Why is Tooling so expensive? Why are they made of Steel? How are Tools Made?All this and more!

[@planetschlock]

I'm endlessly fascinated by the subject of action figure tooling and I don't know why. Either way, I can't get enough of these videos.

[@HessTruckBOOKS]

Agreed

[@jynncommsareopen5115]

model kit companies usually reuse sprues for other models but sometimes come with extra pieces which allow modelers to build up a library of spare parts and end up kitbashing a full toy over multiple model kits

[@goldenrootsnet]

Thanks for answering my question!

[@spectorcreative1872]

You are most welcome!

[@rolandkatsuragi]

4:01 So much like Gunpla, all the parts cast in different colors, appear on separate sprues?

[@wretchedthe638]

How about paints in next topic? Paints on the final product

[@spectorcreative1872]

Covered! Just search the channel

[@Cyril29a]

There is a greta channel called Stuff made here. This guy is an engineering wizard and he builds all kinds of machines. One of the less impressive things he made are steel toed crocs, and he made the tool to stamp the steel out of wood and it worked. It is worth checking out for anyone who has interest in the process. If Scott agrees I can link to the video.

[@steve9021oh]

I absolutely love your channel and your hard work! Thank you for my daily toy video!!

[@TheCrabbyArchives]

Could you do a vid on Mattel’s Food Fighters line? Maybe how it started and why it failed + behind the scenes stuff if you can get into contact with people who worked on it? I’m especially curious about what was going through Mattel’s head when they thought up the idea- it’s a conflict-based play with good guys and bad guys like a lot of action figures, but why food?

[@Dented_Battle_Armor]

Yes! This was the video I was waiting for, for months.

[@LBDNytetrayn]

These recent videos have reminded me of a question I've long wondered about: You know how some bootlegs and knockoffs -- and maybe some official? I'm not sure -- toys will take a mold and make it several times larger or smaller? I'd really like to know how that's done. Like, how do you get a larger or smaller mold of a toy, especially if you don't have the original?

[@thebatemans8002]

I have wondered that myself, I thought they might scan the toy or product pictures into a computer programme and then scale it up or scale it down. Would be good to know for certain tho.

[@Kyle_Butterfield81]

craftsman has a video about something similar. id look him up. Crafsman steady craftin

[@grimlock1471]

@@thebatemans8002 3d scanning has been a around since the 80's.

[@tonyjackson4078]

This even applies to lines like Transformers, Hasbro has used a base transformation engineering from a character like Hot Spot, and created chunks and pieces to turn a fire truck into the Ecto-1. Both toys have the same base design, but using unique "satellite" pieces that aren't integral to the set design makes a brand new figure.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

Scott, I should note that Hasbro employed this back in 2016-2017 during the “Titans Return” Transformers line. While Optimus Prime already had a figure in the range based on his Powermaster form, he was given a new figure alongside Megatron, both of them having odd jet modes in addition to their default forms of a truck and a tank. This was intentional, though, as Hasbro chose to release two popular characters first and then use the tooling from the second Optimus and Megatron to create new versions of Blitzwing and Octane, characters who had both aerial modes and land-based modes.

[@tudortiger]

Speaking of sculpting joints, would you know why, say, Marvel Legends’ neck ball joints vary in sizes where other toys, e.g. imports, use standard neck pegs? It sometimes frustrate the way we can’t interchange head sculpts because of this. Did you have the same issue with your DCUC line?

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

I thought they did it on purpose so collectors wouldn't be able to fit certain head sculpts and have to buy the new one.

[@sturner151]

Great video, extremely interesting subject matter presented in a positive way.

[@spectorcreative1872]

So glad! Any suggestions for topics always welcome

[@toweltoy]

How is a company like Joytoy overcoming this hurdle of tooling? The figures are more expensive, but not compared to all the tooling cost that is going into them.

[@andrewtaylor940]

This is simple. There are a few factors that will go into the cost of a tooling set or mold. What Plastic are you injecting? This will determine things like temperature and pressure that the mold needs to be able to withstand. How many cycles will the mold need? How many toys do you need from this mold set? Molds where out. Details grow soft from repeated use and eventually they will fail. The more cycles you need, the more expensive it is. This shows up when comparing a regular retail toy brand, say Hasbro Marvel Legends, and a collector targeted specialty brand such as NECA. NECA puts out a broad variety of subjects each year. But that is because their figures are mostly made of PVC. PolyVinyl Chloride. Which is a softer plastic. It flows well at low temperatures and low pressures, and short run tooling for a PVC figure is not that expensive. But we all know PVC figures. They warp over time, they dry out or get brittle. They are fragile. They are figures for collecting and do not stand up to child play. So for an expected run of only a few thousand pieces you can use much softer and cheaper metals for your molds. Whereas something like a Marvel Legends or a Bandai SH Figuarts are using almost entirely ABS Plastic. This is a much more sturdy plastic. With some formulations being near indestructable (Lego). But ABS is much much more expensive to work with. It requires higher temperature plastic injected at much higher pressure. This requires hardened steel tooling. It tooling cycles are expected to be in the millions that becomes a very expensive tool set. The final element of cost is how much precision is required of each part? Most Action figure parts only have 2 points of connection. Typically 3 or 5mm. They need some precision so the joints work. Which puts them middle of the road for tooling costs. Believe it or not the most expensive toy tooling is Lego Bricks. The level of utterly insane precision needed for Lego is just staggering. Each piece must connect perfectly to every other piece, ever made. With a prescribed amount of clutch power and ease of separation, in three axis. Every piece of the same type must be exactly the same. A full toolset that produces the classic Lego 2x4 bricks costs around $500,000. It spits out I believe 24 bricks per cycle and is expected to run for millions of cycles over many years. Joytoy is mostly PVC. One trick a lot of collectable figure maker companies do is they create an internal skeleton or armature, or just the joint connections out of fairly standard PVC. Then insert those into the main molds and shoot PVC around them.

[@bradleylovej]

@@andrewtaylor940 This is pretty much the most insightful things I've ever read in regards to this process and the expenses involved. Exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you!

[@erickmunoz3894]

How is the mold sculpted though ???- how do you transfer the horsemen prototype into a steel mold ???

[@billbarman]

Great video as always. How many action figures can you generally get out of a tool before it starts to deteriorate, and what are some things to look for on actions figures that are signs of worn out tooling?

[@spectorcreative1872]

It can be in the tens of thousands of units

[@rolandkatsuragi]

7:05 I typically refer to those as resin proofs

[@GojiBaba]

5:54 Shout out to Crafsman Steady Craftin' and the Free Range Chicken!

[@paulfrench7222]

Follow-up question: I've heard MOTUC produced extra bodies ahead of time in black plastic, then had them custom painted and assembled as different characters as each new figure was produced. Assuming this is true, did you pre-plan which arms and legs you'd need for the next few waves at the same time, or did you wait to produce those parts until the newly tooled parts were ready for production?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yup this is what happened!

[@josiahalcorne]

Why does Hasbro not seem to follow this plan across all the licenses they own? Am I being too tough on them? am I just not being realistic about labor and storage issues? Thanks for this video it did address a lot of questions.

[@Shockwave-ob2tx]

How does retooling work? Are sub-molds placed into the primary molds to block off unneeded sections? Or if the new main mold has a slightly different design from the old one, is a brand new mold made or is the old one altered? Thank you

[@spectorcreative1872]

I’ll get into this in an upcoming vid!

[@purcellworthman3199]

If you're looking for new topics I really want to hear more about the 7 pack of Justice League extras.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Like the final pack?

[@ia5662]

Good video - but HOW expensive are the tools, typically? I noticed you didn't get into actual numbers or costs and I think that's what most collectors are after. How do companies justify their exorbitant pricing if the steel molds themselves are less expensive than we think they are? I've heard way too many numbers out there ranging from $5-10,000 to $100,000 for one mold. It is fascinating to see how multiple accessories get tied together like that - almost makes me think it's more economical to keep making new figures rather than having to mix and match.

[@spectorcreative1872]

A fully tooled 6” figure we run about 100K

[@robd1329]

How much was the tooling Classics Castle Grayskull is what I want to know.

[@ia5662]

@@spectorcreative1872 wow - are ships or vehicles any cheaper or any easier to produce?

[@etheangel2220]

Thanks! This kind of content is absolutely critical for anyone who might call themselves a toy collector/hobbyist. Im not nearly as informed about the manufacturing aspect of the toy industry as I would like to be, but even with the little bit that I know, I can get a better picture as to why things are the way they are (sometimes). Have you ever made a video about what happens to all these molds after a production run? Are they still good and get shipped back to the company? Or do they "disappear" or get destroyed.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Thrilled you are enjoying. Any help passing it along or reposting is most appreciated

[@SomeGuy1234X]

How often are tools made for one ip used for other unrelated ip?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Only if the toy company owned the IP. See the video I did in shared tools!

[@km1157]

That’s awesome to know. The thing that is weird to me is how you see figures from different countries are different scales than most of the American stuff that you can buy at Walmart. There’s not a real standardization of scale in the toy community. Because usually you see things from 1/18 to 1/6 and bigger. In the American market. But in Japan The scale ranges all over the place. But figures from Hong Kong I’ve seen have only been 1/18 or 1/6 .Are the majority scale sizes in the area.

[@elextrano7597]

(Is me Rogelio) This something i realy wanted to see

[@eltenda]

Very interesting video!

[@FellVoice]

How are some parts made that are of two different materials such as the Power Sword variant that has a glittery front half and a gray bottom half? Thanks!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Two different tools! One for each plastic type

[@FellVoice]

@@spectorcreative1872 So one tool makes the top half and then that piece is transferred to another tool where the remaining portion is injected and bonded to it?

[@bobastu]

I wish toy companies would give the consumer the option on adult oriented products to receive the parts on a sprue, i.e. 1/12 scale vehicles. Rubber tires, steel rear axles, etc. It would be a cheaper option to receive the VAMP and HISS tank, while giving the consumer control over Mk1, Mk2, Stinger, etc. Great video... thank you

[@toweltoy]

Oh man, it would be awesome if they can do army builders still on the sprue for us to put together ourselves. Super Battle Droid army would be awesome.

[@brentwolfe2661]

How many tools per figure get made? I am assuming you can’t just have one tool to make 1 million He-mans How many factories did Mattel have to pay to make these toys? Thanks for the content.

[@nerosmith2578]

What 3D software do people use for designing articulated figures? Do they come with automatic options for peg size or they are all done manually?

[@andrewtaylor940]

"it has to be made of steel" Not exactly, although true probably for 99% of Action figures. The material of the mold depends on what it is planned for. What type of plastic is being injected and what what the anticipated production run is. How many shots are needed off of the tooling? Steel is most common these days. But you can also find Zinc/Magnesium, Aluminum, and a few other blends. At one time there was talk of magical Ceramic Tooling but I don't know that that ever really materialized. Pretty much if you can make an Engine Block out of it they have made plastic molds from it.

[@Scrimjer]

So they don't cast the steel, they carve it out?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Essentially

[@elextrano7597]

6:19 🤔 yea from what parts specter is made of?

[@elextrano7597]

Of all the stuff of clasics the weapons pack are the ones that alwats catch my eye

[@dandelgado3491]

For a complete figure who can fit in one tooling, how many tools would one character get? Like he-man for example. I imagine he would have a few tools loaded up on several machines, banging out he-man figures left and right.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Usually one per material type

[@dandelgado3491]

@@spectorcreative1872 😳 no way,.. That's insane,.. So everyone's he-man is coming from one block,.. Wild👍

[@TrevorStasik]

Really fascinating stuff. Scott, you were asking for topics. How about some stuff on Toy Donations for the holidays? I'm sure Toys For Tots could use a plug. Thanks for all you do.

[@AndrewRibaudo]

Great channel, Scott! And perfect timing today -- I've been wanting to ask your opinion on this. With tooling being so costly, so much so that the biggest companies have been doing subscriptions and crowdfunding on certain big name projects, what's your educated guess as to how McFarlane Toys, a much smaller company (I assume), has managed to put out so much product (including several IPs) in just the past two years that they've had the DC license? Or is it just that McFarlane is currently in the same league as Mattel and Hasbro?

[@spectorcreative1872]

A big thing is McFarlane has way less overhead and is not publiclly owned

[@1975dlh]

Could you do a video about the recent haslab failure of rancor, maybe explain what would of been the process etc. The prices were extremely different from us and UK funding and who decided the tier lists etc. Love the channel btw

[@spectorcreative1872]

Working on it!

[@JMan1380]

How do some tools last longer than others? Is there a difference between tooling for action figures and blow molds?

[@phillipussery3212]

When did they make scubattack skeletor I don't remember that one and was it a failure in the 80's motu line

[@shawnkarg3794]

It seems like if the tooling were modular to re-arrange shared parts instead of using only a portion of the tool, it would maximize productivity and profit margins.

[@MonkeyboysToys]

Thanks man that was interesting

[@gianluca.pastorelli]

I might be wrong, but I guess back in the early 80s there was no 3D scanning technology to make the tool production process computer-based. How were the vintage MOTU tools made? Were they carved manually?

[@JamesSerapio]

If I recall, saw some video about it, the prototype pieces were sculpted traditionally then moulded for mass production.

[@jacobnothnagle9978]

Maybe someone has asked this already, but I was wondering how many molds(or tools) get made per unique figure? Like for example in the Original Kenner Star Wars line you had figures like Darth Vader that were basically produced throughout the entire run of the line. There must have been tons of this individual figure made. Is only one mold used to crank out all these figures or are there copies or duplicates made so they can crank out more than one figure at a time? Seems like if there were only one actual mold being used it would slow down the process greatly and also be catastrophic if it got damaged somehow mid-run on the figure.

[@Jake_E57]

Chocolate molds are incidentally made of plastic. Chocolate doesn't heat up to the temperatures of plastic, plus they withstand the rigors of chocolate making better, especially the cleaning, which would corrode steel very fast.

[@brushstroke3733]

The plastic is injected into the molds at HIGH PRESSURE to make sure it fills the mold completely. That's another reason the mold has be made out of a block of steel.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Excellent point

[@willku9000]

I wonder. I think You said in another video that The Term Tool is also used for injection molds for things other than toys too, and I’ve heard you use the Term “Re-Tooling” before. Do you think that’s where the Term Re-Tooling comes from in the entertainment industry? Like I’ve heard it used when they make Significant changes from the pilot episode to the final show. Even I’ve referred to the series Extreme Dinosaurs as “The Re-tooled Spin-off of Street Sharks And Dinovengers”.

[@matthewpoe1056]

They now use a lot of laser cutting of steel dies. They also use titanium to make a die. Due to weight issues.

[@VexNToys]

Does anyone try to collect tooling? Its awesome to have your favorite character but what if you owned the tooling to your favorite character? Is that how some knockoffs are made?

[@spectorcreative1872]

I imagine someone somewhere does

[@ultramaximusreviews]

I understand the concept and logistics of the engineering behind the tooling, having worked in the electronics industry for a number of years, however I still don't understand the ridiculous cost of the tools... we used steel tools in the electronics industry to manufacture cases, buttons, remotes, chassis parts etc. but they didn't cost that insane amount of money. Something just doesn't add up to me.

[@gobucs3146]

Asked the “why is it so expensive?” Question a few videos ago, lol

[@spectorcreative1872]

Glad you did

[@tawdryhepburn4686]

Now, you said _very few_ tools are made of sticks and/or hay. But you didn’t say _none._ that would seem to prompt the question - how often does one encounter a hay/sticks tool? Can you name any famous examples?

[@JamesSerapio]

Hemp rope? 30' always required for any D&D adventurer. 😆

[@tawdryhepburn4686]

@@JamesSerapio thank you!

[@grimlock1471]

The cost of tooling involves the design and engineering of the figure, as well as the engineering involved in the tool. But that is a one-time cost. I believe you mentioned having to make more than one tool for MOTU Classics He-Man because it was used up. How much cheaper is that second since it's only the material and labor of making it?

[@spectorcreative1872]

The design is a different line item in a budget to the actual creation of the tool. But yes there are some minor savings when doing a duplicate of an existing tool

[@knyght27]

Any info on how tooling was made back before we had advanced 3D scanning and milling technology? Like in the 1980s

[@spectorcreative1872]

Pretty much by hand

[@knetge]

how did they make tools before computer?

[@spectorcreative1872]

By hand

[@exoticcarfactsofficialchan7050]

I thought that the "Beastie Bucks" were a popular '80 rap group 🤔🤷‍♂️😜👍

[@stevebragg4256]

The people were rooting against the Rancor Haslab are celebrating saying that turning it down has the people at Haslab being metaphorically sent to their room to think about what they've done, & laughing about how Haslab has lost thousands on R & D and sculpting, etc.

[@machineman6498]

5:58 Hey I have that figure! This whole video is like a giant To-Do list for a wannabe like myself. It’s coming, but someone is going to note aluminum. That’s OK for hobby/ DIY and not on a large production level. Plastic has a corrosive property that degrades the mold over time.

[@ScareglowSkull]

I asked for this one!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Glad to deliver!

[@FNHot]

I learned why my toys arent made of sticks!

[@MayorMacCheese696]

Ok Mr.Toy guru sir I have a question.. Your always talking about the high cost of tooling/ molds. The Haslab Rancor didnt get backed, they probably had a mold made for the figure they presented. Do you think hasbro would try to use that mold in the future to make up for the cost of the tooling or will they take the loss? Or was there no tooling made and what they showed was like the mighty spector statue in this video? Would love to know!

[@spectorcreative1872]

They would not have a mold. Just a sculpt which is just a few hundred dollars to maybe a grand for something that big. They would not tool it until it hit its goal.

[@MayorMacCheese696]

@@spectorcreative1872 I see, Thank you!

[@katmaresparkles9578]

Do you think that with 3d printing now tools will become obsolete eventually

[@spidl]

He covers 3d printing in this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHTdnmuojJambqM

[@spectorcreative1872]

See the video I did on that very topic!

[@justinmohan7103]

When will you do a video about the vintage He-Man head and why its so important to the character? I asked a few months ago and you seemed confused. Perhaps, you could do a video about why certain character changes increase and decrease sales of a character.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Do you mean why it is important to collectors? Nostlagia

[@justinmohan7103]

@@spectorcreative1872 Both I guess, He-Man seems to be the only character that cannot get his likeness changed in toy form. Its a challenge to do a video like this for sure

[@robd1329]

...it may be urban myth...but i heard when tooling molds are no longer needed their sold and used as boat anchors. Is that true?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh yes! I actually noted this in a few videos!

[@RetroActionUK]

One of the Top 100 in Most Frequently Asked Qs?

[@edgexl8327]

At what point do the molds begin to degrade?

[@spectorcreative1872]

See the video I did on the lifespan of tools!

[@3.75istheway7]

Can you give us a video about on how toy companies decide what figure to make? Sometimes I scratch my head wondering how we get one figure but not another! For example Hasbro has made a 6 inch kenobi figures and basically the entire cast but the vintage collection which really wants the inquisitor’s Ned B , talla, and 3 versions of Kenobi himself! The vintage collection gets 2 but you would think you would get him from the beginning and one as the obi wan at the end whe defeat’s Vader! Instead we get the 2 from the beginning and no revitalized Obi-Wan who defeats Vader! The vintage collection has 3 figures from kenobi! Even the retro collection has more and these figures didn’t exist back in the 80’s??

[@alexcharles8541]

If the assembly is so expensive, why do model kits cost more than figures most of the time?

[@tawdryhepburn4686]

Niche-but-dedicated market demo. Thus they can charge more.

[@brett8481]

@Spector Creative I've been seeing all the hot takes from collectors on KZbin on the Rancor and Skystriker Haslab projects this week. I have a feeling their takes are all wrong on the last minute editions of new tooled figures. They seem to think that these are last ditch efforts to fund the projects, but adding new tooling costs to make additional figures doesn't make any sense from a business perspective. To me it sure seems like these figures were always intended to be released as last week announcements to create last minute excitement, and thus were already part of the project cost for minimum donors, or these tools were already part of upcoming waves for retail that they were making anyway. Are my instincts probably right?

[@spectorcreative1872]

I have a video today at 8 addressing this!

[@MattMatt77]

If I may ask. Why do companies find it ok to charge more for a statue then a figure. Because when it comes down to it. More money goes into making a figure then a statue. An modern statues have High ES to the point were they maybe near some collectible figure lines. Like Super7 an there vehicles

[@nestorperena8629]

someone must have stolen the molds from the neca tmnt mirage comics back in the day because they are still making them unnofficially.

[@BayushiGemma]

Why do stores like TJMaxx, Marshals, FiveBelow, and many others get to sell some quality name toys at a big discount from regular retail? Is it just stuff that sit too long for sales, over production, or something else?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Because they are a different type of retailer. See my video on discount channels

[@standepain]

Tooling is one of the major cost so why not limit the articulation so that will lower the molds needed thus lowering the cost of the toy for the everyone? They're toys for kids so posing isn't a big deal.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Companies do this all the time. Just look at the marvel retro line!

[@standepain]

@@spectorcreative1872 I know that but if 80% of toys have to be sold to kids there's no need for major articulation in most lines. So then why is the POA so important nowadays?

[@johnmorey720]

“Action figures can’t melt steel beams!”

[@spectorcreative1872]

Tell that to superman

[@johnmorey720]

Silicon molds just don’t hold up for thousands of uses.

[@RetroActionUK]

The study of toys - Toyetics.