JoyToy Figures: The Brand Guide to Dark Source, StarCraft, King of Fighters and More

Most people meet JoyToy through a Space Marine. Fair enough: their 1/18 Warhammer 40,000 figures are what put them on the map in the UK. But JoyToy is a much bigger and stranger toy company than one licence. It makes its own sci-fi universes, Roman gladiators, mechs you can sit a pilot in, King of Fighters '98 brawlers and, as of this year, StarCraft.

This guide is about the brand: who JoyToy are, what they make besides Warhammer, and how buying them from us actually works. If it's Warhammer you're after, we've already written the deep dive, and we'll point you to it at the end.

Dark Source: APOC Storm Surge mechKing of Fighters '98: BenimaruStarCraft: Protoss Zealot

Who are JoyToy?

JoyToy was founded in 2015 and is based in Beijing, China. The company calls itself a sci-fi mecha and action figure brand, and says its mission is to fill a gap in the premium collector market. Unusually for a figure maker, it has its own in-house team of illustrators, designers, 3D modellers and engineers. It also owns the full rights to its original universes, which is why so much of its range isn't licensed at all.

The figures mostly come in three scales: 1/12, 1/18 and 1/25. The 1/18 scale (about 10–12cm per human-sized figure) is the one most collectors know. Licences arrived later. Warhammer 40,000 and The Horus Heresy came in 2021, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was announced in 2024, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match in 2025 and StarCraft in 2026.

JoyToy's reputation rests on lots of detail and articulation for not much money, and on releasing new figures at a startling rate. The trade-off, as long-time collectors will tell you, is that quality control has historically been less consistent than the premium brands, though it's improved over time.

The ranges, explained in plain English

• Warhammer 40,000 and The Horus Heresy: the licence everyone knows. Space Marines, Primarchs, Imperial Guard and the rest at 1/18. Intercessors start at £27.99 with us at the time of writing. The full story is in our dedicated guide (see below).
• Dark Source: JoyToy's own military sci-fi universe and the home of its mechs. That includes the 1/25 APOC series of piloted mechs (£45.99 each with us) and the Tiekui Dual Pilot Mecha, which stands about 22cm and comes with two 7.5cm pilots (£90.99). Infantry squads such as the UNSC Faceless Squad (£45.99) fill in the boots on the ground.
• Battle for the Stars: another original JoyToy sub-brand, built around factions such as the Cult of San Reja and the Sorrow Expeditionary Forces, with mechs and soldiers at 1/18.
• Strife: historical warriors at 1/18 scale, about 11cm tall, starting with ancient Rome. There's a Roman Republic cohort and a set of gladiators, each fighting style done properly. The Secutor and Dimachaerus Gladiators are £25.99 each with us.
• The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match: SNK's classic fighting game at 1/18, about 10–13cm. The figures typically come with alternate faces, swap hands, special-move effect pieces and stands. We carry figures from several teams, at £32.99 to £45.99.
• StarCraft: Blizzard's Terrans, Zerg and Protoss, at around 10cm, which is slightly smaller than the Warhammer figures. Singles include the Protoss Zealot (£33.99) and Zerg Hydralisk (£30.99), and there are fuller sets such as the Terran Marine set (£97.99) and Terran Ghost set (£64.99).
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: JoyToy also make 1/18 Turtles with accessories and a connecting display base. It shows how far the brand has spread beyond its own universes.

Warhammer 40,000: IntercessorDark Source: UNSC Faceless SquadStrife: Secutor Gladiator

Beyond Warhammer: why JoyToy's other lines are worth a look

Here's the bit most Warhammer buyers never discover. JoyToy's original universes are where the company does its most ambitious work, because there's no licensor to keep happy. JoyToy describes itself as a mecha brand first, and Dark Source is where most of those mechs live: big machines that come with their own pilots, and military sci-fi infantry to stand beside them.

That makes the non-Warhammer lines a good fit for three kinds of buyer.

The mech fan who doesn't want to build a kit

• A Dark Source APOC mech at £45.99 arrives painted, posable and with a pilot. It's the instant-gratification cousin of a Gunpla kit.
• The Tiekui Dual Pilot Mecha at £90.99 is the showpiece: 22cm of armour, two pilots, a machine gun, a shield and missile effect parts.

The retro gamer

• The King of Fighters '98 range covers whole teams, so you can rebuild the character select screen on a shelf. The swap faces and effect parts are what make them work: a fighting game figure without a fireball is just a bloke in a stance.
• StarCraft at last gets the Marine-Zealot-Hydralisk line-up fans have wanted for years.

StarCraft: Terran Marine setStarCraft: Zerg Hydralisk

The history buff and the diorama builder

• Strife's gladiators at £25.99 are some of the cheapest JoyToy figures we stock, and they're great for an arena diorama or as an unusual gift for someone who's watched every Roman documentary going.

Shown: JoyToy Dark Source Action Figure Tiekui Dual Pilot Mecha MK04 24 cm

So which one should you buy?

If you're buying a first JoyToy figure

• A Strife gladiator at £25.99 or a Warhammer Intercessor at £27.99. Both give you a feel for JoyToy's 1/18 articulation for under £30.

If it's a gift for a gamer

• A StarCraft Zealot at £33.99 or Hydralisk at £30.99 for the RTS veteran.
• Any King of Fighters '98 figure from £32.99 for the arcade kid.

If you want a shelf centrepiece

• The Tiekui Dual Pilot Mecha at £90.99, or the StarCraft Terran Marine set at £97.99 if you'd rather build an army.

If you like mechs

• Start with one APOC series mech at £45.99. They're designed as a set, and you'll probably want another.

If you're a Warhammer 40K fan

• Head to our JoyToy Warhammer figures guide. It covers the scale, the Primarchs, the helmet replicas and where to start.

In stock vs pre-order: how ordering works with us

JoyToy is one of the few brands where we split the range for you, because the difference matters.

• JoyToy in stock: figures we hold ourselves. This is where to look if you want it now, though popular pieces move fast, so what's there changes daily.
• JoyToy pre-orders: new and upcoming releases. These are genuine pre-orders with release windows set by JoyToy and the distributor.
• Bring-it-in-for-you: much of the wider JoyToy range, including most of the Dark Source, King of Fighters, StarCraft and Strife figures, is listed as pre-orders we bring in especially for you from our European distributor. You order, we order it in, and it ships to you when it lands.
• JoyToy vehicles: the bigger kit, gathered in one place.

Check each product page for its availability and timing. JoyToy releases a lot, and first runs don't always come back, so pre-ordering is how you avoid paying secondary-market prices for the one you missed.

Ikari Warriors: LeonaIkari Warriors: RalfIkari Warriors: Clark

The honest bit: what we'd swerve

• Assuming every figure is perfect out of the box: JoyToy's quality control has historically been patchier than premium brands. Check paint, joints and parts as soon as it arrives, and tell us straight away if something's wrong.
• Mixing scales by accident: 1/18, 1/25 and 1/12 don't sit together convincingly on a shelf. A 1/25 Dark Source pilot next to a 1/18 Space Marine looks like a child on bring-your-kid-to-war day. Check the scale on the product page.
• Buying a set when you wanted one figure: several StarCraft listings come as singles and as fuller sets at very different prices. Read the title before you click buy.
• Too-cheap listings from unknown sellers: the lower JoyToy's prices are, the less room there is for a "bargain". If a deal looks impossible, it probably is.
• Over-posing day one: small joints can be stiff out of the box. Ease them in gently before you try a dramatic pose.

The short version

• JoyToy was founded in 2015 in Beijing and is built around sci-fi mechs and posable figures.
• Its main scales are 1/18, 1/25 and 1/12. Most of its human figures are 1/18.
• Its own universes include Dark Source, Battle for the Stars and Strife.
• Licences go beyond Warhammer: King of Fighters '98, StarCraft and TMNT.
• With us you can buy in stock, as a pre-order, or bring-it-in-for-you, so check each product page.
• For Warhammer, read our dedicated JoyToy Warhammer guide.

Browse the full range in our JoyToy collection. If you're comparing posable lines, see all our action figures, and if the mechs have caught your eye, our Gunpla range is the build-it-yourself alternative. Fans of 7-inch retro figures should try our Super7 guide.

Final thought: JoyToy made its name with Space Marines, but it's a mech company at heart, with a growing habit of picking up game licences you didn't expect. Pick one figure outside Warhammer this time. The Zealot is a very good place to start.

Further reading: go deep on the 41st millennium in JoyToy Warhammer Figures: The Collector's Guide to the 1/18 Range, or find something for the gamer in your life with our gift guide for the hobbyist who's impossible to buy for.