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The end product of this project, creating an action figure,  inculcates the elements of design, creativity and problem-solving. The action figure's design and creation is inspired by the theme, "Man of Action", defining a major factor as to what has inspired the design and creation process.

Branching off from the ideology of "Man of Action", my partner and I came across various ideas as to what the action figure(s) will consist of. After major thought and consideration, it was the concept of Emergency Personnel which prominently inspired our conclusive idea. By creating three action figures, we decided to design and create a policeman, firefighter and paramedic, having a direct relationship to being 'men of action' in our society.

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The clear and thorough understanding of materials and their use, not only allows the designer to utilise the most appropriate and suitable materials as a function of its application in a given product, but it additionally aids designers to overcome the limits and restrictions in the design process. Initially, as part of the planning process, the materials in which my partner and myself have and will utilise for the creation of our action figure each reflect on the certain stages of our progression.

Design Phase
The materials utilised throughout the design process predominantly revolved around the concept of illustrations. The design process involved drafting, creating and illustrating various ideas found relevant to the end product; the action figure. The materials for the design process involved:

Markers

Paper/Cardboard

Crayons, Texters and Pencils

Paint

Practical Phase
Progressing to the next aspect of the process, we began practical work, which specifically required the use of more complex materials and mechanisms. In affiliation to this process, we used materials such as:

Clay (used to mould our action figures)

Scalpels (used to cut the clay for accurate and complex scenarios)

Engravers (used for the fine detailing such as facial features)

The utilisation of each of these materials clearly reflect on the process of progression towards creating our action figures. There is no doubt that further in the process, a wide range of different materials will be introduced to satisfy the completion of the end product

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POLICE OFFICER

Vehicle
--> Police Car (Package will alternatively represent the vehicle.)

Accessories

--> Badge (‘Man of Action’ Badge)

--> Gun

--> Belt

--> Uniform (To be partially painted on figure)

--> Identification Card (Conveys identification and originality of figure; reinforcing the concept of vinyl action figures and collector's items.)

--> Hat

Extras
--> Minor Prisoner Figures
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PARAMEDIC

Vehicle
--> Ambulance (Package will alternatively represent the vehicle.)
Accessories

--> First Aid Kit

--> Walkie Talkie

--> Uniform (To be partially painted upon figure.)

--> Identification Card (Once again, conveys identification and originality of figure; reinforcing the concept of vinyl action figures and collector's items.)

--> Syringe

--> Badge (‘Man of Action’ Badge)

--> Hat
Extras

--> Minor Patient Figures
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FIREMAN

Vehicle

--> Fire Truck (Package will alternatively represent the vehicle.)

Accessories

--> Belt

--> Walkie Talkie

--> Identification Card (Establishes identification and originality of figure; reinforcing the concept of vinyl action figures and collector's items.)

--> Badge (‘Man of Action’ Badge)

--> Uniform (To be partially painted upon figure.)

--> Fire Helmet

--> Oxygen Tank

--> Fire Extinguisher

--> Hose
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Additionally, my partner and I plan on creating "clipper hands" for our action figures, which means they will be able to hold their associated items and accessories, making it much more engaging and creative for the audience.

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The colours and styles of the action figures are displayed below in the following images, representing the colours to be used, as well as the final style and design each action figure will display and present.

Throwaways (Drafts)
The throwaways were extremely crucial in the design and planning process, as they lead us to understanding how our action figures will look like. The throwaways were simply rough sketches which conceptualised the accessories, features and characteristics of the action figures.

Turnarounds (Final Designs)
In contrast, the turnarounds required much more intricacy and detail when designing the action figures. As oppose to just being rough sketches and formed off impromptu ideas, the turnarounds our action figures were precise depictions of what the action figures would look like from the front, side and optionally, the back view. It was essential that not only the design of the figures were accurate, but their colours and styles too. Colours are very important to the final design of the action figures, as they contribute to the expression, emotion and character of the figures. This is why the finalisation of colour, design and style of the action figures is crucial, as it creates a path to the next step of progression throughout the project; the moulding phase.

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The approximate size which our action figures will be accordingly measured to, corresponding to the height and the width, is 20 cm by 20 cm. The reason for these proportions is due to the fact that we want our action figures to be as interactive as possible, and the larger the action figure is, the most features and accessories we can implement.

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Paramedic Turnaround (Final Prototype) | FRONT

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Paramedic Turnaround (Final Prototype) | FRONT

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Paramedic Turnaround (Final Prototype) | SIDE

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Paramedic Turnaround (Final Prototype) | SIDE

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Policeman Turnaround (Final Prototype) | SIDE 

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Policeman Turnaround (Final Prototype) | SIDE 

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Fireman Turnaround (Final Prototype) | SIDE 

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Fireman Turnaround (Final Prototype) | SIDE 

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The colour swatches of our action figure's final designs consisted of experimentation and the development of new ideas. By mixing and changing the colours of our action figure's turnarounds, my partner and I were given a deeper understanding as to how colour can so effectively impact and manipulate the expression and character of the action figures. The following images below show the different colour swatches for each action figure.

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Originally it was intended that the action figures will resemble a very happy and enlightened expression, as shown in the throwaways and turnarounds above. But after through communication with my partner and helpful influence from our course instructor, Mr. Cheung, we agreed that the action figures will express very intimidating, fierce and aggressive emotions. These expressions and emotions re-establish the ideology of vinyl figures and the meaning of being a 'Man of Action. These expressions are evident in the figure's physicality, specifically associated with the intimidating expression. In association with the aggressive and fierce expressions, these are resembled in the figure's facial features.

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The physical attributes of our action figure(s) are very much associated with vinyl physicality. A vinyl figure is a form of designer toy which is visually accentuated as an action figure. It is additionally defined by the process and method in which it was produced and manufactured. Vinyl action figures inculcate elements of originality and uniqueness, are of limited productions and are often considered as collectables.

With consideration to the vinyl physicality of our action figures, we found that exaggeration of the physique is crucial to demonstrating the concept of a vinyl toy. This is evident in our design and creation process.

Creating the Legs
The legs of our action figure(s) are designed to be particularly exaggerated as 'wide', 'short' and 'clumpy' legs. This not only defined the idea behind vinyl figures, but re-enforced the idea of strength, bravery and toughness; the theme "Man of Action'.
Creating the Head
Our action figure('s) heads have been manipulated according to its body shape and size. An example, being the fireman, it is shown that his head has been exaggerated with a very ovate formation, emphasising on the figure's intimidating facial elements and features.
Creating the Body
The body is undoubtedly one of the most ideal emphasisations of expression which the action figure portrays to its audience, re-enforcing the idea of body exaggeration. With another reference to the fireman, the design and creation of a very large body elaborates on the significance of intimidation, strength, bravery and the idea of being a 'man of action'.

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The target audience in which our action figures aim to attract, engage and promote towards, is children. Our action figures are specifically targeted towards the 5-12 age group, as they are highly affiliated with children's sense of enjoyment, they are great collector's items (vinyl) and are good in educating the young minds about what role a policeman, fireman and paramedics play in protecting our society. Additionally, the ideology of a policeman, fireman and paramedic for each of our action figures are affiliated with the theme of being a 'Man of Action', further indulging the 5-12 age group with a very active engagement.

Sense of Enjoyment
One of the very predominant reasons as to why we associated our action figures with a very young audience (5-12 years old) is because they will feel more of a sense of enjoyment interacting with the various accessories and features of the figures, than older age groups. The earlier ages of our target audience will be much more focused and engaged in what the action figure can 'do', which is where the role of the accessories and features, as well as the packaging, is really important.

Source of Education
Resembling a policeman, fireman and paramedic; these action figures will assist in educating the younger ages of our audience as to how these men of action help protect our society and what their role is in keeping everyone safe. The implementation of an 'About Me' article on the packaging helps inform these children about the role each figure plays, as well as their physical features and accessories.

Collector's Items
Although the older ages of our target audience is still associated with the sense of enjoyment which the action figures offer, the figures are further considered to be collector's items, for each one will be sold separately and hold a unique sense of identity (the reason for the use of identification cards).

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The following video below, briefly documents the progression made throughout one lesson, as we continued through the moulding process of our action figures.

These moulds are specifically created for the mass production of action figures and their finished parts. A minority of action figures are simply molded from a singular piece of clay and contain a wire skeleton for reference, creating limited movement and mobility. For figures with greater movement articulation, each moveable part is molded as a separate component. My partner and I have chosen to mould the hands of our action figures separately, in order for it to emphasise expression and have greater mobility articulation.

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Action Figure Moulding Progress | CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE

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Action Figure Moulding Progress | CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE

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Action Figure Moulding Progress | CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE

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Window Box Packaging
Window box packages consist of a sturdy, but somewhat thin cardboard box that allows for easy stacking. The box has colorful artwork to draw one’s attention. The front of the box will have an area of the cardboard that is cut out and a thin piece of soft plastic then fills the cutout area. This ensures easy visibility of the action figure inside of the box.