LAST UPDATED: June 10, 2009
Some Important New Info About Corndog Collectibles!
Now that I have a full time job, Corndog Collectibles is a part-time venture for me, and all proceeds that my family now collects from any of the stuff I sell goes toward out-of-pocket expenses to care for our youngest son, Bennett, recently stricken with a devastating form of childhood epilepsy called Infantile Spasms. You can read more about Bennett and our journey through this difficult time at http://blogzilly.blogspot.com/.
I still take the store and my service to you VERY seriously despite the fact that I now do it part-time in the evening hours, and I and my entire family deeply appreciate any of your business and support! Should you have any needs or questions, never hesitate to get in touch with me!
Prototype Definitions
A Pre-Production Prototype is a special preview sample that the factory sends to the product development department of a company for review to make any necessary changes in order to finally create the finished product. The term Pre-Production Prototype is the general term used to cover many different items, with each stage using various toy industry terms to better define the items unique place in the overall production process.
Below are specific descriptions of some various stages of different pre-production and production prototypes. Scroll down to the one that applies to the item in the auction that you are interested in. Please note that all toy companies define their stages differently, and this is a generalization.
Original Sculpture (Pre-Molding) Prototype
Description under construction.
Sculpt or 'Tooling' Pattern/2-Up Prototype
Description under construction.
Paint Master/Painted 2-Up Prototype
Description under construction.
105% Gypsum 'Tooling' Model Prototype
Description under construction.
First Shot Pre-Production Prototype
The name First Shot prototype refers to the fact that this item is the first sample sent by the factory to a manufacturing company for review. First shots can be either fully painted or unpainted, depending on the circumstances. Often painted tests are created using first shot parts figures simply because the extra parts might be on hand or there may be a schedule issue and paint reviews are needed before later shots are available. Often first shots are also 'dusted' with a solid color to determine how paint will lay on a particular part.
Many collectors of factory and manufacturing prototypes consider this stage of production to be the most unique, particularly because of some of the odd colors the plastics are injected in, the large amount of problems remaining to be fixed in the molds and the very odd interpretations of the painting on the parts if there is any. Consider a first shot to be a rough draft or first concept of a product. That's the best analogy to explain it.
Second Shot Pre-Production Prototype
The name Second Shot prototype refers to the fact that this item is the second sample (usually revised after first shot review) sent by the factory to a manufacturing company for analysis.
Second shots can be either fully painted or unpainted, depending on the circumstances, but they are most often going to be found painted. Typically second shots need less de-bugging (or revisions to the steel molds that produce the figures) than first shots do, and unpainted or single color dusted (a sample painted in a single color after it is assembled) second shots are generally the rarest from the pre-production process. This is because often a factory will do their first fully painted samples using first shot parts (since they already have those first shot samples on hand), and then show revised paints on second shot parts and figures. It all depends on the factory's preferred working method, but because of this the need for unpainted second shots is VERY unusual.
One problem with defining this stage of prototype is that in many cases a second shot has its own multiple stages, so you might have various second shots that are at different levels of development (second, third, fourth, etc.) so for ease of cataloguing they are all lumped into the second shot category. The best analogy is that a second shot is the middle act of a trilogy and there are many chapters to that act as the second shot moves through the various reviews and revisions, ultimately resulting in a final engineering prototype.
FEP (Final Engineering Prototype) Pre-Production Prototype
A Final Engineering Prototype or FEP refers to the fact that this item is from one of the last stages or pre-production, sent from the factory overseas to a manufacturing company for review.
FEP's show most of the debugging and reworking that has occurred to a product during the process. These later stage prototypes usually have the legal lines and textures etched in and most if not all of the joint work fixed. Some problems can remain in these stages, which is why the FEP stage can be the most critical before giving the go ahead to proceed to mass production.
The characteristics of Final Engineering Prototypes can vary greatly depending on the type of sample you are looking at even though all might be classified in this category. On one end you can have an FEP that is totally unpainted and very much in need of additional revision. On the other end you can find some FEP?s that are difficult to distinguish from the actual product samples unless you have experience and know exactly what you are looking for. Some can be found in mock-up or test packaging, and some are simply loose.
Unpainted or single color painted FEP's tend to be more rare than painted versions, since the factory generally sends painted versions of these samples in order for the manufacturer to give BOTH final FEP reviews and final paint reviews at the same time. But like every other pre-production stage, every factory and manufacturer handles it differently.
Un-Released or 'One Off' Prototype
Referred to as an Un-Produced or Un-Released Prototype and sometimes a One-Off, these are some of the most rare samples ever created and are usually highly sought after by collectors. The term One-Off can be slightly misleading since in many cases there are a few more than one produced?there may be 3, 4 or slightly more. There are various stages of One-Off's, from an unpainted sculpture (a true one of a kind, non-molded or cast item), to a painted master or even an actual pre-production first or second shot and FEP stage sample. These latter samples ONLY exist in a situation where the steel tools were created in China to make the product but when it came time to start production the item was canceled for whatever reason.
This category is a secondary explanation of what an item is. Obviously as it moved through stages it had its own First, Second and FEP shots, so you will generally find this definition accompanying another. For example, you might see a First Shot Muppet Animal Un-Released San Diego Comic-Con Edition, which indicates that the product was canceled before raw production, but that this item was from the First Shot stage of development.
Polystone Master Mold Pre-Production Sample
The term Master Mold Pre-Production Sample (PPS) refers to the fact that this item is the first stage sample in the creation of a polystone statue or bust, sent from the factory in China to the manufacturer for review. It is the item that will create the Master Mold, the silicone molds that will then be used to create the actual production castings in polystone for the mass production process.
In polystone casting production it basically goes like this. Manufacturer sends a Sculpt Pattern; factory makes any adjustments needed and produces a Master Mold PPS. After approval of that sample they make the molds and then produce a series of items ranging from a First Polystone Pre-Production samples (some unpainted, but most are painted) and ultimately the QC Sign-Off Sample.
The Master Mold PPS is produced specifically for the manufacturer to review and it is the first of such items that is sent from the factory to determine how well the factory has matched the original sculpt pattern sent over to make the product. In many cases there are the most revisions to the sculpture requested at this stage.
These samples can be found in painted and unpainted forms, but most likely you will see them as painted. That is simply because to save time in the process it is more efficient to review the sculpt details and the hand painting at the same time. Unpainted Master Mold PPS are VERY rare, and would be the polystone equivalent in rarity as a raw plastic first shot. Also, they are constructed of a mixture of material, more like gypsum than pure polystone, similar to the material used to create 105% Tooling Models for plastic items.
These pieces are usually between 1-3% larger than the product will be, as it has been cast from the original sculpt pattern, and this casting is then used to create the master molds, resulting in additional 1-3% shrinkage between this stage and the final product. The size differential is almost imperceptible however.
Polystone First PPS (Pre-Production Prototype) Sample
The term Polystone First PPS Sample refers to the fact that this item is the first painted sample sent by the factory to a manufacturing company for review that uses the ACTUAL APPROVED PRODUCTION MOLDS, not the MASTER MOLD, which is where the Master PPS comes from.
Polystone First PPS Samples can be either fully painted or unpainted, depending on the circumstances. But an unpainted version of a First PPS is VERY unusual, and most often is not created, since the timing is critical at this stage and the factory sends the painted version because it is much more efficient to review paint and production casting quality at this time. The norm at this stage is a fully painted version, not just a raw casting.
The best way to identify this type of PPS (pre-production sample) from earlier or later stages in polystone production is to note that these versions generally DO NOT have the legal text and logo printed on the bottom of the bust or statue.
These samples are essential for the review process, because often they are the first items that the manufacturer and the licensor receive and review. That is why you will also find this level of sample on a polystone product to have some paint variations from time to time when compared to final product.
Polystone FEP/QC Sign-Off Sample Prototype
The name FEP/QC Sign-Off Prototype refers to the fact that this item is used as the final, debugged and approved model against which the final production samples (the ones you find in the store that you buy) that are produced en masse are judged.
A Master QC Sample (QC = Quality Control) typically reflects any and all of the various revisions the product development managers and the licensors have asked for during the pre-production process and it usually is devoid of any of the problems or issues you find in earlier samples. One way to distinguish this type of PPS (pre-production sample) from earlier stages in polystone production is to note that these QC versions generally have the legal text and logo printed on the bottom of the bust or statue, without any production quantity numbers written in.
These samples are essential for archival and promotional photography, licensor approval and they are critical when the time comes to compare the finished product samples received to what was initially approved. This type of sample is kept on hand and used to study randomly picked mass-produced samples (in what is informally called a QC Check) to ensure that the factory is doing all they are supposed to do to maintain the level of integrity that was paid for.
Consider a Master QC Sample to be the final rehearsal before an event. That's the best analogy to explain it.
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