Vinyl Toy Moldmaking?

I went to my friend Isaac's dorm yesterday to learn how to make designer toys/vinyl figures similar to what KidRobot and Super7(a handful among MANY companies out there) produce. Look them up, they're awesome. Here's a link. If you google 'Vinyl Toy' you'll see what I'm talking about as well.

Isaac is a fellow animation student, and is way good(and supa fast) at 3D modeling. He's trying to apply for graduation already! :O also he interned for G4 back in the day(he's around my age and already had his A.A. degree in his teens. RIDICULOUS.)

For those of you not familiar with what vinyl toys are: They're basically plastic limited edition(some more so than others) figures that are hand-painted(either individually or reproduced from an original painted by the artist) and sold as collectibles. They can come in various colors, clear, or glow-in-the-dark. Some are easily purchasable, some are more sought after. They are not produced in huge quantities like what you would find at a toy store, and are of much higher quality. They are works of art that are more affordable to the common person(unless you buy something that's only been produced 50 times; then it could be upwards of $500 but that's an exception to the rule.) I don't about you, but I can't afford an oil painting. Maybe I could do one, but I don't know how to use oil-based paints so never mind, lulz.

Main collectors of these figurines are adults, because they are meant for show.

He's been working on producing a replica of those tags from Digimon(don't be judgin' it's cool.) Here's his set-up:

His bed is the bottom half of a bunk bed turned upside-down with a piece of wood covering the top to make a workstation. He sleeps underneath it like a fort(or a coffin, which some people have commented) because it's uncomfortable to be that close to your roommate. Also, it makes for a much more economical workspace, lol.

These are some pics(sorry for the blur) of the clay prototype I sculpted yesterday:
Right now it looks about as glamorous as a dropped pie, but work with me it's still in the beginning stages. Oh and this clay is awesome because it never dries. Also even more awesome because Isaac took it from the school, lol:



I didn't realize how difficult it would be trying to sculpt on a small scale(esp. cleaning it up x_x) to give you an idea of how big it is - if I were to sell it to someone it would have a handwritten warning label stating that it was a choking hazard for children 4 and under.

It was gonna be Earl Jay at first, but then I decided to go with a figure similar to Isaac's chibi figures:


Then it turned into an astronaut. Now I'm not too sure o_O...but it's ok, since it'll be blank it could really be painted into anything.

Right now it's among these choices:

1. a funky astronaut thing
2. Ironman
3. Mech Spiderman


This is the rubber mold that takes 8 hours to settle. After that(which is going to be later today when I go back to Isaac's dorm) we're going to take it apart and fill it with a substance that takes 60 seconds to harden from an opaque liquid to white plastic. From there, I think he said we could sand down the plastic(?) model to clean it up more and make the 'final' mold(smooth surface) for use with the final product. Going to pay him in 2L Pepsi bottles.


*SURPRISE UDPATE LATER TONIGHT OR MAYBE TOMORROW*