Collaboration on Production and Sale of Limited Edition Anime Figure Parts at “Smile Fest 2025 Tokyo”

09/01/2025　Corporate Activities, Events & Tradeshows, Digital Printing

We participated in the “Smile Fest 2025 Tokyo” event hosted by Good Smile Company, Inc., a major anime figure manufacturer, held in Akihabara, Tokyo on June 14 to 15. A VersaSTUDIO BD-8 flatbed UV printer was installed at the venue, and a demonstration was held to decorate figure parts.

On the spot production and sale of venue-limited figure parts

The “Smile Fest” is an event where over 1,000 of the latest anime figures are exhibited and limited-edition products are sold. To introduce the figure decoration process, we installed a BD-8 at a special booth at the venue and printed the Smile Fest 2025 logo on the hoodie of the “Nendoroid” figure series on the spot. It was sold to fans as venue-limited goods.

“Nendoroid” is a figure series with a height of about 10 cm developed by Good Smile Company, Inc. Anime, game characters, and the likenesses of real people, etc., are formed as 2.5 cm heads with numerous variations. The figures feature the ability to replace parts of the face and limbs, and the hoodie can also be enjoyed by replacing it with a commercially available “Nendoroid” series figure.

On the first day, there was a long line surrounding the venue building from early morning. Many fans visited the hoodie sale, and the stock prepared in advance was sold out in less than an hour. After that, the hoodies continued to be produced and were so popular that most sold out immediately.

At the booth next door, a demonstration was held to decorate the shoulders of the hoodie with a small emoji “smile mark” using a Tampo printing machine that transfers the design with a soft silicone pad, and participants enjoyed the process of finishing the limited edition hoodie right in front of them.

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  Booth where we cooperated and installed a BD-8

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  Nendoroid hoodie with logo printed on it

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  A long line formed in front of the venue

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  A bustling booth

Conveying the possibilities of UV Printing

The event organizer, Good Smile Company, Inc. has been using our UV printers for a long time in the production of “painting samples” that serve as a model for mass production of figures. In such a very important process, the image quality and functionality are highly evaluated, and we were able to cooperate at the event based on the excellent results.

The compact BD-8 was easy to install at the venue. Taking advantage of the fact that it can print on objects with height differences, we printed directly on the undulating shaped “Nendoroid” hoodies and sold parts to fans.

The booth featured panels introducing the mechanism of UV printing and application samples created with UV printers. While holding the parts in their hands, fans experienced how UV printers are used to decorate various goods such as figures. In addition, samples produced with the powder 3D printer released this year were also exhibited, and figure fans and creators who are highly interested in sculptures also attended the exhibit.

We received many happy responses, including: “A 3D printer that can make ceramics is rare, and I am looking forward to expanding its uses.” “The heavy weight is attractive.” “The simple texture of unglazed is also interesting.”

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  Plain parts are fixed with special jigs

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  Printing on hoodies

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  Logo printing completed

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  Fans watching the printing

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  Application samples created with UV printers

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  Eye-catching powder 3D printer production samples

A great event that generated excitement

The event was a great success with many people visiting over two days. At our booth, fans observed the actual printing up close. Comments from those who participated included, “I learned for the first time that it could print full color on resin,” and “I was surprised to learn that it is used for figure making.”

In addition, we also heard from vendors who already have our printers, “I was surprised by the image quality that was comparable to that of higher-end models despite its small size,” and “It is revolutionary to be able to print on objects with different heights.” They were surprised by the BD-8's compact size, image quality and high functionality.

The person in charge of Good Smile Company, Inc., which hosted the event, said, “Many people came to the venue this year and were able to enjoy the printing demonstration on the Nendoroid hoodies. Their smiles and warm cheers were a great encouragement to all the staff.” Looking back on the event, he expressed gratitude.

A Roland DG staff member said, “The BD-8 is attracting a lot of attention for prototyping and small-lot production applications such as figures, and I feel that this event has helped create recognition for it as a new tool for figure production.”

He also commented on the future prospects, “Most of the BD-8's customers are new customers, and we will continue to support the businesses of new and existing customers.”

In this event cooperation, we were able to let many fans know about the expansion of the application areas of UV printers and other printers. By allowing fans to hold the products and to observe behind-the-scenes production, it was an event that allowed us to deliver the excitement generated by our printers.