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A Look At How Max Factory Figures Are Created

By Ishaan . January 21, 2012 . 4:30pm

A Look At How Max Factory Figures Are Created

Want a glimpse of how Max Factory figures are produced? Good Smile Company blogger, Mikatan, has concluded a series of “field trip” columns where he visits Max Factory’s production facility in China. It’s an entertaining and easy read, and you’ll have a ton of photos to provide great visual references as he takes you through the process in layman terms.

 

If you click over to the link above, you’ll get to take a look at the molding and melting process, how parts are painted, how they’re touched up manually by hand, and then integrated into the final product.

 

For instance, can you recognize where these parts go?

 

A Look At How Max Factory Figures Are Created

A Look At How Max Factory Figures Are Created

 

This should make it a little clearer:

 

A Look At How Max Factory Figures Are Created


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  • aoihana

    Wow ~ looks like some pretty complicated processes. ( ゜ 。゜✿) 

    Although the vast majority of the work is automated, it seems like there is an awful lot of manual work, too!

    I appreciate them a whole lot more knowing how much went into one figure. （＾ｖ＾）

    I guess this is where the high price tags come from, well, that and the fact that fans eat ‘em up regardless. （*＾ワ＾*）

    Thanks for the interesting read! (◕‿◕✿)

    • Aoshi00

      Always amazes me how detailed the figures are today, for both human and mech chars, so I guess lots of things have to be done and put together manually still..  I haven’t read the journal in detail, but pretty cool that guy could visit the factory.

    • WilliamJasper

      “Although the vast majority of the work is automated, it seems like there is an awful lot of manual work, too!

      I appreciate them a whole lot more knowing how much went into one figure.”

      aoihana, you’re just so awesome. :)

      • aoihana

        William! Long time no see! ＼（＾∀＾）メ（＾∀＾✿）ノ

        Hope you’re doing well. Keep your guard up, Michael is dangerous!  (◕‿◕✿)

        • WilliamJasper

          Thank you, aoihana. And yes, I’m fully aware that Michael is one of the most dangerous inhabitants that has ever appeared on the face of this planet.

          • Testsubject909

            He’s as harmless as a klingon targ. Really I think the greatest threat Michael is is to himself… And those who tease him too much about possible game releases.

        • PoweredByHentai

          Nah, Michael is just being horny and losing his edge over his sister.

          • http://www.youtube.com/user/Kamek20xxExtra?feature=mhee Michael Stevens

            That’s right! :)

            …….wait.

          • Testsubject909

            That’s okay Michael, you’ll regain your edge soon enough.

            Just let me figure out how to hide some of these sharp blades in your body and get a mechanism attached to your bone structure so that you’re a walking death machine… I should probably do it on your still dead body first before stuffing your soul back in so that way you won’t get to feel all the pain of the procedure.

            But I’ll warn you, you’ll be facing some difficulties trying to go in or out of a country or around magnets.

          • PoweredByHentai

            @Kamek20XXExtra:disqus :
            It’s okay, you can always become a zombie, just like Sankarea (manga about a girl who became a zombie).

            @Testsubject909:disqus :
            I think it would be in his best interest to become a Zombie Magiclad Girl.  :D

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/Kamek20xxExtra?feature=mhee Michael Stevens

    Well…..this must be one heck of a great job since all the workers have the same happy look on their faces (literally). :)

    On the serious note, I appreciate all of their hard work and I’ll support the company and the people who are in the company as much as I can with my forever regrowing body parts, insides, and my multiple souls.

    • aoihana

      Or maybe it’s to cover up their miserable faces that scream of agony and exhaustion. 

      (ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)  →   (◕‿◕) 

      (´Д｀。)  →   (◕‿◕)

      ( ╥﹏╥ )  →  (◕‿◕)

      …

      I think it looks like a nice, clean environment, and it is goodsmile after all! (◕‿◕✿)

      • http://twitter.com/DanijoEX DanijoEX

        Just so long as one doesn’t pass out from putting that much effort in it.

        I’m not sure how much effort is put in there but I’m sure it’s heck of alot. I wouldn’t survive, I’d be a weakling.

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/Kamek20xxExtra?feature=mhee Michael Stevens

        Ahahaha! (◠▽◠)

        ……Wait. Seeing miserable faces isn’t funny. ಠ_ಠ

        (…….Tehehe.)

        …….Not funny at……all. Yep. ._.

        • Testsubject909

          Considering all the times you’re putting yourself in agony, I don’t know…

          I’m laughing.

          [edit]
          In latest news. I was about to say I have no soul, but I remembered that I actually bargained off the equivalent of a chicken nugget back in high school for someone’s soul.

          So I guess I’m just plain evil.

      • Testsubject909

        Hmm… was that last smiley there to cover up your own face of misery and agony?

        • aoihana

          Who knows…

          • HeatPhoenix

            The plot thickens.

          • Testsubject909

            Then you let it simmer down before serving fresh with a side of MacGuffins for dinner.

    • http://www.crunchyroll.com/user/ArtFanIam Samantha Stevens

      On the serious note? You’re actually being serious? Ha! I scoff at you.

      *rolls eyes* (¬_¬)

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/Kamek20xxExtra?feature=mhee Michael Stevens

        Yes, on the serious note! I’m being serious. See?

        *Rips off legs*

        *Mails to Max Factory*

        *Twitches and breathes heavily*

        ಠ‿ಠ Hahaha……

        *Dies*

        • http://www.crunchyroll.com/user/ArtFanIam Samantha Stevens

          You know, you died so many times that I’m just too lazy to even care anymore. (¬_¬)

          • PoweredByHentai

            Is that a zombie? Is that a Masou Shoujo Zombie?

          • http://twitter.com/DanijoEX DanijoEX

            Well, consider me cleaning up… No one else is doing it. Mailing organs to get figurines…>lU

            Who came up with such a crappy idea like this…? >:U
            All of that is a load of corn smut! Corn smut, I say! >8U

          • Testsubject909

            Corn smut?

            …Does that mean that when it’s time for harvest, it’s a massive guro gangbang corn smut?

            …Hmm… suddenly I feel slightly unclean.

          • http://twitter.com/DanijoEX DanijoEX

            @Testsubject909:disqus Nah, just fancy way of saying garbage really.

        • WilliamJasper

          Michael, you’re just so weird. ._.

          • SolidusSnake

            Anyone who sacrifices their life in the name of figure collecting is ok in my book. *SALUTE*

          • aoihana

            But Michael has infinite continues, and regenerates body parts faster than he actually loses them. A pledge of this caliber doesn’t suffice, not by a long shot. ┐(‘～`；)┌

          • SolidusSnake

            @aoihana:disqus @Kamek20XXExtra:disqus Thumbs up anyway for gruesomeness!

        • http://twitter.com/DanijoEX DanijoEX

          Hahaha…bleh…Does this mean I have to clean up and haul your corpse somewhere…? >lU

          Can someone else do it? I’ll pay handsomely….

          Well, I hate but someone’s gotta do it and that’s me. *Hauls body to someplace discreet* 

          • SolidusSnake

            …Where are you going with my dinner?

          • http://twitter.com/DanijoEX DanijoEX

            I’m not giving it to you…unless you can answer my riddle. Hehehe….

            Here it goes: Who is green, is called The Snake, starts with a Z, and is leader of group called the Piraka? What is he?

            If you answer correctly, you get your meal. If you don’t, you miss your meal.

          • SolidusSnake

            Riddles? I’ll have to rely on hobbit trickery for this. *google search*

            I think it’s called… Zaktan. So, do I get the ingredients for my curry back?

          • http://twitter.com/DanijoEX DanijoEX

            Hm…not bad. Fine… A promise is a promise…Here ya go. *throws corpse on the ground*

            Now that’s out of the way. I’m taking my leave.

          • Testsubject909

            *while Solidus is going on google, grabs Michael’s body, having stalked Danijo a while ago and replaces it with an illusionary similacrum built primarily of twigs, ashes and mud without any real need of sorcerous animation due to it replacing a dead body. Drags Michael’s body and starts the vats so to complete the Emigre manuscript’s revival ceremony*

            Hmm… not enough negative energy to complete the ritual…Oh hey guys, did you hear? Diablo 3′s reworking it’s core system again, changing the stats, streamlining the inventory over again and altering the rune system once more.

            *Waits for ensuing despair, anger and disdain so to complete the reincarnation of Michael as a being of darkness*

          • http://twitter.com/DanijoEX DanijoEX

            Aha! >8U You took the body and replaced it with a replica. Nice…I didn’t think you could pull that off…

            In that case, I was going to revive him with a few experiments but since you’re doing a very important, yet, dark ritual. Carry on. I’m off to sleep now. 

    • Hinataharem

      Ahhh

      I love these comments.

      It’s what I come here for…

      • Testsubject909

        You come here for the self mutilation and murderous actions of one commentator?

        Whatever floats your boat.

        Now if you would please excuse me. I need to find the Necronomicon (first edition) to pair up with my Manuscript so that I can simultaneously bind all of the souls of Michael in one dark almost divine like in power entity of darkness and evil.

        • Hinataharem

          I meant any of Micheal’s comments and their humerous responses

  • http://twitter.com/py0npy0njump eiji

    That Senjougahara figure is by GSC, not Max Factory, or am I missing something here?

    • aoihana

      Max Factory is the manufacturer, and GoodSmile Company is the distributor, I believe.

      This is the case with Figma’s and their scaled figures, too. (◕‿◕✿)

  • http://twitter.com/DanijoEX DanijoEX

    They seriously must be putting alot of hours to make these piece by piece and putting alot details on to them.

  • http://www.genkaibreak.com Code

    Woah it’s a whole pan of delicious scissors owo” Thank you happy face bakers!

  • http://twitter.com/ScissorsDtoid Scissors

    *Puts on Hipster Shades*

    Pfft.. whatever I read this blog post 10 months ago before it was cool.

    • http://www.genkaibreak.com Code

      Is that where you got your name o3o?

      • http://twitter.com/ScissorsDtoid Scissors

        Mere coincidence, or maybe that’s what I want you to think….

        • Testsubject909

          61

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-de-Groodt/100000446926616 Mike de Groodt

            “Raiden Turn off the Game Console now!”

    • http://twitter.com/Cudgeon Raji

      Oh, destructoid people.

  • http://amc9988.deviantart.com/ amc99

    lol when I saw the scissors I just thought “it might belong to Hitagi” and when I scroll down a little bit more I was like “lol it’s Hitagi alright!”

  • http://s1.zetaboards.com/Crossed_Swords_Inn/index/ konpon568

    Hey, Ishaan! Do you know anything about this?

    http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=85516994

  • TheDarkEmpress

    And I always wondered why these figures were so damned expensive….I have my answer and now I can say I know why…

  • Raiu

    They made figures without hassle regardless their work issues in china. I will gladly buy them just to tell them they did a good job.

  • http://twitter.com/Klarktastic Klark

    those are the happiest employees I have ever seen

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DCPOEB633R2S2EUPSC4ASHZY6Y Andre

    I love my Max Factory Hatsune Miku Tony Verz.

    I’ve done my part to support :)

    • http://twitter.com/ScissorsDtoid Scissors

      I have the same figure, and she’s wonderful. I have an entire shelf full of Miku figures.

  • icecoffemix

    Wrong circle there :p

  • 4shiki

    I thought Mikatan was a girl…

  • Natat

    This is all nice and– hey, where’s the Archer figma!

  • Guest

    You can almost smell the tears of all those workers.

  • http://twitter.com/T1A60 T1A60

    these pics are kinda old… just sayin…

  • SilentSchemer

    I want what they’re having.

  • tyrantflughude

    Wow now I’ll never be able to buy any figers whith out thinking of my job thanks.
    I work in a factory that kind  looks like that only i make car seat brackets.

  • s07195

    I figured that the figures that I bought were probably made like this, but seeing rows of scissors…

  • JustThisOne

    The thumbnail looks so scary. ;__; It’s just a head.

  • PrinceHeir

    actually Good Smile has been friendly letting other people in to show how they work on their models and figurines.

    for a intensive video i recommend you watching this

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyQiKi87CX4 

    skip to 0:34:23

    also Tainaka Ritsu VA: Satou Satomi from K-ON! appears as a guest star :P

    • Joanna

      Thanks for posting. I actually watched the whole thing because it was quite interesting. Haven’t watched K-ON yet, but this did get me interested. The VA is really hyper though. I can’t imagine she’s like that in real life….it would get trying.

      • PrinceHeir

        yup2 Ritsu is soo hyper in the anime :D

        watch it for sure :P

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