About ShiniGami Expertise I can answer any question about Action Figure and Toy Design, Prototyping, Manufacturing and Production Management. Over 20 years in the Toy business with clients including Bandai US/Japan/Europe, Hasbro, Kenner, Mattel, McFarlane Toys, Playmates, etc., and also specialty companies including Toy Tokyo, The Showroom NYC, Kid Robot, Wheaty Wheat and many others.
NOTE: I travel A LOT, so during overseas travel (Japan, Hong Kong, China), I do not check for questions. Thanks.
Experience
Past/Present Clients: Designers including : Gary Baseman, Ron English, Frank Kozik, Pete Fowler, Futura, Stash, David Horvath. Companies including : Bandai Japan, Bandai US, Dark Horse, Hasbro, Kenner, Lucas Films, Maharishi, Marvel, Mattel, McFarlane Toys, MTV, NIKE, Playmates, Reebok, Sony, etc.
Question I am a homeschool teacher. My children have played with Playmobil toys such as the Roman empire which have terrific educational benefits. (The nice thing about playmobil is they really have just 1 figure which they dress differently--huge cost savings I suppose.) All the parts fit all the figures: clothing, tools, weapons, etc.
I would like to produce a line of action figures like playmobil of the themes in American History: the Founding Era, Civil War Era, WWII, etc. I would like to create a line that teaches geography through action figures and modeled after the culture of each nation. Animals would also be interesting.
I believe homeschoolers (and other education minded parents) would really love them as educational tools and the children will for play.
What do you think? How would I get started? What is the investment? Do I shop out the manufacturing overseas. I am not willing to go to China because of their slave labor and forced abortion policies. Where would you recommend I find a top quality manufacturer? I assume that if I had the designs done and paid for the molds, that I would own them and could take them elsewhere if I chose to.
Answer You have to have them prototyped, etc. Depending on design, might be $1,000 and up.
Playmobil toys are either PVC or ABS depending on the line. It's not really PVC anymore, as it is illegal, but everyone calls the replacement material PVC.
Tooling is more expensive for ABS than PVC, but PVC is cheaper per piece to make, it's more durable, etc. Tooling again depends on design, from $2,000 to ? And yes, you'd own the tooling.
Having been to China many times, the media really over-reports what China is really like. I've never seen slave labor, but I'm sure it's there in remote areas, or maybe Prisons. No factory I work with has anything but paid workers, in good environment, etc. I've asked about the abortion thing before, and seems to be in some areas around Beijing or? I've seen many families with 2 or 3 children. My partner in China has 2 girls. CHina is quickly becoming more westernized by the day, and it's nothing like shown on US TV.
I'm a project manager, so I manage the entire project, not just a salesman who turns you over to a factory, and you have to deal with the language barrier, time, etc.
