When you played with action figures as a kid, you probably tried picturing yourself having the same adventures that they were having. Well, doing so is about to become easier than ever, as Hasbro is offering to a put a 3D-printed miniature copy of your face on one of its figures.
Called the Hasbro Selfie Series project, the endeavour is a collaboration between the toy manufacturer and 3D printing company Formlabs. It began life several years ago as a contest in which five winners received action figures with their faces on them. Now, anyone in the US will soon be able to get one of their own.
Customers will start by downloading the Hasbro Pulse app, and will then use it to scan their face, select their hair color, and select their preferred six-inch (152-mm) action figure – they'll be able to choose between characters from the Star Wars, Marvel, Ghostbusters and GI Joe lineups.
Once their data has been submitted, Formlabs will proceed to 3D print a tiny version of their face out of a resin developed specifically for the project. Along with being able to reproduce a variety of skin and hair colors, the material is skin-safe, and offers stiffness and strength similar those of polypropylene.
The face will subsequently be mounted on the body of an otherwise-standard action figure, which will then be shipped to the customer. While that person could play with it, let's be honest – most of them will probably keep it safely sealed in its box.
Hasbro says it will start accepting orders this Fall (Northern Hemisphere), and will at least initially only be offering the service to US-based customers – prospective buyers can register for updates via the Selfie Series website. Each custom-faced action figure will sell for $60.
There's more information in the following video.
UPDATE (Sept. 26, 2022): The Hasbro Selfie Series figures are now available, at a price of $79.99
