eBay Buyer Warning

WDWNT on June 16, 2011

We just want to put a warning out there to Vinylmation collectors. We advise you DO NOT purchase Vinylmation from eBay seller MAXTOYSHOPS. This is the seller from Hong Kong that has come up recently with some sketchy items for sale (Alice in Wonderland, Darkwing Duck). His items, by all accounts, are not legitamite. They are scuffed, with out packaging or accesories and some are being sold before being officially released. These are NOT pre-sales. According to Disney, they are illegitamate sales. You are not getting an official product. They are also selling fake combo vinylmation. Heads and body’s from various figures mixed together. We must band together, get the word out and boycott sellers like this to police our own hobby and keep the market clean. We understand, it is tempting to pick up some of these figures before release, but they are not legit. (I would also be wary of the listings of released stuff) As of 6/16/11, he has a number of figures for sale that have not been released yet. These include but are not limited to:

 Bonkers D. Bobcat
Disney Afternoons Series
by Christopher Chapman

Obviously from the Bonkers cartoon, I for one and excited about this combo. But please wait until it is released. I highly doubt these “dumpster dive” pieces are included in the LE 1000. And this HK seller sells them as singles, no packaging.
Fall Apart Rabbit
Disney Afternoons Series
by Christopher Chapman
Also from the Bonkers cartoon, the design looks great, so again, I am excited. But this seller’s figures are cosmetically flawed.
Captain Mickey
Disney Cruise Line
by Maria Clapsis
The Captain must have fell overboard and this seller picked him up. He is NOT released yet as of 6/16/11. Again, a very scuffed up piece.
Darkwing Duck
Disney Afternoons Series
by Christopher Chapman
This one falls into a different category… announced, but not released. Take a look… no hat, lots of scuff marks.
FAKE COMBO
Here is an example of a fake combo. Beware! This is NOT a variant. If you have any questions about what you are buying, check our Released Series pages or email us. This is a combo from a Japan Exclusive Pirate Mickey head and the Driver’s body from Racecar 9/3 Urban 5 Combo by Eric Cazatt.

Please spread this message to all your Vinylmation Collecting friends.

New Characters and Show Coming To Disney California Adventure

WDWNT on June 15, 2011

From the Disney Parks Blog:

New Characters, Russell and Dug, at Disney California Adventure Park

There are new friends coming to Disney California Adventure park this summer! On June 25, the Wilderness Explorers’ Camp will open at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, featuring Russell and Dug from the Disney•Pixar film, “Up.” The Ahwahnee Camp Circle will be the place where guests can participate in a special ceremony with Russell and graduate to Senior Wilderness Explorers. Also, as guests enter the trail, they will be met by Dug, the friendly dog. The trail will feature Wilderness Explorer activities through which young guests can earn merit badges.

On July 9, Phineas and Ferb will debut their new show, “Phineas and Ferb’s Rockin’ Rollin’ Dance Party,” also at Disney California Adventure park. The show will be an interactive dance party featuring the Disney Channel favorites. Guests will have the chance to join in on dances and activities while a DJ spins songs from the series.

Which of these Disney characters are you most excited to see?

 

Enchanted Tiki Room: Under Old Management

WDWNT on June 15, 2011

To publicize the return of the Enchanted Tiki Room to the Magic Kingdom in August, Disney has released a photo and a rather funny blurb to go with it:

SPREADING WINGS: The “new management” has been let go and the future of the Adventureland landmark is in the wings and wit of José, Fritz, Michael and Pierre – four crooning parrot hosts who ushered in sophisticated Audio-Animatronics technology at California’s Disneyland in 1963 at The Enchanted Tiki Room.

Spotlight On: Vinylmation Custom Artist Cesilie

WDWNT on June 15, 2011

Today we feature a new custum artist from Modesto, California. Cesilie caught our attention when she started her Facebook page for Mo Doodle Designs and posted a picture of her Ken from Toy Story 3 custom.

Destination Vinylmation: How long have you been creating custom vinylmation?

Cesilie: A few months, Ken was the first vinyl I created after holding onto the blank vinyl for about a year! I was super nervous to start and my friend Nat told me to just jump in.

DV: Do you create other forms of art besides vinylmation?

Cesilie: My parents had a craft business growing up so painting and being artsy has always been something I’ve done. I can usually be found drawing (Hence the nickname I was given, “Mo Doodle”), painting, or creating mini-comic adventures of my pets!

DV: Your custom Ken looks amazing, just like the character from Toy Story 3. How did you decide to create a Ken?

Cesilie: Thank you! I can’t believe how well he turned out In fact, he came out exactly how I envisioned him! As one of the many kids today that have grown up with Toy Story I was super excited to see the Toy Story vinyl set come out. I was very happy to see a Lotso but not so happy to see Big Baby. I was hoping for more of my new found favorite characters to be included and I couldn’t help but wonder what Ken would look like as a vinyl. For me Ken stole the show in TS3 and I just felt like I needed to add to my Toy Story set!

DV: Talk about the process of creating this custom. Did you sketch out concept art? Do you pencil the design on first?

Cesilie: With Ken I had a hard time debating which outfit I wanted to put him in… There were SO many in the movie that I had to take a vote on which outfit to make. My family and friends voted to just do Animal Lovin’ Ken since he was the first version of Ken we met in the movie. I started sketching him on a vinyl outline and sorta just went from there. I’m pretty good at free-handing things and don’t really sketch them out first. I’ve found with a few other vinyls I’ve worked on that penciling onto the plastic is not something I’m good at, plus I like the challenge of eye-balling it. I also knew I wanted him to have a real ascot, so fabric that matched my paint colors was a must!

DV: What was the biggest challenge in creating the Ken custom?

Cesilie: The biggest challenge I think was the leopard spots. I wanted them to be super accurate and I was really worried about starting to work on them. I ended up using a toothpick and spent about 3 hours trying to get them right on the first ear! After I got that done I was really relieved to see they turned out exactly how I wanted and the the other ear and shirt were much easier and way less time consuming to finish. I also had a little trouble with the highlights in his hair, so I had my expert crafty mom help me out with that one!

DV: Great use of the ears! Was that your original idea or did have other thoughts for them as well?

Cesilie: At first I didn’t know what to do with the ears. I thought about painting them brown but as I talked to my mom about it she said it would look funny to have brown hair and then brown ears. Then I considered leaving them blue and just writing “Ken” in pink text (like on the barbie boxes) on his ear…. It wasn’t  until after I had sketched most of him out on the coloring page that I decided to try the leopard spots on the ears 🙂

DV: Where is barbie?

Cesilie: Barbie is in the works… I didn’t expect Ken to turn out as well as he did. This was my first custom afterall, not to mention my first 3D art piece ever! so I never thought about making his counter part. However, after taking Ken to Disneyland for the pirates event and getting a great response with him I’ve been working on a Barbie sketch to finish off the duo.

DV: It looks like you have a couple nice looking sports figure customs in the concept phase.

Cesilie: Totally! They are actually my first official commissioned pieces! The guy I’m doing them for is a fan of New York teams (Yankees and the Jets) and asked me to create two figures based off of these teams. The one you can see actual paint progress of so far is the Yankee’s player 🙂 I’m waiting for a special little item to come in before I start the football player 🙂

DV: Two New York teams? What would happen if I commishioned you to create a Boston Red Sox or Patiots custom?

Cesilie: I would totally be down to do both! I personally am not very in-the-know when it comes to sports teams as far as who is who, I just know I’m a Dallas fan 😉

DV: Can people purchase any of your customs?

Cesilie: YES! As of right now I take custom orders of whatever you’d like me to do! I have a cute old-fashioned Minnie in the works as well as the two lil sports guys. I make pretty much whatever your heart desires! If anyone would like to inquire about a possible custom (or to even purchase a Ken/Ken outfit varient) you can contact me on Facebook.

DV: Thank you for your time and keep in touch about your future customs.

Cesilie: Thanks SO much for featuring me!

Surprising Vinylmation Discovery at Disneyland Paris

WDWNT on June 14, 2011

As promised on Facebook yesterday, here are some surprising finds from across the pond. My Destination Disney co-host had not clue the significance of these pictures he sent back to me from his trip last weekend to Disneyland Paris.

As you can see, several 9″ Park 6 figures are for sale in the DLP gift shops before we even have a release date in the states!

Adam found Alien Encounter, Matterhorn, Davy Crockett and Animal Kingdom Crate. They also seem well stocked on all Vinylmation series.

Star Wars is still abundant at DLP. You can find cases on every display. They also have the standards like Have a Laugh, Cutesters Too and Animation.

DLP shops also seem to have a healthy stock of all 8 Nerds Rock! Here is a look at some of the display areas and trading boxes there.

Inflated Price For Park 1 Chaser

WDWNT on June 14, 2011

Needless to say this eBay auction turned a few heads the other day. Thanks to Brad for giving us the heads up.

eBay seller JMPERRIN from Michigan sold this Red Balloon chaser. Hey, at least he offered Free Shipping! Not many of these list too often, so it’s hard to get a full picture of the average price, but this seems to be higher than most people have seen. There is another listing from a seller in California for a Red Balloon that reference this sale and is trying to get $2,000 in a Buy It Now. We will see how that one ends. There is also a second Red Balloon listing. This one coming in from Clermont, Florida. It has 2 bids, 2 days left and is at $200. The seller does note there is no card, box or foil with this figure.

What do you think about this? Fluke or price rising? What’s the highest you have seen the holy grail of Vinylmation sell for?

Disney Provides a Detailed Look at the Storybook Circus!

WDWNT on June 14, 2011

From Jennifer Fickley-Baker on the Disney Parks Blog:

I know it’s going to be a great week on the Disney Parks Blog when I get to start by posting a new Fantasyland update. Today I’m happy to share new details on the Storybook Circus area that’s planned as part of the new Fantasyland expansion at Magic Kingdom Park.

With all the updates we’ve done on the “royal” side of the Fantasyland expansion – Beast’s Castle, Maurice’s Cottage and Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid – the plans for Storybook Circus seemed to be a bit more mysterious. Until now.

Storybook Circus will be based on our animated film, “Dumbo.” Here, Casey Jr., the famous locomotive from the movie, has rolled into town and brought the grand Storybook Circus with him. The area will be filled with colorful circus tents and nods to the famous film. For example, guests – especially little ones – are welcome to cool down with Casey Jr., who can be found near the train station, getting splashed by playful circus animals.

Just past Casey Jr., guests will encounter big-top circus tents that lead to a “double” version of Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Also, in the tradition of classic air shows, Barnstormer will take on a new look and theme, becoming a spiraling stunt plane built by The Great Goofini.

What do you think? Will you be there when the circus comes to town?

UPDATE – Some quick observations about the concept art that we posted on Twitter:

-The large tent is Big Top Souvenirs, we’re not sure what the red Hall of Fame tent in the background is being kept for, maybe Pete’s Silly Sideshow?

-The new yellow tent in the back may be a counter service location, meet and greets, or even something else at this point…

-The Fantasyland Train Station is part of the Casey Jr. Roundhouse building, GREAT THEME!

-A new structure is visible out in the middle of the Barnstormer area, looks like a themed tower of some sort…

-With Timothy not on top of either Dumbo ride, we expect him to show up in audio-animatronics form somewhere in the interactive queue area

-Dumbo will finally have the water feature that is featured at the Disneyland and Disneyland Paris versions of the attraction!

Overall, it looks great! What do you think of the Storybook Circus?

Spotlight On: Vinylmation Custom Artist Jorge Castilla

WDWNT on June 14, 2011

On of our readers sent us a message to check out this new custom artist Facebook page the other day. What we found there were some great Starbucks and Ghostbuster inspired pieces. The artist is Jorge Castilla from Chino, California. Jorge talked with us about these great custom pieces.

Destination Vinylmation: How did you come up with the name StarDucks Cafe?

Jorge: Well, it first started out as a request from my girlfriend. She really wanted something that was the best of both worlds: Disney and Starbucks. I said I’d make her a Vinylmation. So I made her one with the (now old) Starbucks logo. It came out so good I thought “you know, I bet a lot of people would really like this.” I’m sure my girlfriend and myself aren’t the only Vinyl collectors that appreciate a good coffee buzz. So I decided I was going to make more of these. But I also didn’t want Starbucks knocking on my door if these became a sensation. So we tossed a few names around and an image of Daisy Duck in the logo popped to mind! “Star Ducks!” Hey it rhymed and people would get it. I also changed the word “Coffee” to “Café”.

DV: The detail on the logo is spectacular. Is the logo on the figure hand painted or a sticker?

Jorge: Thanks! And yes it’s a sticker. It’s carefully pressed into every nook and curve of the vinyl then sealed in. It isn’t coming off! Not without really scrubbing and picking at it anyway.

DV: We really like the mixed media customs. Is that a real piece of straw up top?

Jorge: You wouldn’t get very far using it as one.

DV: What have you learned making these customs?

Jorge: Well it’s definitely opened a whole other world to me! I liked Vinylmation a lot but I had no idea about the culture that’s spawned around it and how long vinyl collectibles have really been around.

DV: You said your a coffee drinker, what is your favorite drink at StarDucks?

Jorge: I regularly order their Mint n Quacker Chips sans the chips. I really like mint but I’m afraid to know how ducks make Quacker Chips.

DV: Can we order this Vinylmation frozen?

Jorge: (gives awkward pause) This is where I give another witty answer isn’t it?

DV: Then lets move on to your Ghostbuster look a like Mickey. Tell us about this one’s inspiration.

Jorge: He’s tentatively called Lonesome Ghostbuster Mickey. Basically so he’ll pop up in searches for the Lonesome Ghost vinyl from the Laugh a Lot Series. I really liked that cartoon as a child (it was a rerun in the 80‘s) and it was a nice surprise to see one of the Lonesome Ghosts as a vinyl. Ghostbusters was also a comedic blockbuster and favorite of mine still to this day. Making a Vinyl that fused the two together was a no-brainer.

DV: You have some great detail on this figure, describe the different features.

Jorge: Mickey comes decked out in Ghostbusting gear incuding jumpsuit, elbow pads, chemical gloves, and of coarse a Proton Pack! Just about everything you need for paranormal eliminations!

DV: What is the proton pack made out of?

Jorge: ABS Plastic. It’s a plastic that holds it’s shape when molded by heat and is regularly used for many purposes; like toys for example.

DV: As a custom artist, I see you first put together some concept art on the computer. How hard is it to accurately translate your concept onto the figure. And does it ever get frustrating when you can’t?

Jorge: Oh gosh… Well when I made the graphic for the cards that come with the Star Duck vinyl, I actually made the illustration after I made one physical vinyl. So that wasn’t so bad. But with the LGB Mickey I made the illustration first. It made a great reference but it was very hard to duplicate. It’s very different working with a two dimensional and three dimensional object. I now understand why sometimes the artwork on the artist cards don’t always match the vinyl.

DV: These are great customs, I’m sure they will be popular. What else is on the way?

Jorge: Expect something else in the vein of the current Star Ducks line… a new flavor! Also expect one or two Pixar related vinyls. You heard it all here first! 😉

DV: Pixar is a very popular choice for custom artists. So, how can people contact you about purchasing your customs?

Jorge: I have a Facebook page exclusively devoted to updates and announcements on my vinylmation arts! My Seller Name on eBay is redvirtuevinylmationarts if you wish to contact me there as well. All my transactions are done on eBay.

DV: Thanks for the interview. Keep up the great work and keep in touch with all your future customs.

Jorge: Thank you for the opportunity!