Michael Wada’s 10/22/11 Disneyland Photo Report

WDWNT on October 27, 2011

DLNT Reporter Michael Wada was at Disneyland this past weekend and has a few newsworthy photos to share.

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Halloween is still in the air at Disneyland Park

Starting of in New Orleans Square, Pirates is still closed for a standard refurbishment

The Court of Angels is already decked out for the holidays

Was a very busy afternoon at Disneyland, 90 minute wait for Haunted Mansion Holiday

New pumpkin carving in process at Big Thunder Ranch

HA. Who doesn’t love Heimlich… (nice bag)

Now for a look around the recently refurbished Emporium

Gone is the circular checkout desk

The Plaza Pavilion arch has been removed

Back in New Orleans Square, the front facade work on Pirates continues

You can see a little bit of the new exterior of the building

Blue Bayou is also closed for refurbishment

Pirates Movie Vinylmation On Deck

WDWNT on September 19, 2011

Release Date: 2012
Artist: Casey Jones
Details: Open Edition, open window 4 figure series featuring Captain Jack Sparrow, Blackbeard, Barbossa and Angelica from “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”

Update: 07/18/12 The figures were on display at Comic Con. Still no release date. Photo from Vinylmation Kingdom.
Peg Leg for Barbosa! Jack looks great.

The Florida Project is over, but the announcements keep on flowing. It looks like we can expect a Pirates of the Caribbean movie themed Vinylmation series.

Disney released what looks like concept art of Angelica from the Pirates movie franchise! We also get a sneak of a partial face of another character. I know i’m back and forth about sets dedicated to one thing (movie, ride, etc…) but I am into this. What are your thoughts? What characters do we need to see? Monkey? Jack can have a nice variant.

Pirates of the Caribbean Review

WDWNT on July 6, 2011

Pirates of the Caribbean was released on Friday, July 1. It’s the first in what seems to be a line of attraction based Vinylmation sets. Here is my take on this much anticipated set.

At first glance, this series is about head wear! 5 different hat styles in this set.

Looking good guys! But what’s under caps? A well detailed, designed and produced set of figures. They have a distinctness to them that really captures the character of the ride. The character selection is just a little off, but we will get to that later. One of my favorite figures is the hook pirate. His face is very animated. A lot of sharp facial features and a great looking beard. The hook hand is a nice touch, and for me, a welcomed addition to Vinylmation. Casey did a great job with colors in this series as a whole and they kept the colors true in the production phase.

Another treasure in this set is the pig. Nice job by artist Casey Jones to think outside the human characters and include this happy fellow into the set. The mud has a cool glossy effect. Sitting against the matte finish of the figure, it really stands out. Same with the dirt on the Dirty Foot Pirate.

The shipwrecks in this set? Three skeletons. Don’t get me wrong, they are all done well. They are more detailed than the Park 5 POTC Pirate. I especially enjoy the guy with the jewels around his neck, but I don’t need three skeletons in one set.

Can’t talk about this set without mentioning that it’s on the new mold. First impression is they look different, sure, but not bad. Many of you call me an advocate of the new mold. It’s not like that. But it’s what Disney is giving us and it’s not enough for me to be turned off from Vinylmation. So I said I want to give it a chance with a couple series. POTC is the third series designed on new mold. First was Sea Creatures. Hard to judge. They are odd designs in and of themselves. Next we had Cutesters Like You. Biggest problems I’ve heard with this set is poor production quality. And I would agree. They looked a little cheaper than previous Vinylmation. The paint jobs were also generally poor. Scuffs, smudges and and an unfinished look was common with these. But the Pirates series has turned the tide. The paint job and quality is much improved from the first two new mold efforts.

Disney said that one effect, and reason to change to new mold, would be to better apply the design onto the figure. Have more complicated designs. Tighter lines. Better wrapping. Not counting any shape issues with the new mold, I think they succeeded in giving us amazing looking designs. Now how about that shape?

Let’s go top down. I love the solid, stand up shape of the ears. I like the roundness of the top of the head. I’m with you guys on the “chipmunk” cheeks. It stands out on some characters, especially from the profile. That is the worse part about this mold. As for the body, sure I wouldn’t mind buttons, and the body is a little stocky, but overall, I don’t mind it. And I like the way the new feet are styled. Some people don’t like less definition between the feet, but i think it works and showcases better design features.

Overall, a great looking set that has a lot of character to it. The faces are drawn so well. Perfect color pallet chosen. And the hats really top it all off. I like the inclusion of Jack Sparrow, but only because he was added tot he attraction and Casey modeled him after one of his poses in the attraction. New mold, don’t care. These look fantastic in person

Episode 028 Mike Mouse

WDWNT on July 4, 2011

Ep. 028 Mike Mouse
Pirates of the Caribbean Vinylmation were released this week. We review the set and give you our take on how the new mold looks with POTC as compared to Sea Creatures and Cutesters Like You. A lot of news this week about Star Wars, Lion King and new sets this holiday season. We also have the latest release dates. And in a special Mystery Mail Treasure Chest, we embark on a quest to read your comments and answer your questions.
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Pirates Vinylmation Invade the Magic Kingdom

WDWNT on July 3, 2011

It was a beautiful summer day at the Magic Kingdom… until the Pirates attacked! Luckily, I was there and armed with my camera. The first 12 are taken at the POTC attraction, but then, having been out to sea a very long time, they decided to check out the rest of the park. And these pictures here are just the start. As always, there are variant pictures and more on our Facebook Page.

For some reason, Jack Sparrow thought this a good place to hide

Pirates Release and Casey Jones Signing

WDWNT on July 1, 2011

Today was release day for Pirates of the Caribbean Vinylmation in Orlando and California. At D-Street in Florida, it was also a special release party with artist Casey Jones.

Casey signed POTC figures for fans
The weather was bad, but the line still long to see Casey Jones. This picture was taken just before 1pm. The line curled around posts and Disney had umbrellas up to keep out the rain.
Disney had a Pirate Band entertain the audience
When the weather turned nasty, we crowded inside D-Street
POTC cut outs decorated the store
Casey Jones inside signing
POTC artist Casey Jones
Jack looks on as Casey signs another
Noah’s Pirate. Wristbands were handed out earlier in the day for the Limited Editions.
Robert Lee designed one-of-a-kind Pirate
Disney said the one-of-a-kinds sold well. Only a few left standing at the 1pm signing.

Did you brave the weather to meet Casey or grab an LE Pirate? Let us hear your experience from today.

Pirates make your wallet walk the gang plank on July 1st

WDWNT on June 29, 2011

There’s been a lot of new recently about the Pirates Party on July 1st at WDW for the release of the Pirates of the Caribbean 3″ series. (The set also comes out the same day in California, but with less pomp and circumstance.)

The party starts at 10:30 AM (when the store opens) this Friday. The new 12 figure blind box series will be on sale then, for $12.95 (according to Claudia who called Disney). That series is by Casey Jones.

Also available that day will be several one of a kind Pirates themed custom vinylmations that will be sold separately. (Similar to the idea of the ones they released on CA a little bit back.) Wristbands will be handed out for these special customs. Each band is limited to purchasing only ONE custom, and all are first come first serve. (At the moment we don’t have the prices of any of these officially, but I would suspect that the NOAH ones are $595.)

Here are the ones that Disney has announced…


First up, this vinyl by new artist Gary Ham. We didn’t know who these was, but after checking out his blog at haminals.blogspot.com we really like the way this guys thinks. (Especially the Superman reference) His vinylmation is right on par with the rest of his artwork. Disney spoke to him and he explained his thoguht process for this piece, “The inspiration behind the figure was to tell a story of pirate voyage and all that they encounter while in search of treasure.” The hat is interesting, as it is removable, but also fits over one ear instead of between them. I think the design looks pretty cool, but like most of this set I’m sure the price is a little out of my range. (Plus, and I hope this is on purpose, I enjoy that his name is Ham and the piece is pink!)

Another new artist to Vinylmationis Robert Lee from methanestudios.com. Check out his pirate variation. I love the M-I-C-K-E-Y on the pirate’s knuckles, and the Mickey Ears on the skull and cross bones on his ear. I’d love this one as a 3″ for like $25!

Jeff Lamm’s piece is up next. Also a newbie to Vinylmation, Jeff’s work usually focuses on Godzilla like monsters. Check out one of the many places to find his artwork, greasebat.com. He says that he likes to create “messed up junk, heavily influences by Japanese monster toys, Ed Roth, pop art, and vintage manga. His piece is pretty straight forward. A skeleton and some jewels, although I’m not sure if the skeleton has eaten the jewels or if they are just in a pile in front of him. Jeff told Disney, “This figure was a fun piece to make. My inspiration came from the ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ model kits made back in the 70’s. I always loved the action of those kits. I liked the idea of skeletal pirates defending their treasure.” I really like the jewel in the right ear, reminds me of the rupees from Zelda. (I’m playing the 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time right now).

Up next, two from seasoned vinylmation artist Adrianne Draude:

Two great things about this piece. One, it kinda looks like this pirate has joined a 1970’s biker gang with all the black leather it seems to be wearing. Two, if you purchase this one, you’ll get that extra fancy chest for your booty! (I wonder if the vinylmation fits inside.) A great figure, and it looks like Adrianne did a lot of work adding 3 dimensional elements to this piece. Gotta love the gold tooth!
The other piece from Adrianne also comes with something special. That really cool box you see there, and it even has a hinged door. I’m pretty sure this means that this piece fits inside the box. The piece isn’t 3D like the previous piece, but the artwork is really cool!


The final piece (well actually pieces) are by NOAH. (If you don’t know he’s the guy behind those custom Disney endorsed TRON figures, as well the some Little Mermaid customs.) According to Disney, there will be six similar figures offered. We are guessing (based on historical records) that these pieces will go for about $595.00. Each piece will also (like always) come with a cool stand which also has another piece of NOAH work. A little darker and scarier then the other pieces, this piece is actually a little simple in comparison to the other pieces. (Of course that might just be the lighting in this picture.) Although, I do have to say, that skull is really really creepy!

What do you think of all these pieces? Which do you like the most? Is anyone in our audience lucky enough to be able afford and thus is looking to purchase one of these?