Who Wants To Build Toys

[crpdiablos]

Edit: Note: This was kind of a think out loud brain storm so I may sound like a mad mad. I just got home from work so I'm gonna go through and clean this up a bir



Of I've been thinking about this for years but these forums have given me an idea. I'm not saying it's an original idea but my light bulbs popping get up there. Just tossing an idea out there to see the response but who would be interested in owning and manufacturing toys as a group and would that kill everyone involved or be a great idea. I'm not even thinking profit um thinking getting enough guys together to all put in enough money to manufacture a toy. My pick as always would be Golion but I can wait. If the idea works and we are all still friends and make it to the second then maybe it would be Golion. My idea is get all the Godaikin guys together and start with the first 10. And maybe even do then in order unless it's goggle very I got him he's horrible.so being I b the field of manufacturing I'm definitely interested in doing this I'm just not the best at getting people together to get the money. There would be a group of guys that would gave to pitch in the bulk and down the line to what oeo People could afford and everyone gets the toys at actual manufacture cost. Obviously then the guts that pitched in 10 20 30 20k will end up with a lot of toys that exult beef to verify sold and rolled over into the next run Voltes V or Combattra maybe the time 28 we all want and e Ben bigger. This may be just a Pope dream but these tots are usually done in small runs so I'd need to know manufacturing cost, get a guy in or I'm hearing Vietnam is the place to manufacture now that China is getting pricier but maybe to keep it vintage do it in taiwan.. As um writing this for the first time and the ideas are kinda forming at the first time as well I'm thinking this could be done. There will be the guys that can only afford it only want one toy and they will get it at cost. This us where my mind starts vibrating and twitching because how to make this work if everyone gets stuff at cost then all the money's spent except for the guys that bought 1000 toys those would then need to be sold to produce the capital for Godmarz. So here is what I'm thinking assuming this actually went forward. We start talking about it now like I'm doing see what sort of interest there is. What we would be manufacturing is a tribute to the first 10 that started it all and the collectors that fuel the industry for companies like Bandai. We do it in non profit form with the goal of manufacturing the first 10 Godaikin. I'm wondering being non profit would we have issues with copyright or would Bandai let us do it. I want to see these designed and manufactured according to input from forum members who basically would own the company and if we make it to the 10th unit and there us a pile of money then we could do a number of things ie more Godaikin definitely Mazinger. As a matter of fact that's the icing on the cake. Once again just throwing out an idea on the fly. If we make it to the tenth unit and have that pile we Do Mazinger Z Tribute or whatever forums have decided on this wouldn't be just robot Japan, it would be all the guys on all the forums around the world that would be interested in doing this. We would have to have a trusted member of each forum be in charge of collecting the donations until we have enough to move forward with tooling and manufacturing. If we don't make our goal by a certain time frame the donations will be returned.


I'll leave it there for now because at that point there designs and stuff that require money to be thrown at it while we wait to see if we even have the money to do it.


Thanks for taking your time to see what this is all about. I'd love to see what people think and truly hope this idea of mine will actually turn into somrthing. We are always talking about a dream company we all have been waiting for to make the toys we want and the way we want them. The toy I want to make more than anything would be the sickest meanest Golion but I am also thinking of what the group as a whole would want to do first so my two cents on it would be the one we've been hinting about the DX Voltes V Tribute. Being a tribute would mean modern you vintage looks box and all with the Japanese style box available only as a set. I'm I'm ggetting ahead of myself but It's out there now, I it's been on my mind for about 20 years so let's see what happens


I'm sure there are spelling errors I'm using my phone to type this out. I will clean thus up when I get to my computer

[Mr. Ginrai]

I like the idea - but this is a heavy venture - I would almost be more comfortable looking into some type of casting or alternate design (at least to prototype) here because we can control the design from being taken out from under us.

Let's see where the idea goes. I think the ultimate problem overall, even if we make changes and we avoid the need for licensing, is that we are in the US and easily accessible with respect to courts of law, unlike third party companies and their shells that are off in a ghost town overseas. The focus would have to be on altered design (fan made/influenced) and limited run and not for profit, rather than full on production to make $$$ like those companies do. Basically think like making a very limited run of "paintings" like an artist does, but in our case, toys.

[admin1 aka Ed]

I like the manufacturing idea, but myself, I'd have to favor new. One can't redo flawed designs without adding more flaws....IMHO.

But.... 3D scans and printing are around the corner. I could see scanning the Godaikins then making them in solid metal sintering.

E

[mojacko]

i surely like the idea of creating/making my own toys using 3d printers but when considering the cost to print all the toy parts and its components once 3d is finished its still expensive...

[xtrlowz75]

But many of the Godaikins are flawed and can only be improved. The new Soul of Chogokins of the classics are great, but way over priced for the actual build cost I'm sure. If Toynami can put out a masterpiece Voltron for $150, then we should be able to re-release the Godaikins at or near the same price. Now would I re-do the ones Soul of Chogokin already did, probably not or at least not yet. I would focus on the ones they haven't done, the ones that badly needed a make over to begin with. I would keep them with all the classic gimicks, and of course give them that Soul of Chogokin pose-ability.

So we are talking Sun Vulcan, Goggle V, Daidenjin, Daitetsujin, Bioman, Machineman/Changeman, Tetsujin-28 (with the classic interior, figures, and removable armor), Machine Dolphine, Abegas, Valvilos, Daileon, Dynaman, and Laserion. I mean with a 3-D printer wouldn't it be all about carefully taking these guys apart, scanning their parts rebuilding them with the copied parts, then doing the joint mods to make them more action figure like, while keeping all the classic gimicks. I mean some of the body of the figure will change just like the Soul of Chogokins but you can still retain the over all color and look. Dude I would be in on this.

[Watari]

I remember years ago, Sanjeev from TBDX forum posted images of a Popy DX Voltes done in Autocad. I wonder if he did it manually, getting all the dimensions by hand or was it 3D scanned?

He's totally into 3D printing right now, doing seminars and stuff. But I regularly visit his blog and he hasn't done any repros of vintage Popy toys. Or maybe he already did, he just didn't want anybody to know yet

Anyway, it's really just a matter of time til somebody takes on the challenge. And even if they replace all the diecast parts with abs plastic to reduce cost, I'd still get it, as long as all the gimmicks are intact.

[Lejam]

Ninjahandz rj member already started something great.
We can bring add-ons and more to the line we are collecting.
Shapeways is the best solution to start with.
I am good with 3dsmax and going slowly to zbrush
(not the best for toy editing because of polys madness -> need to retopo shapes).
The sad end of CM's let the Grendizer alone without the spacers.
The second set was scheduled to have the 3 spacers and comes in limited EU version
vith different colors + 3 vegan spacers...

I have a prototype of this little spacer close to be ready for 3d Printing...
Some details need to be finished. It is suposed to come in 5 parts :
Top, bottom, dorso fin, left and right fins.
Because of licencing, I can not sell them. I was thinking of selling or giving free the 3d print file...
But before, of course I have to finish it and test it after printing a first model.

Going to mass production is not easy and it's better starting with small items.
I already work as paint app designer on a first toy from a new company
and also on a be@rbrick proto for Medicom and Bandai : small items are confortable
but eat a lot of time and money. But risk is few compare to a toy with engineering,
molds for plastic and diecast parts... Packaging is eating the budget too.
A completed model is a great challege and I think a kickstarter could be a suitable financial choice.
But that means creating a company with status and everything needed in the background for that.
It's not a hobby but a full time job.

Maybe we need to ask infos from the Transformers 3rd Party companies.
I have good contact with Igear and Mastermind Creation.
Perfect Effect are also nice people to talk with.
I still have a good contact who worked at Bandai Europe,
starting september, I will join a studio to work as lead designer on cartoon series
and toy branding/licencing consultant. So I will enter into a schedule of hell and joy of creation.
For sure I will have more facilities to help on toy production for anyone here.

Now the big question : what you people wanna do and create ?

[TheMazingerZ]

I'm with you, Lejam! I would say that "kits" to modify readily available figures (like ninjahandz made) are a good way to go. More intricate kits, to totally change the figure into a different character, would be awesome too!

}D

[Lejam]

We can choose the path of 3rd Party.
You just stay at the limit of what may seem official and from the licences.
SOCs need enemies for Mazinger and others.
Hasbro is tolerant with 3rd party companies : they keep TF licence alive,
feed the fan base and are peanuts versus mass production.
Bandai, Toei and Dynamic Planning are maybe not so nice...


Edit :
some polls could help to decide what we all can choose as a first trial and finance all together.

[crpdiablos]

I forgot about this post..I have to laugh cause this is what happens when your partying and playing on he computer. LOL..

That being said I do have serious interest in manufacturing a transforming robot. I have been working with real robots and with the advances in technology a functional transforming toy is possible. Looking over my drunken thread I must say I do want to manufacture a toy one day and if I could only do one it would be a GOLION tribute