The Energon Pub

TFclub has given their fans a special treat. We get a good look at the inside of their factory and how things are done. It may just shatter some fans perceptions of how your favorite figures are produced.

In the pictures is showcases what the molds look like, the production line and how a number of pieces are hand painted.

Peep the link here

Thats some pretty cool behind the scenes action there.

For some reason I want to buy a Battle Rollar.

Ya know what thi reminds me of?

"Sony... cos caucasians are just too darn tall..."

Firebird wrote:For some reason I want to buy a Battle Rollar.

Tell me about it. Until now, I didn't think there were whole shops working to makes these aftermarket upgrades we've bought.

Oh wow that looks really impressive!

Very cool stuff...I've been an advocate of learning more about the actual process of creating and making TF's for a while. Seeing this just reinforces that idea. It would be neat to have Hasbro open their doors this way too.

Wow, cool pics.

But somehow I thought our beloved figures were born in more glamorous surroundings.

What? No children? What kind of low quality sweat-shop is that?

wow those toy mold boxes are bigger than i expected wander how heavy they are.

I'll be quite honest here:
As much as I love Transformers, that makes never want to buy them again.
Or at least not the add-on packages.

On one hand, sure, it provides "employment" to people who might not otherwise have it.
On the other hand, it's just another confirmation that outsourcing mass manufacturing to "cheaper" countries takes a very human toll.

Yes, I know I'm acting like a liberal, and I apologize for that.
But I just haven't had my coffee yet.
(That last part was a joke. No offense intended. I meant the rest of it, though.)

Rocketeer wrote:I'll be quite honest here:
As much as I love Transformers, that makes never want to buy them again.
Or at least not the add-on packages.

On one hand, sure, it provides "employment" to people who might not otherwise have it.
On the other hand, it's just another confirmation that outsourcing mass manufacturing to "cheaper" countries takes a very human toll.

Yes, I know I'm acting like a liberal, and I apologize for that.
But I just haven't had my coffee yet.
(That last part was a joke. No offense intended. I meant the rest of it, though.)

This is how it happens in the factories that make our beloved official Transformers too.

I'm amazed at all the absolute racist comments in this thread. Almost ALL toys are made in Asia (China, Taiwan et al). It doesn't mean it's a sweat shop and it doesn't mean all Asian workers are children. I know TF fans like to bitch and pretend they are smarter than every other fan and only their opinions matter, but I didn't expect this level of ignorance from the fandom. Good God man.

Racist?

I didn't mean anything racist by it.
I simply meant that I wish there were a way to improve the conditions of living/working.

Never mind...
Forget the idealism.

I don't see anything racist at all with any of these comments. Child labor sweatshops has always been the running JOKE for Chinese made goods. Your characterization of TF fans is best exemplified by the tone and content of your own post.

Besides the substandard factory environment, unhappy looking young hunched over workers, and toxic chemicals throughout, I think the whole start-to-finish manufacturing process is pretty cool!

Point wrote:I'm amazed at all the absolute racist comments in this thread. Almost ALL toys are made in Asia (China, Taiwan et al). It doesn't mean it's a sweat shop and it doesn't mean all Asian workers are children. I know TF fans like to bitch and pretend they are smarter than every other fan and only their opinions matter, but I didn't expect this level of ignorance from the fandom. Good God man.

Ravage XK wrote:Wow, cool pics.

But somehow I thought our beloved figures were born in more glamorous surroundings.

Welcome to China.

dragons wrote:wow those toy mold boxes are bigger than i expected wander how heavy they are.

Most molds are made out of aluminum. Each one of those probably weighs in at a good 100 pounds.

Point wrote:I'm amazed at all the absolute racist comments in this thread. Almost ALL toys are made in Asia (China, Taiwan et al). It doesn't mean it's a sweat shop and it doesn't mean all Asian workers are children. I know TF fans like to bitch and pretend they are smarter than every other fan and only their opinions matter, but I didn't expect this level of ignorance from the fandom. Good God man.

You don't enjoy quips and jokes very much, do you?

Point wrote:I know TF fans like to bitch and pretend they are smarter than every other fan and only their opinions matter, but I didn't expect this level of ignorance from the fandom. Good God man.

WHAT?

When have I ever pretended...

nicccceeeee.

Thats pretty damn cool. I wouldnt mind doing that.

Point wrote:I'm amazed at all the absolute racist comments in this thread. Almost ALL toys are made in Asia (China, Taiwan et al). It doesn't mean it's a sweat shop and it doesn't mean all Asian workers are children. I know TF fans like to bitch and pretend they are smarter than every other fan and only their opinions matter, but I didn't expect this level of ignorance from the fandom. Good God man.

I dunno...prior to your post I didn't see a single post that referenced race.

These pictures actually make me feel BETTER about how TF's get put together. Everyone is dressed fairly nicely, meaning they probably get paid well, they have protective gloves, painting hoods and all kinds of good equipment. The only thing here that kind of sucks is those chairs that are probably not that comfortable.

It's just a shame that here in the U.S. so many people see themselves as being "above" doing this kind of work. Yeah, it probably gets a bit boring after awhile, but thousands of jobs do. I bet these people all celebrate a bit when a new contract comes through for a new product. More work is a good thing for anyone, here or there, that wants to pay the bills.

What you don't see here, and what is really the problem with SOME overseas labor, is the hours demanded of the employees. 14/7's are BAD. Nothing in these photos suggests this is the case here. Infact, the relatively healthy looking individuals suggest quite the opposite.

This reminds me of those old Mister Rogers episodes where they showed those Picture Picture clips of "How People Make" stuff.

In this case, it's "How People Make Battle Rollar Action Figures".

Those molds are not made out of aluminum for one. The reason being that aluminum is very soft in terms of metals, and these molds when in the injection machine are put under clamp pressures of 50+ tons at least not to mention the high injection pressure and those kinds of forces will completely destroy aluminum tooling. The cavities might be aluminum simple because they are cheaper to machine but they will not give you the same durability as say P20 tool steel which is what is typically used. Believe me when I say that they weight far more than 100 lbs. And now you know.. because knowing is half the battle

drfeelgood81083 wrote:Now you know... and knowing is half the battle!

Yo Joe!

I'm still not interested in the figure. Interesting pictures, though.

You can see how the figs end up on eBay early now, though. A ton of unpackaged figures just sitting around...