Sorcerers of the MK Booster Packs Released Today

The Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Booster Packs were released today at the Emporium for $11.95. In case you are not up to speed, you can find a ton of SotMK info and a downloadable checklist on our SotMK Explained page. The booster pack offers a take home version of the popular interactive theme park game. The packs contain 7 cards (including 1 Super Rare 61-70 card), 1 Key Card, game tokens, game rules, a checklist and one of four Villains game boards. This was a very low-key release, yet word from numerous sources say they sold out by noon! I have heard they will have more some time next week. Just FYI, you had to ask for them at the register, they were not on a display. The register was the one in the corner closest to the door on the side of the Firehouse.

If you follow us on Twitter (@VinylmationNews) or DestinationVinylmation in Instagram, you were among the first to see pictures of what is inside. Here is a better look:

The checklist is a beautiful full color sheet that features a thumbnail of all 70 cards. Next to the thumbnail, is the symbol for the rarity designation: Star = Rare, Moon = Uncommon, Circle = Common, Lightning Bolt = Super Rare. On the left side is a column that shows all four Villains game boards.

The game board features one of Villains on there front and a map of one of the four lands that have playable portals inside the Magic Kingdom on the back. The artwork for the Villains matches the beautiful style found on all the cards that make these a nice collectible. The game board also has the Villains attributes as well as all the numbered spaces you need to play the game at home.

The pack also has two sheets full of home game rules. The rules seem to play out like your average card game of this type. The basic object of the game is to get the Villain’s power level to “0.” Each player, up to four, needs a minimum of 7 cards for the game to work properly. But before you think you need to buy a bunch of booster packs, remember, you can get your 5 free cards per day at the Firehouse.

Each player takes a turn getting attacked by the Villain then attacking the Villain and can be helped out, or Boosted, by fellow players. If a Villains gets a player down to “0”, the player is out of the game. The tokens are used to mark progress on the game board and are also flipped like coins to determine attack power.

A game like this is a nice option for guests that are just visiting the parks to continue the fun at home. It’s a great way for people who have a bunch of these cards and are not really “collecting” them to get some use out of them when they get home.

A game like this is not really my thing… I’ll stick to defeating Villains on the video screens around the park. I’m still a huge proponent of the game. I think it is fun, with fantastic animation. But more than that, it’s a build upon of what I think Walt was aspiring for his theme parks to be… an interactive experience that immerses the guests like no other. All that being said, the game boards add another collectible piece to the SotMK puzzle and it’s the perfect way to finally complete the Super Rare 10 card series.

Annemarie’s Catbus

We have not seen many Monorail mold customs yet, but Annemarie took a shot at one recently. She posted this Catbus Monorail on Instagram this weekend.

Catbus is a character in the Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. And I think she nailed it…

 

Japan Halloween Vinyls

Thanks to @Vinylmati0n for the tweet about these new Halloween themed vinyls to be released in Japan.

September 1 is the released date and 1200 Yen ($15) is the price. There is a glow in the dark Mickey Vampire. The cape looks similar to the Vampire Goofy released today at Disney Stores. The face looks great and I like the little bit of shading drawn into the ears and feet. There is also a Mickey Pumpkin with a witch hat. The body of that one has a Minnie Pumpkin floating through it and appears to have clear blue arms. I think I would rather have 2 different ones or the pumpkins stacked on top of each other. The third is a Ghost Mickey with a hat. The body says “Halloween Party” with another ghost floating through it. The bottom looks like the top of a trick or treat bag. Its a fun Halloween design.

Mickey’s Circus Full Itinerary

The Mickey’s Circus full itinerary surfaced today. We found it in a tweet by Evilos. We plan on doing another Mickey’s Circus tips and preview segment on next weekend’s podcast (so submit your questions now) and we will go over this itinerary in detail. No big surprises, but it looks like this:

The early pick up on Thursday, September 6 will be held once again at the Coronado Springs Resort in the Veracruz A ballroom. Pick up begins at Noon, but be warned, for some reason people line up hours earlier than that. I was taken off guard last year thinking it was a stop by and pick up process… it is not. I had to leave without picking up my merchandise after driving all the way down there because I drove over on a break from work. Expect to wait in line a few hours even if you show up later than Noon.

Then from 7pm-10pm in the same location is a FREE Vinylmation and Pin trading event. NOTE: This IS open to anyone, not just Mickey’s Circus registered guests. For pin fans, they will be selling a Pin Trading Night Figment LE 500 pin.

Thursday is Breakfast (a separate ticket event) and the first pin trading day. Friday is day 2 for pins and the Dessert Reception (a separate ticket event). Listen to the Once Upon a Pin Podcast for all the pin details.

Sunday, September 9 is the Vinylmation day. Arrive early, especially if you hadn’t done early registration and still need to pick up your merchandise. Many people line up about 2 hours prior to the doors opening. At 9:30, guests will be let inside where you will find various trading areas set up with Disney Cast Members, a partitioned section for guest to guest trading and a future Vinylmation preview section.

The big draw is the 1pm Vinylmation talk. If you can not make it, we will be covering it live on the homepage of our website. There will be live photos posted and a real time chat session where you can talk with MC and myself. We will then of course put out a comprehensive podcast just hours after the event closes. Stay with DV all weekend long for updates on the website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. They preview vinyls even during the pin days.

Custom Star Wars by Cesar

On the eve of Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando, we take a look at a great deal by a wonderful custom artist Cesar Diaz on his latest Star Wars creations.

I was a bit surprised that there are no Jawas or Cantina Band members in the Star Wars 2 set. So I decided to sell a few customs of my own for a special price of $28 per vinyl with shipping. Please can visit my Facebook page to purchase at www.facebook.com/mycustomations. – Cesar Diaz

$28 for a 3″ custom is a great price and Cesar’s work is always top notch. Checks these and all his other customs out at his Facebook page. 

Star Wars 2 WDW Release and Signing

Your comments relayed a hesitation to shell out $15 per Star Wars 2 blind box, and the turnout this morning for the release of the second series seemed to back up the talk. Not many of the usual faces were lined up along the Downtown Disney sidewalk to purchase this set on day one. Now, to be fair, Disney did not play up this release like they did with the midnight event that was Star Wars series 1.

This morning, there was only a small crowd when the doors opened at 9am. A crowed that all but disappeared until the 11am signing. 
There were about 20 people when Casey and Maria pulled out their pens. The crowed then, never more than about 10 deep, began a small but steady stream toward the autograph tables set up underneath the D-Street canopy. 
I personally witnessed less cases sold. Most of the cases seemed to be purchased by out of towners as if the locals were banking on just trading to complete their set. It is possible that part of the crowed that would have been here today was instead at Star Wars Celebration VI at the convention center and will pick up series 2 later in the week. 
I by no means think this is a condemnation on the series itself. It is a beautifully designed series with wonderful character selection. The big names HAD to be in here again, and Maria Clapsis did a fantastic job at making them her own. Maria talked about the attention to detail she gave all the designs. Casey Jones handled the aliens, and did so to perfection. 
A few guests brought along the LE 2500 Hologram Princess Leia that was released exclusively at Star Wars Celebration on Thursday. Many collectors in line where making deals to add her to their collection. Designed by Maria Clapsis, Leia differs from Ghost Obi Wan in 2 ways. The blue is a darker blue representing hologram instead of a spirit. Also, Leia’s face is a more solid white as it would appear in the movie as opposed to Obi Wan’s facial features being outlined. The most remarkable design element for myself is how it transitions from her face and hands to her robe and the stark contrast how her more lit up skin is “cut off” and the figure becomes a dark blue clear representing the robe. Here are a few more pictures from the signing:

Park 9 Photoshoot

We took Park 9 around WDW for some pictures. Some where easy to place with their corresponding attraction… others we had to reach a bit for.
Update 01/29/14 Added Disneyland Tomorrowland Astronaut LE set.
Tower of Terror Bellhop
Hollywood Studios
Maharajah Jungle Trek Fruitbat
Animal Kingdom
Maharajah Jungle Trek Fruitbat
Animal Kingdom
Camp Minnie Mickey Bear
Animal Kingdom
Castaway Cay
Typhoon Lagoon
Dapper Dan
Magic Kingdom
Dole Whip
Magic Kingdom
Dumbo
Magic Kingdom
Dumbo
Magic Kingdom
Flick’s Flyers
Animal Kingdom
Lilly Belle
Magic Kingdom
Phantom Manor Ghost
Magic Kingdom
Skyway
Magic Kingdom
Lagoona Gator
Typhoon Lagoon

Your hopes for Mickey’s Circus?

With the lack of news leading up to Mickey’s Circus, we thought it would be fun to take a day to talk about what everyone is looking forward to this weekend.

“I can’t wait to meet new people. I also love the previews of the upcoming sets that will be released. I hope we see lots of never before seen things, but I think there might not be as many as last year’s.” – M.C.

“I’m excited to see the themeing. Last years was amazing, and I’m not sure if they can (big) top it. As far as trading, I’ll be happy if I can walk out of there with a Yellow Dapper Dan and Star Wars 2 chaser. On the pin side I’ll be searching for the WDW Dumbo Classic D from last year’s POtM series and the Splash Mountain Alligator Band pin.” – Nick

What do you think? What are excited for? What do you think they will announce? What vinyls do you hope to trade for? Let us know!

Mickey’s Circus Artist Signings

Disney still has not released a full lineup of what artists will be on hand to sign at Mickey’s Circus, but we can take an educated guess. We do know the autograph session will be from 2-4pm on Sunday, September 9… about a half hour after the Vinylmation preview presentation takes place. We can assume the artists who designed Vinylmation available for purchase at the event will be there: Ron Cohee, Monty Maldovan, Caley Hicks and Eric Caszatt. We have also now seen the announcement that Gerald Mendez will be there to sign his Under the Big Top series.

Mickey’s Circus Cast Traders

Mickey’s Circus event cast traders are a 3″ Clown and Jr. Clown. That means if you want both, you’ll have to stand in the Jrs trade lines too!

What do you think?