Gang-molding

2019-07-10T08:29:14Z

Ismmould:

[[Image:G2GoBots-gangmolding.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Three sets of the same gang-molded toys. The smoky-clear parts in the bottom row are all lavender in the middle row, and all black in the top row. See the pattern of consistent plastic-color changes from row to row across all the toys in each set? This is gang-molding in action. Take note that the rightmost column uses paint applications to drastically change the car panel colors, but the plastic below still conforms to the pattern. (Not shown: The eighty-six other versions of these molds.)]]

'''Gang-molding''' is the practice of using the same plastic mold to simultaneously manufacture different parts for different toys.

Multiple large [[Toy|''Transformers'' toys]] are not typically gang-molded; the procedure is normally used either for a single large toy and a smaller one that is associated with it, such as a [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster and its head component]] or a [[Bulk]] and its partner Mini-Con, or for several smaller toys, such as a [[Mini-Con]] team. Sometimes gang-molded toys are sold together, as in these cases, but there have been instances of toys that were sold separately having parts from the same molds, such as the [[Axelerator]]s [[Skram (G2)|Skram]] and [[Windbreaker]], or either set of [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]] molds.

In most cases, producing one of several toys that are gang-molded together will automatically result in some or all of the parts for the other toys being produced as well. This is why all the toys in certain types of groups tend to get [[redeco]]ed at about the same time — making a toy from ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Firebot (Armada)|Firebot]]'s mold, such as [[Anti-Blaze]], will also create similarly colored versions of [[Makeshift (Armada)|Makeshift]] and [[Prowl (Armada)|Prowl]] (in Anti-Blaze's case, [[Scythe (Cybertron)|Scythe]] and [[Checkpoint (Cybertron)|Checkpoint]] respectively).

Not all toys that are packaged together are gang-molded. The three members of the [[Clear Skies Team|Clear Skies Mini-Con Team]], for example, are molded independently of each other.

In some rare instances, when Hasbro and Takara plan a [[retool]] of a toy even before starting production of the original version, they may also cast the original parts and the new parts from the same mold. The unused parts will then be dumped or recycled. One of the best known examples of this procedure is ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Scrapmetal (race)|Scrapmetal]], whose head was produced on the same sprue as the [[Cobybot|Coby Sen'yō Rumble]] head, even though the latter was originally only used by Takara.

==Notable examples of gang-molding==
[[File:CYB giantplanetminicons.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Many parts on the [[Giant Planet Mini-Con Team]] are gang-molded; note how they all have pieces at least a few pieces cast in a shade of purple plastic that's shared between all of them.]]
*The ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and their [[Nebulan]] partners
*The ''Generation 1'' Double [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]s' Nebulan partners/guns (gang-molded in groups of three, one from each toy per faction)
*The ''Generation 1'' [[Pretender Beast]]s' inner robots (gang-molded in pairs, per faction)
*The ''Generation 1'' Small [[Pretender]] figures' inner robots (gang-molded in groups of three, per faction)
*The ''Generation 1'' [[Pretender Monster|Pretender Monsters']] inner robots (gang-molded across the whole group of six)
*The ''Generation 1'' [[Micromaster]] patrols (gang-molded in pairs, two sets per patrol of four)
*Each of the ''Generation 1'' [[Micromaster Transport]]s (Micromaster figures and their respective trailers)
*The ''Generation 1'' [[Micromaster Combiner]] Squads (gang-molded in groups of six, the whole squad)
*All the ''Generation 1'' [[Action Master]] figures with the exception of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] (gang-molded in pairs, including those that came with vehicles) and the single pack Action Masters' weapons and accessories/partners (gang-molded in groups of six, including the six European market exclusives)
*''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Rotor Force]] (gang-molded in pairs)
*The original six ''Generation 2'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]] (gang-molded across the whole group of six)
*The originally unreleased second batch of ''Generation 2'' Go-Bots (gang-molded across the whole group of six. Some of these [[mold]]s were damaged, meaning that two of the toys were unusable when the other four were eventually released in ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'')
*The ''Generation 2'' [[Axelerator]]s and [[Skyscorcher]]s (gang-molded in pairs)
*The ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'', ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'', and ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Mini-Con]] teams (gang-molded in groups of three, the whole team)
*The ''Armada'' [[bulk]]s and their respective Mini-Con partners
*The ''[[Power Core Combiners]]'' [[Commander (PCC)|Commander]]s and their Mini-Con partners
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==Notes==
*The whole gang-molded nature of the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]] makes it entirely possible that the [[BotCon 1995]] [[exclusive]] [[Nightracer (G2)|Nightracer]] figure originated from the same production run as the Japanese versions of Go-Bot [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#GobotOptimusPrime|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)/toys#Go-Bot|Megatron]] and [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Generation 2|Soundwave]]. This would explain why Nightracer sports parts in a lime-ish yellow plastic rather than the blue color her creator [[Raksha]] had requested<ref name="bc1995">[http://web.archive.org/web/20070611081535/http://www.electric-escape.net/tf/conventions/BotCon-95/Raksha Archived version of Raksha's BotCon 1995 notes]</ref>: The "godawful yellow" is also the color of Soundwave's car shell.
*Likewise, the gang-molding process was also the cause for the clear-parts and solid-parts [[variant]]s of ''Generation 2'' Go-Bots [[Gearhead]] and [[Motormouth]]: The clear plastic parts corresponded with the clear car shells of their wave-mates [[Firecracker]] and [[Blowout]], whereas the solid plastic parts corresponded with the car shells of Go-Bot Optimus Prime and Megatron (redecos of Firecracker and Blowout, respectively).

==See also==
* [[Redeco]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Toys]]

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Gang-molding