How do you put your soul into the S.H.Figuarts MARVEL series "Digital coloring of the soul" !?

S.H.Figuarts MARVEL A major feature of the series is Tamashii Digital Coloring Technology.
Isn't it a technology that makes a face realistic? As some of you may know, this time we will introduce a little more in-depth content in an interview with the person in charge of planning!

－－What is “Tamashii Digital Coloring Technology” in the first place?

Oreska Julian (hereinafter Oreska): This is the coloring technology used in the "Cinema" series from S.H.Figuarts. It’s a technology that allows for the realistic reproduction of a live-action character’s facial expressions on a small head part measuring approximately 1.5 cm.

－－It sounds amazing, but could you tell me more specifically?

OreskaThe coloring method used in the factory can be easily understood as "inkjet printing."
Ink is sprayed over the three-dimensional parts to print the coloring of facial expressions. Unlike anime characters whose eyes and mouth parts are clearly defined, three-dimensionalization of live-action characters requires micro-level coloring such as skin texture, fine shadows, and in some cases beards. That's why I color it by spraying the print data created digitally and precisely with a printer.

Photo by Kenichiro Shigematsu

-- So that's it. But recently, it seems that various manufacturers are adopting digital printing ...? What on earth is the digital coloring of the "soul"?

Oreska: In addition to the quality control by the TAMASHII NATIONS staff, who produce nearly 300 products a year, the process of creating the prototype and printing data that forms the basis of the product is infused with their expertise and passion.

The impression of a real person will be completely different depending on the facial expression, lighting, angle, shooting time, etc. The "character-likeness" in the customer's brain is created by gathering various scenes, so it is a difficult task to find that "character-likeness".

－－It's difficult because there is a lot of information. What about a new work?

OreskaProducts released during the theatrical run of a movie or drama are even more challenging because we create them without having seen the actual footage ourselves.
Therefore, lines such as "FINAL BATTLE EDITION" that are produced after the movie is released can pursue "reproduction of impressive scenes" because they can produce products after carefully studying the scenes from the movie. S.H.Figuarts Iron Man Mark 85 -《I AM IRON MAN》 EDITION- (Avengers: Endgame)" is a good example.

OreskaWe received requests from customers who wanted a figure of that scene from "Avengers: Endgame," and it was also a very memorable scene for me, so we focused on creating an expression and product specifications that faithfully recreate the "I AM IRON MAN" scene.

－－It means that the soul of the production team is included from the stage of prototype production.
Is it okay to listen to a little more production-oriented story this time while being worried about that?
You mentioned earlier that it's different from anime characters, but what's the difference between tampo and print?

OreskaPad printing, or tampo printing, is a technique primarily used for anime figures and markings, where distinct outlines are required. For 2D details like eyes, the colors are separated into layers, and each layer is applied to the same area, such as the eye. In contrast, digital coloring includes gradients in the face data, allowing for the expression of the entire face's color, shading, and iris in a single process. To achieve this, digital coloring data is created on a flat computer screen, taking into account the contours of facial features like the nose and eyes. However, special adjustments and trial and error are necessary to ensure that the image does not appear distorted when applied to a figure.

Photo by Hot Kenobi

--Speaking of "inkjet printing", home printers are also inkjet printers, but in principle, is it the same as that?

OreskaIt looks similar to a home printer, but instead of paper, it takes three-dimensional objects, so it's a machine designed to accommodate larger objects of various sizes passing under the print head.

－－It seems that there are places where ink does not reach from directly above, but what about that?

OreskaDepending on the situation, we may divide the printing into several passes or adjust the angle. For example, with characters that have beards, the beard often extends to both sides and under the chin, which requires some ingenuity. However, to make it look like a natural, continuous line, ingenuity is needed here as well, and that's where the experience and know-how of our factory staff come into play.

Photo by Kenichiro Shigematsu

--- You mentioned earlier that you "make it before watching the video", but are you making it while looking at the setting materials?

OreskaYes, we receive photos and illustrations of the characters from the copyright holder, and then we work with the prototype production company to create the figure's sculpt and digital coloring design based on those. We then go through multiple rounds of feedback with the production company while checking the actual product at the factory to create the final product data.

－－Does the difficulty level of three-dimensionalization with Tamashii Digital Coloring Technology differ depending on the facial features of the original character?

OreskaCharacters with prominent noses often require careful attention to the angle. Similarly, as explained in the previous question, the "beard" becomes much more difficult to control as the number of prints increases.

Photo by Yosuke Arai

－－By the way, is the difficulty level different for men and women? If you're a woman, you might be doing make-up.

OreskaAs you mentioned, female characters have makeup, but with figures, if the face is about 1.5cm in size, then for example, the eyeshadow on the eyelids would be about 1-2mm in size, so it's quite difficult to add gradients or makeup-like coloring to that area. Also, in order to get closer to the impression from the video, we make efforts to create the data by processing the density of the print data and narrowing down the points of the gradients.

--S.H.Figuarts is only about 1/12th the size of the face than the actual person, right? I've heard that with special effects figures, they organize the elements and devise ways to make them look "small but similar," but is the Cinema series also devised to be an exaggeration or stylized?

OreskaFor live-action film series and other productions, PVC, a soft plastic, is often used for head parts to reproduce fine details such as hair, nostrils, and inside the ears. However, soft materials can shrink during the production process. Therefore, we take this into consideration when creating the prototype data.
I feel that it is one of the very important factors that determine the quality of figures, so I am working hard every day with the factories and prototype production companies so that I can always achieve the best results.

Photo by Yosuke Arai

--Thank you for letting us know the details of the trade secret thread.
So much soul is put into this tiny 1.5cm head part. I will appreciate S.H.Figuarts differently the next time I see it. S.H.Figuarts MARVEL I think the series has a "presence" and "realism" as a character, which has expanded the culture of taking pictures and enjoying recreating scenes from movies or creating your own original scenes. Thank you very much for your time today!

S.H.Figuarts MARVEL Planning: Oleska Julian
A MARVEL fanatic who has appeared as a MARVEL blocker in "Wall of 99".
The commitment to experience the emotional scenes in the play such as the "FINAL BATTLE EDITION" series with SHFiguarts is amazing.

interviewer
S.H.Figuarts MARVEL Series enthusiasts.

*The images shown include prototypes that are under development. The actual products may differ slightly.
*The information in the article is current as of the time of publication. The information is subject to change without notice.
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