Because, my thought is that if we knew the number of factories we could start guessing which factories made which figures. For example, Factory 1 has 80% of all the #43 figures in each color. Factory 2 has 20% of the figures, but only purple. Tree X had the Claw, so Factory 2 produced all the Purple Claws and it is 80% less common than an average figure.
Veers, that is a fascinating idea and definitely worth looking into. As you suggest, we will need a large sample group.
Just to clarify, what I am suggesting is that each family mold (the entire mold that had at least 4 unique sculpts on it, with a copy of each sculpt on each side, for a total of 8 chambers) had the
two sculpt variations on it. If this is the case, any factory that had the family mold would produce
both variations of the sculpt.
SculptVariations.jpg 46.96K
17 downloadsWith Cheap Toys, we have found that the sculpt variations are spread pretty evenly across figures and colors. However, Cheap Toys may not have been on molds like Kinkeshi and MUSCLE -- that is, two copies of a sculpt on each side of the mold. For example, check out this Spiral Zone tree. Only one copy of each sculpt is on it.
SpiralZoneTree.jpg 39.77K
8 downloadsIt's possible that the tree Arforbes found is a fluke, and that the other Kin/MUSCLE molds only have one copy of each sculpt on it. (I tend not to believe this though.)
Also, it's interesting to note that mini-fig lines such as Mordles and Weirdball Wrestlers actually have different numbers on the sculpt variations. For example, I have mordles that are the same sculpt and color, but one has a 4 on it and the other a 2. I've heard TGB say that molds are also sometimes labeled A, B, C, etc.
It is copyright 94 TCFC and a B for the mold (like A, B, C, etc...), at least I THINK it is 94...could be 84, I used a magnifying glass to read the ULTRA TINY markings.
Link
Anyhow, here's a look at just how subtle the sculpt variations can be. Check out these Cheap Toy examples:
ABTMV.jpg 48.91K
5 downloads
DHgTMV.jpg 58.82K
5 downloadsI think we really need TGB to chime and give his opinion on the following:
(1) Would the two copies of the sculpt on the tree Arforbes found be identical, or would they be slightly different? (In other words, is this the cause of the two variations per sculpt that we have found?)
(2) How many molds do think there were for each individual Kinkeshi/MUSCLE sculpt? Two, four, or more?
(3) If there are only 2 sculpt variations per Kinkeshi/MUSCLE sculpt/character, what does this tell us about the number of molds? (For example, if we find only two sculpt variations for the Claw, does that mean there were only two molds used to produce that sculpt?)
(I'm checking all my Claw figures now to see if I can find ANY sculpt variations.)
Edited by Soupie, 05 August 2008 - 08:06 AM.