Villains 4 Dumpster Divers Attack eBay

WDWNT on September 17, 2013

A couple figures that are stamped “Villains 4” on the feet have surfaced on eBay. These are unreleased figures, not meant to be circulated into the hobby, so we ask that you do not purchase them from the Hong Kong sellers who pulled these out of the junk pile. As the listings humorously say, they are “90% New!”… not too shabby. But we do get a sneak peek at two of the figures for the upcoming Disney Store series. And these photos have rumors flying that we will see a release at or near the September 13th Reflections of Evil trading event at Epcot. Take a look at Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas and the Cyclops from Hercules.

Tokyo Halloween Juniors for 2013

WDWNT on September 17, 2013

Vinylmation Exchange has posted a photo of a pair of Halloween themed Juniors that are set for a September 3rd release in Tokyo Disneyland.

Disneyland Trading Night: September 20, 2013

WDWNT on September 17, 2013

There will be Trading Night at the Disneyland Resort on September 20, from 5 – 8 p.m in the Pacific Ballroom at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel.

Disney asks that Guests do not line up until one hour prior to the start of the event. Please park in the Downtown Disney District parking area or the Mickey and Friends parking structure.

There will be a Haunted Mansion pin trading night pin:

Spotlight On: Cesar’s Marvel Disney Villains Customs

WDWNT on September 17, 2013

“I was commissioned by a fan of my work to make a 3 piece villains set for the event “13 Reflections of Evil” that will take place in September. What better way to portray villains than with Marvel ones. Donald as Doctor Doom has to be the hardest carded custom to date. Donald’s beak was sculpted and that added more weight to the figure.”

“Mounting it is more of a challenge because the plastic bubble has to be able to support that extra weight. But in the end it worked out. So for the people attending the event in Florida, be sure to check out these Marvel Disney Villains in person.”

Cesar Diaz
mycustomations.com
customations@gmail.com
Twitter: mycustomations
Facebook: http://goo.gl/szY27
Instagram: customations

Spotlight On: Mike Vetrone Summer 2013

WDWNT on September 17, 2013

This week we got a nice message from Mike about the things he’s been doing this summer. Check it out:

“First off, I will be heading out to Florida for the Villains event and will be bringing a bunch of my work to share with everyone.  I can’t wait to meet all kinds of people out there!  Included in the customs I will be bringing are 3 new sets.  The first one will be my custom 12 piece Aladdin set, next is my (in progress) 19 piece Mickey Mouse set with a different Mickey to represent each of the new shorts that have been released weekly, and the third set is a custom set I am making with another artist and great friend Ryan Branoff.  The details are still under wraps, but all I can say is that it is different to anything I have done in the past and pays homage to a previous Disney-made Park series. I look forward to seeing you guys in September!”
-Mike Vetrone

Great job Mike, we look forward to seeing everything at the Reflections of Evil event in September!
Check out more of Mike’s work in this gallery!

For more from Mike check out:
facebook.com/customsbymikevetrone
instagram @washyourrhands

2013 D23 Expo and Disneyland Resort Rewind

WDWNT on September 17, 2013

Once again, a trip to the D23 Expo was more about the experience outside the convention center than the expo itself. Sure, the expo had some memorable moments (Imagineering Pavilion, “Working with Walt” panel, live action panel celebrities and meeting fellow Disney fans just to name a few) but it was Cars Land that stole the show. Here is a brief recap of what was at the expo, with a focus on Vinylmation, but also my thoughts about Disneyland, DCA and other D23 Expo happenings.

The 2013 D23 Expo was held in Anaheim, CA from August 9-11. This time around, I went with my Once Upon a Pin Podcast co-host Rapinzel. Since we spent the first day in merchandise lines, I’ll take you from store to store to review the vinyls and some other merchandise that stood out to me.

The DREAM STORE was the event shop with logo merchandise and other Disney Parks products including Vinylmation and Pins. The line was never too long here. On the first day you could enter in under a half hour. Most of the weekend there was no line. Only a few vinyl items were sold out. Traditionally, the rest of the inventory makes its way over to Downtown Disney at DLR and WDW. Here is a list of the Vinylmation that were released here:

Angel & Devil Donald Duck
Retail Price: $29.95
Artist Name: Thomas Scott
Edition Size: 2,000

Beauty and the Beast Set
Retail Price: $29.95
Artist Name: Caley Hicks
Edition Size: 1,500
This set was sold out at Expo.

Black & White Minnie Mouse
Retail Price: $16.95
Artist Name: Eric Caszatt
Edition Size: 2,000

D23 Sorcerer Logo’s
Retail Price: $16.95
Artist Name: Caley HIcks
Edition Size: 2,000
Yellow 3/4, LE 1500
Blue 1/5, LE 400
Clear 1/20, LE 100
These were also sold out at Expo.

Monsters University Set
Retail Price: $29.95
Artist Name: Ron Cohee
Edition Size: 1,500

Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox
Retail Price: $29.95
Artist Name: Ron Cohee
Edition Size: 1,000

Silly Symphony Set
Retail Price: $29.95
Artist Name: Thomas Scott
Edition Size: 1,000

Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story
Retail Price: $24.95
Artist Name: Thomas Scott
Edition Size: 1,500

There were various Artist Signings at the Dream Store throughout the weekend that included Vinylmation artists Thomas Scott, Caley Hicks and Ron Cohee. This is were the Marvel Vinylmation series was officially revealed though Trading Cards that were handed out.

Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Black Panther, Black Widow, Vision, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Dr. Strange, Nick Furry, a Mystery Chaser, 2 Variants, and a Combo Pack with Hawkeye were all confirmed with Thomas Scott as the artist. The Trading Card Set included 1 card for each character and a variant art card for Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, plus a checklist. October 11th was confirmed as the release date.

There were some customs around the Dream Store including the show stopping Alice in Wonderland Chess Set by Miss Mindy.

And John Henselmeier’s 9″ Sour Oswald.

Noah had a few Wild West Mickey airbrushed customs in the shop, among some other artwork. He also had a shop in the Collector’s Corner area of the expo floor where he would meet and greet with guests.

I also enjoyed a few pieces of other art work that adorned the Dream Store walls. Among those were the Disney Red Heads print by Amy Meeberson of Pocket Princess fame.

And Disney Afternoons by James Silverman.

The DISNEY STORE averaged a 2.5-3 hour wait much of the weekend. This was a small shop with some exclusive and first purchase opportunity items. They released some very limited pins and Funko Pop! as well as the Fairytale Couple product line along with Ariel and Jack Skellington merchandise. The Vinylmation released here were very coveted. The Little Mermaid Blind Box Series was released first at D23 for $12.95 per blind box. A limited release Ursula 3 Pack retailed for $39.95.

And a limited release Ursula 9″ with King Triton Jr. retailed for $80.

The Ursulas were not LE and the 9” is rumored to eventually be sold at the DisneyStore.com. The 3 Pack did sell out at the event. The Little Mermaid blind box series is now available at all Disney Stores, Online and at D-Streets.

There was also a Black and White Mickey and a Black and White Minnie. Both sold as open window for $24.95 each and were packaged with a Disney Store pin. Mickey was available all weekend at an LE of 2000.

Minnie, an LE of only 300, was released and sold out on Saturday. Mickey did not sell out and is now up for sale at the Burbank Studio Store.

WDI MICKEY’S OF GLENDALE was my most anticipated store. I loaded up on WDI pins and picked up the intriguing Vinylmation set that instantly became one of my favorite sets ever produced. Check out my full review here. The Imagineering Vinylmation set consisted of 8 figures sold in Open Window boxes behind the checkout counter. They were limited to 1000 of each design and retailed for $14.95.

David Buckley (black shirt, facing camera) and Justin Hamana (black shirt on left), a couple WDI Graphic Designers, were the artists for the set and held a couple meet and greet opportunities.

A few other Vinylmation stories made headlines over the weekend. Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story premiered. Blank is a stop motion animated series that  will consist of twelve, 3 minute webisodes and should be available soon at Disney.com/blank. It feels wrong to like it, because I understand that it is advertising disguised as entertainment and art… but what isn’t these days? It was beautiful animation and had a heartwarming story. Check out my full review here. During the Disney Interactive panel, we saw concept art and the first full episode of Blank.

Blank also had a set up on the expo floor where they played videos, talked about the making of the film and had one of the sets from the filming.

We also discovered that the Sorcerer Level D23 guests (a $1500 ticket) received a Radio Disney Ardy in their gift pack! Remember those? Ya, they did not sell out back at the Radio Disney Music Awards, but supposedly, this was the last of them they had in stock. It appears a box of Junior Pairs 2 were also among the gifts.

photo from Stitch Kingdom

Participants in the D2.3 Fun Run received a runDisney Mickey Vinylmation with a limited edition D23 medal. Although the Vinylmation isn’t exclusive, it seems this would be the only place to get that D23 medal to put around its neck. It was free to sign up and guests had the opportunity to take a 2.3 mile fun run through Disney California Adventure park on the Friday of the D23 expo, and a meet and greet with Sorcerer Mickey and Ali Vincent, host of “Live Big With Ali Vincent” and season 5 winner of the “Biggest Loser.”

Over in the collectors corner section of the expo, we saw many booths with Vinylmation for sale. We also happened upon a booth manned by custom Vinylmation artists Evilos and NRB Relic.

But the expo was not all about Vinylmation of course. In fact, for the second D23 Expo in a row, my favorite purchase was not Vinylmation or Pins! Two years ago, Mattel sold this Woody’s Roundup puppet box.

This year, Mattel sold a Buzz Lightyear Small Fry Poultry Palace happy meal box! It is amazing.

Mattel also had this Dinoco die cast set. It was very popular, but at $100 I passed.

Zoe of course freaked out all weekend because there was so much Ariel, including artwork, tees, dolls and a new Sephora makeup line.

Rapinzel was drawn to the large Tink section and picked up a nice Tinkerbell tee.

I was taken, being a manly man of course, by the Cinderella’s carriage monster truck!

This was just one of the many props and stages advertising the new Disney Infinity video game that was released this past Sunday. Thousands of guest got hands on play time with the game and if you waited in a long enough line, you got a free Disney Infinity figure.

The Disney Interactive panel unveiled a ton about the game, including a Toy Story play set and new figures that include Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Jack Skellington, Wreck it Ralph, Vanelope, Phinieas, Agent P, Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel and Sorcerer Mickey.

Like any great marketing tool, there will be variant and limited edition figures. One such figure, a special Sorcerer Mickey, was given to the guests of the Disney Interactive panel and was limited to 5,000. Sorcerer Mickey will be available for purchase in January 2014, but this one (I’ve heard two stories) either has a different pose or has silver stars and moons in the ears instead of white.

As always, there were some great costumes.

And the Waffle-inator!

Outside the convention center, Ursula was crawling out of the ground ready to shop!

But it was the Imagineering Pavilion that stole the show.

Avatar tease

Disney Springs model

Blueprints for ONE attraction

Yale Gracey’s desk mock up

Early model for Spaceship Earth

Star War tease

Early model for The Land at Epcot

After a busy weekend, the 2013 D23 Expo was over, but the fun was just getting started. Well, actually, the fun started a few hours off the plane back on Thursday. You see, although Monday was our first scheduled day to visit Disneyland, I could not wait to see Cars Land, so we went directly from the airport and were walking around Radiator Springs on day one. It exceeded every single expectation. While Radiator Springs Racers is probably my new favorite Disney attraction, the highlight was just being immersed into the interactive environment. Every detail from the movie was there. And the fact that Lightning and Mater drive down the street and talk to everyone… pure magic.

I miss eating and drinking out of cones

Very cool queue row numbers all over DLR

I got to see a real Piston Cup!

The queue for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree was a nice treat

On Monday, we did make it back to DCA where I was able to meet up again with Zoe and, for the first time, Annemarie. Vinylmation fans know her as a talented custom Vinylmation artist, and although we have known each other for two years and became very good friends, we had never met in person until this trip. Zoe, Annemarie, Rapinzel and myself had diner at Carthay Circle Restaurant that day and were treated to a very special surprise. Our table was not ready, so they gave us the Buena Vista VIP booth! Walt Disney’s daughter ate in that very booth the night before the Grand Reopening of DCA. It was the best service I’ve ever had. Amazing food, drinks and friends in the a wonderful atmosphere.

Talking about atmosphere… Trader Sams at the Disneyland Hotel. Wow, we had a blast there. The bartenders and the bar itself perform a show based on what drinks are ordered. And I left the place with two tiki themed mugs.

Besides Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, I was able to go on a few attractions for the very first time. Grizzly River Run was super fun. Even first thing in the morning while the August chill was still in the air. We found out really quick why there was no wait at park open. And I see what all the fuss is about over the Matterhorn Bobsleds (Annemarie’s favorite ride). It was so fantastic, I had to take the trip twice. Mickey and the Magical Map is a must see show at Disneyland. The soundtrack was great with good on stage performances.

What a great trip! And I met lots of great people too. I’m already missing Cars Land and my friends and looking forward to 2015!

Nightmare Before Christmas Series 2 Coming in October

WDWNT on September 17, 2013

At the WDW Trading Night held last week at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, a follow up to the Nightmare Before Christmas open window set was previewed.

Photo from VinylmationKingdom.com

Photo from VinylmationKingdom.com

The series is due out in D-Streets in October by Halloween. It will be an 8 figure blind box set featuring some of the second tier characters not featured in the open window version released a few years ago and a Jack in a different outfit. The known figures are Igor, Devil, Mummy Boy, Teddy, Bat, Real World Boy, and Jack in pajamas.

While there are some nice designs here, this shows why the marquee characters are placed in every Star Wars set. It will be hard to move these to people other than hard core NBC fans. It does say limited release on the box, but that is technically was all blind boxes are. My only hope is these are produced in real limited quantities and are only on the shelves through Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Walt Disney Imagineering D23 Series Review

WDWNT on September 17, 2013

In the world of Vinylmation, where set after set is pumped out of the factory at ever alarming rates, some designs blur into the background and much of the art and ideas start to look similar. Sure, different artists have their own style and after seeing a few dozen you have a good idea who did what. But every once in a while, a figure or series takes a leap forward and jumps out from the pack. The Walt Disney Imagineering series that was released at the D23 Expo is one of those sets. WDI Graphic Designers David Buckley and Justin Hamana have given us a fresh take on a produced Vinylmation figure. They pushed the boundaries, were innovative and took risks that we don’t often see these days from the Disney Design Group. Don’t get me wrong, that takes nothing away from the DDG artists. I still think they produce some amazing artwork. But introducing some new hands into the design mix is never a bad thing. The WDI series is what the Park series seemed to used to be. There are so many hidden details in here, that I don’t even notice them all until the fifth or sixth look. In my opinion, this is the series of the year.

The Imagineering series was released at the 2013 D23 Expo inside the WDI Mickey’s of Glendale shop. It is an open window set of 8 figures sold separately for $14.95 each. Each figure has an edition size of 1000. Originally, eight different Imagineers were going to each design a single figure. But somewhere in the process the entire series was put on the shoulders of WDI Graphic Designers David Buckley and Justin Hamana. David contributed 5 designs while Justin handled 3. With Sorcerer Mickey being the logo of WDI, each of the eight figures has the Sorcerer hat accessory. Let’s take a closer look at each design. (audio review available in DV Podcast Ep. 131)

David Buckley’s “3D Design/Sculpting” figure features the Yeti from Everest being sculpted in the body. The clay is wavy and uneven and is spread over a mesh frame. The use of clear to show the unfinished part of the sculpture is nothing short of perfect.

The feet represent the table. On the back, the table has some writing and there is a hilarious note attached to the body, “Note: Rework Arm Position,” no doubt a reference to the broken Yeti arm inside the mountain. The hat features graph like lines and points that represent 3D Design on a computer.

All those details make this a wonderful piece, but the finger prints in the clay on the side are a remarkable touch.

“Landscaping” is an interesting design in that it could be rather boring, but the attention to detail by David raise this one up the ladder to one of the series standouts.

Just the fact that no part of the canvas was left unused. Roses in the ears, cobblestone in the feet, a Mickey face flower design in the head and flowers and leaves all over the place. But again, it is the hidden touch that makes the design. The sorcerer hat has stars and moons shaped out of flowers and leaves!

After opening figure after figure and seeing all the hidden objects on the back, “Blue Sky” was almost a let down. I say almost, because it still is a remarkably pleasing design by David Buckley that holds a lot of meaning to Disney Parks fans.

The same design elements are carried from front to back, but the charm is in the light bulb. The filament is a Hidden Mickey.

The figure that most showcases the talents of these two graphic designers is of course the one titled “Graphic Design.” David used the front to showcase the Sir Mickey’s sign that hangs in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. The back features the familiar Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland logo.

All the colors and fonts are spot on. Again the hat holds much of the magic with the stars and moons being made of vines and leaves on the front.

In my opinion, the best figure in this series and one of the greatest Vinylmation designs created to date is the ambitious “Master Planning” design. David was worried this wouldn’t be read to well because there is so much going on here. But it is laid out so well, any Disney Parks fan would instantly recognize it as the original map layout for Project X, or what would become Walt Disney World.

This is a masterpiece, with all the buildings, roads, monorail tracks and bodies of water depicted. The back has a scale in the feet, legend in the body and a graph and compass in the ears. Perfection.

Justin Hamana packed a ton into the “Music” figure… including a non-Disney reference he was very proud of. The front has a reel to reel tape deck, audio waves and violin body. The back has audio mixer faders and knobs, a volume meter and eject button.

The ears have a reel, audio wires, what looks like a CD and a volume knob that goes to 11… a Spinal Tap reference. The hat is full of music notes and the hands have piano keys.

Wow, talk about using every inch of the canvas. This is why I get upset when I see completely white or blank ears.

“Construction” has a lot of little ideas present as well. Justin used clear well here to demonstrate the structure of a building rising above a blue wall. We see the familiar yellow caution tape that reads “Mouse at Work” and the wonderful “Pardon Our Pixie Dust” sign.

The feet blow me away. It looks to me like the various ground levels. I see sand, dirt and water table levels. There is a tiny, detailed crane drawn into the left ear and there is a lunch box on the structure on the back. A nice touch indeed.

The final figure is “Audio Animatronics.” This is probably the weakest design in a very strong set. It pains me to say that about this one because it is still a really great figure. Just put up against the other seven designs in this set, it seems lacking of that “Wow!” factor.

But Justin once again use clear so well to show the inner workings of the robot. There are gears in the ears and wires in the hat. The back also has some circuitry and wires. The hands have little metal fingers and it is little touches like that, that make all the difference.

This set dedicates itself to the theme at hand… celebrating 60 years of Imagineering. It has all the hallmarks of a set we Disney fans and collectors crave. It has a Disney related theme that has meaning and sticks to that theme. It has designs that mean something to any fan of the Parks. They have hidden details all over the place. The production quality is perfect. The designs are fresh and ambitious. While I was talking to David and Justin at the expo, I told them how much I love the backs of the figures. They were almost shocked, but overjoyed, that I took them out of the box. I know many collectors like to keep LE items boxed up for display or resale, but if you do not take them out and enjoy them, you are doing yourself and the designers an injustice. This set should stand as one of the best overall Vinylmation sets created in the first 5 years of the hobby.

Episode 131 3D Mickey Chaser

WDWNT on September 17, 2013

Ep. 131 3D Mickey Chaser

This week we review the D23 Expo. The Vinylmation, the events, the stores and the people. Nick chooses his set of year and MC says not so fast. We also have news about a new Nightmare blind box series, more NYC vinyls, Halloween Tokyo figures and much more.

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