Spotlight On: Lawrence Sharma’s Monster’s Inc. Set

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

We found custom artist Lawrence Sharma online last week showing off his almost completed Monster’s Inc customs. When he finished them we got a chance to speak with him about his work.



Destination Vinylmation: How long have you been an artist?

Lawrence Sharma: I’ve been doing art since I was really young. I mostly dabbled in pencil sketches and comic book styled art until high school when I tried my hand at more digital mediums of art (graphic design, photography, photo manipulation). It actually wasn’t until a couple years ago that I picked up a paint brush to start painting my own clay figures. Then I found out about vinyl toys…that’s a whole different story.

DV: How long have you been doing custom vinyl? How did you first get into vinyl?

LS: I actually just started customizing vinyls quite recently. A couple of years ago I first made a robot mascot out of a Munny for a company my friends and I were trying to start up. I also was able to make a Ron Weasley out of a Munny about a year ago, and that where it ended before I found out about the Vinylmation series. My friends collected vinyl toys and the “DIY” aspect of them just appealed to me.

DV: That’s cool. What’s your favorite Disney designed Vinylmation?

LS: My absolute favorite vinylmation is the Urban 5 3D Mickey Chaser! It really stood out to me when I first started collecting. It was just so creative.

DV: Your Monster’s Inc set is incredible. What made you make this set?

LS: Thanks a lot! I made this set mostly because I wanted to do a Disney custom instead of more customs inspired by comic book characters. My friend BK gave me a Vinylmation Jr. he didn’t want so I immediately knew I would use it for a custom. My girlfriend, Chelcie, actually really loves Monster’s Inc. so I decided to make a set based on the characters.

DV: Sounds like a good place to start. While making this set of three characters, what was the biggest challenge?

LS: The biggest challenge had to be finding time to paint the figures. I had done the sculpting and mutilation of Mike a couple months before I actually was able to sit down and paint the figures. School and work just ate up a lot of my time, but the monsters were always sitting in the back of my mind.

DV: I know the feeling. When you got the chance to sit down and paint, what ended up being easier then you expected?

LS: The painting, actually! I’m still figuring out how to paint my figures since it is a relatively new medium for me. I was so surprised at how quickly I was able to paint them once I got started. I just got in the zone, I guess.

DV: I really like your choice to use just the head and feet for Mike. How did you get the arms into his head?

LS: I want to say I used a drill because it seems easiest…but since I didn’t have a drill lying around I had to poke holes on each side with box cutters and I “drilled” into the head with a screwdriver. After some cleaning and sanding, he had the arm holes he needed!

DV: Wow. Well that’s certainly a unique way of doing it. Anything else about the set you want to talk about?

LS: Just that I’m really happy with how it came out and I’m grateful to everyone for all the nice comments and props I’ve been receiving. Thanks everyone! KCCO!

DV: They came out excellent, especially for a first time Vinylmation custom artist. How can people see your other work or request commissions?

LS: You can follow me on instagram @Lsharma or go to my facebook page www.facebook.com/lawrencesharmaart (slowly updating it) to request commissioned work or to see some work I’ve done in the past. Don’t be shy!

DV: So what do you think about the upcoming prequel, Monster’s University?

LS: My initial reaction to it was disappointment because I wanted to see Boo
again and I don’t like the idea of Sulley being a bully. However, the
more we see of it, the more excited we are. She still bugs me to buy her
the for armed monsters University sweater from the website too.

DV: Those are pretty awesome. Thanks for letting us pick your brain. Let us know the next time you have something cool to show off. And don’t forget to keep on collecting!

LS: Thanks!

Spotlight On: Artistic Freedom vs Copyright Infringement?

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

From time to time we like to post important Vinylmation news straight from the source. Custom artists read this, it’s very useful to know.

“First let me introduce myself, my name is Josh Edwards a.k.a. Crazy4Vinyls
and I have been making custom vinylmations for over a year now.  I’m not
sure how many I have created since I first started but what happened to
me recently took me by surprise.  I recently finished a custom 12 piece
Simpsons set that I created for a couple of reasons.  The first was my
love of the show and second I was inspired by a recent blue sky article
on Vinylmation Kingdom. After I finished the set I listed most of the
customs on ebay and thought nothing of it.   A few days went by and I
went to check on the listings and discovered that all of them were
removed except for one.  I saw in my messages that ebay was contacted by
20th Century Fox.  This was considered a copyright infringement.  I am
not here to argue what they did was wrong because Fox does own the show
and have the right to have the items removed. I was surprised because I
have created numerous non-disney customs but this was the first time
I’ve had items removed.

So the purpose of this
article is to let other artists out there be aware that these kinds of
things could happen as you create your next work of (non-disney) art!
Paint On!
Josh”Let us know if you’ve ever had problems selling your customs, we’d love to start a conversation about this.

Hope You Held Off Buying Barney’s

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

Straight from barneys.com, a sale of epic proportions. $195 vinylmations for only $49 dollars. This means that these sale vinyl are close to being the cheapest things on the Barney site!

Did you pick one of these up for full price? Will you pick one up now that they are cheaper? Let us know!

Vinylmation Race Mini Medals for Tink and Princess

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

This past weekend, the 2013 Run Disney figure was released with mini medals available for the WDW Marathon, Half and Goofy. Now, as anticipated, Disney has announced the upcoming release of mini medals for the Disneyland Tinker Bell Half Marathon and the Walt Disney World Princess Half.

The Run Disney Vinylmation figure is out now at D-Street Orlando and is due for a January 18 release at D-Street Anaheim. On that same day, should be the release of the mini medal for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon, as the race is that weekend. The mini medal for the WDW Princess Half Marathon looks to be set for a February 22 release according to the Disney Events page (the race does run that same weekend). The mini medals for the three WDW Marathon Weekend races are currently available at the Clubhouse Store at ESPN Wide World of Sports and D-Street Orlando.

I picked up the Run Disney figure along with the WDW Marathon Medal. Take a look at the two pictures below.

You can see on the bottom picture how big the string is that hangs around the Vinylmation’s neck. It is a little bit excessive and requires some creative hanging to make it look right. I didn’t like the medal hanging below the race bib, so I tucked it up a little. If you let it hang all the way, it goes down to the shoes. Best option in my opinion is to position the medal on front where you like it, and then snap the head down onto the string. You leave a ton of excess in the back, but you can not see it when viewed head on. Buy the way, congrats to all the DV readers and listeners who participated in the WDW Marathon weekend.

I did… and it was a blast! It was my first marathon. Did you run? Tell us about it. What was your favorite moment. Mine was a little photo op with the terror that flaps in the night…

Spotlight On: Rust This World’s Two Toned Vinylmation

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

Listeners, you are in for a treat today. We spoke to one of our favorite custom artists Rust This World about his latest series “Two Toned”. He was happy to share this series, and how you could own a piece of it, with us.

Destination Vinylmation: Welcome back Rust, explain your latest set.
Rust This World: Vinylmation 2-Tone is the culmination of several months work. My intention was to create an extremely stylized but also cohesive set of 12 figures. Since I incorporate a lot of shading into my figures anyway, I wanted to see what it would be like in a 2-toned black and white only style, giving it a super contrasted comic-book look.

DV: It looks great! What characters did you use?
RTW: Included in the set are Ariel, Beast, Donald Duck, Pinocchio, Cheshire Cat, Jessica Rabbit, Buzz Lightyear, Maleficent, The Evil Queen, Scar, The Hatbox Ghost, and Sorceror Mickey. There 3 different versions of Mickey because as soon as I showed him off on Facebook, I got over 10 messages of people wanting him.

DV: I don’t blame them, these figures look great! How can I get one?
RTW: There are 14 figures in all and in order to make it fair to everyone who wishes to purchase a figure, I will be selling them blindbox. The price will be $65 per blind box and they will be sold exclusively through my online store at rustthisworld.bigcartel.com starting at 10 am PST (1 PM EST) on Sunday, January 13th and will be available until they’re gone. There is no set limit on how many you can purchase.

DV: Here’s $650. Can I have 10? Just kidding. Good luck on the sale. Where can people find more of yours?
RTW: Visit my website at rustthisworld.com or become a fan on facebook at facebook.com/rustthisworld or follow me on twitter @rustthisworld

DV: Can you tease us about what you’re doing next?
RTW: My next project after this series is working with 11 other artists for the Custom Artist Project series 2. For info on that, join our group facebook.com/groups/ArtistProject/

DV: That project last year was beautiful, I can’t want to see what they do this year. Thanks again, and keep on collecting!

New Possible Release Dates and Sets

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

A source of Vinylmation Kingdom provided release dates for some upcoming series. None of these dates are confirmed by Disney at this time, but they give us a peak at windows to anticipate these sets. A few are once we know about, a few are ones we have never heard of.

3/8 – Oz Series – This series of 3″/Jr combos will celebrate the upcoming Disney Movie “Oz: The Great and Powerful.” March 8 is also the release date of the movie.

3/24 – Mickey’s Wild West Series – No idea about this one. I’d assume Mickey and Pals in western garb and probably not the 1928 comedy short staring Mickey Rooney.There is a 1934 Disney Short called “Two Gun Mickey.”

There is also a show at the Disneyland Paris Disney Village called “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.”

“An encounter with Buffalo Bill, Sitting Bull, Annie Oakley and the Rough Riders brings the audience back to the Old West. Upon arrival, guests are greeted by Mickey in the festive atmosphere of Colonel Cody’s Saloon alongside Goofy Sheriff and the musicians. Let the Show begin!”

3/29 – Cutesters: En Vogue Series – This will be the first series on the new Minnie shaped platform. Features a high fashion look.

4/5 – Urban Redux 1 Series – The reboot of the Urban series will feature different set sizes than we are used to.

4/12 – 9″ Chernobog and Animation 3 Series – The great part about the 9″ Chernobog announcement is that we have now seen a few 9 inch figures with accessories. So if this doesn’t have wings, big disappointment. He could be a part of the Fantasia series. Animation 3 is solid so far from what we had seen at Mickey’s Circus.

4/22 – Masks Series – I can’t even begin to guess.

4/26 – Monsters University Series – A mystery box set featuring characters from the upcoming Disney Pixar film.

Chasing Tales

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

Looks like Vinylmation Kingdom uncovered some possible Whiskers and Tail series revelations. First off, the name is rumored to actually be “Whiskers and Tales” not Tails. This photo was found on the VK Facebook page.

Next up, they had a source that informed them the chaser will be none other than the lovable mouse from Dumbo:

Timothy Q. Mouse in a Whiskers and Talesesqe pose.

Spotlight On: Crazy4Vinyls’ Rescue Rangers Series

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

Another regular here at Destination Vinylmation is the custom artist Crazy4Vinyls. We heard he had a great set of Rescue Ranger figures and we asked for more details. This is what he said.

Destination Vinylmation: What was your interest in doing a set of Rescue Rangers?

Crazy4Vinyl: I was actually contacted by a collector who wanted me to create a rescue ranger custom for him. I believe the first one I made for him was Gadget. He wanted her to go with the official rescue ranger set. After he got her he was so pleased that he contacted me wanting an entire set.

DV: I love that you included Zipper as a Jr. You have great choices in characters, how did you choice which ones include?

C4V: The person who I created these for is the one who picked all of the characters so the credit goes to him, I just created them.

DV: Are you a fan of the show?

C4V: I shouldn’t admit this but I have never seen an episode of the cartoon, ever.

DV: That must make it harder to do a set. What was the most challenging part of this set to design/create?

C4V: The hardest part for me was to try and capture an expression or look for each character.  I was trying to stay away from the normal generic faces and tried to create these customs as if they came right out of the cartoon.

DV: What is your favorite Disney created Vinyl these days?

C4V: Most everyone knows me for my love (obsession) of the LGM from park series 2.  This was the first vinylmation that I purchased while on a trip to WDW and continues to be my favorite. I have now collected 23 of this figure.

DV: Don’t worry. Nick’s collected armies like that of Stormtroopers, Bees, and several other figures. In case they don’t remember, where can people see your stuff and do you take commissions?

C4V: You can find me on facebook in two ways:

Customs page:  Crazy4Vinyls Customs by Josh Edwards.  You can send me a message there.

OR

You can send me a message through my regular facebook page Josh Edwards

You can also contact me through e-mail: edwardsjmn123 at comcast.net

DV: Thanks again for sharing these with us. Let us know the next time you have something interesting to share!

Where In the World Do You Vinyl?: Introduction

WDWNT on February 6, 2013

We are Ben and Brendt. And like the rest of you, we are obsessed with the 3” collectible known as Vinylmation.  However, unlike many of you, we have the extreme disadvantage of living thousands of miles away from a Disney park.  While those in Orlando and Anaheim get to enter Fantasyland or Futureworld to make their purchases and trades, we have to drive 30 minutes to the closest shopping mall.  Not only is it a less glamorous setting, but also there are limitations to what is available for purchase.  While we understand there is a market for the Disney Store exclusive sets, we are more interested in the Vinylmation that represent the Disney attractions and characters we have grown to love.  There have been several sets sold in Disney Stores that meet these criteria, but there is not much room for our collection to grow when all that can be found in a trading box are Cutesters, Robots, and Under the Big Top.

Average Trading Box in local Disney Store

Another option to getting our hands on limited edition sets and park exclusives is through DisneyStore.com.  However, not everything that is available in the parks even goes up on the site. Even when we do get lucky, there is the added stress of hot items selling out very quickly. Not to mention that you don’t even know if your order went through.  There have even been occasions where, after waiting a week for items to arrive, we open our package to find the items damaged.  Being all the way in New Jersey, the only way to attempt to get items that are not in Disney Stores or online, is to get on the phone and call guest services.  The disadvantage to this tactic is the products aren’t even available for us to order until two weeks after they are on sale in the parks.  They even play Disney songs while on hold to torture and remind you how far from the parks you actually are.  Now, all of this may sound a little cynical, but the truth of the matter is, we love collecting. We enjoy the chase of trying to finish sets, and anticipating what is in that blind box.

Disney Store, Palisades Center Mall, West Nyack, NY

Recently we have discovered a whole community through Facebook and Instagram, to help further our trades.  The fact of the matter is, it is still extremely possible to have a thriving collection, even in our conditions.  Our goal with this column is to comment on our experiences of collecting in this environment. We look forward to hearing from others in the same boat as us.