What Clay Is Used For Making Anime Figures?

Anime figures have become extremely popular collectibles among anime fans and pop culture enthusiasts around the world. Ranging from simple plastic toys to highly detailed resin statues, anime figures allow fans to own a tangible piece from their favorite shows, movies, or games.

The history of anime figures dates back to the 1960s in Japan, when companies like Bandai first started producing vinyl toys of popular anime characters. As anime grew more mainstream internationally in the 1990s and 2000s, the market for PVC and resin figures exploded. Today, top figure companies produce high-end collectibles aimed at adult collectors, in addition to mass market toys for children.

Anime figures are made from a variety of materials, each with their own unique properties. Some of the most common clays and materials used include polymer clays, resin, porcelain, PVC, polystone, ABS plastics, and wood. The material chosen depends on factors like the level of detail, size, cost, and durability desired for the final figure.

Polymer Clays

Polymer clays are the most popular type of clay used for making anime figures. They are made of PVC particles mixed with plasticizers and coloring. Some of the most well-known brands are Super Sculpey, Sculpey III, and FIMO.

Polymer clays have several advantages that make them ideal for small, detailed anime figures:

• They don’t require baking until the end, so figures can be worked on over multiple sessions.
• The clay remains malleable and doesn’t dry out, allowing for revisions.
• Intricate details and textures can be achieved.
• The clay can be sanded and smoothed when cured for a seamless finish.
• Bright, stable colors are available.

Sculptors will often use polymer clays for adding the finer details like eyes, hair, and clothing folds to a figure. The ability to gradually bake different parts as you go allows for lots of control in the process.

Resin

Resin is one of the most popular materials used to create anime figures. It is a liquid plastic that hardens into a durable, solid material. Resin offers several benefits for figure making:

High level of detail – The liquid resin can capture even the finest details of an anime character’s clothing, hair, and facial features. Smooth curved surfaces and intricate patterns can be reproduced accurately in resin.

Durability – Once cured, resin is extremely strong and durable. Resin figures can withstand being displayed and handled without chipping or breaking. The color of resin also resists fading over time.

Casting process – Resin casting involves pouring liquid resin into a mold. The liquid flows into every crevice of the mold and hardens into the exact shape. Once cured, the resin figure can be removed from the mold and painted. The casting process allows complex anime figures to be mass produced.

The combination of fine detail, durability, and casting efficiency makes resin one of the most common materials for modern anime figures. Major figure companies like Good Smile Company often use high-quality resin to produce their finished products.

Porcelain

Porcelain is a ceramic material made from kaolin clay that is fired at very high temperatures between 1200°C and 1400°C. It is known for its bright white color, hardness, rigidity, and translucency.

Porcelain is an excellent material for making anime figures because of its smooth, glass-like surface that allows for intricate sculpting and painting of fine details. The high firing temperature makes porcelain very durable and able to withstand the handling and play that anime figures are subjected to.

For anime figures, manufacturers typically use high-fire porcelain that is fired between 1300-1400°C. This creates a fully vitrified, non-porous body that is chip and scratch resistant. Low-fire porcelain fired between 1150-1200°C is more porous and prone to chipping.

The high glass content in porcelain gives it a glossy surface for vibrant paint application. Its hardness also retains crisp edges better than other clays. Due to its durability and ability to showcase refined sculpts with dynamic paint jobs, porcelain has become a go-to material for high-end anime figures.

PVC

Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, has become one of the most common materials for mass-produced anime figures. PVC is a durable, inexpensive plastic that allows figure manufacturers to produce detailed sculpts while keeping costs low.

Compared to resin, PVC provides similar levels of detail and durability at a fraction of the price. While resin garage kits are handmade in small batches, PVC figures can be rapidly mass-produced using molds. This makes PVC ideal for creating collectible figures based on popular anime series where demand is high.

The main advantages of PVC are its durability and low cost. PVC is resistant to breaking and has some flexibility to avoid parts snapping off. Figures made of PVC can capture intricate details and complex poses without becoming fragile. And because molds are reused, per unit costs are very low once the initial sculpt is complete.

The easy reproduction and affordability of PVC enables most major anime franchises to receive figure merchandise. This allows fans to collect affordable high-quality figures of their favorite characters. While PVC has some downsides compared to resin, its inexpensiveness and durability make it a go-to material for accessible anime figures.

Polystone

Polystone is a composite material that consists of crushed stone mixed with polyurethane resin. It looks and feels very similar to natural stone, which is how it got its name. Polystone is lighter than real stone, making it easier to work with for larger anime figures and statues.

The crushed stone provides density and rigidity while the resin binds it together. Mixtures can be customized with different sized particles and colors to achieve a granular stone-like texture and appearance. Manufacturers often add metal powders, pigments, or foil flakes to give a sparkling, shimmery effect.

Polystone has become popular for anime figures, especially larger scaled ones. The durable material can be sculpted into intricate designs and hold up well to repeated handling. The weight also gives polystone figures a sense of gravitas, similar to stone sculptures. Details remain crisp.

Compared to materials like resin or PVC, polystone provides a more premium, high-end look and feel for anime character replicas. It allows for large, imposing statues that mimic the appearance of carved stone. This makes it ideal for collectors who want the most realistic representations possible.

ABS Plastic

ABS plastic, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, is another common material used to create anime figures. ABS is valued for its durability, flexibility, and low production costs.

ABS plastic has high impact resistance and tensile strength, meaning it is tough and durable. This makes it ideal for posing and playing with action figures. The plastic also has moderate heat resistance, so figures maintain their shape even at higher temperatures.

In addition, ABS can be injection molded easily and rapidly, keeping manufacturing costs down. The plastic can be colored during production, removing the need to paint after. These factors make ABS a cost-effective option.

With the right manufacturing techniques, ABS plastic can produce anime figures with crisp, intricate details. This material captures textures, patterns, and expressions accurately. The durability also ensures figures last a long time.

Overall, ABS plastic strikes the right balance of durability, detail, and affordability for anime figures and scale models. Many figure companies utilize ABS to create affordable yet well-crafted models for fans and collectors.

Wood

Wood can provide a unique, natural aesthetic for anime figures that is difficult to replicate with synthetic materials. Hand-carving wooden anime figures takes great skill but allows artisans to showcase their creativity through the wood’s organic grains and textures.

Hardwoods like maple, basswood, and oak are commonly used for their stability and fine grain. Softer woods may be chosen for easier carving. The wood is carefully sanded, stained, painted, and sealed to protect the figure while highlighting the wood’s natural patterns and colors.

Artists may use wood alone or in combination with other materials. For example, a wooden figure can have resin clothing or metal armor accents. No matter the details, wood brings a rustic, earthy appeal to anime figures.

Other Materials

While most anime figures are made from the common materials discussed earlier, some figures utilize less common and more expensive materials like metal, glass, and gemstones. These premium materials allow for incredibly intricate and detailed sculpts not possible with plastics or resins.

Anime figures cast in bronze, silver, or gold showcase the refined look and feel of metal. The weighty, metallic anime figures possess a sense of gravitas and value exceeding regular PVC or ABS releases. Metallic coats like chrome or antique patinas applied to metal figurines also exude luxury. Of course, solid precious metal releases demand premium prices due to material costs alone.

Glass anime figures boast unmatched transparency and refractive brilliance. The crystalline material glistens with clarity to showcase character designs with stunning purity. While more fragile than other mediums, glass allows artisans to craft anime figures of unparalleled delicacy and fragility. Decorative glass figurines with hand painted details or ornate glasswork embroidery command prices as lofty as their quality.

Lastly, some high-end anime figure producers embellish releases with genuine gemstones. Precious stones like diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires adorn only the most exclusive statues and scales. For example, a character’s eyes may feature tiny emerald pupils, or their dress embroidered with crystalline accents. These lustrous minerals significantly raise the value of already premium figures. As the pinnacle of anime collectibles, gemstone enhanced releases appeal to the most devoted and wealthy fans.

Conclusion

There are several common materials used for making anime figures, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The most popular clays are polymer clays like Super Sculpey and Apoxie Sculpt, resin, porcelain, PVC, and polystone. Other less common but still utilized materials include ABS plastic, wood, paper, felt, and fabrics.

The choice of material depends on factors like cost, durability, ease of detailing, weight, strength, and production scale. For example, porcelain allows for high detail and has a premium feel, but is brittle. Resin is durable and can achieve sharp detailing, but releases fumes and requires mixing. PVC is inexpensive but has seams that require puttying.

Looking ahead, 3D printing may allow for more customizable and intricate anime figures. As technology improves, new high-detail materials like nano-porcelain and plant-based bioplastics could emerge. More figures may also incorporate LEDs and electronic features with advancing engineering techniques. Regardless, the anime community’s demand for quality collectible figures will continue driving innovations in materials and production.