By Chris Murray, Patrick Stewart, Shane Turgeon, and Chris Georgoulias,
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Collecting toy prototypes and preproduction material can be a very challenging and rewarding hobby, but it can also be very confusing for people who are just starting out or who only have a passing interest. There are many terms used in prototype collecting that come directly from the toy industry itself, that aren’t used in any other segments of the collecting hobby. If you’re interested in actively pursuing these collectibles, it’s important to fully understand these terms. We here at Joe Declassified are here to help. We've created the Glossary of Terms below to serve as a quick guide to help you understand both the creation and manufacturing process as well as how these terms have come to be used within the hobby.
This Glossary of Terms was initiated by Shane Turgeon at Joe Intel, based on earlier work at the Star Wars Collector’s Archive by Editor Chris Georgoulias. As clear terminology continues to emerge and enrich our appreciation of G.I.Joe, the 3DJoes staff will continue to enhance this section.
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1:1 Resin |
This is an early handmade copy of a sculpted figure created at the same size as the intended product. A 1:1 Resin would sometimes be finished to create a tooling master or would simply be kept on hand in the model shop. Also, because vehicles were created at 1:1 and the size was more manageable for group photography, 1:1 resin figures were sometimes hand painted for package and advertising photos.
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104 |
An object named as such because it is 104% of the size of the planned finished product. After 2002, Hasbro sculpted at 104% in order to account for shrinking that occurs during the production process. Examples include wax sculpts and hardcopies but the most common use of the term refers to the majority of paint masters after 2002.
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2 Up |
An object named for its 2:1 size ratio when compared to the size of the planned finished product. Hasbro used a 2:1 ratio from 1982-1994 for sculpting to allow the sculptor to create a higher level of detail than could be attained at the 1:1 size of the finished product. Examples include wax sculpts and 2:1 hard copies but the most common use of the term refers to the majority of 1982-1994 paint masters.
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4 Up |
An object named for its 4:1 size ratio when compared to the size of the planned finished product. Typically this scale was used in the sculpting of accessories for the 1982-1994 figures. Sculpting at four times the planned finished product size allows the sculptor to create the intricate details found on some of the weapons. Examples of 4 ups found include the weapons of Storm Shadow (1984) and the sniffer for Airtight (1985).
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B |
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Book Mold |
A specific type of paint mask that encapsulates a part within two sides joined by a hinge, much like the shape of a book. These were usually made of copper.
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Bootleg |
In broad terms, a bootleg refers to an item that is made without authorization. In the field of action figures, a bootleg refers to an unlicensed item that directly copies an existing item, in part or in whole.
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Box Flat |
An unfolded and unused box for a vehicle. These are typically thought to be a sample from the printer.
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Buck |
An articulated skeletal armature upon which a sculptor can add sculpting media. This armature is a prefabricated guide created by Hasbro engineers that indicates the absolute minimum material necessary for strength and to provide a solid base for consistent mechanical functions and drafting. This ensured there would be the necessary room within the toy for the placement of internal components such as an o-ring or t-bar. Sculptors were not allowed to cut into, alter, nor remove any portion of the buck. The development of the buck varied between different era’s of GI Joe. (See also: Standard Buck.)
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C |
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Carded Sample |
A carded figure created toward the end of the development process intended to represent what the finished product will look like. These were sometimes simply needed for advance marketing before final production of the figure. Carded samples are also commonly referred to FEP's with Hasbro Standard tag.
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Cavity Number |
In order to trace problems and defects back to the source, each cavity in a Gang Mold is stamped with a small identifying number. While these are usually internal on a figure or vehicle, they are often found on the surface of accessories.
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Color Study |
One of a series of potential color schemes created by the designer. Numerous options would be created simultaneously from black and white photocopies of the refined concept art. In the 1982-1994 run, this was done by hand and the designer chose the medium (i.e. pen, markers, color pencils, etc…). These would then be used not only to determine what colors would be best for the individual figure, but also to see what choices would together create a cohesive toy line for that years allotment of figures.
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Concept Art |
Rough pencil sketches that represent the earliest pieces of artwork relating to the creation of a character. Typically multiple different rough sketches can be found for each character. Concept art is also referred to as Rough Sketches in the collector community.
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COO |
Country of Origin. Due to international trade regulations, the majority of figures, vehicles, and other items include a molded-in indication of the country of what country the toys were manufactured.
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Costing Model |
In the earliest stages of design, engineers and sometimes the designers would mock-up a model of the proposed toy to help evaluate a base cost and retail price point for retailers and consumers. In the 1982-1994 run, this would most often be done for vehicles but could also be done for anything proposed outside of the established figure creation process.
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Cromalin |
A proprietary term used for a type of single sheet color proof used to check the registration of the colors, the existence of any egregious blemishes or other undesirable marks, and to confirm size and position of page elements. The Cromalin process utilizes several sheets—commonly four, one for each process color—of clear photosensitive plastic. Each sheet is exposed to one of the color separation negatives, and, when treated with process colors, dots will adhere to the surface of the plastic in the image areas. The four exposed sheets of plastic—each containing a different process color—are aligned with each other in proper register and laminated together.
'Cromalin is a trademark of du Pont. Definition provided by PrintWiki. |
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Date Code |
A number that identifies when an item was manufactured and/or packaged. It is usually expressed as a 5-digit code where the first 4 numbers represent the Julian date. However, Hasbro usually only used only the last digit of the year as the first number while the next three numbers represent the day of the year, starting with January 1 as “001.” Therefore, items made ten years apart may have the same Date Code. It is believed that the fifth digit represents the work shift of the day. For example, a package or toy may be stamped 10961, which could correspond to shift #1 on April 6, 2011 or April 6, 2021.
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Date Stamp |
Much like the COO, a date stamp is etched into a mold in order to indicate a year of copyright on the resulting product. These are often used as an identifier by collectors, but it is important to note that they are not often updated when an item is reissued or when a part is reused.
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Dynacast |
Dynacast is the trade name of one type of material used to make cold cast copies. It is a 2-part urethane material that is green in color. It was commonly used in the toy industry from the late 1970’s to the mid 1980’s. Hasbro used dynacast urethane to produce bucks during the mid-1980’s to early 1990’s. Another example of dynacast used by Hasbro, found in the collector community, is a hardcopy of the top half of the Cobra Night Raven.
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EP |
Engineering Pilot. Factory sample parts created to examine the quality of the fit, form, function, and durability of a plastic part prior to mass production. EP’s do not have paint applications but are sometimes used later in the creation process. For example, an EP was sometimes used within mock up or test packaging. EP’s are also referred to as first shots or test shots in the collector community.
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EPM |
Ejector Pin Mark. This is a small round blemish found on the surface of an item where the injection system mechanically pushes the molded plastic out of a cavity. Many collectors often confuse these for an injection point.
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Factory Archival Sample |
Samples of products retained at the manufacturer for future use. Since Hasbro may request an additional run of an item at a near-future date, these are periodically retained copies for future reference. They were most often kept bagged and labeled with a product number.
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FEP |
Final Engineering Pilot. These are samples of near-production quality toys supplied to Hasbro from the factory. These samples were used in review to verify that Hasbro liked the paint detail placement. During the 1982-1994 run, these figures were sometimes sent to Hasbro in a group bag of 50, individually bagged, or sometimes carded. Examples of FEP’s have been found with different paint applications or plastic color compared to what was released for mass production.
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Figure Source Sheet |
The figure source sheet was a Hasbro standard form that lists all the possible pieces of a figure and weapons, the spray operations needed, and colors for each piece. The sheet also shows the color palette options for that year or collection specific. The sheet lists the color name, Pantone reference color chip, and the Hasbro number associated with that color. Pantone chips of the colors chosen for the figure would be glued to the lower right corner of the sheet as a color sample. In-house copies of Figure Source Sheets are found as black and white copies and the pantone chips are various shades of gray. Within the collector community, figure source sheets are commonly referred to as a color chart.
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First Shot |
First shots are the very first figures made from the steel molds and are created to test to see if the molds are working correctly. They generally lack copyright dates and may be shot in either production or non-production colors. Since many G.I. Joe figures re-use existing parts, it’s not uncommon to find GI Joe first shots with copyright date stamps. First shots do not have paint applications applied.
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Fit Test |
A Fit Test is comprised either partially or completely of previously existing parts. It is assembled to examine the quality of the fit, form, and function of an item prior to mass production.
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Gang Mold |
This approach to manufacturing, along with the Standard Buck, was a key component to making G.I.Joe figure parts able to be reused on future figures. Instead of a mold including all of the parts (arms, legs, head, etc) of a single figure, several molds were created that each contained multiple copies of a single part. This way, when a figure’s parts were reused in the future, existing molds could be used without injecting unwanted parts. This saved costs on both the injecting process and on the creation of molds while making interchangeability a mainstay of the 1982-1994 era.
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Green Tag |
See Hasbro Standard Tag
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Hand Painted 1:1 |
Hand painted hard copies were typically created for marketing purposes at the same intended size as the finished product. Toy Fair catalogs, toy fair displays, and the catalogs placed in the vehicle boxes for that year needed to go to the printers before the finished product was done. It is very common to see these hand painted prototypes in catalogs with different paint applications or details from the finished product. In some cases, the hand painted 1:1 would be a paint master. Typically paint masters found at this scale are for figures that use previously tooled parts and no 2-up was created for the figure. Examples of 1:1 paintmasters are Tiger Force characters, Night Force characters, and Ninja Force Bushido.
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Hardcopy |
An early prototype made out of any variety of resin. Hardcopies were hand cast in an RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) rubber mold. They are created in 1:1 scale and 2:1 scale for figures and also used in the vehicle preproduction process. The collector community commonly refers to a hardcopy as a resin.
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Hasbro Standard Tag |
A green tag that is used as part of the final review process for a toy. The tag denotes the item number and name of the toy with the date of the review. Before final production of a toy from Hasbro, heads of each department (Marketing, Engineering, Quality Control, and Packaging) would meet and review the toy. The purpose of the review was to make sure all aspects of the toy and packaging were correct before mass production began. After the review, a Hasbro Standard tag would be affixed to the toy and signed by each department head. If there was an issue with the toy, a comment would be made on the back of the card. Typically, 6 of each toy would be reviewed and two would go to the factory in China, one went to Engineering, one went to the archives, and two went to Quality Control. The Standard Tag is commonly referred to as a Green tag or Green Card among collectors.
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Hasbro Wax |
This is a pinkish colored wax that Hasbro used during the sculpting process. The wax allowed sculptors to easily add or remove material. It could also be easily machined or poured and was known for retaining high levels of detail and texture. It was created with a unique mixture of different types of wax and dye.
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HM |
As a means of tracking VSP’s many items in the mid to late 2000’s were marked with “HM” in marker to indicate that their intended destination was Hasbro Marketing. This mark was sometimes accompanied by a burned-in “H” or Tracking Numbers. See also: HFE.
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HFE |
As a means of tracking VSP’s, many items in the mid to late 2000’s were marked with “HFE” in marker to indicate that their intended destination was Hasbro Far East. This mark was sometimes accompanied by a burned-in “H” or Tracking Numbers. See also: HM.
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In-house Copy |
Also referred to as a color copy or internal copy, an in-house copy is a paper duplicate of an original piece of artwork that was photocopied at Hasbro during the creation of the toy associated with the art. These copies were created to be circulated throughout the various departments that would have required the artwork for reference. In-house copies can be found with a rotary dater stamp on the back of the copy. The ink stamp has a red outer ring for the day and a blue ink for the “Received”, month, and year in the center of the stamp.
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Input Drawing |
Design drawings for the weapon and accessories of each character during the ARAH era. Input drawings are drawn on vellum and at a 2:1 ratio. Similar to the sculpture sheet drawn for a figure, but typically the drawing will have one side view and one front view of the accessory. If the accessory had different details or weapon attachments points on each side, then the input drawing will show the profile views of each side. Collectors sometimes refer to input drawings as weapons drawings and weapons input drawing.
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Julian Date |
See Date Code
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Kitbash |
The process of creating a new, unintended item from one or several commercially available model kits. This process was heavily employed at Hasbro during the 1982-1994 era for the creation of G.I.Joe vehicles. Many of the details found on these vehicles were sourced from retail model kits.
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Knockoff |
In broad terms, a knockoff refers to an item that is intended to mimic an existing product. In the field of action figures, a knockoff refers to an unlicensed item that is intended to appear like existing intellectual property.
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Line Art |
A refined ink drawing of an item that was primarily created for retailers to use in monochrome print advertising. Line art is also sometimes created for instructions or packaging. Hasbro printed a Line Art Catalog each year that included all the top toys with associated logos it would produce for that year and this was given to retailers.
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Line Review |
Internal meetings at Hasbro that include the design team and executives for the purpose of assessing proposed products and planning future direction. This may include cost analyses, market research reports, and a look at a planned product array in its entirety.
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Master |
A final, finished prototype. Several types of Masters existed with the purpose of one department finishing its work and passing it on to the next team in the process. Examples include: Tooling Masters and Paint Masters.
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MIB |
Mint In Box. An item that exists in mint condition and is still inside its original opened box. See also: MIP, MISP.
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MISB |
Mint In Sealed Box. An item that exists in mint condition and is still inside its original unopened box with original seals. See also: MIP, MISP.
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MIP |
Mint In Package. An item that exists in mint condition and has not been removed from its original package. The package can be unsealed or sealed with this term. See also: MISP,MOC, MOSC.
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MISP |
Mint In Sealed Package. An item that exists in mint condition and has not been removed from its original sealed package. See also: MIP, MOC, MOSC.
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MOC |
Mint On Card. A carded item that exists in mint condition and has not been removed from its original card. See also: MIP, MISP, and MOSC.
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MOSC |
Mint On Sealed Card. A carded item that exists in mint condition and has not been removed from its original card. See also: MIP, MISP, MOC.
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Mock Up |
A mock up is any pre-production item made up to represent a final, or close to final product. The mock up could be made from previously existing items or a mix of new materials with previously existing items.
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Mock up Packaging |
Hand crafted packaging created to conceptualize package design for the purposes of marketing or cost. Mock up packaging could also be used to create close to final product for displays at Toy Fair or other buyer presentations.
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Packaging Artwork |
Packaging artwork is the original artwork used for the final packaging.
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Pad Print |
See “tampograph.”
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Paint Master |
A paint master is a hardcopy that is hand painted by designers and used for final color reference. While this helped retain color consistency, it was primarily used to demonstrate desired color placement on a 3D object. In the 1982-1994 era, each figure typically had at least two paint masters created from 2:1 hardcopies. One would be retained at Hasbro as a final paint master and the other was sent overseas to the manufacturer to use as reference to create the final paint masks. Once the manufacture was done with the paint master, it would be sent back to Hasbro. 1:1 hardcopies may also be hand painted and referred to as paint masters.
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Paint Mask |
A three-dimensional stencil that would be used on the assembly line to hide a portion of an object from sprayed paint. Each different color on a toy requires one or more masks. These are most often made of copper. (See also: Book Mold)
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Paint Operations |
Term used to describe the paint applications to a figure or vehicle. Each operation also serves a means of itemizing the cost of production, due to the cost of paint and labor. A paint mask (aka spray mask or book mold) is used to hide all parts of a toy except those that are to be painted a certain color. In the 1982-1994 era, some of the spray operations were done as the toys were still in their individual parts before assembly, while other paint operations like camouflage were done after the toy was fully assembled.
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Pantograph |
A pantograph is an instrument for the mechanical copying of a hardcopy or pattern that produces an identical copy at the desired scale. It works by tracing the contours of a hardcopy and translating these to the milling machine which cuts an identical copy at a predetermined reduced scale. Hasbro used this process to take the highly detailed 2:1 scale sculpts down to the 1:1 scale. Later on in the preproduction process, the pantograph is also used to cut the steel mold.
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Pantone colors |
The color specified in the Pantone Matching System (PMS). This is a proprietary, standardized color system used across many industries in manufacturing which describes colors by an allocated number (e.g. “PMS 125”). The Pantone system is the standard language for color communication from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer. The word “Pantone” comes from the company that invented the system, Pantone Inc. Definition of pantone colors provided by AQF.
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Pattern |
See Wooden Pattern
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Presentation Art |
Presentation art is a piece of art that was used in a figure’s concept and final development. Once the rough sketches had been approved and more detail had been put into the look of a character, a final piece of artwork was created and used in a presentation to Hasbro executives where it would ultimately receive final approval for production or be abandoned. In some cases, Hasbro would outsource the presentation art to a non-Hasbro artist such as Dave Dorman or George Woodbridge. This type of art was mostly used to promote the line with buyers. A similar sales pitch, as that given to the Hasbro executives, would be presented to Toys R Us, Sears, J.C. Penney, etc… and if they did not like the figure, it would be dropped.
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Production Mold |
The metal fixed frame that features a negative cavity where raw plastic material will be injected in order to create the intended product. In the 1982-1994 era, these were made of steel. As production runs of later G.I. Joe items became smaller and the process of cutting new molds became less expensive, they were sometimes made of other metals. Copyright dates, COO, and "foot holes" on action figures or foot pegs on vehicles are added in at this stage of the process. After molds have been qualified and ready for production, the dates are added. This is why first shot figures do not have the dates present as they are "first" trials of the mold and not production pieces. Additional details or textures are rarely but sometimes added at this stage through an etching process.
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Project Number |
Project number was a unique identification number created internally at Hasbro for a concept once it was approved for further development in the 1982-1995 era. That number would be used to track progress, keep items organized, and to account for development costs. The number was made up of three parts: 1. A six-digit number that identified that specific toy. 2. After the six-digit number would be a dash line and a two-digit number, which indicated the number sequence in the preproduction process. 3. After the two-digit number would be a letter that indicated what the step in the preproduction process the item represented. An example project number is 009042-08M where 009042 represents Dice (ver.1), 08 is the eighth step in the preproduction process, and M represents Paintmaster.
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Proof Card |
A proof card (or proof) is an early printing of an action figure card back. These were used as a quality control to verify the card back is correct and to create mock ups for bubble placement and advertising pieces. Some proofs are printed on slightly thinner cardstock and others are found on production quality card stock. Proof cards can be found as a front side with a blank back, a back side with a blank front, or printed on both sides. All proofs are printed on a big sheet and individually cut. Examples have been found that are die cut by a machine or hand cut by a person.
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Proof Sheet |
A proof sheet is an entire sheet that is printed with several individual proof cards. In the 1982-1994 era, figure proof sheets were usually printed with 8 cards shown front and back. There was quite a bit of white space between adjacent cards which allowed for easy separation of the proof cards. Around each proof image small grid lines and tick marks can be seen which allows the printer to know the exact placement of the image. Typically, on the edge of a proof card you will see color bars which show the basic colors used for printing which are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
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Prototype |
The first physical representation of an item that was created. However, it is commonly used among collectors to refer to any physical item made prior to mass production.
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Redeco |
A toy which is cast from the same mould as a previously-released toy but is given a different paint scheme or paint application scheme to make it a different toy.
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Refined Concept Art |
After creating several sketches for a new item, a more defined drawing would be created, incorporating various preferred elements from the previous rough sketches. This art would be used into the next step of the creative process: the creation of color studies.
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Resin |
A hand-crafting material that consists of a liquid epoxy and catalyst that can be easily poured into a mold. Once cured, a solid polymer is formed. These urethane compounds were used to create handmade prototypes. Green, blue and white resins were all utilized by Hasbro designers. The term resin is often used by collectors to describe a 1:1 scale hardcopy.
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Rotocast |
A plastic or rubber forming process where a mold spins on several axes while liquid plastic or rubber coats the interior of the mold and hardens in order to create an item with a hollow cavity through centrifugal force. Examples include most heads of 12” G.I.Joe figures or Finback, the dolphin included with Deep Six in 1992.
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Rough Sketch |
See Concept Art
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Running Change |
An intentional alteration to a production batch of a toy that occurs during a single ordered run. This is sometimes done to limit set up cost or to make corrections to fit, form, function, or durability. It results in an output that may create a variation or sometimes as a completely different product. This maybe done to correct safety issues, due to pre-planned paint operation adjustments or reductions, and some examples of redecos.
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Sculpt |
The term “sculpt” is used commonly by collectors to describe the first 3-D representation of a figure created by the sculptor. Using the Figure Sculpting Sheets for reference, sculptors created the action figures at twice the size of the normal released 3 ¾” figures (2:1 ratio; commonly referred to as “2-Up”) on a Hasbro supplied buck. This size allowed for sharp details to be created on the sculpt. The sculpting media used varied by sculptor and changed throughout the years. Sculpts have been found created in clay, plumber’s epoxy, and wax.
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Sculpting Guide |
A companion tool created by Hasbro engineering that would be used by sculptors in conjunction with a standard buck in the 1982-1994 era. While the standard buck would measure the minimum amount of material necessary, the sculpting guide provided pre-established limits where the maximum amount of material could be used. Examples include tools that would ensure that heads would fit in a helmet or that hips, shoulders, and other joints retained full articulation. The sculpting guide helped allow for uniformity between all the different sculptors.
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Sculpture Sheet |
Like the input drawing, it is a standard, in-house technical drawing that showed the figure from all four sides and with all the details present. Real-world reference of a person would also sometimes be included. These sheets were given to the sculptors who would then create the first 3D prototypes from the sculpture sheet input. These sheets are also known as Turnarounds, Four Views, Control Art or Sculpt Sheet.
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Silicone RTV Molds |
Room-Temperature Vulcanizing Silicone molds are a 2-part mold that allowed Hasbro personal to create multiple copies of parts during the preproduction process. The molds are made by hand and the 2-part mold allowed for easy removal of the cast part once it has set. Several molds were created throughout the process of creating a single figure in the 1982-1994 era. Each part of a figure required a mold. It is worth noting that several Silicone Molds may be created during the sculpting process to serve as a save point. This would, for example, be done prior to the addition of texture, while making adjustments for parting lines, or after the change of hands from one sculptor to another.
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Standard Buck |
While a buck ensures the minimum material necessary for manufacturing and creates a foundation to draft tooling, the standard buck ensures cross-compatibility of finished components due to the fact that multiple figures are sculpted on an identical buck. In the vintage 1982-1994 line, this (along with gang molding) was what permitted new figures to be comprised partially or entirely of previously existing parts.
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Standard Tag |
See Hasbro Standard Tag
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Steel Molds |
A high-yield production mold used for plastic mold injection.
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Style Guide |
A book or binder sent to licensees that would convey the correct parameters in which to develop new products, such as sleeping bags, backpacks, kites, etc.. These style guides would often dictate the logos, color palette, call out design and other creative attributes in order to create a cohesive brand.
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Styrene Model |
A model made out of styrene plastic sheets at a 1:1 scale and is typically very detailed. The styrene model was made after the wood pattern had been created for a vehicle’s reference, designers would make models of what the final version of the toy will look like. The wood pattern of the main vehicle body would be placed in a vacuum forming machine with a sheet styrene. The styrene would be heated and dropped over the pattern. Then air would quickly be vacuumed away in order to vacuum form a styrene copy of the wooden pattern. Additional details and components were then added to the styrene model. Many styrene models were created as simple costing models while others were the more carefully crafted basis of what would be cast into the vehicle’s first 1:1 resin model.
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Tampograph |
A machine used during production to apply logos and other fine details. This machine consists of at least one negative cavity plate and a transfer pad. Ink or paint is wiped into the cavity, is lifted by the pad, and then transferred onto an object such as a figure or vehicle. The resulting transferred art is known commonly as a “tampo.” Common examples in the 1982-1994 line include multiple division patches and Cobra logos. Also called “pad printing.”
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Test Package |
Factory sample packaging created to examine the fit, form, function, and reliability of a package prior to mass production. They generally are produced using any raw materials available and often lack all logos and artwork. They are sometimes completely blank while other times made of overstock materials created for other brands. These are used to examine how an item looks in the package as well as how well the item inside is secured after a series of tests such as a drop test or vibration test, which both simulate conditions a toy may experience during distribution.
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Test Shot |
Factory sample parts created to examine the quality of the fit, form, function, and durability of a plastic part prior to mass production. They generally are produced in production colors with copyright date stamps. Test shots do not have paint applications but are sometimes used later in the creation process. For example, a test shot was sometimes used within mock up or test packaging.
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Tooling Master |
The Tooling Master is a three-dimensional hardcopy prototype would be used as the final reference for creating the production molds. It is considered a “master” part because it has been finely examined and approved by the department in charge of sculpting prior to turnover to the department that creates production molds.
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Tracking Number |
As a means of tracking test shots and EPs, many beginning around 2010 were marked with laser-engraved numbers to indicate the person or entity entrusted with them. This mark was often, but not always, placed on the head of a figure. Because these items have now been released, they serve as a way of indicating that an item was a preproduction sample.
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Transparency |
A transparency is a high-resolution reproduction of a photograph or packaging art printed on a clear celluloid sheet. Transparencies were used for reference or photographic purposes during the pre-production process in the 1982-1994 era. Transparencies were also used in the licensing process and would be provided to the licensee for the purposes of printing on licensed items such as lunch boxes, sleeping backs, notebooks, etc... It should be noted that transparencies need to be back-lit in order to be really visible.
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Turnaround |
See Sculpture Sheet
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U |
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Urethane |
Various resin or urethane compounds were used to create hardcopy prototypes. Green, blue and white resins have all been utilized by Hasbro designers.
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UV Painting |
A key component of photo-real technology used after 2019, this is a special painting process where ink or paint is printed on a three-dimensional object (such as the face of an action figure) and is then quickly cured with ultraviolet light.
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Variation |
A released and intentionally produced change in the shape, size, color, paint operations, or material of a single version of an item, either from the original or a licensed source.
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Vendor |
A separate entity that manufactures items for Hasbro under contract. These are most often companies that operate one or more factories.
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Vendor Code |
A factory-specific code used to identify the source of items after they have entered the market. These started to appear directly stamped on toys in the mid 2010’s. For example, an item made in Vietnam may have the Vendor Code “V-2976B.”
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VSP |
VSPs or Vender Supplied Pilots are samples of toys supplied to Hasbro from the factory. This is a more general term sometimes applied to first shots, test shots, FEPs, or any part supplied by the factory (aka vendor) prior to large scale production.
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Wood Pattern |
The earliest stage in creating a three dimensional representation of a vehicle is a wood pattern. The basic shape of the vehicle would have been cut out of wood and used for reference in creating the styrene model. Wood patterns were typical carved out of oak.
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Z |
|
