Prime 1 Studio and Iron Studios are the two names UK collectors ask us to compare most, and the comparison is lopsided in a way that is useful rather than unfair: they are not competing for the same shelf. One builds furniture-scale polystone in Tokyo; the other builds shelf-scale polystone in São Paulo. Here is what the two catalogues actually contain, measured from the 576 pieces we list, and how to decide which is yours.
What does each studio make?
Prime 1 Studio works big. Of the 375 Prime 1 editions on Halidom, 155 are 1/4 scale and 65 are 1/3, with a further run of dioramas and half-scale pieces; the median height is 67 cm and the tallest piece we list is 174 cm. The studio describes polystone as its primary material, "known for its weight and presence", and adds fabric, silicone and LED lighting on most of its larger lines — Museum Masterline, Premium Masterline, Ultimate Diorama Masterline. Iron Studios works small. Of its 201 editions with us, 162 are 1/10 Art Scale; the median height is 26 cm and nothing exceeds 79 cm. Its listings describe the pieces as polystone, hand-painted with automotive paint, and the line's defining idea is the connecting base: Battle Diorama Series pieces bought years apart lock together into one scene.
How do the prices compare?
This is where the two catalogues stop overlapping. The median Prime 1 piece on Halidom is £2,204.99; 218 of the 375 cost more than £2,000 and 40 come in under £500. The median Iron Studios piece is £316.99; 148 of the 201 are under £500 and none exceeds £1,710. Put another way, one median Prime 1 statue costs roughly seven Iron Studios ones. The price gap is not a quality gap in the sense of finish — both studios paint well — but a gap in mass, edition size and engineering: a 1/3 piece with a lit base and a fabric cloak is a different manufacturing problem from a 26 cm figure on a diorama base.
How long do you wait?
Longer for Prime 1. Its editions on our books cluster in Q1 2027 and then Q1 and Q2 2028; 43 are still at the pre-order stage, where the studio is taking orders on a piece not yet made. Iron Studios' run in nearer: 74 pieces are expected in Q4 2026 and 53 are already in UK stock, dispatching within 28 days. In the first week of checking every date against our distributor, 18 Prime 1 dates and 15 Iron Studios dates moved, so neither is immune to slips — but an Iron Studios slip is usually a quarter, and a Prime 1 slip on a piece two years out can be longer.
Which fits a normal home?
Iron Studios, almost without exception. A 1/10 piece clears a standard cabinet compartment, and our scale guide puts 1/10 and 1/6 within reach of every glass cabinet IKEA sells in Britain. Prime 1's 1/4 pieces need a shelf rated for the weight, which narrows the field to one cabinet, and its 1/3 and half-scale pieces are not cabinet pieces at all: they stand on furniture or the floor, arrive in several boxes and want two people to unpack. If you have not yet measured the space, that is the first thing to do; the second is to read the height on the card, because the scale ratio alone will mislead you on a diorama.
Which should you collect?
If you want a collection — a roster of characters that reads as one display and grows over years — Iron Studios is built for exactly that, and the price lets you buy in waves. If you want a centrepiece — one piece that stops people at the door, and a room arranged around it — Prime 1 is the studio doing that work at the highest level, and the price reflects it. Plenty of collectors do both: a shelf of Art Scale and one Museum Masterline. The mistake is buying a Prime 1 piece as if it were a shelf object, or expecting an Iron Studios piece to carry a room on its own.
Why it matters if you are holding a reservation
Because the two studios wait differently and arrive differently. An Iron Studios reservation is usually months away and lands in one box; a Prime 1 reservation may be a year or more away, the balance is larger, and delivery day is a small event. Knowing which you have reserved tells you what to plan for — the shelf, the second pair of hands, the route through the door — and what a moved date is likely to mean.
Sources
- Prime 1 Statue — Prime 1 Studio — polystone as the primary material and the studio's own line descriptions.
- Art Scale 1/10 listing — Iron Studios — polystone, hand-painted, automotive paint.
- The statue scale guide — Halidom — the cabinet load ratings behind the "which fits" section.
- Catalogue figures (counts, medians, heights, windows) are from Halidom's own listings, measured 9 September 2026; they move as editions open and close.
Browse Halidom's Prime 1 Studio and Iron Studios editions, each with its height, scale and expected window on the card.