Director Mickey For Sale at DisneyStore.com

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

I try to stay positive. We all understood, after it happened the first few times, that “LocationSpecific” Vinylmation released at Disney Stores in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco and such would eventually end up at the online Disney Store. We all changed our vocabulary from “Exclusive” to “Specific.” But Directory Mickey, released last year at the Burbank Studio Store on the Disney Studio Lot was supposed to be different. It seemed as though this was a limited time (not edition) item that would could only be picked up by Cast Members on the lot. Such other CM exclusive figures have never been available outside the cast only stores at WDW and DLR. But today, Director Mickey showed up available at the DisneyStore.com for $14.95.

I thought it might be an April Fools joke, but sure enough, I was able to add it to my cart and make it to the payment page. I have absolutely no problem making these “Location Specific” figures available to a wider audience online. But I do have a problem promoting a product as something it is not. With it’s discounts and sale policies, the Disney Store continues to set a precedent that makes a mockery of something Disney itself tries to promote as a collectible. What knowledgeable Vinylmation collector will actually purchase any of the upcoming Wild West Vinylmation blind boxes within the first couple months of the April 20 release? There was no reasonable assumption Director Mickey would be available outside of the Burbank Studio Store, and coming on the heels of the “Through the Years” Mickey combo released this past weekend, it makes it even more shocking. By the way, more price drops on DisneyStore.com today as well including blind boxes for $5.99.

Spotlight On: Casey’s Custom Accessories

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

We spotlight lots of custom artists on DV, but Casey Maute has put a twist on things. He creates custom accessories for your Vinylmation.

Destination Vinylmation: First off, what gave you the idea to start creating accessories for Vinylmation figures?
Casey Maute: I made my first ever painted custom for my friend and it looked pretty ridiculous… it looked like a baby so I figured it needed a baby piano! After I made that, he encouraged me to make more accessories. I’ve been working with clay for years now, making jewelry… so it was a perfect way to use my love of vinyls to continue with my clay work.

DV: Have you created any custom Vinylmation?
CM: I have! I’ve made one 3″ Winnie the Pooh for myself.. it’s not the greatest.. but I wanted to at least try to do a custom.. Then, I made the custom Sonny Eclipse with his baby “Fisher-Price” piano. I haven’t done any more painting, and stick to accessories now.

DV: You seem to create accessories for both Disney produced and custom figures.
CM: Most of the customs I make accessories for are for the artists. I’ve done a whole series of accessories for Crazy4Vinyls for his Simpsons series and I’ve done several for Jenny Grinsell’s customs.

DV: I am huge Sonny Eclipse fan. I have to visit him often to sit through a show even if I don’t eat there. You feature a lot of Sonny Eclipse, are you a fan as well?
CM: I’ve become a fan, but anything Sonny Eclipse related was for Shane Russell’s Sonny Eclipse army! He’s really let me get creative and make up all kinds of crazy things for his Sonny’s to wear.

DV: Did you create the custom Sonnys we see in the photos? If so, can you tell us about them?
CM: I did not, the credit goes all to Jenny Grinsell! She’s amazing and really has taken customs to the next level with her level of detail and creativity.

DV: Do you plan on selling your accessories? If so, do you take requests?
CM: Yes, and yes! Anyone can message me on my Facebook fan page and request a custom accessory. I’ll let you know how much it costs and if its doable. I can always recreate something, or work with you to make something totally unique.

Follow Casey on Facebook and Instagram to see more of his work and contact him with your requests.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/outsidetheblox
Instagram: @osohandmade

Josh Edwards’ ToT Custom Series For Sale Today 3/29!

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

These will be for sale on Friday, March 29th at noon central standard time. So that would be 1pm for the east coasters and 10am for the west coasters. If you are interested in a chance to buy one, please send me a message through my custom page ON that day and no earlier. The price of each box will be $55. I will start with the first person once I receive payment then I will go to the next until all 12 are sold.

Follow Josh on his Facebook page.

Latest Progress on “Tangled” Restroom Area

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

A WDWNT reader was nice enough to send in the following pictures of the “Tangled” restroom area in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom that is currently under construction:

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As you can see, work is nearing completion

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Pavement is down where guests can cross into Liberty Square

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There will even be a small water feature as guests cross a bridge

Stay tuned as we continue to track the progress on this new area of Fantasyland until it is completed!

Wild West Explained

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

Wild West
Release Date: April 20
Disney Stores
Artist Signing with Gerald Mendez and Enrique Pita at the Sun Coast Plaza Mall in Costa Meza, CA on April 20 from 10am-1pm.

Update 04/02/13 We added photos from Disney of the set.



Update 04/01/13 We added photos from Vinylmation Exchange of the remaining 6 figures off the side of the tray.


Update 03/29/13 Zoe sent in some up close photos of each figure. This is where the Disney Store shines!!! Back to doing a Disney Character-centric set. We never questioned the talent of the DS artists, just the choice of designs they produce. They have a command of the Mickey platform when drawing characters on the canvas. We just want them to be DISNEY! You may not purchase this particular set, but this is what the average VM collector wants to see from these artists. The colors are wonderful. The use of ears with the various western back drops are perfect. The biggest plus is that they changed them up. And the accessories? Among the best we have ever seen. Just take a look…

 Pluto

First of all, they used the Furry Friends/Whiskers Tales paws! This may be my favorite Pluto. I love he just took a bite out of the bad guy’s pants. The “V” star belt is a wonderful touch.

Mickey

He is the sheriff. Disney Store makes the most amazing hats. The chewing on the wheat is a perfect touch. And I love that the artist used an old school Mickey.

Minnie Mouse

The bonnet is another great accessory by the Disney Store. She has the old school like, just like Mickey. Disney Store does the characters so well… some of the best mouse faces we have seen in Vinylmation.

Donald

Donald as an Indian is just spectacular. The expression the DS artists give to his face in all his figures are the perfect way to draw him. It is very hard to make the duck bill work, but they always do. The feather head dress! What can I say? I can not wait to have this one in hand. Then, in the ears, you can see the wild west landscape with cactus and teepees. 

Daisy

As much as I’m not a Daisy fan, the design here is a lot of fun. She looks like a performer in a wild west saloon. The clothing and feather in ear are great. Love the star background as well. 

Clarabelle

Great addition of a classic Disney cow into this western series.

Horace

Another one with Furry Friends paws. Great choice of the classic Disney horse into this set.

Goofy

Crazy eyes.

Huey, Dewy and Louie

It’s about time we get Donald’s nephews into a set. Three 3″ figures here. Wonderfully themed as Indians to fit in with Donald.

Mystery Chaser

Zoe was walking through the South Coast Plaza Mall in California today and happened upon this poster:


Looks like the Wild West series may be a smaller open window series similar to Disney Tunes. But a close look at the fine print mentions “purchase of a tray”, so I am not sure at this time. The series seems to be set for a Disney Store release on April 20th with an artist signing with Gerald Mendez and Enrique Pita from 10a-1pm at the South Coast Plaza Mall. We do expect the nation wide release over the same weekend.

Collector’s Corner: Kimiko

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

How long have you been collecting? I’ve been collecting for 3 1/2 years, since October of 2009
How many vinyl do you have? According to Chasing Vinylmation, I have 878….. yikes!

What was your first vinylmation? Urban 2 Cosmos
What is your favorite Disney made Vinylmation? This is tough. I think my all time favorite is Park 5 flowers and fairies. I love the crystals!
Who is your favorite Disney artist? It’s a 3 way tie between Thomas Scott, Maria Clapsis, and Mike Sullivan.
What is your favorite custom vinyl? I love all the customs I have, but my favorite is the Starducks custom by Red Virtue Vinylmation Arts. I’m a huge Starbucks fiend, so this was perfect for me!

Nick has one of those. He’s a big drinker too. What is the vinyl you want but don’t have yet? Definitely the park 1 balloon chaser!
What you are looking forward to in 2013 from Vinylmation? I’m looking forward to more Disney themed vinyls. Really looking forward to the Beauty and the Beast set!

Thanks for sharing your collection with us Kimiko. I hope you can share it again in a year and we can see how much bigger it is!

Reminder: If you’d like to share your own collection with us, just email us and your collection can be featured too!

Custom VinylMadness 2013 Winner

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

And it’s done! The first annual Custom VinylMadness is over and the winner is Aristocats, by Mark Hoffmann. Look for an interview with Mark Hoffmann on an upcoming episode of the Destination Vinylmation podcast. Also, Mark has won three months of advertising on the DV website and podcast! We would like to thank all the custom artists who sent in customs for the Madness and we would also like to thank all the voters who helped us crown this year’s winner! See the entire bracket here.

PICTURES: Walt Disney World Busses Getting a New Look

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

Cast Members and Guests traveling on roadways at the Walt Disney World Resort may notice a new bus in town.

bus paint

The new bus design scheme makes its debut on a Nova bus model in our bus fleet this week. The colors and design elements were developed with safety in mind and feature reflective vinyl, which improves visibility.

bus paint night

The silver and red color scheme also complements the bus drivers’ costume.

busdriver

Urban Redux Super Mystery Chasers Revealed

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

I am very impressed with the Disney Merchandise Blog. As we talked about in the last DV Podcast episode, the Merchandise Blog is taking the lead in being THE source for news on Disney theme parks merchandise releases. The official Vinylmation blog and now the official Pin blog, both redirect to the merchandise blog. I do think the consolidation and dedicated authors is a great thing… now that they are setting this precedent, let’s hope they keep it up. Now, onto the BIG news.

There are a total of 24 one-of-a-kind Super Mystery Chasers inserted into Urban Redux Series 1. Above, you can see just 6 of them. There are 4 from each artist. At least in this group, they appear to be spin offs from the original set designs. Caley drew an ant from her ant farm. Monty drew the Pig in full form from his Pig, Bunny, Turtle figure. And Maria drew a Cat Ninja to go with her human ninja in the set. I keep loving the idea of this series more and more! I know there will be debate on this, but I enjoy the fact that the Super Mystery Chasers have something to do with the figures from the base set. They almost tell a mini story. Challenge: If you come to own all four Redux customs from a single artist, you get to co-host an episode of the Destination Vinylmation podcast with us!

We wondered if we would ever see these. It is good to know that we will eventually see all the designs via the Disney Merchandise Blog. They promise peeks at the remaining figures. They also link to a Disney Parks Blog article about Redux and point guests to the online store for purchase. And, in another post, they reveal the chaser to the upcoming Cutesters en Vogue and promise to show us the variants next week. Now, we have already seen them all, from photos they already hid online, plus the series is already out in Paris… but this could mark a shift in philosophy for the blogs. Stay tuned. So far, a wonderful start to this much needed Disney blog.

Star Wars 3 Explained

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

Star Wars Series 3
Release Date: (varies, see below)
Disney is spreading out the SW vinyl releases over the four Star Wars Weekends:

Vinylmation™ – Star Wars™ Series 3
Release Date at Darth’s Mall DHS: May 17, 2013
Release Date other WDW and DLR locations: May 20, 2013
Edition Size: Limited Release
Retail: $12.95, plus tax per figure
Vinylmation™ – Star Wars™ Series #3 – Jabba the Hutt & Salacious B. Crumb Set
Release Date at Darth’s Mall DHS: May 24, 2013
Release Date at D-Street Disneyland: May 27, 2013
Edition Size: 1,000
Retail: $59.95, plus tax
Vinylmation™ Juniors Series 9: Star Wars™ Droids


Release Date at Darth’s Mall DHS: May 31, 2013
Release Date other WDW and DLR locations: June 3, 2013
Edition Size: Mystery Box
Retail: $9.95, plus tax per figure
Vinylmation™ – Star Wars™ Series #3 – Han Solo in Carbonite

Release Date at Darth’s Mall DHS: June 7, 2013
Release Date at D-Street Disneyland: June 10, 2013

Edition Size: 2,000
Retail: $32.95, plus tax



Update 04/30/13 Star Wars 3 Variant and Chaser revealed.



Update 04/01/13 Steven Miller released some product info for the Star Wars 3 series. The highlights include a $13 price point for blind boxes as opposed to the $15 of SW2. Also, the 2000 LE size for the Han Solo. His price point is a whopping $33 and he will be available at Disneyland as well.

The Disney Park Blog has released a photo of 11 of the figures for the upcoming Return of the Jedi themed Star Wars Series 3 Vinylmation set plus 2 Limited Edition figures. These will all debut, along with the Vinylmation Series 9 Jr. Droids, at Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios beginning on May 17th. (then presumably later at Disneyland)

Star Wars #3 – Limited Release Mystery Series
Top Row: Imperial Guard, Logray, Scout Trooper, Wicket, Bib Fortuna
Middle Row: Lando in disguise, Gamorrean Guard, Nien Nunb, Leia in disguise
Bottom Row: Admiral Ackbar, Jedi Master Skywalker

Retail: $12.95 each
Item Number: 400007392601

A few of the highlights: 2 Ewoks. We knew there had to be at least one. Another Luke… this time in black Jedi robes. Another Lando… this time in disguise and it seems to use the same helmet shaped head Vader had in Series 2. A continued use of ears to show back grounds, such as the stars in space and the trees on Endor. I think it is an well chosen lineup out of the film.

Jabba The Hutt and Salacious B. Crumb – 9-inch + 1.5-inch set
Retail $59.95
Edition Size: 1,000

Han Solo in Carbonite – 3-inch figure
Retail $32.95
Edition Size: 2,000
Item Number: 400007435711