Fans can now put their own faces on their favorite action figures.
Action figures have been a pop culture staple since they debuted in the 1950s with G.I. Joe. Kids have been able to play as some of their favorite heroes like Wolverine and Batman— but now, Hasbro and Formlabs are taking it one step further. Fans will be able to print out personalized figure heads to swap onto their favorite figures.
Dubbed the 'Selfie Series', the new project represents a major step in Hasbro's personalization efforts. It's a continuation of an already existing partnership that began in 2014 when the toy giant tapped Formlabs to buy 3D printers to rapidly prototype action figures, according to Gary Rowe, Head of Business Development at Formlabs.
"The partnership has since evolved from prototyping to end-product manufacturing, enabling fans to create personalized action figures based on characters seen across popular films, television series and comics," Rowe told RI Inno this week.
Using a smart device, fans can scan their face and have a custom-made, look-a-like action figure delivered to their door. Hasbro, which has offices in Pawtucket, Providence and Rumford, said in a statement the project will "usher in a new era of mass customization in consumer entertainment, made possible with Formlabs."
Formlabs developed the project using their Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, which uses resin and light to produce high-accuracy, isotropic, and watertight prototypes with fine features and smooth surface finish. According to a release from Hasbro, these printers were ideally suited due to their ability to print a range of hues for hair and skin colors without any hardware upgrades to Hasbro’s existing Form 3.
Hasbro Selfie Series will launch in Fall 2022 exclusively on the Hasbro Pulse mobile app (for U.S. fans aged 16 and older only) for iOS and Android devices. After the customer downloads the app, they can scan their face and select their hair color. Then the customer will be able to pick their preferred figure.
The order is sent to the Hasbro print factory, and is automatically queued up for creation. At the factory, the customized heads are assembled with a standard/off-the-shelf action figure body and then shipped to the customer in about 45 days.
Rowe said the big challenge was creating a customized resin base that gave Hasbro the approved skin tones and hair colors they needed.
"This involved lots of iterations by our industry leading materials development team. Formlabs worked really closely with Hasbro to meet all of their quality assurance and safety testing required for the commercial products in the toy industry," he said.
Rowe said Hasbro utilized more than 30 Form 3 printers and a custom designed digital workflow with Formlabs tailoring its PreForm and Dashboard software specifically for Hasbro to further integrate Formlabs’ API into Hasbro’s other manufacturing functions.
"3D printing will continue to evolve and support mass production and customization for companies looking to provide a more personalized and user-centric approach to product development that not only strengthens brand awareness, but also loyalty," Rowe said. "The streamlined and intuitive software, hardware, and accessibility of 3D printing through Formlabs enabled Hasbro to meet the needs that this project demanded, and as materials become more durable and printers such as our Form 3+ become much (40%) faster - additional industries will grow to adopt 3D printing for similar projects."
Fans attending San Diego Comic-Con (July 21-24) will have the opportunity to preview the Hasbro Selfie Series at Booth #3213, with a select number of fans each day being among the first to create and purchase their figures.
