For those unfamiliar with the design cycle for producing hard plastic figures it can be summed up by the following stages:
The first and most crucial stage is concept and design. It is here that you sit and plan with the sculptor the components that make up your set. The sculptor then creates the masters, usually 3 or 4 times larger than the finished product.
Once the sculpting is completed the figures are laid up in resin moulds. The composition of these resins will reflect the layout of the final sprue.
The pattern maker's role is extremely skilled as it is they who will determine the position and the route of the mould lines on all the components. They will also eliminate any potential undercuts by making adjustments to the master figures. At all times you must be conscious of the limitations of injected plastic manufacturing. Unlike a flexible rubber mould used to manufacture metal figures the steel tool used for plastic figures is rigid. This means great care must be taken in posing the figure to ensure it can be extracted from the steel tool smoothly without any damage to the plastic. Some of the restrictions of using a steel tool can be overcome by using separate components such as heads and arms.
Once the patterns are complete they will then go to the tool maker to be pantographed. This is a process where the steel tool (or mould) is cut using the resin as a template. It is at this stage that the size of the original sculpted figure is reduced to 28mm.