>>9122141>Mostly through Nightow, and via hyper detailed and painted figures.Nightow was just the most public figure to gush over McFarlane. McFarlane Toys was pretty big in Japan and since most people here are just weeaboos, they don't even know what their industry was like before the adult collector boom.
I think what most people don't even understand is how different the industry in general was before McFarlane. Most toy makers weren't using high pressure injection molding to its full potential. Past modeling techniques couldn't really do high detail, hence toys before the 90s looking so simplistic. So despite high pressure injection molding started to become so prevalent in the 80s and 90s, toy makers were still designing toy as if they were still using the old methods.
McFarlane, being a complete n00b and willing to experiment, wanted to do higher detail and found out they were able to sculpt in more detail without needing to develop a new method or pay more money to do it.
Another thing that McFarlane championed was the amount of paint apps a toy could get. Instead of 3 or 4 passes, McFarlane started doing twice as much.
Naturally, since McFarlane was producing toys that he himself liked, this created the adult toy market and a ton of companies followed suit to fill this previously untapped market. There were models and statueshit befores, but actual action figures? This market did not exist even in Japan.
Other thing that people overlook is that McFarlane created playsets that were just as fully fleshed as his action figures. So we started seeing other companies who tried to do the same things, including candy toy companies from Japan who made famous scenery sets, like from Gundam.
I think it's pretty weird knowing how little of the stuff we enjoy today didn't exist before the 90s and that this industry is still so young.
pic of some weirdass Japanese "game" for the PSX, made to promote the Spawn movie and toys.
