VCD) are smooth, stylized vinyl figures. Our data has Viking Mickey (VCD-115, 15+ on the listing), Bambi, Carol from Where the Wild Things Are, and an Evangelion Shogo-Ki VCD at 13 inches. The Real Action Heroes Ultraman Kanegon listing is titled as a soft vinyl model. For soft vinyl across makers, our sofubi page has more.

BE@RBRICK

BE@RBRICK is one of the lines Medicom names on its own site. Our data has one: the Minions Dave Chrome Ver. 1000% Bearbrick. It sits in the highest price tier of any Medicom listing we track. The listing names its size as a percentage, 1000%, instead of a height in inches, so check the photos and description for the real dimensions.

Theo saw the title and went straight to the number. "One thousand percent. I teach percent every spring, and I've never had a student use that number on purpose." He'd like a word with whoever named it. Mostly to say thank you.

Pre-assembled and other pieces

Two more listings round out our data. The Lupin III Pre-Assembled Collection First TV Series Fujiko Mine comes built. The Evangelion-01 Arousal Ver. (MC47086) lists a base stand.

Numbers in the titles

Medicom titles carry numbers more than most, and they help. In our data:

• UDF numbers: No. 785 Riku, No. 787 Chip 'n Dale, No. 813 to 815 Kirby
• MAFEX numbers: No. 138 Wolverine up to No. 245 Spider-Man (Integrated Suit)
• RAH numbers: RAH395 Henry Jones, No. 596 Reika
• Catalog codes: VCD-115 Viking Mickey, MC15543 Peanuts, MC47086 Eva-01 Arousal Ver.

The number is the best way to search for one specific figure again, or to tell two listings of the same character apart. Two Spider-Man MAFEX figures in our data, No. 185 and No. 245, are different figures in different suits. The number says so before the photo does.

The number also settles arguments. Two people can disagree about what a figure looks like. Nobody disagrees about No. 245.

Entry-level picks and who should skip

The lowest tiers of our Medicom data are UDF: Big Bird, Elmo and the No. 813 Kirby sit at the bottom, with most other UDF figures one step up. MAFEX figures sit in the middle tiers. Real Action Heroes, the Vinyl Collectible Dolls and the 1000% BE@RBRICK sit at the top.

Skip MAFEX if you don't enjoy posing; a UDF or a VCD will look the same every day without your help. Skip Real Action Heroes if you don't have a shelf with about 13 inches of clearance. And skip the big vinyl pieces if the only free shelf is in a sunny window. I keep every figure out of direct sun on principle. The dashboard of my first truck taught me that principle, one summer at a time.

MAFEX vs Revoltech and other posable lines

Shoppers compare MAFEX with Kaiyodo's Revoltech, Bandai's S.H.Figuarts and the 6-inch Marvel Legends line. In our data, MAFEX heights cluster around 6 inches for people, while Revoltech heights spread from 3.9 to 8.1 inches because that line covers robots, creatures and vehicles too. Our Kaiyodo page has the side-by-side table. For the others, see our S.H.Figuarts list and our Marvel Legends list.

How to pick a Medicom Toy figure

My one opinion for this page: if you're new to Medicom, start with a UDF. In our data the UDF figures are the smallest (1.7 to 5.5 inches) and sit in the lowest tiers, so they cost the least shelf and the least budget to find out whether you like the brand's work. The bigger lines are easier to choose once you know.

Then:

1. Line. UDF, MAFEX, RAH, VCD or BE@RBRICK. That's size and style.
2. Height. Most MAFEX, UDF and RAH listings state it.
3. Posable or posed. MAFEX is the posable line. UDF and VCD hold one pose. RAH listings in our data don't state joint counts, so read the description.
4. Box contents. MAFEX listings name heads, hands, stands and effects.
5. Version. Comic Ver., Battle Damage Ver., Reissue, Chrome Ver., 2021 Version.
6. Age. Viking Mickey lists 15+. Most others don't say.

Mixing Medicom lines on one shelf

The lines don't mix by size. Put a 6-inch MAFEX next to a 12-inch RAH and the MAFEX starts to look like an accessory. A 2.5-inch UDF next to either looks like it wandered in from another shelf. Give each line its own row. If you want one row that matches, MAFEX is the line where that works best, since the heights in our data stay so close.

Small parts

Check the age label on the listing. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3. The smallest UDF figures are under 2 inches, and MAFEX boxes hold small hands, heads and effect parts, so keep them away from young children.

Medicom Toy facts we could confirm

Medicom Toy's own site says the company was founded in 1996, that it plans, makes and sells its products, runs directly operated stores, and works on collaborations and licensing. It names BE@RBRICK, MAFEX, Ultra Detail Figure, Real Action Heroes, Vinyl Collectible Dolls and sofubi among its lines.

Small shelf, start with a UDF. Tall shelf, think about an RAH. Everything else lives in between.