Custom PVC figures and parts

The process

How pvc figures are actually made

When a character has thin spikes, a weapon, a moving joint or a base that must click into place, injection moulding is the right process. Steel tooling costs more than a rotocast shell, so PVC earns its place on characters with real detail and on runs that have to repeat exactly, batch after batch.

Sculpt review before the steel tool is cut

First-article inspection against the approved sample

Three PVC standee characters on a shop counter in a sunlit store

Retail programmes

Standees, counter cards and POP sets

Most of our PVC work is not a collectible — it is a promotion. A character that has to survive a shipping carton, a shop counter and two weeks of handling, then still read clearly from three metres away.

Counter standeeDie-cut or straight-cut PVC, clear or printed base, quoted per size and print pass
Floor standeeTaller formats on an easel or die-cut base, usually in two parts for shipping
POP setStandee plus shelf talker plus gift piece, printed together so the colour matches

Reference work

PVC figures on the bench

Customisation

What you actually decide

Part splits and joints

A PVC figure is a set of parts that have to meet cleanly. We plan the split lines, the peg depth and the glue or snap fit at the sculpt stage, so the assembled figure has no visible gap and no loose limb in the box.

Split lines placed where the character design hides them
Snap-fit joints tested for pull force
Separate parts for anything that must be a different colour

Graphics and paint masks

Fine graphics on PVC are usually pad printed, with masked spray for gradients. Every colour needs its own mask, so a design with eight colours is a different project from one with three — we quote the mask count openly instead of hiding it in a unit price.

Pad printing for small logos and eye detail
Masked spray for gradients and soft edges
Mask count stated in the quotation

Specification

The parameters we quote against

ProcessInjection moulding (PVC, ABS, PP on request)

Typical size40 – 250 mm per part; larger parts quoted separately

ToolingSteel tool, single or multi-cavity by batch size

AssemblySnap fit, peg joint, solvent or ultrasonic weld

DecorationMoulded colour, masked spray, pad print, waterslide

PackingBlister, window box, polybag with header card

MOQHigher than vinyl because tooling is steel — quoted per part

Questions we get before a first order

Straight answers

It depends on the market and the age grade. Phthalate-free PVC and alternative rigid plastics are available, and we will tell you which material we would use for the destination you name rather than assume.