"If I own Master molds how do you get them produced?" Topic

I was thinking of purchasing some Master molds from a company that recently went under. Do most people manufacturer their own molds? And cost associated? Or can you have someone else make them? Never done this before….

Check exactly what rights it is you are buying. Do you have access to the masters to be able to make new mold when these wear out?

He says he is thinking of buying the masters and I think he is asking about how to get production molds made.

Yes, but a master mold also will eventually wear out. I believe Geoff is asking if the deal includes the original master figures as well.

Allen

Correct, I guess this is a two fold question.

If I purchase these what questions do I ask?

How do I get them produced?

Hi Ashokmarine,
you say are are thinking of buying these master moulds, I assume you are also buying the full production rights to these figures, this means you can produce, sell and modify these figures. You need to clarify this before you part with any cash.

If you cannot cast or produce a production mould for these figures then you need to send them on to someone else to do this for you there are several companies who can do this for you for a fee, Griffin Moulds and Pete Brown spring to mind in the UK but there are others, in the US I'm sure someone else can point you in the right direction. the moulds made by these companies can be either sent to you to be produced by you or someone else, or can usually be left with the company that makes them for you and they will cast up your figures for you, however all the moulds belong to you! and if you part compnany with the caster the moulds should come with you.

Hope this clarifies some points for you, anymore questions feel free to ask.

Best of luck Roger.

Just to clarify…

Once a sculpt is done it gets made into a mold. This is often called the master mold. From this enough figures are run to make a production mold. The production mold is used to crank out inventory until the mold wears out. Then you spin more figs from the master mold and repeat. Eventually the master mold wears out and you need to have the original figures to make a new master mold.

So you need to get a complete breakdown of what you are buying – master figures, master molds, production molds and any existing inventory.

As for getting more made, mold makers and casters are easy enough to track down once you need them.

Where are you based – UK, US or somewhere else?

I am in the US. Thanks for all the info. While I am not looking to make a profit it would be nice to break even..is this possible. Or is this hobby just a money pit!

It depends…..

You might also inquire as to the condition of the molds/masters as well, e.g. how much life they may have left in them. Obviously, that will be subjective, but you should ask anyway. Getting a first-hand look at them would be even better.

I've got a very reasonable caster/mold maker here in the US. Depending on how you want to market the figs sets your selling price and also how much you make when they sell.

I'd be glad to give you more info if you need it. feel free to shoot me off an e-mail. hintzjim at hotmail

Money pit. Often with critical customers :-)

Ashokmarine;

some have already told you some of the questions that you need to ask when purchasing the molds.

If you purchase the molds and are looking for someone to make production molds and do casting, try contacting Old Glory. We offer some good rates.

Joel

As in any contract, make sure you know exactly what it is you are getting, and what you are allowed to do with it

Ask why the company selling the master molds doesn't have production molds. Several possible answers:
1) They never made them (which means if they sold product the master molds are all that exist. If some of the original spins from the master mold have not been set aside, then mold condition would be something to investigate. You would want excellent castings from these master molds to make proper production molds.
2) They never went further with the product (no sales ever made.)
3) There is an issue with ownership rights of the molds and masters.

Having went thru all of the above and more…(and it's been pretty well covered here!)…I'd say it's usually going to be a 'money pit!'/expensive hobby! (but still very fun sometimes).

Get everything in WRITING and spelled out in detail before you spend a dime on it…and remember, a LEGAL agreement/document is only as good as any attorney you can afford to pursue it IF the other party 'defaults'..(been there, had that happen too!)

Finally, everything is going to take LONGER than you expected, cost more than you had budgeted for and be more involved than you thought it could be! (sorta like the 'elephant is a mouse built to gruberment specs with cost over-runs and taking 3x as long)

Sgt DWW

And when you do it right, no one remembers, but when it goes slightly wrong, everyone will make sure you never forget… or is that my other job?