Mattel's recent announcement of the relaunched ThingMaker as a 3D printer is the first of its type aimed squarely at kids. With a much lower price point than other competitors and toy support from Mattel's brand, the new ThingMaker may have a significant impact on the miniature and terrain industry.
[h=3]Thing 1 and Thing 2[/h]The ThingMaker brand has been around for some time:
The supposed toxicity of the material was the ThingMaker's undoing:
At the height of its popularity, ThingMaker had two designs of interest to hobbyists, Mini-Dragons and Fighting Men:
It's not hard to imagine the new ThingMaker similarly being applied to produce tabletop miniatures.
[h=3]We've Heard This Before[/h]Mattel's not alone in considering the 3D market:
Hasbro announced in 2014 a co-venture with 3D Systems to leverage their game brands in the 3D printing space. What's different about Mattel's approach is that they're releasing an end-to-end product with both a printer and a distribution platform:
At $300, the ThingMaker is competitively priced. The "eco-system" is a space Staples has already entered:
It's an increasingly crowded market. Home Depot has the Dremel Idea Builder ($999) and a distribution deal with Makerbot ($1,299). There have also been several Kickstarter attempts to launch more affordable 3D printers, like the failed Buccaneer and the more successful Micro.
The Micro is squarely aimed at gamers -- advertising on Facebook shows miniatures being created -- but when I asked the company to comment on their strategy they directed me to their press release. It seems gamers are a possible market for 3D printing companies, but not so massive that that they're willing to go on record about their plans.
Finally, there's the Mini Fabrikator by Tiny Boy for $179.77. With a printing space of just over three inches, the Mini Fabrikator is the cheapest on the market with the least written about it. The downside is that there seems to be no support for it. We likely haven't seen the bottom of the 3D price wars.
[h=3]Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys?[/h]What does ThingMaker actually make? ThingMaker seems unlikely to produce a toy that Mattel already sells -- you won't be printing Barbie any time soon. Instead, ThingMaker focuses on components that can be assembled to make toys or wearables:
Of course, the catch with any 3D printer is that it's not just the cost of the printer (ThingMaker retails for $300), but the "ink" -- for 3D printers, that's filament:
The same concerns that eventually killed off the original ThingMaker are a problem with 3D printers as well:
Mattel's approach contrasts with Hasbro, who allow fans to produce their own 3D-printed art of their intellectual property, specifically My Little Pony.
[h=3]So Where Are My 3D Miniatures?[/h]Tabletop miniatures are uniquely suited for 3D printing. Most sculpts are small pieces of plastic, and because 3D printers take time to produce an object, small sculpts can be printed relatively quickly. Some companies have tried to create their own customizable miniatures platform with mixed success, the biggest challenge being the price for individual miniatures vs. mass production. That price will continue to come down at which point it will create significant pressure on mass-production miniature companies to play along. Miniatures are not unique in this regard of course; the gradual switch from mass production to customization is happening across all of manufacturing.
Another problem with 3D printing is that all printers can theoretically produce anything and therefore are all in competition with each other. This pits Staples vs. Home Depot, but it also means Mattel and Hasbro will need to compete with well-established distribution chains in the 3D market.
In the hobby space, the two toy behemoths have already started their testing the waters with 3D printing. Where Hasbro is leading with its designs, Mattel is attempting to capture the end of the distribution stream first. If Mattel's ThingMaker becomes a runaway success, the next step may well be that the 3D printer will ONLY produce Mattel products. That certainly increases the appeal of an acquisition for Hasbro who, as 3D printing overtakes manufacturing, will be seeking end-to-end integration of their 3D and toy lines.
Mike "Talien" Tresca is a freelance game columnist, author, and communicator. You can follow him at Patreon.
[h=3]Thing 1 and Thing 2[/h]The ThingMaker brand has been around for some time:
Mattel's Thingmaker toy was introduced in the 1960's and is known under a variety of names and configurations, including the Vac-U- Maker, Vac-U-Form, Creepy Crawlers, and Creeple Peeple. Whatever the precise setup, the toy was created for children to make their own small playthings out of raw materials. The toy worked by using a simple molding process. One- or two-sided molds were filled with a supplied plastic goop which were then heated; the goop would firm up and and the result would be a small rubbery item such as a bug or even a miniature plastic toy soldier. In the case of Vac-U-Form and Vac-U-Maker, children would work a small pump to force the plastic to extrude within (or around) a certain shape.
The supposed toxicity of the material was the ThingMaker's undoing:
Because of the heating element (and the perceived toxicity of the goop), the toy was subject to much parental and alarmist scrutiny, and as a result, disappeared for some time. It is again available for modern children, however, thanks to companies other than Mattel; and with the right supervision, it is as safe as any other complicated plaything.
At the height of its popularity, ThingMaker had two designs of interest to hobbyists, Mini-Dragons and Fighting Men:
This set of six molds could be used to create mini soldier figures, using an innovative two-part mold to give the Fighting Men a front and a back. The set also included pieces of wire to place in the figure, making it bendle with the bottom wire protrusions being able to stand on a styrofoam base. Other molds in the set created weaponry and equipment for the Fighting Men to carry into battle.
It's not hard to imagine the new ThingMaker similarly being applied to produce tabletop miniatures.
[h=3]We've Heard This Before[/h]Mattel's not alone in considering the 3D market:
There’s already a market for 3-D printers—it’s just not in people’s homes. Technology analyst firm Canalys’s Joe Kempton estimates that total sales of the devices and the materials and services accompanying them hit $1.8 billion in the first half of 2015 and expects that number to top $20 billion by 2019. Two-thirds of 3-D printers are shipped to the enterprise market, which also generates a whopping 85 percent of the revenue.
Hasbro announced in 2014 a co-venture with 3D Systems to leverage their game brands in the 3D printing space. What's different about Mattel's approach is that they're releasing an end-to-end product with both a printer and a distribution platform:
Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) kicks-off New York Toy Fair 2016 by announcing today an easy-to-use 3D printing eco-system for families – ThingMaker Design™ App and the ThingMaker™ 3D Printer. Through a previously announced collaboration with Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), ThingMaker is designed to virtually hand over the "keys to the toy factory." The iconic ThingMaker from Mattel first debuted as the original at-home maker device in the 1960s, and has been completely reimagined for the 21st century. The ThingMaker 3D printing eco-system, combined with a little imagination, is all families need to design, create and print their own toys from start to finish.
At $300, the ThingMaker is competitively priced. The "eco-system" is a space Staples has already entered:
Customers just upload electronic files to the Staples Office Centre (staples.myeasy3d.com) and pick up the models in their nearby Staples stores, or have them shipped to their address. Staples produces the models with the Mcor IRIS, a 3D printer with the highest color capability in the industry and lowest operating cost of any commercial-class 3D printer.
It's an increasingly crowded market. Home Depot has the Dremel Idea Builder ($999) and a distribution deal with Makerbot ($1,299). There have also been several Kickstarter attempts to launch more affordable 3D printers, like the failed Buccaneer and the more successful Micro.
The Micro is squarely aimed at gamers -- advertising on Facebook shows miniatures being created -- but when I asked the company to comment on their strategy they directed me to their press release. It seems gamers are a possible market for 3D printing companies, but not so massive that that they're willing to go on record about their plans.
Finally, there's the Mini Fabrikator by Tiny Boy for $179.77. With a printing space of just over three inches, the Mini Fabrikator is the cheapest on the market with the least written about it. The downside is that there seems to be no support for it. We likely haven't seen the bottom of the 3D price wars.
[h=3]Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys?[/h]What does ThingMaker actually make? ThingMaker seems unlikely to produce a toy that Mattel already sells -- you won't be printing Barbie any time soon. Instead, ThingMaker focuses on components that can be assembled to make toys or wearables:
Whether creating figures such as dolls, robots and dinosaurs, or wearable accessories like bracelets and necklaces, Mattel's new ThingMaker eco-system is the answer for at-home creative play. By downloading the ThingMaker Design App, families can browse through easy-to-follow templates or tap into their imaginations and build their own creations from hundreds of parts. When the masterpiece is ready for creation, designs get sent right to the ThingMaker 3D Printer, which prints parts in batches for easy assembly via ball and socket joints.
Of course, the catch with any 3D printer is that it's not just the cost of the printer (ThingMaker retails for $300), but the "ink" -- for 3D printers, that's filament:
Available fall 2016 in the U.S., consumers can purchase ThingMaker 3D Printer at an expected SRP of $299.99 with pre-orders beginning February 15, 2016 on Amazon.com. Mattel will have a variety of filament color options available for the ThingMaker 3D Printer with additional design content including branded options rolling out at a later date. The ThingMaker Design App also works with other printers; it is available now and free to download for iOS and Android devices.
The same concerns that eventually killed off the original ThingMaker are a problem with 3D printers as well:
The takeaway: If you’re using a 3D printer indoors, make sure your space is well ventilated, especially if you’re predisposed to pulmonary diseases like asthma and emphysema. Limit your exposure to the riskiest materials (ABS filament and nylon). Look into 3DPrintClean, a company that recently launched a filtration system that traps all ultrafine particles emitted by standard 3D printers, letting you safely print in any space. And maybe hold off on buying your children Mattel’s new $300 3D printer that lets kids make their own toys.
Mattel's approach contrasts with Hasbro, who allow fans to produce their own 3D-printed art of their intellectual property, specifically My Little Pony.
[h=3]So Where Are My 3D Miniatures?[/h]Tabletop miniatures are uniquely suited for 3D printing. Most sculpts are small pieces of plastic, and because 3D printers take time to produce an object, small sculpts can be printed relatively quickly. Some companies have tried to create their own customizable miniatures platform with mixed success, the biggest challenge being the price for individual miniatures vs. mass production. That price will continue to come down at which point it will create significant pressure on mass-production miniature companies to play along. Miniatures are not unique in this regard of course; the gradual switch from mass production to customization is happening across all of manufacturing.
Another problem with 3D printing is that all printers can theoretically produce anything and therefore are all in competition with each other. This pits Staples vs. Home Depot, but it also means Mattel and Hasbro will need to compete with well-established distribution chains in the 3D market.
In the hobby space, the two toy behemoths have already started their testing the waters with 3D printing. Where Hasbro is leading with its designs, Mattel is attempting to capture the end of the distribution stream first. If Mattel's ThingMaker becomes a runaway success, the next step may well be that the 3D printer will ONLY produce Mattel products. That certainly increases the appeal of an acquisition for Hasbro who, as 3D printing overtakes manufacturing, will be seeking end-to-end integration of their 3D and toy lines.
Mike "Talien" Tresca is a freelance game columnist, author, and communicator. You can follow him at Patreon.
