You scan your face, then Formlabs 3D prints it
Ever wanted to have an action figure of yourself? It’s been possible for the lucky few: movie stars; the occasional contest winner; and those who might be satisfied with a knockoff novelty gift rather than the real deal. But today, Hasbro is announcing that practically anyone will be able to stick their face onto a fully posable, licensed, and highly detailed Power Ranger, Ghostbuster, G.I. Joe, Star Wars, or Marvel figure this fall — thanks to a partnership with Formlabs to scan and 3D print your head before applying it to an iconic action figure body.
The faces look fantastic.
(Well, anyone in the United States, that is — it’s limited to the US, with no current plans to expand at this time.)
A pair of custom Ghostbusters figures.“The process is simple – fans download the Hasbro Pulse mobile app (16+) available on Android and iOS, log into their Hasbro Selfie Series account, scan their face, customize their character and hairstyle, then sit back and wait for their custom action figure to arrive at their doorstep,” reads the press release. The result is called the Hasbro Selfie Series; each figure will be $59.99 (plus tax) when the service arrives this fall.
You can make a Red Ranger or a Pink Ranger; hopefully the other colors will materialize by launch.Most of the figures you’ll be able to make are fairly obvious choices — after all, anyone could be under that Stormtrooper or G.I. Joe Snake Eyes helmet, the Spider-Verse has plenty of room, and both Black Panther and Black Widow are canonically transferable roles. But it’s intriguing to see Hasbro will also let you take on Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia and displace Pedro Pascal’s The Mandalorian as well.
You can’t fool us with those generic “Rebel Princess” and “Mandalorian Warrior” titles, Hasbro! We know them well.Here are a couple of photos of how the custom heads are made. They appear to be printed in two separate pieces (head and hair) before presumably going to get painted and finished some other way. 3D printing only gets you so far. You can see more of the process in the video atop this post.
A bank of Formlabs printers creating heads for the figures. Don’t worry, those horrifying faceless strands underneath the hair are just support material that gets cut away after printing.For now, Hasbro only has a vague “notify me” page if you’re interested, but it should open signups this fall. Also, “a select number of fans” at San Diego Comic-Con will get an early opportunity to scan their faces and be the first to get their figures, though those also won’t ship until the fall.