WoW Figure Prints Interview and Tour Review - PAGE 2

The top-secret Figure Prints facility is hidden in the frozen wilds of Vancouver, Canada. I trekked across frozen tundra, through icy blizzards, and past hungry bears for a chance to bring you an inside look at how WoW characters are built. There was a Tim Hortons' involved too. I met the production manager Dan near the Figure Prints facility and, on the way over, he let me in on some big news - the crew won't there much longer.

Don't worry though! They aren't shutting down, it's because Dan just received confirmation that they're getting a new, bigger, facility. With 5700 square feet they'll be doubling their current setup, growing to 10 3D printers and getting even closer to their goal of eliminating the lottery. The news about the move was so new that when I mentioned it to the staff it caught them by surprise and I accidentally spoiled Dan's big announcement! Not only that, the new facility will also have better ventilation for each de-powdering stati... I'm getting ahead of myself aren't I? How about some basics to get things rolling.

There are basically three parts to the printing facility. The front (which is hidden behind a fake business name) is a packing and shipping area where finished Figure Prints are based, domed and sent out. Behind that is the office where orders are handled. That's where character data is pulled from the Armory for the printing machines and sets of characters are assembled into efficient printing layouts - fitting as many as possible into each lengthy printing batch.

The final area is the top-secret room where the printing is done. It's packed with 3D printers, each working away on turning a $2,000 bucket of the special printing powder into a half-dozen or so Figure Prints. After they're printed, the figures are pulled out and taken to a special room for de-powdering while the machine is cleaned for the next batch.

Here's a video from inside the Figure Prints facility. It shows you some of what's going on and takes you into the top-secret area for a special look at figures being printed.

Like Dan says, that's just the first step. After being printed, a figure is de-powdered, given a finishing treatment, dipped into a special blend of seven secret herbs and spices (DO NOT EAT!) and cooked. Then it's time to base it, pack it in one of the special domes and get it shipped out.

With the current setup, Dan and the crew are set to pump out 2,000 figures a month. Due to Christmas holidays and such they're going to be a bit short in December. But, the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, and Death Knights, actually slowed down the orders for new figs as people gathered more gear for their new characters. So, requests for figures should pick up soon and the new facility will let the team blow right past 2,000/month and let more WoW players get their hands on their favorite characters.

The biggest surprise about the Figure Prints facility is how eco-friendly it is! From limiting the number of paper documents used in the office, to recycling and re-using all their production materials, they even make sure all the chemicals they use to make the figures follow the California laws for health & safety - the toughest ones in US and Canada! They'd even appreciate if people could recycle the boxes their Figure Prints are shipped in.

The big move isn't the only thing going on at Figure Prints. Once production is able to clear up the lottery, more mount, pet and custom base options will become available. One base idea that's being worked on is of a victory pose with a figure standing triumphant over a fallen enemy. We'll have more on Figure Prints in the future and we'll find out what you want to know, so go hit the forums and let us know what you're curious about!