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Toy Design / Video Game Ideation to Creation

Action Figure Prototyping, Concepts, Sculpting & Prototypes - Custom action figures begin life as rough concept drawings. Through an iteration and fun design process sketches are turned into final toy / video game prototypes that are used to mold and produce the action figure.

  • Rough Illustrations, Turnarounds & Toy / Video game Control Art – this series of illustrated turnarounds shows the figure from multiple views and angles. It acts as a blueprint for sculpting and engineering.

  • Packaging Mock-ups – create draft designs and mock-ups for your approval.

  • Prototype Modeling – physical prototyping begins! Each body part and accessory is sculpted either digitally via 3D modeling/CAD.

  • Production-ready Prototype – final engineering is completed, and the parts are converted to a production-ready prototype. This is the last opportunity to make any changes to the shape of the toy or its accessories.

  • Tooling & Molding – from the production-ready prototype, steel tools and molds are created, which will be used during production to form all plastic parts.

  • Packaging Approval – final packaging copy and artwork are sent for approval to your marketing, design, and/or legal teams.

  • Painted Prototype  – the prototype is painted by hand, normally by air brushing.

  • Test Toys / Video Games (a.k.a. Engineering Pilot) – the first action figure samples in their final plastics and materials. Also known as an "engineering pilot" or “first shot”, these unpainted samples are used to double check engineering and function of the final toy.

  • Finished Action Figures (a.k.a. Production Samples) – prior to production, we send final samples of the toy / video game in its packaging to confirm that the final action figures meet quality expectations.

Action Figure Size & Scales

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Action figures can be made in almost any size -The most desk-friendly action figure are usually between 3 to 8 inches (7.5 to 20 cm) tall.

  • 1”– 3” Mini Figures - Smaller art toys and figures like “Mini-Mates”, “Smurfs” or “Lego” people

  • 3¾” Figures - “Star Wars” or smaller “G.I Joe” RAH figures

  • 6" Figures - Modern superhero size, common for desk-sized figures

  • 8” Figures - “Mego” action figures

  • 11.5” Figures - “Barbies” and dolls

  • 12" Figures - “G.I. Joe” (traditional/retro scale) figures

  • 18"+ Figures - Large scale figures, “life-size” replicas, or larger display pieces

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