Hobby Industry Inside Part 1: Will 3D Printers Revolutionize Bishojo Figurines?　Hopes and fears of the creators at Alter, Ltd!

The hobby industry, including figures and plastic models, is currently in a state of flux: small and medium-sized manufacturers that entered the industry in the 1980s are releasing color-coded plastic models that even beginners can assemble, and up-and-coming figure makers are participating in overseas events at a furious pace.

However, the bishojo figure industry, for example, has been pigeonholed as "the domain of a few enthusiasts," and the voices of its creators have had little opportunity to reach outside the industry. In this series of articles, "Hobby Industry Inside," we would like to convey the voices of figure and plastic model makers and others involved in the industry as widely as possible, without overlooking even the smallest change or the smallest voice within the industry.

For the first article in this series, we interviewed the figure maker Alter Co. Planner Takashi Yabuki, prototype sculptor Hiroshi Inagaki, and finisher (colorist) Yasuhiro Watanabe talked about the current state of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) figure production and the changes that are taking place now, such as the spread of 3D printers and the rapid increase in female fans.

What is this "deco-mass" that we often see?

--Watanabe: Yes, it's "Deco-mas" in the introduction of a figure, isn't it?

Watanabe: Yes, it stands for "decoration master.

--Is that a prototype of the product with colors painted on it?

-Then, do you use a simple method of painting that can be reproduced in the factory?

Watanabe No, it is the opposite. For DecoMas, we keep the most ideal way to apply the paint and ask the factory to do their best to make the product as similar to DecoMas as possible.

Yabuki: Our policy is to make a beautiful deco mass in-house and have the factory produce it as close to the deco mass as possible without worrying about the final product. ...... That way, the quality of the product will be better and the customers will support it.

-Then it is important to communicate with the factory, isn't it?

Yabuki: Yes, the planning staff, including myself, communicate with the factories. When mass-producing a product, we decide on a "compromise" that the customer will not feel uncomfortable when holding it in their hands, and then proceed.

Inagaki: There is a difference in shrinkage rate between replicating a prototype in silicon rubber and replacing it with PVC at the factory. Therefore, I interpret ...... that the product is not simply a reproduction of the prototype, but a reconstruction of the prototype by replacing it with a different material (PVC). At first, I would look at the samples that came from the factory and check the details, saying, "There are sink marks (shrinkage) here," or "The thickness is different here too. ......," but recently, I have come to focus on the balance of the product as a whole.

--Then, do you also consider the shrinkage rate when replacing PVC when making the prototype?

Inagaki When I heard that each piece is polished with sandpaper, I was surprised, "What, they do it by hand in the factory? (laughs).

--(laughs) - Is the factory in China?

Yabuki: Yes. In our case, we have Shenhua Japan Co.

--How much communication do you have with the factory before the product is shipped?

Yabuki: In our case, we receive about five samples of the shape alone. Color samples are also produced four to five times, and adjustments are made repeatedly, so I think it is more time-consuming than for other manufacturers.