Disney’s Facebook Vinylmation Shop: Like it?

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Update: 4/7/12 The shop now has a working checkout button and it significantly changes my opinion.

The button links to a Checkout page at DisneyStore.com. This means that you can add whatever you want from Facebook, including the Facebook exclusive figure, and then check out at DisneyStore.com receiving all the benefits there in. Meaning you can then add other items, Vinylmation or not, from the Disney Store into your cart. You can also apply all discount codes including free shipping. You can also of course log into your DisneyStore.com account. I still will not purposefully shop through Facebook unless I really desire the exclusive being offered, but it makes me feel better about the process.

4/5/12 Disney has introduced a Shop section on the official Vinylmation Facebook page. I’ll be honest, I did not know such an application existed to shop on Facebook. On the surface it is remarkably brilliant for a company as a way to increase impulse purchases. I mean how many people go to Facebook for the purpose of purchasing an item? The interface however seems a bit clunky and I could not actually find a way to pay for the items in my checkout cart. (and by some comments, I wasn’t the only one) The later is an issue I’d assume will be fixed ASAP. So why would you want to purchase through Facebook you ask? For Facebook exclusive figures. The Theme Park Favorites Blue Ringer Tee figure made it’s debut yesterday. Here is a rundown of how to shop, the interface and a look at the exclusive figure. First, you have to “like” the official Disney Vinylmation Facebook page. Then you can click on the Shop icon. Next you have to accept some application notices before you can access the shop.

Right now, the shop only features a few select departments with a limited amount of Vinylmation. Teams, Theme Park Favorites, 2012s, Light Ups and Park 7 LE Fife and Drum are among the initial offerings.

You can then select a department and look at individual items that you can then add to your cart, wish list, share listing with FB friends or let FB friends know you want it.

That is the Facebook exclusive Blue Ringer Tee figure for $12.95. It is a variation on the Red and Yellow versions we have already seen.

You can then add figures to your cart, but there is no checkout button to actually pay for you items yet. So we will continue to check on that (unless someone out there has found the way and can share?)

There are a few other interesting items around the shop. Such as the “Meet the Artist” windows that pop up. Right now, Eric Caszatt is the only one I saw, but this is a brilliant idea. We asked Disney to do this at least a year ago and they told us they didn’t have the man-power to put it together. We did offer to talk to the artists and put it on DV, but they kindly declined. I really hope they put more of these up, they are an invaluable tool to get to know the artists. There are also some tabs that do not seem to have a function yet, but point to added features down the road. These include “Rewards” and “Badges”. I don’t care much for Badges, but if we can rack up Reward points for buying Vinylmation, I’m all for it. How about a Nintendo style point system where we can register our Vinylmation purchases online and rack up points to get rewards or exclusive figures at the end of the year? To me, seeing the “Rewards” tab could make Facebook shopping worth it. I am passing on Blue Ringer, but will certainly use Facebook for exclusive figures that I desire to add to my collection. It will also be interesting to see if Facebook carries vinyls found in the Parks but not Online (right now, that is not the case.) So other than exclusives, and with Free Shipping and Discount codes at DisneyStore.com, there is not an incentive to buy through Facebook for me at this time. Will you be shopping for vinyl at Facebook? Have you ever shopped through Facebook? And what do you think about Rewards and where that can go down the road?

Smoke and Mirrors Hinder the Car Chase

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

There are many signs now that point to the fact that although Holly Shiftwell is the mystery figure on the side of the Monorail Series 1 box, she may not in fact be the most rare figure and therefor not the chaser.

We didn’t think too much of it when Zoe sent us this picture of the Monorails display at the DCA Merchandise Event last week.
After all, how often have we seen minor screw ups like putting the chaser out for display. In the above photo, Holly Shiftwell is in the case, but Chick Hicks is not. 
Couple that with the fact that I have seen many people, even in store pull Holly and get excited AND my friend Austin opened up his case yesterday to find 2 Holly’s and only 1 Chick Hicks (Matter is the triple by the way)… and it is easy to see the possibility that Chick Hicks is in fact the chaser and Holly is the mystery common.
This is reminiscent of the Jr. 5 This or That chaser mix up where Wing and a Prayer and Up and Down became the chasers instead of the PBJ and Smoke and Mirrors even though the box portrayed the opposite scenario. 
If you picked up a case, let us know your findings. I believe the Vinylmation Blog will be announcing a chaser change up sometime this week.

I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff and I’ll Review these Vinylmation

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

The Big Bad Wolf and Three Little Pigs set came out today at D-Streets. This LE 1500 set sell for $44.95 and was designed by Monty Maldovan for the Animation 2 Limited Edition series. On the surface, the set is spectacular. It’s a perfect use of the 3″ and Jr combos. The amount of detail and character packed onto the Jr figures these days is remarkable.

–
–

Each of the pigs has their own facial detail, ear design and clothing design. Some of the best designed Jrs ever and makes me even more excited for Snow White. There is one slight problem however. But it is in the production. Maybe I have never looked close enough upon Jrs, but there seems to be some glue protruding from where the arms meet the body.

I noticed it on all three in this combo pack. It is not enough to pass on this set, but it does knock the grade down a bit if that is the issue on all the combos.

The backs are what you’d expect… the clothing, hats and tails. Next up is the 3″ Big Bad Wolf.

It is a wonderful design all on it’s own. The colors and proportions do capture the movie character. But when I put this up against Enrique Pita’s Villains 2 design, I’d have to give Enrique a slight edge.

Villains 2 Enrique Pita
–

I like Monty’s feet and body on the Animation 2 combo figure, but Enrique gives us a much more detailed and villainous face. I also like Enrique’s over sized hat design and ears. Both artists offer a completely different look at the same character. Monty gives a more smooth animated feel where as Enrique delivers a more gritty depiction of this villain. Overall, this LE combo shouldn’t be missed if you are a fan of classic Disney animation. It’s a great nod to the film. Ideally I would have liked to see an LE of 1000 and a price tag $10 cheaper, but that didn’t keep these guys from my display cabinet.

Spotlight On: Vinylmation Custom Artist Aaralyn

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Recently we received some cool looking art from a custom artist named Aaralyn. We tracked her down and asked her a few questions about her vinylmation artwork.DV: Fantasia has so much material to draw from, yet we have seen very little in the way of Disney Vinylmation. What drew you to the Spring Sprite from Fantasia 2000?
Aaralyn: In addition to my love of Disney, ever since middle school I also enjoyed the art of anime. The Spring Sprite’s artwork is a great blend of the art of Disney and the art of anime. I was most drawn to her beautiful eyes and very detailed hair. As far as art goes, it was love at first sight.

DV: The detail is amazing and it looks so true to the film. What was the hardest part of the figure to get just right?
A: Thank you! The lines were definitely the hardest part of the Spring Sprite figure. I spent hours trying to get the lines as straight as possible. It took over 30 hours of drawing and painting time to complete her.

DV: Was the plan always to put her on a 9″?
A: Yes, I love the 9” form because I have the space to add intricate details. I loved the details in her artwork and wanted to be able to capture all those details on my custom.


DV: That is a really fun design for Beast. What went into the design and did you have any challenges applying it to the 3D form?
A: My main goal for the cutie-pie series is for people to look at the custom and get warm fuzzy feelings. I always loved Beauty and the Beast, so I decided to make the Beast look less menacing. I started by sketching out the design on paper. After I got most of the design kinks out on paper, I then drew the design on the 3” form. I think my main challenge was once again the lines. I had to use a very small brush to get them straight. He was a lot of fun to create; he’s my favorite 3” I have created at the moment.

DV: What other characters might we see in your “cutie-pie” series down the road?
A: I have a huge list of cutie-pie custom candidates. I don’t want to give away too much, but some of them are main characters, while others, like the Spring Sprite, are supporting characters that I love.

DV: Is your work for sale?
A: Yes, I have a store on my website where anyone can view the customs I currently have available. I also take commission work as well.

DV: I see you also accept trades for Disney figures you want as well?
A: Yes, my vinylmation want list can be found under my about page on my website. Since I just started collecting and customizing vinylmations recently in December of 2011, my collection is quite small and I would love to add some of my favorite pieces to it.

DV: Where can people go to view your work and contact you?
A: My work can be viewed on my Facebook Fanpage as well as my website:
www.facebook.com/customsbyaaralyn
www.customsbyaaralyn.com
I can also be contacted by email at: customsbyaaralyn@aol.com

DV: Thank you. Your work is amazing and we look forward to seeing your next round of customs.

A: Thanks so much for featuring my customs!

Cry Me an Alice

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Today we finally get a sneak peak at the Thomas Scott designed Alice LE set that includes a 9″ Crying Alice and 3 Jr figures that will be released on April 13.

It is limited to 2500 figures and will retail for $74.95. I think the proportions for Alice are perfect on the 9″ figure. Everything seems to fit much better here than on the Animation 1 3″ design. Even though that 3″ was one of my favorites, this one just knocks it out of the park. Here, we also get another very detailed Jr human figure. Alice, as with Snow, the Dwarfs and Aurora, looks wonderful on the small canvas.

I like the price too. 75 bucks keeps this one relatively priced with previous releases. We were all a bit worried after some other price increases. Does this LE set make it into your collection? What are your thoughts on the design? For more on Alice LE sets, check out our explained page.

I’m Ready For My Close Up Mr. Mouse

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

Evilos just tweeted us this picture.

It is the Walt Disney Studios Director Mickey. As far as we understand it, only available to Cast Members of the Burbank Studio at the store on the lot.

25% Off Disney Store Sale

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

I’ve never seen a store make so much of a 25th anniversary. You’d have to live under a rock, or not be a Disney fan, to not know the Disney Store is celebrating 25 years tomorrow. Honestly, as I’ve said before, I don’t really celebrate any store’s birthday. But there is reason to care about this one.

Use promo code HAPPY25 to get the discount online. Print the coupon at this link to get the discount in the store. Let us know what you get! Also, the first 250 people in line at each store will receive these:

A Hauntingly Good Time

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

A special thing happened to me while hanging around the Haunted Mansion today, but first, the Disney Vinylmation Blog has finally given us a release date for the Haunted Mansion pocket watch. On Friday, April 13th you may purchase this Caley Hicks designed masterpiece in the following locations: Both D-Street, World of Disney (WDW and DLR), Uptown Jewelers (MK) and New Century Jewelers (DLR).

This timepiece to me is a nice tribute to a classic attraction. The pocket watch itself is the highlight for me. A really unique design that screams Haunted Mansion. With this news, I also want to share with you a Magical Moment I had today at the Magic Kingdom. Austin and myself were taking pictures of the Nightmare figures by the Haunted Mansion. We also had the Park 5 Haunted Mansion Clock with us for a picture. While setting up a shot, we were approached by a Cast Member who had talked with us a few minutes before about our collections. He asked if we wanted to take a picture in a place not everyone gets to see. We of course said sure and followed him backstage. We entered the Servants Quarters. There we saw a board on one wall full of keys. These, he said, were the room keys for the mansion. On the opposite wall were numerous bells hanging off the wall all attached to a wire that went into the wall. These bells would ring when the master in that room had summoned a servant. One of the bells read “Uncle Davis’ Sleeping Salon”, a nod to the legendary Imagineer Marc Davis who created many of the gags you see around WDW attractions, including this mansion. The Cast Member prompted us to pose our vinyl figure for a photo with this unique off-stage prop.

It was a great experience and I appreciate kindness and willingness to make a guest’s day by this Cast Member.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist John Ward

WDWNT on June 22, 2012

We have featured John Ward before, and he just sent us some pictures of his latest work. Seeing that we have had so many stories on the Haunted Mansion turning 40 lately, we thought it perfect to share these with you now. We think the pictures tell the whole story…. or is your computer screen actually stretching?