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Alex Riley witnesses the toymaking process at Mattel Headquarters
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The WWE action figure process begins with Gentle Giant Studios technicians, who scan the subject - in this case, WWE Superstar Alex Riley." K/ K9 @! V9 ^4 ^7 N
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2 _4 o/ B! E) @( k6 XCameras affixed to each lever capture the distance between the beams and Riley, thus rendering his digital likeness.) E8 I" C- \1 _2 F% `% O/ [" m
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M4 S9 G) i. {Separately, a head-only scan exacts physical details of the face, hair and complete head.8 z( C' n% B( `* \
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4 s1 I" r+ M4 N7 F, t) }( bDigital sculptors take the raw visual captured by the scan and refine the rendering.) Y1 H( p- _) \) W! }
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After computer editing, sculptors hit "Print" and a three-dimensional output of the molding starts to cook in an oversized printer.3 w% F0 R3 ]' ~6 Q3 B% ~
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In the 3-D printing room, A-Ry gestures toward other celebrities who've been immortalized in action figure form by Gentle Giant such as Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Alba.# R( @' W; J ]+ y( R1 v
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. P0 F& @2 ]) U; ^ \4 ? U8 V' nThe 3-D printed material is passed off to casters, who carve off excess resin and shape the figure molding.
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Miles away from Gentle Giant, A-Ry touches down at Mattel's world headquarters in El Segundo, Calif.
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Inside the toymaking halls of Mattel, Alex Riley encounters every Basic Series WWE action figure made in 2010.% ~7 p' i2 d" P- H
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By the day's end, Riley's own likeness will appear beside these plastic powerhouses.
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Next up in the process is the skilled paint application, which Mattel lead designer Bill Miekina demonstrates.! n6 A# G- ?% k7 w# U9 w1 l
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Designers use reference material - tons of photos - supplied by WWE to determine the look of a figure.
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7 c- D! ]# V$ B4 V+ f4 x$ d5 j/ uMuch design work is handled digitally for easy alteration and file transfer to Mattel's global manufacturers.
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; v! h$ s5 R% J+ |Some serious assembly is required and handled by Mattel's partners, yielding ...- u- l0 l' p$ f/ O$ Q" o6 ]$ l5 e% u5 U0 E
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... the finished product.
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The detail of Riley's attire and tattoos astound the young Superstar.; p5 a+ R5 c/ \& }! q' ]& \6 r. T8 h
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. Y+ i5 ^3 _; h9 D8 r; {% iAs they position the figures using an adhesive substance, packaging engineers break the news to Riley that he'll come in a Battle Pack with his ex-boss, The Miz.7 y$ x0 l, [9 _
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Elsewhere, a creative team meticulously designs the box art, including dramatic Superstar photos shot by Mattel specifically for their 2012 product lines.
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4 x% F( w# x/ FAlex Riley officially joins the likes of Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, John Cena and Rey Mysterio with his very first WWE action figure./ K5 @2 A. D( d& B0 ^* Q
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A-Ry discovers his two-piece Battle Pack on store shelves, just like members of the WWE Universe will soon enough. |
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发表于 2011-10-5 09:37
发表于 2011-10-5 10:12
