Vinyl vs PVC vs resin figures: which material should you choose?

The material of a figure decides its finish, its strength and its weight, but also the minimum quantity and the price. Three families dominate the world of brand figures and art toys: rotocast vinyl, injected PVC and resin. Here is how to choose between them.

What are the three main families of materials?

Rotocast vinyl

Liquid PVC (called plastisol) is poured into a metal mould, which is heated and rotated in several directions. The material coats the inside of the mould, then hardens. The result: a hollow part, light, with a soft matte surface. It is the signature technique of designer vinyl toys, and the one used for our EQSO figures.

Injected PVC

The plastic is melted, then injected under high pressure into a machined steel mould. The part is solid and very precise, with crisp detail. It is the technique used for figures produced in very large quantities, like many blind box and game figures.

Resin

Liquid resin (often polyurethane) is cast into a silicone mould, then demoulded by hand once hardened. No steel tooling, so a low starting cost, but each piece takes labour time. It is the technique of very small runs, collector statues and prototypes.

How do they compare?

Criterion	Rotocast vinyl	Injected PVC	Resin
Type of part	Hollow, light	Solid, precise	Solid, heavy
Level of detail	Good	Very good	Excellent
Impact resistance	Good (flexible)	Good	More fragile (brittle)
Mould cost	Medium	High	Low
Unit price	Medium	Low in large runs	High
Suitable run	Medium to large	Large to very large	Very small
Indicative minimum quantity	300 pieces (our minimum)	1,000 pieces (our minimum)	Around fifty pieces (not offered by the Studio)
Typical finish	Matte, soft art toy	Detailed game figure	Collector statue

Which material for your quantity?

This is the question that settles it most often.

• A few dozen to a few hundred pieces: resin is often the only sensible option, because it avoids investing in metal moulds.
• A few hundred to a few thousand pieces: rotocast vinyl becomes attractive, with a good balance between mould cost and unit price.
• Several thousand pieces and more: injected PVC takes the lead, because its very expensive steel mould is spread over a large volume and the unit price becomes the lowest.

The exact thresholds depend on size and complexity. At Popterror Studio, we produce from 300 pieces in vinyl and 1,000 pieces in PVC; we do not offer resin. To dig deeper, read our guide to the minimum order quantity for custom figures.

Which material for the finish you want?

Want a designer object, soft to the touch, made for a shelf? Rotocast vinyl is the natural choice. Its matte surface brings out flat colours, and its hollow parts allow fairly large figures without the weight.

Want a small, highly detailed figure produced in large numbers? Injected PVC reproduces small details precisely and stays economical in large runs.

Want an exceptional, highly detailed piece in a small quantity? Resin gives a statuette finish, ideal for a numbered collector’s edition, a trophy or an exhibition piece.

What about very large formats?

Beyond a certain size, the techniques change. The 50 cm and 120 cm EQSO sculptures shown in our exhibitions are made of resin and fibreglass, materials suited to monumental pieces produced in very small numbers. It is a different manufacturing logic, closer to sculpture than to industrial production.

Which mistakes should you avoid when choosing a material?

1. Choosing the material before the quantity. Quantity drives the technique, not the other way round.
2. Wanting the finish of resin at the price of injection. Each technique has its strengths: you have to accept its trade-offs.
3. Forgetting how it will be used. An object handled by children must be sturdy and meet toy safety rules; a display statue can be more fragile.
4. Ignoring weight. It affects the shipping cost, especially for large solid pieces.
5. Not testing the finish. A pre-production sample in the final material is essential before launching the run.

Our choice for the EQSO art toys

For our 12.5 cm EQSO figures as for our blind box The Crew, we chose vinyl: it gives the warm matte finish our collectors love, stays light in the hand and handles being picked up well. Our first prototypes, on the other hand, were printed in resin, the ideal technique to check the volumes before launching the moulds.

Hesitating between several materials for your project? Our custom figure manufacturing service starts with exactly this advice, and our page on custom figure design and production for brands presents our full support.