Vinylmation Speculation: Tracking down Villains 1

WDWNT on July 12, 2011


Over on twitter @artisticdoodle send out a mass tweet saying,
“Heads up, Villains 1 may be out of print. Out of stock at DLR D-street and at my local Disney Store and not listed on DisneyStore.com. D-Street and local Disney Store have no idea if they’ll get anymore. D-Street sold their last case last week. Local Disney Store has been out since the first day of the BOGO free promo.”

We just want to put the word out and see if anyone else is experiencing the same thing in their local Disney Stores. Usually, Disney likes to print a set for almost a year, and it’s only been half that long at this point in time.

With the announcement of Villains 2 coming, are people buying these up?

What say you, the vinylmation fans?

On 7/12 @faultytext reported, “Villains in Vogue @ DHS was out, as was D-Street Orlando last I checked. I hope they return. Missing some!”

Hyperion Wharf Delayed, But Changes Still Happening

WDWNT on July 12, 2011

From Thomas Smith on the Disney Parks Blog:

In November, we shared plans to re-imagine Pleasure Island and bring other new and compelling experiences to life at Downtown Disney. Today, we’d like to update you on our progress.

First, we’re excited that some of the new experiences we announced are already becoming favorites, like the newly expanded LEGO Imagination Center and AMC’s first Dine-In Theatre in Florida. The great news is there is more on the way.

Recently, Orlando Harley-Davidson opened its newly expanded 3,635-square-foot store at Downtown Disney West Side. The largest and most interactive Harley merchandise store of its kind, it draws guests in with a 40-foot tower and massive LCD/LED screens showing specially produced footage of motorcycles in action. Guests are also able to see and sit on some of the latest Harley-Davidson motorcycles and a brand new production studio lets guests be pictured in their favorite riding spot or transformed into real bikers. Guests can even design biker vests of their own.

Later this summer, Apricot Lane Boutique, a specialty retail store that offers celebrity-inspired branded apparel, affordable fashion jewelry, handbags and accessories, will open in the space the Harley-Davidson store previously occupied on Pleasure Island.

*This is an artist rendering and is subject to change.

This fall, construction will begin on Splitsville, a 50,000-square-foot upscale entertainment center that combines bowling with billiards, dining, music and nightlife. To make way for this experience, RIDEMAKERZ, currently located on the West Side, will move to the Marketplace.

Over on Pleasure Island, we’ve completed removing some of the buildings that aren’t part of our future plans. During the course of this site work, we identified opportunities to further refine our master plan and are pausing to evaluate them. What does this mean for you? While we’re moving quickly, it will admittedly cause a delay in construction. But we’re willing to bet that any delay will be worth the wait once we’re able to share details about the exciting work we’ve been doing.

2011 DV All Star Teams

WDWNT on July 12, 2011

Today is the day Baseball’s All Stars gather in Phoenix, AZ for the Mid Summer Classic. So M.C. and I decided to each pick our 2011 Vinylmation All Stars. On the last podcast, we each picked our 9 All Stars, our absolute favorites, from the sets released in 2011. Any 3″ or 9″ was fair game. We also picked a Disney Artist as Manager of our team. Check out our teams below. Tell us who you think hit a Home Run and which one of us Struck Out. And as always, some fan favorites always get left off the teams… who did we miss?

M.C.’s 2011 Vinylmation All Star Team
 Darth Vader
“Star Wars”
by Mike Sullivan


M.C. could have picked many out of the Star Wars series, but picked Darth Vader due to his magnificent detail. And who’s to say a lightsaber and a master of the force can’t help in a ball game?
Launchpad
“Duck Tails”
by Chris Chapman

Disney artists have learned how to draw ducks onto the Mickey shaped canvas. This is M.C.’s favorite Disney Afternoon character. The detail of the clear ears representing goggles is great.
Young Simba
“Animation 1” -combo topper
by Monty Maldovan

Simba is young and feisty. He’s a youthful asset to the team. Not to mention the artwork on this would be King is spectacular. 
Shark
“Sea Creatures”
by Billy Davis

Besides being a well designed character, the Shark is mean and tough and a solid addition to any ball club. He probably has a bit of power too, and no one will pitch inside to him.
Dumbo

“Hong Kong”
by unknown

This is M.C.’s center fielder. Can you argue with this pick? Dumbo can fly! He can probably also catch balls with his trunk. Not much is getting by Dumbo. A brilliant design as well. 
Hippo
“Animation 1”
by Maria Clapsis

M.C. always said this Vinylmation is more like a piece of art. He loves this design, but still will not pick up a 9″ figure. On the field, don’t let the skirt fool you, she has pop in her bat.
Runaway Brain Mickey
“Park 6” -combo topper
by Monty Maldovan

M.C. likes this guy’s features and has never seen the short he is from. But a selection to this team means this is one of the best designs of 2011. Now if you are covering a base and Runaway Brain Mickey is running at you, do you stay there for the out?
Admiral Donald Statue
“DCL Disney Dream”
by Lisa Badeen

M.C. chose the bronze statue over the full color Donald. This is also the second Duck on his team. Might want to stick this guy in right field, he’s not catching much. 
Nerds Rock! Full Set
“Nerds Rock!”
by Doug Strayer

A whole series? 6 Nerds? M.C. likes these innovative and comical designs a lot. Apparently these guys will be in the front office though, not on the field. 
Manager
Casey Jones

Casey at bat? Nope, in the dugout. Casey was chosen for his ability to create entire sets of Vinylmation. In 2011 Casey has designed Pirates of the Caribbean, Park 6 Norway Troll, Park 6 Adventureland Tiki, and Animation 1 Marie. Also, we will see Winnie the Pooh at the Florida Project and hope to see his Haunted Mansion set.
Nick’s 2011 Vinylmation All Star Team
Ghost Obi Wan
“Star Wars”
by Mike Sullivan

This variant chaser is a no brainer on a 2011 All Star team. He stunned the Vinylmation community when he made an appearance on release night. He is a sought after figure and one of the coolest ideas ever put onto Vinylmation.
Sonny Eclipse
“Park 6”
by Maria Clapsis

One of  my favorite characters at the Magic Kingdom and Maria did a fantastic job representing him on Vinylmation. I also think he’d make a good third baseman.
Sour Candy Apple
“Cutesters Too”
by Maria Clapsis

I like this one a lot better than its candy apple counter part. The design is great and the face is priceless. And anything hit to this guy, will stick like glue.
Milk Carton
“Urban 7 Ear Hat”
by Maria Clapsis

A perfect design and great imagination. It has full nutrition facts on the back, including 100% Vinylmation. It also has a cool Vinylmation Farms logo. 
Sam the Eagle
“Muppets 2”
by Monty Maldovan

One of the best 9″ figures ever created. The design is perfect all around. Including the great tail. Not to mention we are playing the American Pastime… Sam must be there.
Hook Pirate
“Pirates of the Caribbean”
by Casey Jones

I think POTC is one of the best designed sets ever produced. It looks amazing. Hook Pirate is my favorite design in the set. Hard to pick one, but come on, I need a pitcher who can cheat and scuff up the ball against M.C.’s power lineup.
Donut
“Cutesters Too”
by Maria Clapsis

Ya, he has a lot of holes in his game… but this colorful character was instantly one of my favorite designs ever. Don’t worry, I’m also surprised that I have two Cutesters Too on my team. 
Nerd Goofy
“Nerds Rock!”
by Doug Strayer

Just like M.C., I enjoy this entire set. It’s fun, well designed and has many details. But Goofy, with his pocket protector, glasses and braces, is the best in the set. His hat is so well designed, we have never seen anything like it before in Vinylmation. 
Dumbo
“Hong Kong”
by unknown

Dumbo is one of the finest figures ever to grace Mickey’s vinyl mold. With so many ways he could be approached, the face is drawn perfectly. And yes, it did cross my mind that Dumbo can fly.
Manager
Maria Clapsis

Maria is the most prolific artist in Vinylmation today. And her work, is consistently top notch. Also, as you can tell from my list, her work is almost always my favorite. What has she done in 2011? Cutesters Donut and Urban Milk Carton Ear Hat sets. Animation 1 Dodger, Merlin, Hippo and Whale. Cutesters Too set. Urban 6 Cactus. Park 7 Alien Encounter and Up. Too many to list.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist DisneyMozart

WDWNT on July 12, 2011

One of our readers made a very special custom for his Dad this past Father’s Day. Custom artist Jason Adler, aka DisneyMozart, from Birmingham, AL made an Alabama Crimson Tide custom. Here are the pictures.

Front View
Can you spot the Hidden Mickey in the room?
Roll Tide Roll!

The Case Against Limited Editions

WDWNT on July 11, 2011

If I were in charge of Vinylmation, and I’m not, I would get rid of Limited Edition Vinylmation Releases. Goodbye. Good riddance. LE Vinylmation, you have caused too many problems around these parts and it is time to go. I hear your voices and want to make those awesome LE figures available to you! No matter where you live. D-Street. Online. Neither work. And I’m not talking about fair. I don’t care about fair. I care about being able to collect what I like. In taking the pulse of the Vinylmation community, I think there are more true collectors out there that are more concerned about grabbing their favorite Vinylmation figures than having a figure that may be worth some cash because there are not many of them. I know I would.

Let’s take the Disney Afternoons series. An insanely popular set of figures. Maybe beyond what Disney even thought. Now when they release these at the D-Streets, locals are forced to roll out of bed, head down to Disney and wait in line for up to 6 hours in cold or heat and then be late to work. “Aw, poor Orlando local” says the Disney fan in Idaho sarcastically. This is the dedicated Disney fan who has no shot at one of these combos unless they have want to fork over triple retail at that special online auction house. So many of you cry out that releasing LEs at D-Street isn’t fair. And I can’t argue with you.

How about an online release? Oh, we have tried that… many times. Here are just some of the problems with online releases of Limited Editions. No stated release time, no purchase limits, slow computers, misplaced items online, fake sell outs, computer error. Not to mention I hate playing the get up and hit F5 game for hours. I hate it for Baseball tickets, I hate it for this. But if you are going to put LEs online, give us an exact time and date. But I say, just ditch the LEs all together.

If you are collecting because you like the figures and enjoy the chase for your favorites, then it shouldn’t matter if there are 500 or 500,000. So what would I do? Limited TIME releases. Instead of limiting the production run, I would limit the time they are on the shelves. Maybe 2 weeks. Maybe a month. Maybe 3 months. But advertise and stick to the time periods and keep the production flow coming until time is up. I would still limit same day, same guest purchases to two. These Limited Time releases have a number of effects. First, locals do not have to crowd the sidewalk on release day. Second, non-locals can plan trips to the parks around figures they really want. Third, if the release is online, it creates a less frustrating ordering atmosphere. Fourth, it takes some steam out of that cut throat aftermarket.

All that said, I would still keep around Limited Editions at events such as D23 or the Florida Project. That still makes sense to me. Those are special celebrations that have a limited number of people attending. No sense not capping those. And many times, even after the RSP and on-site sales, product is left over and goes for sale at the parks. I would also keep LEs on 9″ figures and Ear Hats. That seems to work, even for the most popular. 1000 seems like a great number. There were still more of the “sold out” Up figures at D-Street Orlando a week later.

So there you go. I don’t need ’em. I’d rather be able to purchase all the figures I like and want. Other than Events, 9″ and Ear Hats, NO MORE LIMITED EDITIONS!!! Who is with me?

I Love NY… Only Smaller

WDWNT on July 11, 2011

As we rumored a few weeks back, the Times Square NYC Disney Store did in fact release another 3″ exclusive today and our friend the Playwright was there.

I “Mickey Head” NY in a tin

This I “Mickey Head” NY is a 3″ version of a 9″ figure that was released a few months ago. It is designed on the new mold, comes in a tin and retails for $12.95.

I “Mickey Head” NY with Hey Taxi and Statue of Liberty Minnie
Inside of tin

Thanks to the Playwright for these great pictures and report. He not only picked one up, but he toured the city with his new Vinylmation as well!

There is a lot to explore in NYC out of your tin
Best way to get around
He doesn’t take up much room on the Subway

Episode 029 Monkey

WDWNT on July 11, 2011

Ep. 029 Monkey
Loads of great information in this show. We start out by selecting our Vinyl All Star 9 from the first half of the year. Then we discuss the recent releases of the DLR AP exclusives and the Steam Park set. We wrap up the WDW Trading Event with info on: Park 7, Holiday 3, Astrology and the Florida Project. We discuss the EPCOT banner with some interesting figures on it. And of course, open up the Mystery Mail Bag to answer your questions and discuss your comments.
Listen Now:
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Take a Closer Look “Under the Sea”

WDWNT on July 11, 2011

Jennifer Fickley-Baker on the Disney Parks Blog has posted an in-depth look at Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. Notice that we get a first look at the model of the exterior, a piece of concept art from the queue area, and the official attraction logo:

I love sharing New Fantasyland updates with our readers, and this one is no exception. Our friends at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) recently created a behind-the-scenes video on the creation of New Fantasyland to feature within the One Man’s Dream exhibit at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (This attraction showcases Disney milestone projects of the past, and now includes a preview area of exciting projects WDI is currently working on atMagic Kingdom Park).

WDI also shared the following teaser video with us, which focuses on one of these exciting new projects: the Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction. The expanded video will debut at One Man’s Dream this week.

In the video, Imagineer Chris Beatty gives us a sneak peek at the making of Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid through some never-before-seen sketches, artist renderings, attraction maps and more, and shares some details on Prince Eric’s castle and the attraction’s creative queue. Imagineer Eric Miller also takes us onsite to see the current state of the attraction’s progress.

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid is one of many attractions planned as a part of the Fantasyland expansion currently taking place at Magic Kingdom Park. The new Fantasyland is set to open in phases beginning in late 2012.