What exactly are 3A toys?

What would you call the products that 3A makes? Are they designer toys, art toys, urban vinyl, or just action figures?

I believe 3A makes works of the highest art, and they are much more than toys.

They kind of went from Designer toy to -----> Action figures a guest .


I felt that some of the 10 to 15% they put in each figure are crush in making more figure shipped too early

When you exceed Number figure by release you are bound to rush a good bunch of them its inavitable.

Honestly I don't think 3A wants to be pigeon holed into any box. I think they're all over the place in terms of what them make.

Urban vinyl is a sub-genre of Designer Toys with an urban/street aesthetic, so no . Art toys,because of the word 'art' is subjective. You could call legos 'art toys'

Designer Toy just the general category they are in, as are most things in this scene. It is designed by an artist and not a faceless, nameless, someone.

wow, i thought way too much into this

'Expensive'

'Usually late'

Everything is expensive and usually late these days. I just call them toys. Unless I'm trying to show off, then I might add something in front like art or designer, but I try not to.

I treat Lego & 3A the same.

I consider them high end collectibles, not toys, def not for playing with.

Yeah, I wouldn't let a non collector handle my shit. 'cause you know the average person will just see them as toys to play with. And when you tell them the monies you've spent on them, they'll probably look at you funny.

I am the complete opposite, I rip those carder figure boxes open, pose and put these toys all over the house. I see them as adult toys that need to be posed and played with, I'm not a fan of jamming 10 figures into a deltof, they just loose their appeal for me when they are displayed like that.

Sure they need to be posed and "played" with, but if you get that person handling your figure that ends up breaking it or scratching the paint wouldn't it just chap your hide? It's like you wouldn't lend your car to a friend 'cause you know they'll abuse it when you're not looking.

If they break it on purpose, of course I'd be pissed. Who wouldn't be, you don't come to my house and break my shit lol.

If these were porcelain figures id tell em to back off, but they're not, I play with them and know what it takes to break them. Not once has anyone broken my figures, id think its common sense not to exert too much force on toys. A simple "they're plastic, just don't break em" seems to work fine as a warning when they reach for them. I guess its just my point of view on them now that i think about it. They might be expensive compared to other toys, but they're just toys to me. If they break. FUCK ME!, but you, know shit happens.

I'm much more cautions with children handling these. and only because of the small parts that come with them.

I'm the same way. I let people check them out. Once they are in hand they seem to appreciate them more.

I see their products as collectibles in the same way beanie babies are. They are made mostly for fans of the products themselves. The nature is to collect them more than to play with them. Hence people try all the time to get a set of a certain colorway.

A designer toy feels like a pop culture item that focuses around an artists' own aesthetic. So maybe 3A fits that in most cases as well. The non-Wood pieces feel simply just franchise toys.

3A and threezero are really, really cool toys that not many people have. For me having something that's not widely available is really special but these companies also do things in their own way, great weathering, cool licenses and lots of attitude. I like their style.

I don't know about other places but in my country they are starting to sell hot toys at walmart at outrageous prices, what's up with that? I'm not interested in having or displaying "collecibles" that are so widely available.

Beaumont wrote:...put these toys all over the house.... I'm not a fan of jamming 10 figures into a deltof, they just loose their appeal for me when they are displayed like that.

YES, and YES!

It's Ash's art, expressed in the shape and function of an action figure (an action figure the likes of which we couldn't even dream of when we were kids).

To me, 3A is a perfect hybrid of Designer Toy (as in: the work of an artist using three-dimensional plastic as a patform/medium), and an Action Figure (which are meant to be played with, or, at least, designed and built to withstand some amount of play, however gentle).

I rarely "play" with my 3A stuffs myself, i mostly change their poses every once in a while, change their locations, rotate them (keep some in storage and pull out others), and sometimes kit-bashing...

Also i like to have them in different areas of the house... some on the shelves, a few on the desk, others around the studio, etc. So most places i go, i will have a 3A toy to greet me and brighten up my day a bit.

I mostly stare at them and admire them, but also i need to hold them... 3A to me is a very tactile experience (well, toys in general, but 3A even more so), given the hefty, angular feel of their bots, the complex craftsmanship of the soft goods, the accessories, etc.

So stuffing a detolf with 3A defeats the purpose of having 3A in the first place. I'd rather have some in storage and rotate the display, and sometimes this even feels like rediscovering the toy all over again... like: "i had forgotten how awesome this figure is" and sometimes almost feels like getting a new toy all over again.

Very useful for lean times  

Simply put - I've always defined ThreeA as a company that produces 'Designer Toys'. To some, calling them toys would imply that they are cheap, of low craftsmanship and meant for children's play, however I believe that those notions are outdated and lack scope.

Nowadays, the term 'toy' can imply anything from mass-produced trinkets to the extremely high-quality, hand made products that ThreeA is known for. Or if you would prefer an even simpler definition - any object from which enjoyment can be had.

Perhaps that's a bit too vague, well I would also say that ThreeA products encapsulate many features that may be congruent with works of fine art or sculpture. Some of my favorite pieces such as the WWR Large Martins or the more recent Metal Gear REX have intricate hand-painted and weathered applications on them that are certainly similar to what you may find in a fine impressionist painting. And much like said paintings, many 3A works do have a powerful sense of emotion and personality about them.

To me, firmly centered between the terms of 'Toys' and 'Fine Art' is where you will find the most satisfactory definition of what exactly what ThreeA produces. In this sense, I would say that I am a toy collector just as much as I am an art collector, and that just might be what keeps me coming back for more.

I look at them like I look at Hot Toys, collectibles. I don't play with my toys to begin with but I love posing or in some cases, transforming my toys from time to time. I don't view 3A items as meant to be played with. I mean Rex and Ray certainly cannot be played with, but when you get them posed together, it's awesome!