A Whale of a DCL Vinyl

WDWNT on January 9, 2013

The Disney Collections Blog posted a new Disney Cruise Line Vinylmation. It will be released on May 27, 2013 aboard the Disney Wonder on its Alaskan itinerary. The edition size is only 1,000, was designed by Maria Clapsis and retails for $14.95.

This cute little guy appears to be Spot the Whale from The Little Mermaid cartoon series. He was a killer whale calf whom Ariel adopted and secretly raised in the palace.

The little details like the silhouette of Ariel in the ear on the front and the Hidden Mickey bubble on the rear make this 3″ figure a real gem. Now that you are in the mood, click here to book a DCL Alaska cruise for MC and I and we will pick you up a few.

Valentine’s 2013 Vinylmation Revealed

WDWNT on January 3, 2013

We told you that a Maria Clapsis designed Valentine’s figure would be awesome and we were right. Check it out! (Pic from Vinylmation Exchange and adjusted by us) It’s Cupid. With a bow (like Sagittarius) that you can see at the bottom. There are also hearts in his ears. My only hope is that he has wings too! He’ll be $14.95 and will be available at both D-Streets and Online on January 4th.

What do you think?

Run Disney Figure with Mini Medals and Artist Signing

WDWNT on October 29, 2012

This is an absolutely brilliant idea. We finally have details on the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Vinylmation. Normally, there is a separate 3″ figure for each race, the Marathon, Half Marathon and Goofy Challenge. This year, they put an interesting twist on things. We knew about the 3″ Run Disney figure that will be released on January 10th at both D-Street Orlando and California. The Disney Collection (former Art of Disney) Blog had recently released a 360 photo of this figure.

It is Mickey, all ready to run. Just like previous years, it has a space on the back to write in your finishing time. It is an open edition figure and will retail for $12.95. The Disney Vinylmation Blog also mentioned something about “mini medals” for $1.95. We thought this may be some kind of error; just alluding to Vinylmation that replicate the medals. But NO, MUCH better!!!

The Mini Medals are actual accessories you can buy, then hang around your 3″ Run Disney Vinylmation’s neck! As a person who participates in these races and loves to have these keepsakes… I love it! Those will also be released on January 10th. I am speculating the race expo at Wide World of Sports or the Clubhouse store at the complex will carry these. D-Street will have them for sure.

Then, in an exciting twist, instead of holding an artist signing at the expo before the race, the signing with artist Maria Clapsis will be held on January 13th, after the WDW Marathon, at D-Street Orlando from 5-7pm. So show up proudly wearing your medal. I may ask her to write my time in as well!

Lastly, if you are interested in the WDW Marathon Weekend pins, there are a ton of them this year, including a boxed set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the marathon. You can hear all about them on the last episode of Once Upon a Pin and check them out at Disney’s official pins page.

Star Wars 2 WDW Release and Signing

WDWNT on September 12, 2012

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:

2012 Dee Vee Award Winners

WDWNT on July 8, 2012

2012 DeeVee Awards

The 2nd annual Destination Vinylmation Dee Vee Awards honors this year’s best Vinylmation and Artists. If you haven’t listened to Episode 96, please do, a lot of hard work was put into it by Nick and MC as well as all the presenters and artists who lent their voices. Here is the list of this year’s winners. We hope you enjoyed the process and remember to be on the look out for vinyl to nominate for next year’s Dee Vees. Please listen to our next podcast for the announcement of the winner of the Vinylmation from the voters drawing.
Favorite Disney Artist
Maria Clapsis

Some of Maria’s popular figures of the past year include: Star Wars, Tower of Terror Bellhop, and Roger Rabbit.

Thank you Maria for all your hard work.

And thanks to Inside the Magic host Rickey Brigante for presenting this award.

Favorite Disney Commissioned Artist
NOAH

NOAH gave us customs such as: DCL Pirates, Muppets, Villains and Epcot 30th.

Thank you NOAH for your dedication to this art form.
Favorite Custom Artist
Annemarie

This past year Annemarie has made many stand out customs including: Furry Friends 2, Hurley, LOST and Figero/Cleo.
Best 3″ Figure
Director Mickey

Artist: Jim Valeri
Set: Burbank Studios
Best 9″ Figure
“The Clock Strikes Twelve” Cinderella’s Castle

Artist: Gerald Mendez
Set: “The Clock Strikes Twelve”

Thank you Lou Mongello from WDW Radio for presenting this award.
Best Jr. Figure
Three Blind Mice

Set: Nursery Rhymes
Best 12 Figure Set
Furry Friends

Set: Furry Friends

Best non-12 Figure Set
Disney Character Star Wars

Artist: Maria Clapsis

Thanks to presenter O.C. Vinyl Don from Vinylmation Traders.com
Best Chaser
Tower of Terror Bellhop

Artist: Maria Clapsis
Set: Park 9

Thank you to celebrity presenter Tom Corless, host of the WDW News Today and the See Ya Real Late podcasts.
Best Variant
Dapper Dans

Artist: Thomas Scott
Set: Park 9
Best Use of Ears
Mickey’s Philharmagic Donald

Artist: Casey Jones
Set: Park 7
Best Trading Location
Online

Thanks to Dedicated to Disneyland Paris Podcast host Steve Riley for presenting this award.
Most Likely to Be Found in a Trading Box
Robots 2

Artist: Billy Davis
Set: Robots 2
Best Accessory
Rhino’s Hamster Ball

Artist: Monty Maldovan
Set: Animation 2

Thank you to celebrity presenter Amber from the Revolution Diaries podcast.
Best Mickey
Director Mickey

Artist: Jim Valeri
Set: Burbank Studios

Thank you to celebrity presenter Matt Hochberg from the WDW Today podcast.
Best Non-Mickey
Platform Figure
Park Starz Yeti

Artist: Thomas Scott and Casey Jones
Set: Park Starz
Best LE Combo Set
Carl and Ellie

Artist: Ron Cohee
Set: Pixar 1

Thanks to Carl C. Von Lewin from ChasingVinylmation.com for presenting this award.

Best Use of Clear
Hat Box Ghost

Artist: Casey Jones
Set: Haunted Mansion
Best Location Specific
Director Mickey

Artist: Jim Valeri
Set: Burbank Studios

Thanks to the creator of Vinylmation World, Gregg Gaines, for presenting this award.

Best Packaging
Furry Friends

Set: Furry Friends

Thank you to celebrity presenter Brent Dodge from From Scream to Theme.com.
Best Vinylmation Event
Mickey’s Circus

September 7-9 2012 at EPCOT

Thank you to celebrity presenter The Professor from the YesterEARS podcast.
Most Anticipated
Upcoming Series
Pixar 1

Release Date: All ready out!

Thank you to celebrity presenter Rapinzel from the Once Upon a Pin podcast.
Best DV Episode
Ep. 088 – Coverage of the Mickey’s Circus

This is a great episode and includes an interview with artists Thomas Scott, Maria Clapsis, Eric Caszatt and Caley Hicks.

Thanks to Matt Norris from Vinylmation Kingdom for presenting this award.
Favorite DV Cast Member
The Woman Who Reads the Podcast Intros

Years on DV: 2

Thank you to celebrity presenters: Adam from DisneyBrit.com and Juz from OrlandoSkyRadio.com.

Red Balloon Awards
The Red Balloon Awards are one-time categories that honor special achievement in Vinylmation. They are named after the first chaser from Park series one.
Best Furry Friend
Cheshire Cat

Artist: Enrique Pita
Best Park Series
Park 1

Artist: Various
Set: Park 1
Those are this year’s winners. What do you think of the results?

Disney Character Star Wars Explained

WDWNT on June 13, 2012

Release Date: May 18, 2012
Price: $14.95
Where: Disney’s Hollywood Studios and D-Street CA at release. More places at both WDW and DLR later.
Details: Open Window Box
Artist: Maria Clapsis

Update 5/2/12 The Disney Blog updated with turnarounds of the entire 6 figure set. We have the pictures below.


Update 3/8/12 Pictures of 3 more characters added via picture of magnets from Vinylnation. Yoda Stitch, Boba Fett Pete and Darth Vader Goofy join the group.

As a huge collector of Disney Characters as Star Wars in other merchandise, I am so excited about this set. And the fact that they put the designs in the hands of Maria Clapsis, makes me all the more certain this will be a winner.

 Yoda Stitch

As expected, Stitch takes the role of the wise green Jedi. He fits this character perfectly. Stitch is also used as the Emperor, a role the mischievous alien is also suited for.

Maria used the whole head canvas so well and Stitch looks perfect here. He also comes with a cane that has some wood line detail work on it.

Boba Fett Pete

Big bad Pete reprises his role as the feared bounty hunter in this vinyl lineup. His appearance in the last action figure line was very excited and beautifully executed.

Good job reusing the jet pack piece from Star Wars 1. 

Darth Vader Goofy

Portraying the same character as he does at Star Wars Weekends meet and greats, Goofy takes the form of Vader in this set. I only wish they took it a step further and put him in his Mickey boxers as in the park.

Goofy’s face is phenomenal. The stars in ears are the perfect touch and the cape is just plain out of this world.

Stormtrooper Donald

Wow! Angry little Donald as a Stormtrooper. His face looks amazing. Donald is my favorite character and this is one of my favorite characters for him to be. I enjoy the stars in the ears as well.

I’m glad they decided to give Donald a gun accessory here… I was wondering if they wold stay away from that or not. Best duck face yet. The artists just keep getting better and better. The face is full across the mold, perfect proportions and a great expression. 

X-Wing Pilot Mickey

Great choice for Maria to go with this character costume for Mickey instead of the easy route of tossing the mouse into Luke’s Jedi robes. In the line of Disney toys of Characters as Star Wars, Series 3 had Mickey in the pilot suit as well.

So much detail here. The helmet is wonderful. The visor shaded across the eyes look extremely well done. The Rebel logo, the hoses on the uniform… all the details there. The lightsaber is even a different design that Star Wars 1.

Princess Leia Minnie

The face looks great with a well done costume painted on. The buns sticking off the head are a great touch. I wish something was done with the ears.

The buns. How wonderful are those? Even the hood on the back has just the right look to it. Again and again, the expressions on the faces in the set are just a pleasure. 

Mickey’s Circus- Artist Signing, Customs, Games and Trading!

WDWNT on April 19, 2012

Disney artists Ron Cohee, Thomas Scott, Eric Caszatt, Gerald Mendez, Monty Maldovan, Caley Hicks and Maria Clapsis sign for fans.

Thomas Scott

Thomas Scott

Ron Cohee

Thomas Scott

Thomas Scott signs the event cast trader Clown from Dumbo

Eric Caszatt

Eric Caszatt

Gerald Mendez

Caley Hicks

Caley Hicks and Maria Clapsis

Customs by Aaralyn
We finally met this talented artist and recorded an interview with her at Mickey’s Circus. We will have that for you on the next podcast 

Customs by Heather Kattleman


Jingle Smells 2

WDWNT on April 19, 2012

Update 10/17/12 These four figures will be release on October 22nd at Disney Stores as expected, however the D-Streets release will wait until November 9.
Update 10/2/12 Donald Duck and Goofy Jingle Smells 2 are previewed on the Vinylmation Blog along with the Mickey and Minnie we already saw at Mickey’s Circus.
 

Check out the accessories! Mickey has a gingerbread cookie with a missing bite and Minnie has a pie. The arm that holds the pie seems to be a different arm they can use when then don’t want the cupped hand.

And like the first series, there is an ornament top on the heads. The will be a four piece set designed by Maria Clapsis. It will be available in both D-Street and Disney Stores on October 22. They will be $12.95 each.

Episode 088 Adventurers Club Colonel Chaser – Mickey’s Circus

WDWNT on April 19, 2012

Ep. 088 Adventurers Club Colonel Chaser – Mickey’s Circus

This is our huge recap of Mickey’s Circus, the largest Vinylmation event of the year. We review the event and talk about each and every Vinylmation Preview we saw all weekend long. We also have a special interview with Disney Design Group artists Thomas Scott, Eric Caszatt, Maria Clapsis and Caley Hicks.

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Mickey’s Circus- Once of a Kind Customs

WDWNT on April 19, 2012

Circus Monkey
by John Henselmeier
$850
–

Target Practice
by John Henselmeier
$700
–

Chip and Dale Clowns
by Adrianne Draude
$1,800
–

Neverland Mermaid
by Adrianne Draude
$1,200
–

Strong Man
by Quynh Kimball
$650.00
–

Timothy Mouse
by Maria Clapsis
$500
–

Circus Clown from Dumbo
by Alex Maher
$1,200
–

Bluey
by Miss Mindy
$1,600