Villains 1 Update

As we noted a couple days ago, Disney posted the upcoming Villains set in the “Vault” page of the official Vinylmation website under the section for Disney Store Exclusives. This prompted the question; “Are these figures currently available in the stores since only released sets go onto the “Vault” page?” I sent a message over to Steven Miller at Disney who is one of the people responsible for Vinylmation and Trading at Disney and he said they are still determining a release date, but the set will “most likely” be released in Japan first, and then will appear “later in January” in the U.S.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not planing a trip to Tokyo Disney in 2011, so since we have to wait a bit longer, here are some 360 images of the Villains.

Shan Yu from Mulan. Looking at the back, that may answer the question I posed on Episode 5 of the Destination Vinylmation podcast.
The Witch from Snow White. Not sure what you could have done with the back, but after seeing the detail of the apple on the front, I was expecting more.
Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations. She actually is holding her cigarette! Awesome detail on the side of the figure. Way to go! It’s also interesting to note that Villains 1 seems to have artists new to designing Vinylmation. So we should get some fresh takes on these figures.

Villians to Invade Disney Stores across the country!

While looking around the “Vault” at Disney’s official Vinylmation website, I noticed something under the Disney Store Exclusive section.

Looks like this upcoming set will not be available at the Disney Theme Parks, only at your local Disney Store. Click here for a handy Disney Store locator to find the one closest to you.
When you click on the Villains link, you can take a look at 360 images of each of the figures in the upcoming series.
M.C. and I briefly discuss the Villains 1 and Animation 1 series in the latest episode of Destination Vinylmation. At the time of the recording, I hadn’t seen the backs, so I picked out one of my favorites for you right here.
Look at the Steamboat Willie Mickey on the back of Pete!!!! Great detail there. Love that added touch.

Cool Customs by Shaun Myers

I went to the trade show last night at WDW (as seen in the post last night), and while I was walking around looking for something cool to trade I spotted the following Custom Vinylmations.


Squirt

Flower

These amazing customs are the creation of Shaun Myers. I love the detail work on both pieces. The scales on the shell of Squirt and the flowers around Flower are awesome! Look for more great ones from this artist in the future!

DisneyQuest Rings in 2011 with a New Hard Ticket Event

Disney World has announced a new, hard-ticket New Year’s Event event taking place in addition to the usual festivities at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

New Year’s Eve Special Event

Come to Downtown Disney for a cyber celebration of New Year’s Eve at DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive theme park. Ring in the New Year with favorite games like Virtual Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear’s Astroblasters and CyberSpace Mountain.

The party starts at 8:00 p.m. and goes until 1:00 a.m. Your night includes access to all DisneyQuest attractions and video games, a DJ Dance Party with a New Year’s Eve countdown, party favors and a coupon for a personal pizza and soda at FoodQuest.

Tickets for this family event are available for purchase online or by calling 407-WDISNEY (407-934-7639). Advance purchase tickets are $39 per person (includes tax). Day of the event tickets are $45 (includes tax). Tickets may also be purchased at the DisneyQuest Box Office.

This is an interesting alternative to the larger celebrations at the other parks and actually isn’t a bad value. If you consider that pizza and a soft drink would probably cost somewhere between $8-10, the ticket price for the DisneyQuest attractions is actually between $29-31. For those who have already experienced New Year’s Eve in the parks or are looking to escape the crowds, this may be a good idea.

Destination Vinylmation Ep. 005

Destination Vinylmation Ep. 005 Fireworks

Check out our latest episode. In this one we speak with Disney Trading Social Media Head Steven Miller, we review the latest 3″ and 9″ Vinylmation releases, and we look ahead to 2011 and all the new Vinylmation sets scheduled to be released. We also discuss who we think will be the chaser for the “Animation 1” and “Villains 1” series. Also listen for the latest contest where you could win a free vinylmation!

Imagination Pavilion Lights the Night Sky Again

Long time visitors to Epcot may remember that the large glass pyramids of the Imagination Pavilion used to change between a variety of colors. In more recent years when major changes were made to the pavilion, the nighttime lighting was changed to an orange glow. Just this week, the original color changing lights were brought back:

Imagineers stated at the opening of Captain EO in July that it was the start of much bigger things for the Imagination Pavilion. Maybe this is just another step toward something else…

Trade event in Florida

Looking in at the Trading Event at WDW on Friday night. A fun night, mostly because I traded for over 12 Vinylmations, including the Park 4 Chaser and TWO green army men!