Introducing the Official Roger Sharpe Collectible Action Figure
Image Gallery
Today, I’m excited to introduce Kineticist’s very first totally original collectible product, developed by myself and a talented team of creatives over the last 18 months.
The Roger Sharpe action figure is fully licensed and produced in partnership with Roger Sharpe, who provided feedback and approvals on the figure, from the initial prototype to the final version.
It’s meant as a fun way to honor and celebrate “the Man Who Saved Pinball” for all of his many contributions to the pinball community.
The figure is handcrafted using original designs by artist Dano Brown (Danobanano Toys), with Roger’s bio written by Joe Ciaravino (Pinball Degenerates).
This figure is modeled after the famous image of Roger Sharpe demonstrating to the New York City Council that pinball is a game of skill, helping overturn long-standing bans and paving the way for the pinball community we have today.
The first edition is limited to the first 100 figures sold, which are individually numbered and hand-signed by Roger Sharpe and artist Dano Brown.
This collectible makes an excellent gift for the pinball fan or arcade aficionado in your life or (we won’t tell!) as a treat to yourself.
Buy The Roger Sharpe Action Figure Today
The Production Process
The Roger Sharpe action figure started as a one-off idea, where we worked directly with artist Dano Brown to produce what would eventually become the prototype figure.
Brown took our ideas and concepts and turned them into the figure you see in today's version, with one or two small adjustments.
Shortly after finishing work on the initial figure, we were introduced to Roger Sharpe, where we first discussed the possibility of bringing these figures to the larger pinball community.
Before we could do that, however, I had to find a production partner who could take Dano's foundational work and produce it at scale and more cost-effectively, from the several hundred dollars the original prototype cost.
For those unfamiliar with Dano's work, he produces a type of action figure known as a bootleg figure, using a process called kitbashing, where he takes pieces from other figures and combines them to make something new. This makes it challenging to produce at the kinds of volumes we’d need for this project.
Luckily, we were able to find a well-regarded producer in the space (DKE Toys) who could help us move forward.
We took Dano's original design and used it to create a mold that could be used to produce the action figure in larger volumes, more economically.
Once the figures were produced, each was hand-painted and finished to create what you see here. We even figured out the best way to produce Roger's signature glasses, which went through several iterations and involved hand-shaping small gauge wire until we were satisfied with the final look.
Then, we took the original package design and re-created it for printing. This included adding new art for the back of the package and asking Joe Ciaravino for help writing Roger's bio.
Once those were designed and printed, we sent the card backs off to Roger and Dano for signatures before undergoing final assembly.
From start to finish, this process has taken about 18 months. In many ways, it felt like what pinball manufacturers must go through when bringing a licensed pinball machine to market, which was educational, to say the least!
As of publishing, we have 50 of the first 100 figures in-house and ready to ship, with an additional 50 in the final stages of production. We can produce more figures beyond the original 100 if there’s demand, but they won’t be numbered and may include additional tweaks from the first edition.
We couldn't be happier with the result and are incredibly proud and excited to share these with you now!
Purchase The Roger Sharpe Collectible Action Figure in our shop!