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Alex Riley witnesses the toymaking process at Mattel Headquarters; n1 f* x! T2 ]' C- Q
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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.
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Cameras affixed to each lever capture the distance between the beams and Riley, thus rendering his digital likeness.
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Separately, a head-only scan exacts physical details of the face, hair and complete head.9 m# l1 M0 V; F2 y
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; o- h( J' I5 ^% {7 X! bDigital sculptors take the raw visual captured by the scan and refine the rendering.: T8 I \1 t& O4 Z
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- J' O0 H( A' t6 {6 a d, M0 t5 [4 uAfter computer editing, sculptors hit "Print" and a three-dimensional output of the molding starts to cook in an oversized printer.
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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./ e% X4 A/ u3 _
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. R2 @7 G3 U& k8 n- c& R2 s2 J- d% uThe 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.7 l' U5 c7 L3 R8 s$ S4 T9 u/ O$ K4 b
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Inside the toymaking halls of Mattel, Alex Riley encounters every Basic Series WWE action figure made in 2010.3 R4 W0 N: c; _' M
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" N! @) Z% s( I+ H9 ^" S& Q, EBy the day's end, Riley's own likeness will appear beside these plastic powerhouses.+ m3 U1 D" w# q' x; z0 ?# o
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$ @, S F" o% L5 E7 vNext up in the process is the skilled paint application, which Mattel lead designer Bill Miekina demonstrates.7 e" p1 X) j) G* k' J* r; g: |
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. Y3 { v+ j! r& W7 LDesigners use reference material - tons of photos - supplied by WWE to determine the look of a figure.
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Much design work is handled digitally for easy alteration and file transfer to Mattel's global manufacturers.
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Some serious assembly is required and handled by Mattel's partners, yielding ...
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" w* @! T5 G" y. @+ ~- s! Q9 X4 L... the finished product.5 Q" U1 G, G* h& y
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( u; g6 q; B- D/ a6 ^The detail of Riley's attire and tattoos astound the young Superstar.
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3 n' m! ^& o; g8 KAs 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.
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9 N; s" B" R9 G, Q1 t* z' yElsewhere, 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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( s; b4 R1 @. [/ g IAlex Riley officially joins the likes of Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, John Cena and Rey Mysterio with his very first WWE action figure.5 p" ^' J1 X0 |. ~6 Q( r
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3 c* I' j9 u6 F! O2 ]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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