Create Your Own Custom Skylander in Real Life Through the Skylanders Creator App

An example of what the created Skylander figurine will look like.

Last week, I presented Skylanders Imaginators as the ultimate Skylanders fantasy, but I had to keep my mouth shut about the biggest reason why. Until now. Skylanders Imaginators will give fans the ability to 3D-print their own custom-made Skylander as a real-life figurine!

When Toys for Bob showed this feature off at its Novato studio, I immediately imagined all of the money they were about to make. The developer will allow you to create cards, T-shirts, and a special figurine that actually works as a Skylander that's recognized by your Portal of Power. What more do you want?!

The process begins with Skylanders Creator, a free mobile app for Android and iOS that has the exact same create-a-Skylander program from Imaginators. That way, you don't necessarily need to purchase Imaginators to create the Skylander you've always wanted.

Even so, you can easily transmit your crafted Skylander from Imaginators to the Skylanders Creator app, through the ingenious use of sound technology. Why sound? Because that actually makes things easier to port. All you need to do is place a smartphone with the app next to your TV speakers, and the resulting output will transmit the necessary information.

From there, you can purchase your collectible of choice from the app. For $49.99 and free shipping, the 3D-printed figurine will arrive in full color and be enclosed in a clear protective dome. It won't be as robust as an actual Skylander, but the figurine will still be professionally manufactured. For a budget option, you can instead purchase an Imaginator card at $14.99 of your user-created Skylander that will work on your Portal of Power just as well. Finally, you can purchase a T-shirt for $24.99 that shows off your Skylander in all its glory.

Here's a card version of the figurine above.

The main issue I foresee, though, is the unlockables. Most of the available parts in both the game and thereby the app must be found first. In the game, you'll find most of the items by opening chests, while in the app, they will unlock through timed chests and Sensei chests. And so, if you're a completionist like I am, you may want to wait to purchase anything permanent like a figurine before knowing you've got all of the parts you want.

I hope that Activision considers a solution, like an accelerator or an instant unlock that will make it possible for you to use the app and make the Skylander you want in just a day without having to wait to collect everything. But either way, I plan on playing Skylanders Imaginators and Skylanders Creator long enough so that Activision can take my money. I can't believe I just wrote that sentence…