Estimate the cost of making your figure

What drives the price of a figure

Two figures that look alike can have very different prices. A project budget is actually built from two blocks: fixed costs, paid once whatever the quantity (design, 3D modelling, prototype, moulds), and a cost per piece, which depends on material, painting and packaging. Here are the levers that move one or the other.

Quantity

This is lever number one. Fixed costs, and tooling in particular, are spread across every piece: producing 3,000 figures instead of 300 brings the unit price down sharply. Conversely, a very small run is expensive per piece. To find the right level, read our guide to the minimum order quantity for custom figures.

Material and technique

Injected PVC needs an expensive steel mould but then gives precise, cheap pieces: it is made for large runs. Rotocast vinyl produces hollow, light pieces with an art toy feel. Resin needs no steel mould and suits very small runs, but requires more manual labour: we do not offer it, as our minimum orders start at 300 pieces. Compare them in our guide vinyl vs PVC vs resin figures.

Size and complexity

The bigger a figure, the more material it uses and the bigger its moulds. The number of parts to assemble, fine details and fragile areas also increase manufacturing and inspection time.

Colours and finishes

Each extra colour adds a painting step (spray, pad printing or by hand). Special effects (metallic, glow-in-the-dark, flocking, translucent) each come with an extra cost.

Packaging

A simple polybag, a printed box, a collector box with insert and certificate, or a mystery box with a display: packaging can weigh as much as the figure itself in the budget, especially for limited editions.

Starting design

Starting from a production-ready 3D file costs less than creating a character from scratch. If you only have a drawing, it has to be turned into a 3D volume; if you only have an idea, our custom mascot design service takes care of it.

Compliance and shipping

A figure intended for children must pass EN 71 testing, carried out by a specialised laboratory, which has a cost. You also need to plan for shipping from the factory, customs duties (included in our quotes) and storage. For the detail of each item, read our guide how much does it cost to make a custom figure?, and discover all our figure design and production services, or go straight to custom figure manufacturing.