Onyx_6 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 There has been a lot of discussion lately about the 'tool' used for making Minimates. Sitwell didn't get his mug because there wasn't enough space 'on the tool.' The SDCC DoFP 4-pack had to have all parts reuse because of time and 'tooling costs.' Often a 'tool' may not be available at the time for a certain part. So, what exactly is a 'tool' in the context of Minimate production? What does one look like (do you have pics, Zach)? I imagine something like a modular jigsaw puzzle, where each 'piece' has a rectangular shape mold and they all need to fit together, possibly with spacers, into a larger rectangular mold that gets filled with plastic. Is this even close? Does the basic Minimate body have its own 'tool?' Or does each character get a 'tool' that has his/her accessories and basic body? Thank you to anyone who can provide any insight into this well talked about, yet mysterious concept! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) The tooling is the mould that produces the basic plastic pieces ..........something akin to this is made by the tooling . The following video very basically shows how it's done I think. I would speculate that each Minimate (less head) has its own specialist tooling which incorporates separate sub-moulds including unique & satandard/other moulds. In other words I have no idea ! Edited June 26, 2014 by buttheadsmate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roccothegreat Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzorio Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Once upon a time there was a video tour of a factory that made Minimates. I tried finding it but couldn't. Maybe someone else will have better luck but either way I'd love to see an updated video that walks us through the entire process, from concept through shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK Collector Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Once upon a time there was a video tour of a factory that made Minimates. I tried finding it but couldn't. Maybe someone else will have better luck but either way I'd love to see an updated video that walks us through the entire process, from concept through shipping. That would be really cool. We used to have a show here in the UK that showed stuff like that. How erasers were made and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 This infographic from DC Collectibles might be helpful: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSTZach Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I don't have any pics, but the basic Minimate body is it's own tool. Depending on the extra parts involved, and how many are on old tools, a wave can use anywhere from 0 to 1.5 new tools. Waves and sets can share tools, but each tool costs a bundle, so once a tool is full, we probably aren't going to start another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onyx_6 Posted June 27, 2014 Author Share Posted June 27, 2014 So, a wave could be using 20 tools, if you needed a piece from 20 different old tools? Or can you change out what molds are on the tool? I find this topic extremely interesting and I appreciate my things more if I know from whence they came or how they are made. Thanks for the details, Zach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSTZach Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I believe 20 tools would be excessive. I think the number of tools needs to be kept to a minimum for logistical and producion time purposes, which can affect what parts get used from which lines. They are not modular, that I know of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanester Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Zach, I think you and I should go to China on a field trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 You guys should bring Geoff Beckett! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanester Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 You guys should bring Geoff Beckett! They would not let him into the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earlyfrost Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 watch NatGeo's Megafactories, the one with the Lego episode. that would give you an idea about the tool. i would assume it's the same expensive looking mental molds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSTZach Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 This is a shot associated with that episode, which I now need to see. I toured a Chinese factory back in my ToyFare days, where they made injection parts for 6-inch figures and roto accessories and soft goods for 12-inch figures. It was very cool, but definitely not a "megafactory." Our tools look similar to this, as far as I know, but I believe they hold a lot more stuff than this, and never multiples of a single item, since our production runs are much smaller than Lego's. I said the tools were not modular because I know that when they want to use something from a mold, they have to block off the parts they don't want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youbastards Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 So, the Walking Dead Wave 5 bandana piece that was used years ago in Platoon, they had to pull the entire Platoon tool, and block off all of the other parts just to get the bandana? Crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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