Spotlight On: Aaralyn’s Tick Tock

WDWNT on March 18, 2013

Aaralyn is back and this time she created this cool Tick Tock from Peter Pan! We got her to talk a little about this figure. Make sure you take a close look at Tick’s stomach, there’s more then meets the eye there.

“I wanted to share a recent custom of mine that breaks away from the cuteness of my traditional style. A few friends of mine have been pushing me to try something different and with the recent re-release of Peter Pan, I decided to make one of my favorite characters from the movie.

Disney has a great talent for giving characters personality, even when those characters don’t speak, and I believe Tick-Tock falls into this category. One of my favorite scenes from the movie is when Smee is shaving Captain Hook (or the seagull rather) and Tick-Tock comes along. After Smee scolds him, he pouts before turning around and leaving. This clip from the movie was my main inspiration for this piece.

I added quite a few elements to this custom that I have never attempted before, which made this custom one of my most challenging. The first challenge I faced was cutting a hole in the body of the custom. After, I had to figure out how I wanted Tick-Tock’s face to fit on the mold and I spent a lot of time focused on his face. Somewhere in the process I decided to add a painted canvas background to his case, to give the custom more depth.

The last part of the process was installing the sound, working pocket-watch, and scenery inside the custom, then protecting it all with a piece of plexiglass. While the sound is installed inside the custom, the button to activate it can be pushed while Tick-Tock is sitting in his case.

In addition, I created a video to showcase these features:

I am also having a contest on my Facebook page to win a 3″ vinylmation custom, and the character will be chosen by the winner! The giveaway end March 12. 2013 at 9 pm CST. Please visit my Facebook page linked below for details; thanks for reading and good luck!

For more information my work:
“Like” my art page on Facebook for customs, giveaways and more at facebook.com/artworksbyaaralyn
Follow my on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest: @ArtistAaralyn
Visit my website for customs, Disney photography and more at artworksbyaaralyn.com“

Disney Store’s 40% Off Sale

WDWNT on March 18, 2013

So, Disney now calls Vinylmation a “toy” instead of “collectible?” Ok, fine, the banner for the sale does say “& More.” 

Many Vinylmation is included in this 40% off sale. They include:
Under the Big Top
Nursery Rhymes
Extreme Wrestlers
Extreme Wrestler 9″
Robots 3
Robots 3 9″
Myths and Legends

Park 2 Photoshoot

WDWNT on March 18, 2013

Here are some photos of the Park 2 series taken around Walt Disney World. Can you guess where some of these photos were taken? (some are more obvious than others)

Trading Locations Reportedly on Decline at Disneyland Too

WDWNT on March 18, 2013

We reported last week about an internal memo sent to Walt Disney World Cast Members announcing a decrease in trading locations around the resort (read about it here). Now, we are getting word that Disneyland will see a similar decrease in trading locations.

While we have now knowledge of a memo, we do have word from OC Vinyl Don (VinylmationTraders.com) and others who spoke to Cast Members who confirmed the reduction of trading locations at Disneyland. Word is, there will only be three locations: D-Street, Disneyana (Disneyland) and Off the Page (DCA).

In the previous article, we discussed many pros and cons and heard your opinions as well. Now, Disneyland guests… what are your thoughts? Comment, email or call 209-28 MOUSE and we will play your comments on the next podcast.

New Friends, Same Tale?

WDWNT on March 18, 2013

When the sequel to Furry Friends was announced in December, the Vinylmation community rejoiced. After all, Furry Friends was a very popular set with wonderful character selection and a unique design element. It was however plagued with production issues that led to out roar and recalls. Surely, the sequel would be scrutinized by Disney, making sure the same would not happen. They even went so far as to change the name to Whiskers and Tales, in an apparent attempt to distance themselves from FF. Today, they were released across Disney Stores and Online. According to numerous reports around the web and emails we have received, Whiskers and Tales does indeed suffer from similar production issues. Now, to be clear, it is hard to tell if the problem is with a majority of the figures, like seemed to be the case with Furry Friends. But it is clear there is an issue. The returns are still early, but we have seen scuff marks, dirty vinyls, no paint on spots and other issues. We must also note that many people have reported purchasing trays or blind boxes and didn’t have a single production issue to speak of. Here are some examples of problems we found around Facebook and via email. Please contact us with your pictures and comments.

Just wanted to let u guys know I purchased a few today and they have the same low production issues like furry friends did, look at his left ear. he Disney store is letting me exchange the defective ones and letting me open then there before I exchange them. – Matt

Okay so thankfully the rest of my case were okay. The others still had minor scuffs but nothing to get upset over! Poor Lambert though. – Nicole

One of my bolts is missing his bolt on the tag. – Patrick

One of these Bolt’s is not like the other – Breanne

Shuffled but what the heck??? TWO chasers, 4 bolts, 3 lucky, dinah and nana. 1 Tito, figaro, lucifer, lambert and flower! Jennifer (many cases have incorrect ratios)

QA anyone? Not white spots – that’s no paint at all – Jennifer

Is Trading at the Parks Dying?

WDWNT on March 18, 2013

I’ve told the story many times. A few years ago, I walked past those Vinylmation display shelves and just itched to buy one. But the idea of not knowing what I would get was a foreign idea to me. So I kept passing. But one July day I walked into MouseGears and Disney had set up trade boxes behind the counter. I bought ten boxes that day. Then returned 3 times a week for months just to trade. We have just received word of a rumor of an internal memo sent to various merchandise locations at Walt Disney World stating that as of February 2, 2013 many locations around the resort will no longer offer trading. We have heard that no resorts and only the following locations will continue to offer trading: Emporium (Magic Kingdom), MouseGears and Disney Traders (Epcot), Villains in Vogue (DHS), Island Mercantile (DAK), D-Street and Disney Pin Traders (DTD).

So, we ask, is Trading at the parks dying? Please weigh in with your thoughts. This will be a feature on the next podcast so leave your comments here to be read on the show. Or, better yet, call 209-28-MOUSE and leave a voicemail to be played on the show.

n my opinion, it would be hard to bring back the “hey day” of park trading. With the abundance of sets, outlet discounts and general awareness, finding special or even needed figures at the parks for hard core collectors is next to impossible. There is however still merit for new or occasional traders. A friend of mine from New York had a blast finding figures he liked through park trading. But as fun as vinyl trading with Cast Members is, it never felt as smooth as pin trading.

There are both pros and cons to park trading. A pro would be guest interaction. But that comes at a cost. The boxes are at registers, so unlike pin trading, vinyl trading clogs up the lines. There is also more of a break in the work rhythm when a CM has to carry a box over to you as opposed to showing off a lanyard. I know I’d find it annoying as a worker. Another pro, is you introduce people to the product. Vinylmation has always had that “what is that?” factor. There are also those Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) where fellow collectors will leave behind valuable figures for others to find. Another pro would be Cast Exclusive traders. How fun is it to be on the lookout for a figure you know you can’t buy in the store? One more con would be the cost for Disney. We have seen our fair share of broken trade boxes. Replacing those can not be fun for the number crunchers that work for the mouse.

In conclusion, my thought is limited trading at the parks is not a bad thing. For the average guest, it will still provide an intro to the hobby. For the advanced collector, online trade groups fill that gap with excellence. Sure you can not trade your commons up for a more coveted figure, but those days have largely passed anyway. My worries lie in the lack of the bi-monthly trade events at the parks. Those, in my opinion, are more vital to the hobby than plastic boxes at the register filled with outlet vinyls.

P.S. As I put the finishing touches on this article while walking around Animal Kingdom this morning, I found a Mascot Donald in an open trade box. I excitedly traded for it so I have an extra to display with all my Donald stuff. So what do I know?!

New Disneyland D-Street Display

WDWNT on March 18, 2013

In December, Walt Disney World introduced a new display window at D-Street. It utilized a ton of different Vinylmation in a variety of wacky ways. We just learned that Disneyland has done the same. Take a look.

Fantasia 5: Bacchus and Donkey

WDWNT on March 18, 2013

On February 22, the 5th of 8 of the Fantasia combos will be released via the Disney Vinylmation Facebook Store.

The surprise here is Eric Caszett is credited with the design of Bacchus and Donkey. We were under the impression Thomas Scott did the entire set. Like the rest, it will retail for $24.95 and be an edition size of 1500.

Spotlight On: Celeste’s Wonder Woman, Genie, Tokidoki

WDWNT on March 18, 2013

We noticed a few new customs from our friend Celeste and we asked her to share them with us. Here’s what she said. (“Her Wonder Woman piece is amazing. I love the details, including the lasso!”-MC)

“I’d thought I share a few customs I’ve been working on for the last few months. First is Wonder Woman,she was made as a Christmas present for a very special gal. When finally revealed I was overjoyed by the wonderful response from everyone.

Another favorite I had the pleasure of creating is a Tokidoki inspired custom and I loved how this came out.

A new series I hope to finish over the next month or so is series 2 of light up customs. The first series was all princesses and the second one I’m calling “Spellbound”, and it will be a magic based theme. It will include some of the most famous and infamous characters. Here’s a sneak peek of one of the figures that will be included in the series, Genie!!

Thanks for having me and you can always check out my fb for more customs @ facebook.com/pages/Celeste-Custom-Vinylmations/253094558053568“

Celeste, we can’t wait until you complete the light up series. It looks amazing!