[JerryM]

No doubt, there are lots of figures available on the market and a lot of guys who do some awesome work in detailing the figures. But the difference between true scale figures and stand-off scale figures is the difference between a great figure and an OK figure.

Scale figures mean that the figure is proportional in body size to an actual human being. It also means that the detail on the figure is proportional in size and detail to an actual human being dressed in actual football gear. i.e. it looks like the real thing only miniaturized and in an appropriate, proportional scale for it's size.

Stand-off scale means the figure is a representation of the actual human being that you are duplicating, but it is not scale as defined above. But when you look at it, you can tell what it is supposed to represent.

I'll give you an example. The old Tudor fab five painted figures that we all know and love as that is what got us into this hobby when we got when we were kids and adults. Those would be stand-off scale figures as the figures are proportional in size and scale to an actual human being, but the factory paint jobs on those figures were stand-off scale as they were just paint blobs carefully placed and our imaginations filled in the gaps of what was lacking in detail.

Most all of the figures on the market today are stand-off scale, but what they lack in detail on the figure, we make-up for in the application of accurate paint color and decals. To take that a step further, the finish that you put on the figure to keep the decals from deteriorating can change a scale figure from scale to stand-off scale with the spray of a can in gloss finish vs satin finish. How many NFL players look glossy?

I'm not trying to take anything away from our hobby or the great progress that has been made in how far we've come. But the MFCA is making strides in pushing the boundaries of how far we can take this hobby and challenging manufacturers to keep thinking and refining to make this hobby even better.

If you're happy with your figures the way they are then that's great! If you want things to become more detailed and make figures even better, then demand more just like we've been doing all along. I offer this definition of scale vs stand-off scale as a starting point.

Jerry