Chris Barnardo on The Wand Company's Fallout Fusion Flea Die-Cast Replica

What archetypal attracted you to the thought of creating a die-cast replica of the Fusion Flea specifically?

When I was a kid I loved making kits of cars, erstwhile I was aged capable to ain a car I spent each play nether the hood moving connected my car. I emotion the cars successful Fallout, they are truthful unusual and yet breathtaking to look at. I person a imagination that 1 time I volition scratch-build a drivable life-sized Fusion Flea, truthful what amended mode to commencement than by making immoderate 1:18 standard versions. I imagined what the Fallout beingness would person been similar earlier the bombs dropped and successful my mind’s oculus I could spot each these awesome
cars scooting around. I felt that by making a scope of Fusion Fleas I would beryllium bringing the pre-war Fallout world a small person to reality. The plan is truthful natty and the marque gathering successful Fallout is truthful awesome that it gives truthful overmuch imaginable for a beauteous scope of this cute small car.

At The Wand Company, you’ve worked connected a wide scope of licensed proplica products. How did the Flea task disagree from erstwhile collaborations successful scope oregon originative approach?

Most of our projects are precise analyzable and impact a large woody of electronics development, but what I similar astir the Fusion Fleas is that, from an electronics constituent of view, they are precise elemental and that means that I tin absorption connected the originative development. In a way, the Fleas are a precise distilled mentation of an thought of however to bring in-universe concepts to life. I emotion the mode that fans cod and treasure the Fleas and I particularly bask designing the merchandising materials. When designing the look of the Fleas and their features, I enactment precise intimately with a large merchandise decorator called Matt Bagshaw. In addition, James Barnardo, my grown up son, is simply a graphic decorator and helium not lone developed the packaging concepts, but came up with the thought that successful the Fallout beingness the Fleas would person been fixed arsenic an worker inducement reward for the Chryslus mill workers.

When did the conception of the Desert Sandtrack Flea variant begin? And what was the spark for choosing this peculiar vehicle/variant?

The Desert Sandtrack Flea was designed arsenic 1 of a acceptable of 3 released successful 2025 that further extended the conception of the archetypal Flea design. We had antecedently designed a subject scout Flea, which was a painted mentation of the basal design. For the Desert Sandtrack Flea, we wanted to propulsion the plan a batch further and instrumentality the thought of the scout Fleas into the farthest corners of the conflict front. In my mind, this mightiness person been an experimental conveyance that Chryslus created for a request that ne'er developed, oregon whitethorn person seen progressive service. The quality of the Fallout beingness is that determination are truthful galore possibilities of events and products wrong the scope of the beingness that we are yet to larn about. The neat happening astir the plan is that it takes the modular Flea assemblage and evolves it with chunky tires up beforehand and a caterpillar way astatine the back, and past chops the canopy disconnected to marque a debased windshield. It looks large and is simply a cleanable improvement of the basal design.

The fandom astir Fallout is precise passionate astir authenticity and lore accuracy. How did you execute the model’s fidelity?

To make the archetypal Flea we studied the Fallout team’s archetypal sketches. They are truthful detailed. Although determination was nary suitable notation for the engines and moving gear, we designed the motor and the elemental suspension to acceptable the look and consciousness of the Fallout equipment from different machines wherever the workings are much obvious.

Walk america done the plan process: from conception sketch to prototype to last production. What were cardinal milestones oregon turning points?

It differs from Flea to Flea. For the Desert Sandtrack Flea the conception started with a Fallout in-universe magazine, Hot Rodder. This got america reasoning astir what would hap if the basal signifier of the Flea was evolved to marque it suitable not conscionable for suburban roads, but different harsher environments. The fantastic happening astir the Flea task is that we get to fto our imaginativeness tally freely, provided we travel immoderate important in-universe rules. After the archetypal sketches are done, we bash a precise elaborate 3D exemplary of what we want. We taxable the exemplary to Bethesda, and if they o.k. it, we walk that to the factory. The mode we enactment with the die-cast metallic cars is antithetic to our different projects. For each our different projects we bash the 3D CAD close up to the constituent wherever the mill works connected it to marque the tooling CAD, but for the Fleas we nonstop them the decorator CAD and they plan the existent manufacturing geometry. Once the CAD has been approved, I tin past usage that to plan the merchandising container and the manual. I emotion drafting the manuals and designing the packaging, it’s a truly amusive portion of the project; I get to ideate if the small car was existent and ideate what the instrumentality volition consciousness erstwhile they look astatine the container for the archetypal time. It’s truthful astonishing erstwhile the archetypal “golden sample” arrives for my support and I spot the existent merchandise for the archetypal time… I conjecture this is my ain idiosyncratic unboxing experience. The adjacent large milestone is the transportation to our retailers. Finally, we person the joyousness of proceeding backmost from fans that person bought 1 to adhd to their collection. I deliberation that this past measurement is not lone the astir important, but besides the astir rewarding portion for me.

Were determination immoderate method oregon plan challenges unsocial to this peculiar variant?

There were 2 main challenges. Changing the batteries from 3 fastener cells to a azygous AAA and coating that fantastic camo signifier each implicit the bodywork. The LEDs that are utilized to illuminate the motor bay with that bluish radiation glow request conscionable implicit 5V. In erstwhile designs, this voltage was supplied by 3 fastener cells successful series, which conveniently supply much than capable voltage to thrust a bluish LED. The circuit is elemental and lone requires a azygous resistor and a power to marque it work. However, fastener cells are precise unsafe if swallowed and though the Flea is not a toy, determination are progressively strict rules astir however fastener and coin compartment batteries tin beryllium packaged. As a result, for this caller Flea plan we decided to determination to a azygous AAA battery. As this lone produces 1.5V, immoderate clever electronics were required to boost the voltage to marque it precocious capable to powerfulness the LED. The camo signifier was different large challenge. Each antithetic colour has to beryllium applied to the bodywork aggregate times to marque definite that the signifier covers the aboveground and each fits together. It was a challenge, but the extremity effect is stunning and wholly worthy it.

Tell america astir the packaging and included materials. How does it archer a communicative for collectors?

The packaging is simply a amusive portion of the task for me. Growing up, I wanted to beryllium a graphic illustrator. I emotion drafting the manuals and rendering the Fleas successful antithetic positions for the packaging and reasoning up the container colour strategy to marque them arsenic collectible arsenic imaginable with the different Fleas that we person created. Building the look is simply a batch similar putting a jigsaw together, but it is simply a jigsaw that you are not lone doing, but designing the pieces arsenic you spell along. It is arsenic overmuch a situation arsenic it is amusive to do. And past of people astatine the extremity each the ideas travel unneurotic and you spot the finished printed parts, it is precise rewarding.

What person you personally learned from moving connected this task that you’ll transportation into aboriginal ones?

That radical emotion these small cars and I should beryllium making a batch much of them.

Are determination immoderate wish-list items from the Fallout beingness you personally anticipation to tackle successful the future?

Oh… determination is truthful overmuch to bash and truthful small clip to bash it! I would emotion to marque much cars… a Station Wagon, a Rocket 69… I person 3D designs for some of them. There are simply excessively galore gorgeous things that request making successful this wonderfully affluent phantasy satellite of Fallout.

How bash you origin successful rarity erstwhile designing limited-edition items? Some Fusion Fleas person sold for thousands of dollars secondhand. Does this power your plan process?

In a word, yes. But rarity is simply a comic thing. There are millions of fans retired there, truthful rarity is comparative and based connected however galore radical are really collecting something. We person to marque a minimum fig of immoderate fixed Flea benignant successful bid to screen the costs of tooling and doing the enactment to plan them successful the archetypal place. At little than astir 1,000 units, the task doesn't marque consciousness for our institution financially. In immoderate cases, wherever we person made conscionable a fistful of Fleas for a peculiar occasion, these are past precise uncommon and person changed hands for galore thousands of dollars. However, each the Fleas person go uncommon to immoderate grade and merchantability successful the secondhand marketplace often for much than they outgo to bargain successful the archetypal place. I would similar to spot the request increase, but I volition ever marque definite that these beauteous pieces are kept successful precocious request by lone making 1 manufacturing tally of each design, truthful that the rarity that fans privation is there, portion inactive fixed those that privation to physique their collections a accidental astatine getting the ones that they want.

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Originally posted:

Dec 9, 2025 11:34 pm