Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom the Home Game Rules

WDWNT on March 26, 2012

Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom the Home Game Rules
Version 1.0
By Ryan Thompson

A note from DV: Ryan drafted up some rules for a home (or where ever you would like to play) game. Check out these game play rules. Test it out. And send your feedback to Ryan: ryan@rmtphotography.com. Also, you can find our pictorial and downloadable checklists here.

To Start

To play Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom the Home Game, each player should have their OWN deck of 20 to 50 cards. Each deck cannot contain more than 3 of any single Star, Moon or Planet cards as found in the bottom left hand corner of each card or no more than 1 of any single Lightning Bolt card.

To start the game each player shuffles the deck of cards they have and then asks if the other player would like to cut the card. Each player starts with 30 MAGIC POINTS. You can use whatever you like to indicate these points, coins, pebbles, or just a piece of paper with twenty dots on it.

To start each player deals themselves three cards. This forms their HAND. After the HAND is formed, each player turns over two cards into the playing area in front of them, these two cards are immediately in play. (See figure 1)

Figure 1

BASIC RULES:

UNTURN:
Unturn any card that was previously turned.

PICKUP:
On the first player’s turn, they pick up any cards required to get back to a total of 3 in their hand.

PLAY A CARD:
The player now has a chance to play any cards from their hand by placing it in play and removing one of the two cards that are in play and placing it in the DISCARD pile. A player may ONLY have a maximum of two cards in play at any one time.

ATTACK:
A player now has a chance to attack their opponent. They indicate which, if any, of the cards already in play they wish to attack with and TURN these cards to show they are in use.

DEFENSE:
The opposite player now has a chance to DEFEND with any cards they already have in play. They indicate this by placing the DEFENDING card on top of the ATTACKING card.

DEFENSE BOOST:
The DEFENDING player now has the chance to use a card from their hand to BOOST only ONE of their DEFENDING cards. (SPECIAL cards will allow more than one BOOST. See Special Rules.) They do this by taking the card from their hand and placing it on top of their DEFENDING card.

ATTACK BOOST:
The ATTACKING player now has their own chance to BOOST, only ONE of their ATTACKING cards. (SPECIAL cards will allow more than one BOOST. See Special Rules.)

DAMAGE ROUND:
The ATTACKING player adds up the total number of ATTACK points, which is the number of ATTACK points his card has and any BOOST cards played on top of it.

The DEFENDING player does the same for their DEFENDING card, adding the number of SHIELD points the card has and any BOOST cards player on top of it.

If the ATTACKING card has a higher number of points, the DEFENDING card is placed in the DISCARD pile (along with any BOOST cards) and the remainder of ATTACK – DEFENSE is figured. This is the DAMAGE to the opponent, and this number is removed from the MAGIC POINT TOTAL of the defending opponent.

If the DEFENDING card has a higher number of points, the ATTACKING card is placed in its owner’s discard pile and no damage is done to either player.

Figure 2

In the above example, the attacker has attacked with an ATTACK card 5 and an ATTACK card 2. The DEFENDER blocked the left attack with a 5, and the right attack with a 4.

The ATTACKER boosted the left card with a 2, giving the total ATTACK POWER of 7 for the left side, which is being blocked by a total of 5 DEFENSE points. The DEFENDING card here would be discarded and the OPPONENT would take two points.

On the right side the DEFENDER boosted the SHIELD with a 2 BOOST giving a total of 6 DEFENSE/SHIELD, which means the attacking card would be discarded and no points would go to the opponent.

AT THE END OF THE DAMAGE ROUND ALL CARDS THAT WERE USED AS BOOSTS ARE PLACED IN THE DISCARD PILE.

The play continues with the next player following the same sequence as above, until ONE of the players is reduced to 0 MAGIC POINTS.

NOTE: If any anytime you run out of cards in your main DECK, shuffle the cards in your discard pile, give your opponent a chance to cut, and make this your new DECK.

SPECIAL PROPERTIES:

NOTE: These special properties will sometime seem to conflict with the above rules. These are designed to ENHANCE the basic rules above, and are optional. These rules SUPERCEDE any rules they conflict with as outlined above.

Each type of card has special properties to further enhance the game. Use these to create a more interesting and challenging game! These properties are all controlled by the type of spell being cast, from a choice of Charming, Wishful, Energy, Quick, Flying, Strong or Gross.

CHARMING:
Charming spells have no limit when used as BOOSTS, allowing a player to play MORE than one BOOST card either attacking or defending. All BOOSTS still have to be declared at the same time and a player can play 1 of any other boost, and up to two more CHARMING boosts, for a Maximum of 3 boosts.

WISHFUL:
Wishful spells that are IN PLAY can be sacrificed to give the player who owns the card additional MAGIC POINTS equal to the SHIELD number of the WISHFUL spell. This spell cannot have been involved in an attack or defense during the current turn. These cards are not placed in the discard pile, but instead removed from play for the rest of the current game. Wishful spells cannot be sacrificed from your hand, but only while in play. (They still can be replaced by another card in your hand if it’s before your attack round.) FOR EXAMPLE: If you sacrifice a “Mickey’s Magic Beans” you raise your “Magic Point” counter two points.

ENERGY/FLYING:
Energy or Flying spells cannot be DEFENDED by any other type of card other than ENERGY or FLYING. Once defended, ALL BOOSTS count.

QUICK:
Quick spells can be put into play even during your opponents turn and are able to be used to SHIELD/DEFEND during that turn. The rule of only two cards in play at any time still is in effect though.

STRONG:
Strong spells gain a bonus of PLUS 2 when defending any other spell EXCEPT STRONG or GROSS spells.

GROSS:
Gross spells get a bonus of PLUS 2 when ATTACKING and it is defended by any other spell other than GROSS or STRONG spells.
NOTE: This means undefended cards do NORMAL damage to the opponent, the bonus ONLY kicks in when being DEFENDED.

VER: The Florida Project Trading Room Wrap

WDWNT on September 16, 2011

By RMThompson

I know, so much as been written about the Florida Project already, what else could we cover? Well, as much as Fl Project was a showcase for new things coming in the Vinylmation world, it was even MORE SO, a place to trade for things already released. While other DV Reporters spent their day…reporting, I spent mine trading, and now I am here to give my review of the trading room, and what was going hot, and what’s not.

First, it was nice to see so many traders, ESPECIALLY after the doors opened for the Public Day. Previous to that mark, a LOT of traders spent their time in various Trading Lines going after the elusive Orange Bird Chaser, or other rarities that were found in the trading games. Once they were all gone, they, along with all those who just came to public day, FILLED the trading room floor.

However, I will say I still expected more traders. While the number of registered guests was near 700 for the event, those that set-up and traded was closer to 30 or 40 traders. That’s an exceedingly low number, especially when compared to pin trading events. Yet, those trading had LOTS to trade, it seemed to be nearly double the amount of figures for trade than the typical every-other-month trading events.

Certain figures were seen a lot, and were losing value as the day went on, including the WDW and 71 Cast Chasers, Clear Pink Elephants and the growingly more common (yet still totally awesome) Urban 5 3D Chaser. These figures had certainly slipped some since the previous trading event where they were hotter traders.

Also slipping were some older figures. Park and Urban 1s that aren’t highly sought after (SMRT-1, Graffiti, Fireworks, Glow for example) are becoming more and more available. I can only assume that as newer sets become available, people are more and more willing to trade their older figures to get the stuff they really want. They need more room on their shelf to hold the new stuff, and quite frankly despite the value of the figures, a lot of the new figures just plain look BETTER than their older counterparts. Yet, this doesn’t apply to the figures from these series that people REALLY love. Balloon chaser made a brief appearance by one highly-selective trader, but there were also precious few Figment, Oopsy, Teacups and Gold Chaser figures to go around, making them very tough to trade for.

More recent figures that are seeing a spike in value are hard-to-find figures based on characters a lot of people love. Dripping Mickey chaser and Pongo are now in the well-over-$150-range, while other “easier” figures like Stitch, Supermouse, and a lot of Park 4 are steadily rising above the $50 dollar range.

As for figures released at the event, they were surprisingly not being swapped, with the exception of the Orange Bird Chaser, which is not only the BEST figure ever created on the New Mold (seriously), but was trading upwards of $60 to $80 dollars by the end of the day… once all were given out.

On the 9 inch front, things were slower than I expected. I saw almost NO older 9” Vinylmation. A Mummy was there but not traded, and I got my hands on an Urban 2 Angry Mickey Tiki (underrated figure in my opinion), but there was little else from the older era of Vinylmation to represent the bigger figures. The ones that were there were almost exclusively Location-Based figures; TONS of New York figures to be found, and none of them worth anything save the original “brick head figure.” The remainders were a blend of newer figures with a variety of values. Maleficent and other Villain 9” were surprisingly low in value, while Rafiki and Up were steadily being traded at over $100 dollars in value.

Everyone had the Disney Afternoon series. While Bonkers and Dougs were just taking up trade space, I saw many Ducktales, Talespins and Rescue Rangers being traded, with the Rescue Rangers being the hardest to trade for and the highest in value. The other two packs to be had included the lower-end Cars and Halloween, and the higher end Disney Cruise Line Stuff. Location based tins and 3” were easy enough to gobble up, but perhaps the rarest was the San Fran 3” Bridge.

Interestingly enough, certain Park/Urban series are seeing a WIDE variety in value from figure to figure. To better reflect that, here is a list of each of the main series and their highest and lowest traders based on what I saw this weekend, excluding the chasers (which in almost all cases are the hottest traders in each series)

Park 1:
HOT: Figment/Creepy Wallpaper.
NOT: Fireworks/SMRT-1

Park 2:
HOT: Mike Mouse/Little Green Men
NOT: Monkey/Aquaramouse

Park 3:
HOT: Blue Monorail
NOT: Almost everything else

Park 4:
HOT: Combo Topper (Plane Crazy)/Epcot 84
NOT: Tower of Terror/POTC Dog

Park 5:
HOT: Stitch/Yeti
NOT: Buzz Lightyear Vehicle/COP John

Park 6:
HOT: Orange Monorail
NOT: Troll/Primeval Whirl

Urban 1:
HOT: Oopsy/El Super Raton
NOT: Checkered/Graffiti

Urban 2:
HOT: Cosmos/Chinese Writing/Chocolate Mickey Bar
NOT: Gear Bear/Girly

Urban 3:
HOT: Cheeseburger/Green Dragon
NOT: EVERYTHING ELSE

Urban 4:
HOT: Supermouse/Robot/Heartbroken
NOT: Everything else but Strawberry Fields

Urban 5:
HOT: Nothing
NOT: Everything

Urban 6:
HOT: Blue Thumb Variant
NOT: Baby Crying/Sideways Mickey

All in all the day was a success, and I saw LOTS of trading going on, which is a great thing. I hope that Disney will realize that Vinylmation is a BIG success and give us more than a handful of exclusive event figures next time, compared to the DOZENS of pins that were available the day before… but that’s a story for another article.

Vinylmation Exchange Report: May 13th, 2011

WDWNT on May 13, 2011

by Ryan Thompson

Welcome to the third edition of V.E.R., or the Vinylmation Exchange Report. This week’s article will focus on Park series 9 inch releases. The park series, is of course, Vinylmation inspired by scenes, characters and imagery from the various Disney theme parks, and what a better way to display them than in the larger, more detailed, 9 inch form! From the creepy wallpaper inside the Haunted Mansion, to a trashcan in Fantasyland, the Disney artists have picked their way through the parks… and they still aren’t through! However, just because it’s based on your favorite ride, doesn’t mean it’s worth a lot – this article will discuss the various rarities and values of the Park 9 inch figures.

To keep things interesting, I’ve decided that I cannot pick more than ONE figure from each series in each category… otherwise all the rising stars would be from Park 1!

VER RISING STARS:

1. Park 1 – “Watching You” 9”/3” combo by Dan Howard.

· Haunted Mansion is surely one of the most popular rides amongst the various Disney theme parks, and it became the first figure to have multiple figures based on it when Park 1 was released… and they all concentrated on the wallpaper! Yes the infamous “Creepy Wallpaper” was the subject of both a regular 3” Vinylmation, and this set; which at the time was given a relatively “large” release number of LE500. Despite the “high” numbers of figures this was an early sell out, and still a sticking point for many collectors! This one is rarely traded, and barely makes appearances on eBay, but when it does it outsells even the Balloon chaser and other hard to find figures. One of these in your collection is more than an investment; it’s a status symbol!

· Possible trades: SHAG, Wall-E and Eve, Balloon Chaser.

2. Park 2 – “Mine Mine Mine” 9” figure by Maria Clapsis.

· While this writer doesn’t like to covet over a single figure for very long, I have to admit that this particular figure has given me many headaches; and I don’t even own it! A very hard to find figure from Park 2, “Mine Mine Mine” by Maria Clapsis is one of the earliest Pixar based Vinylmation figures. It’s neat design, which matches almost identically to a line of additional merchandise, and it’s connection to a VERY popular movie mean that this one, like the Watching You set above, was snatched up VERY quickly, and makes rare appearances on trading/selling forums. Looking for it can certainly make you feel like Marlin trying to fine Nemo… but if I ever get my hands on one, I know what I’ll be saying… “Mine… MINE… MINE!!!!”

· POSSIBLE trades: Safari Mickey, Incredibles Set, Wall-e and Eve.

3. Park 3 – “Carnotaurus” by Maria Clapsis

· This is an interesting case, mostly because people might assume I would chose a Disney Cruise Line exclusive for Park 3, as three great figures were released only on the DCL boats, Wonder, Magic and the Castaway Cay 9/3” set. However, because those aren’t “really” in the Park 3 set (they were NEVER sold at a park), we must look beyond those to a red Dinosaur that no one would expect; Carnotaurus. The second Maria Clapsis design to make the list, this one actually did NOT sell out very fast, and was on the shelf for awhile, and even after selling out on both coasts, stayed at a steady value for months. However, in the past year, as new collectors come to Vinylmation looking for relatively “cute” figures (it is a giant scary dinosaur after all), this one is sought after by MANY collectors. Its value goes for 4 to 5 times its retail value, and sometimes much higher as this hard to find figure has been known to set off a bidding war. You have to believe though that its connection to the relatively unpopular “Dinosaur” ride has little to do with its value.

· POSSIBLE trades: Crossroads, Test Track, Creepy Wallpaper 3”.

VER SINKING STARS

1. Park 4 – “Adventures through Inner Space” by Maria Clapsis.

· Here we see Maria entering the other side of the list, in a figure that is well designed, but perhaps in a “why did they make THAT?” kind of way. For those that don’t know, “Adventures through Inner Space” was a ride that debuted in Disneyland in 1967, marked most notably perhaps as the first omnimover ride (that would later go on to power Haunted Mansion’s Doom Buggies) and also narrated by Haunted Mansion’s Paul Frees with music by the duo that created the infamous “Small World” music. The ride would take the guests through a giant microscope and into the wonderful world of micro…whatevers. Something sciency I am sure. Did I mention that the ride closed in 1987 to make way for Star Tours? Anyway, Maria Clapsis did a WONDERFUL job of capturing the feel of a ride no one remembers, but it didn’t help the popularity of this figure, despite the frenzy over every other Park 4 figure.

· POSSIBLE trades: 3D Glasses Mickey, Talespin, Little Green Men from Park 2.

2. Park 3 – “Fantasyland Trashcan” by Jeff Eborsohl

· A great idea, a figure based on a fixture in the parks people often overlook, the surprise part of this 9 inch figure from Park 2 is that it’s readily available for trade/buy. The design is simple enough, but perhaps it’s not as popular as the other Park 3 figures because it uses a decal in the center, a technique no longer used on Vinylmation… the decals would get sticky, and in heat, would even MOVE, ruining or disfiguring the decal. Or it could just be that it’s based on a trashcan, and not many people have an emotional attachment to the place we put our waste. Either way, this is the easiest Park 3 9” figure to collect.

· POSSIBLE trades: Sci Fi Diner, Tiki Room, Drippy chaser.

3. Park 2 – “Epcot Icons” by Thomas Scott.

· Speaking of head scratchers, here is one sinking star I just don’t understand. I like Epcot. I like Vinylmation. I like icons… however combining them all into this figure leaves some to be desired. I think I understand what the infamous Thomas Scott was going for here, but perhaps the paint or paint process took something away from the embossed metal look he was trying to convey. Instead we just get… grey, adorned with 8 symbols in… lighter grey. Boring. Despite being Park 2, this one sells sometimes less than twice its retail, and is easier for those attached to the parks to give up. If you have one keep it, but if you don’t, you REALLY gotta love Epcot to trade for it!

· POSSIBLE trades: Peter Pan, Julius 9/3 combo.

So that wraps up week 3 of V.E.R. IF you’re reading this, pop a note in the comments to let us know what you think, and possibly what areas you’d like to see covered in future V.E.R.s? Remember to collect what you like, and until next time… Make Mine Vinyl.

Vinylmation Exchange Report: May 5th, 2011

WDWNT on May 5, 2011

by Ryan Thompson

Welcome to the second edition of the Vinylmation Exchange Report, or V.E.R. It’s no secret that part of the allure of Vinylmation is the ability to trade for the ones you want; however, sometimes it’s hard to be sure you’re getting a fair trade. This article, which will be posted weekly, will contain reports based on several websites that sell and trade Vinylmation in order to give YOU, the faithful reader, an idea on how hard it will be to get the figure you want!

This week’s article is going to discuss one of the newer concepts in Disney’s Vinylmation collecting: Variant designs. If you’re reading this article you already know that most Vinylmation “closed-box” series consist of 11 known figures and 1 “mystery chaser”; a figure that only comes 1-per-case and is more rare (and thus usually more valuable) than the others. However, Disney not being content with the concept that if you buy a case you have every figure, decided to throw variants into the mix. The rarity of these figures are hard to pinpoint, but we’ll do our best***  to let you know which are more rare than others, and which are easier to find.

*** A note on Variants. The best guess that this writer has on possible configurations on a particular case is 5 different configurations. If this theory is true, that would mean that any particular series might be boxed in one of five different ways; also making true that the rarest a figure could be is 1 in 5 boxes, or 1:120 figures. This guess is based on different known configurations of Animation Series 1 boxes, and could be way off, and thus should only be used for comparison purposes.

V.E.R. RISING STARS

1. Star Wars “Ghost of Obi-Wan” chaser

The Star Wars series was a very delayed group of Vinylmation that had been promised almost six months before release. Collectors had seen previews MONTHS before the release was hinted at, and with the exception of the well-guarded chaser, no one was ready for any surprises when it was finally released on January 13th, 2011. However, we got one; the world’s first Vinylmation SUPER CHASER. While every box contained a chaser, certain boxes were replaced with the same Obi-Wan design over clear blue, creating the ghost effect seen in the original Trilogy of Star Wars. The value immediately skyrocketed, going for up to 30 times the retail value of the figure! Subsequently the Star Wars series sold out, and thus the value has remained high… to this day one of the few figures that can command such a price.

POSSIBLE variant ratio: 1 in 5 boxes, or 1 in 120 figures.

2. Cutesters Too – Green Apple Variant

Cutesters is a strange set in Vinylmation world. Quite deliberately this set is geared towards girls, the first series (designed by the now missing-in-action and under appreciated Vinylmation artist Lisa Badeen) was on the shelves for over a YEAR. So when the second series was announced, designed by Maria Clapsis known for her “cute” figures, there was some question on whether or not these figures would be highly collectible… and variants took care of that. A set with 3 variants, two “regular” figures, and also the green apple chaser variant; marking only the second “Super Chaser” next to Ghost of Obi Wan. Still, Star Wars has a wider appeal among collectors, so the Ghost remains higher, but the Green Apple Variant is a close second.

POSSIBLE variant ratio: 1 in 5 boxes, or 1 in 120 figures.

3. Park 6 – Donald Duck Purple “wet paint” variant

Back in the day, which refers to any day in the 1980s and 90s in this case, Wet Paint signs littered the Disney parks with Donald chasing after one his nephews wielding an orange paintbrush; warning visitors to stay away from that area. (Now the sign is a rather lame Stitch one.) So the Park 6 Vinylmation that was released was a big hit among long time visitors… except that it had “green paint” instead of orange; a problem fixed with a variant. However, collectors were surprised to learn that this figure had a “SECOND” variant, this time with purple paint. For reasons still uncertain, but likely based on rarity, this purple version skyrocketed in value, going for as much as 3 chasers or 10 times the retail value.

POSSIBLE variant ratio: 2 in 5 boxes, or 1 in 60 figures.

V.E.R. SINKING STARS

1. Urban 6 – Blue Thumb variant

Urban 6’s Green Thumb is a unique Vinylmation to say the least.  Designed to look almost like a realistic, life size thumb, it’s shaded green to indicate that the owner of said thumb has, according to the dictionary; “an exceptional aptitude for gardening.” So, the natural variant for this would be a flesh colored thumb, right? WRONG – Disney threw a curveball and instead gave us the same thumb only in blue hues; a “blue thumb.” So what is a blue thumb? Well, it refers back to the 1990’s computer giant IBM being nicknamed “Big Blue” because of their blue IBM logo. Those adapt at computer skills then were nicknamed “Blue Thumbs”, a joke towards the Green Thumb name. Anyway, an awkward design, in green OR blue, leads this one to be less sought after than other figures; and thus being slightly easier to find.

POSSIBLE variant ratio: 1 in 2 boxes, or 1:48 figures.

2. Animation 1 – Multi colored “Elephants on Parade” chasers

Another “Super Chaser”? With FOUR different designs? Sounds like a figure destined for rising stars, but instead it’s not. Animation 1’s chaser was, quite honestly, a lackluster design compared to other figures in the series; based on a sequence in Dumbo, and unlike the other figures in Animation, it wasn’t even based on a main character. So, then when the same figure was produced four times, with four SLIGHTLY different paint colors, it’s no wonder collectors didn’t clamor to try to complete the set.  Combine this with a VERY easy to find chaser, based on the number of cases created (this set is sold at Disney Stores, Parks, and online), most of these (less than) Super Chasers are worth less than a regular chaser, with the exception of the rarest solid light pink design.

POSSIBLE variant ratio: The Clear Pink is the most common (the “regular” chaser, followed by Solid Dark pink. Clear purple is even harder to find, and the Solid light pink chaser is the hardest to find and the only one with much value. 

3. Animation 1 – Pinocchio “Real Boy” variant

Along with the Elephant variants described above, Animation had a fourth variant, based on a common figure in the set… that was less interesting than the one it was replacing. The regular Pinocchio figure in Animation represents the scene where the main character is turning into a donkey, and the figure even has a 3-D molded tail to boot, making it one of the coolest designs in Vinylmation. The variant however was the same figure, sans tail, and with blue painted over the donkey ears. That’s it. The only reason most collectors even want it is because of its rarity, and because of reasons pointed out above, it really isn’t even that rare. It goes for barely twice the retail price, and casual collectors have been actually disappointed to open this figure instead of the regular version.

POSSIBLE variant ratio: When you find a case that has one, you’ve found a case that has two – both Pinnochios are always the same in a box. Best guess is 2 in 3 cases, or 1 in 36 figures.

So that wraps up week 2 of V.E.R. IF you’re reading this, pop a note in the comments to let us know what you think, and possibly what areas you’d like to see covered in future V.E.R.s? Remember to collect what you like, and until next time… Make Mine Vinyl.

Vinylmation Exchange Report

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

by Ryan Thompson

Welcome to the very first Vinylmation Exchange Report, or V.E.R. It’s no secret that part of the allure of Vinylmation is the ability to trade for the ones you want; however, sometimes it’s hard to be sure you’re getting a fair trade.

This article, which will be posted every Thursday, will contain reports based on my research from various sources across the web and at the parks. It will give you an idea on the relative trading value of Vinylmation. It will also, to the best of our ability, update you if certain figures are sold out or are close to being sold out.

V.E.R. will cover “Rising stars”, or figures that are increasing in trade value. I will also discus “falling” stars, figures that might be on the way down. I will also inform you about the history, edition size and any other interesting facts about these figures.

Since this is the first article, it would be a great idea to talk about what some people would call the “Holy Grail” Vinylmations, the figures that are the hardest to get your hands on. Although there is no easy answer to that question, it will be fun to take a look at some of the most sought after figures and discuss the reason they are so tough to discover, and what they are worth in trade!

V.E.R. RISING STARS

1. Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary “SHAG” 9” and 3” combo

 Way back in 2009, when Vinylmation was in its infancy, the artist known as SHAG (JoSH AGle) had a limited edition Vinylmation that was part of an art event in Disneyland. Tickets to the event were expensive, and since those lucky enough to attend were the only ones able to purchase the items, they immediately were trading for only the best Vinylmations, and now is valued higher than any other figure. Since SHAG was signing figures and art at this event, most of the known figures are signed, perhaps the ONLY figure where an unsigned version is worth more than the autographed one.

LE 150 – the second rarest Vinylmation known to date.

2. Park 1 Balloon Chaser 3”

 Park 1, the very beginning of Vinylmation, introduced the “chaser” concept to many new fans, but those who were already collecting pins were familiar with the idea that one figure in the set would be harder to find. Because of this, many pin collectors would use the relatively easy-to-find Randy Noble designed Balloon Chaser to bolster their pin collections through trading. No one knew how long Park 1 would last, so when it sold out after Park 2’s release, the flow of Balloon chasers ended, and coupled with a great design, became an instant hit. Only second in value to the SHAG as seen above, a Balloon Chaser is a sign of an obsessed collector!

LE: UNKNOWN – Disney has not, and will not, release the edition amounts of any “limited release” figure, which most of Vinylmation is.

3. Wall-E and Eve 3” combo set

Introducing the concept of the 2 figure set, Wall-E and Eve was a lesson to Disney in Vinylmation’s overall popularity, and a testament to how crazy release days were before WDW opened their own D-street. With only 500 figures to split between both coasts, and several stores across the WDW campus selling Vinylmation, lines were everywhere, with very few figures to sell at each location. Coupled with a warehouse issue that had store managers driving back and forth throughout the day to pick up more figures, this release goes down as the fastest (non online) sellout in Vinylmation history. Those on the Left Coast at DLR had it worse, as the Orlando stores received the lion’s share of this Maria Clapsis created set.  A staple in collectors who started post Park 1, this set was trading for two chasers by the Trade Event that happened on the same night of release.

LE: 500, with a guesstimated 350 being released at the Orlando campus.

V.E.R. FALLING STARS

1. Park 3 Test Track 9” and 3” combo – Disneyland Version

 Park 3 was the beginning of the “big climb” for Vinylmation, where the popularity of each figure was starting to rise, and Disney was scrambling to make enough of whichever figures people wanted. Test Track was a great choice for Park 3, with a fun design by Vinylmation staple Randy Noble, it was an instant hit among collectors, and was likely responsible for bringing a lot of attention to Vinylmation among non-collectors. However, an interesting thing happened upon release – a special “Disneyland” version, sporting an “I-5” 3 inch rather than the regular “I-4” sign was packaged with some sets. The Disneyland version was only made 100 times! What was really odd about this release was that there is no version of Test Track in Disneyland, making it quite the odd choice, but also making it technically the rarest figure in Vinylmation history. Still, despite that title, it’s found relatively easier than the above three figures. And considering the 9” figure is exactly the same among both coasts, there is hardly a demand for it except for those collectors who love to complete everything.

LE: 100, but only on the 3”. The 9” is technically LE 600 (500 for the WDW version and 100 for the DLR version).

2. Tinkerbell 3” News Bureau Vinylmation  

Last May the Vinylmation trading community was abuzz about the first non-traditional Vinylmation figure, one that showed up without any indication what it was for, other than it was some sort of special release. The figure was Tinkerbell’s first appearance on any Vinylmation, but the words “Disney’s News Bureau” were stamped on the front, making it not the first figure that is better displayed backwards, but perhaps the rarest. The trading went sky-high almost instantly, trading for Park 1s and other extremely rare figures before Disney finally released information. Officially this figure was given out as a gift, with a dark clear base (also marking the first use of a clear mold outside of the Clear series… geez this is a figure of firsts, huh?), and Disney has said that there is no edition size, and it can be reordered at any time. Perhaps because of this, the initial buzz died down fast, and while still a rare figure, it trades for much less now than it did a year ago.

LE: UNKNOWN – technically NOT a Limited Edition, although there is no indication how many are in existence, this could very well be the RAREST of mass produced Vinylmation, with a very real possibility that non-collectors who received this threw it away or otherwise disposed of it… why do I have the feeling more than one of these figures became an overpriced dog toy?

3. Park 3  t’s a Small World Chaser 3”

 A great design, with a popular artist, from one of the most popular rides in history… and it’s a chaser? Sounds impossible to get, right? Not so fast. Park 3’s chaser, It’s a Small World by Lisa Badeen, has a design borrowed from It’s a Small World’s flora. This figure for whatever reason, did not completely catch the interest in the collectors hearts. Perhaps part of the disinterest was the utter lack of any of the popular “children” from the ride,  but more likely the oversaturation of Park 3 was to blame, as Disney was seemingly experiencing some growing pains, trying to figure how much of one edition was too much. Subsequently the Park 3 set was shelves for over a year, and the abundance of these figures means it can be an easier grab. Be careful trading chaser for chaser on this one, as likely if you’re giving up any recent chasers, they would get more in trade elsewhere.

LE: UNKNOWN.. but a lot. Really.

Well, that wraps up the first edition of V.E.R., but when you’re out there trading, remember what a wise man once told me; Collect what you like. Vinylmation trading is about getting the figures YOU want most, not trading for what’s worth the most. Until next week… make mine Vinyl!

Clearing Up the Mystery: What I’d Change About Trading Vinylmation

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

By DV Contributor RMThompson

First, let me preface this entire article by telling you that I love trading in the parks. I really don’t ever want to see Vinylmation trading disappear, and if we HAD to keep it in its current form (flaws included) or not have it at all, I’d take the flawed version any day. Still, it’s not a perfect system and one that is often met with disdain and looks of confusion among newer Vinylmation collectors and up to and including loathing among those more serious collectors. So, with that in mind, this article will discuss what things might possibly be fixed, and hopefully we can “clear” things up. You’ll get why that’s a pun later, but for now let’s start with:

1. Create a small set of rules that can be posted ON or NEAR the box, and make sure everyone sticks to it.
Part of the confusion in the current Vinylmation world comes from the lack of knowledge of the Cast Members in charge of selling or trading this product. This is not only a problem with trading, but with general knowledge. Some cast members can’t answer basic questions regarding Vinylmation, let alone trading. Then, there are those that follow the rules TOO rigidly. For example, recently I saw a young man go up to a box that others were trading from, the cast member asked him what number he wanted and took out a random Have-A-Laugh figure. The young man looked down at his trader, and then back towards the Have-A-Laugh, and told the cast member he didn’t want to trade. The cast member insisted that he MUST complete the transaction because “those were the rules”, even though there was no signage indicating so, and he didn’t tell this person the rules. He repeated to the guest that he “needed to complete the transaction” until the guest simply walked out of the store; after all, it WAS his Vinylmation, rules or not.

Nick trades at D-Street Orlando

To clarify, the rules do state that you have to give your figure in before being given the figure you’ve selected. They also state that you can only trade once out of the mystery box and once out of the clear box. There are cast members who, thankfully, break these rules as well. Why cherry picking boxes for possible chasers is not a good thing, some cast members know that pulling ANOTHER Toy Story Big Baby after trading one in is more than frustrating, and will let you chose again. Others have been known to let people pick up to three or more choices, (or even flip the entire box around) while others stick to the once-and-your-done rule.

If nothing else was to change in the Vinylmation trading world, I would allow two chances from the mystery box… and perhaps another if they get the same item they turned in. Remember that these experiences are supposed to invite the customer in, and excite them about Vinylmation, not turn them off to collecting. Disney, and  collectors, all benefit when new collectors start buying Vinylmation.

2. Expand the number of locations that allow trading, including location-specific trading.
Ever notice where all the trading boxes are in Disney theme parks? Yes, right near the largest Vinylmation displays. This makes sense, you want people to be able to trade right after they buy, but why limit the trading to those high-profile locations? It would seem that it might make sense to add some locations that aren’t already selling a high number of Vinylmation. There are some stores that could even have limited “themed” trading; where certain locations only allowed trading of a specific series, limiting the number of repeats in the trade box, but also adding another layer of experience for the customer.

Disney has tried different types of trading like this in the Emporium.

Imagine a box somewhere near Pixar Place that only allows trading of “Toy Story” figures, or trading of the new “Pirates of the Caribbean” series only in the large store near the ride’s exit. Even if they weren’t location specific, adding new locations to lower-trafficked stores would not only push collectors into these locations, but perhaps even allow for a longer guest/cast member experience and allow the cast members a longer time to spend trading and communicating with the guest.

Another idea would to have a cart in each park that travels around and trades, making finding it a random occurrence, and more akin to the pin trading that collectors have enjoyed for years. These carts could have a blend of clear and mystery trading, and people love trading with cast members while walking around the parks! Speaking of that…

3. Create lanyards or hip-holsters that hold 3 figures for mystery trading with cast members.
Rumor has it that the original idea for trading within the parks would’ve meant a lanyard holster, with 8 to 10 figures held on it, but the weight of it led them to the store based boxes instead. Well, why not have both? While carrying 8/10 figures might get hard, especially in the Florida heat, 3 figures would not be that difficult to carry around, especially if they were somehow held on the hip. If you’re familiar with the hip-based pin holders, you can imagine the same thing for Vinylmation, only with 3 spots (covered up with the Vinylmation ? chaser logo of course) that would allow for mystery trading.

Jr Trading

This, again, increases the randomness of finding a figure, something pin traders have enjoyed for years, and could lead to a greater guest and cast member experience. Imagine waiting in line for Space Mountain (whose store no longer has trading) and seeing a cast member with the mystery pouch. You trade with them for a figure you’re missing, and now waiting in line has become a positive experience! Also, this would be a better place to have cast chasers be launched, instead of the mystery boxes they are in now that allow cherry picking…. Which leads me to:

4. Replace the mystery boxes with clear boxes of the same design.
This is the biggest change I would make, and one that I think could really decrease the number of repeated figures found in boxes, while increasing the number of new figures collectors could find? How? By adopting the same rules found in Pin Trading; you cannot trade in a figure if the box already holds the same figure.

The current 3 figure clear trading boxes

Imagine the mystery boxes were all replaced with clear versions of the same. When you walk into the store, you can see the box behind the counter. Without bothering a cast member, you can see if there are any figures you are looking for. If you DO spot one, you can then get in line and trade with the cast member. However, if all you have to trade is a figure already in the box, you aren’t allowed. This solves a number of issues, and while it seems to counter the “fun” in the mystery, would actually make people much happier, as they see what they are going to get. It eliminates having several of the same figure in the boxes, which is an epidemic at certain trade boxes in the parks, and means that the most of any one figure scattered around the park would be at maximum one-per-box.

Also, if there is a figure you need and you don’t have an appropriate trader, you could buy a figure, located close to the trading of course, thus increasing sales for Vinylmation. It’s really a win-win for everyone.

I can see how some people would be discouraged by this change, after all Vinylmation collectors are notoriously bad at handing change. The greedy will maintain that the figures hiding in the mystery boxes increase the chances of finding a rare or out of print figure, after all I myself found an Urban 1 Oopsy in a mystery box less than 6 months ago, but if the number of chasers found in the clear boxes is any indication, some traders either don’t know the value of certain figures, or don’t care, and I am sure hard to find figures would make their way to the boxes.  Also, if #3 on this list was also instated, it would be able to satisfy those with the urge to blind trade, without tying up cast members at a retail location.

So that’s it. Again, I love the trading, and really don’t want it to go away, but if the new mold is any indication, the team at Vinylmation is ALWAYS looking at new ways to increase the quality of the product and experience. Here’s hoping trading is including in those discussions.

Also, what do you, the reader and collector, think of these changes? Are there OTHER changes you would create if you were in charge?

Until next time, make mine Vinylmation!

Spotlight on: Custom Vinylmation artist Mark Hoffmann

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

by RMThompson

RT: Mark, thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions today and welcome to the world of Vinylmation, we understand you’re a newer collector/designer?

MH: Very new. I am working on the second custom that I have ever done. I have been collecting the 3″ Vinylmation for almost a year now.

RT: Which is your favorite Vinylmation that you own?

MH: My favorite is probably my Jafar Chaser from Villains 1… although I must say I love the new Lion King set I just got!

RT: What about one that you REALLY want?

MH: I would love, but know that it is almost impossible, the Balloon chaser from Park 1!

RT: Before making custom Vinylmation, what other kind of painting have you done?

MH: I’ve been painting eggs and gourds for years. I have always been a huge Disney fan so I’ve so when my daughter was little I painted a Little Mermaid mural on her wall. I recently painted a Lilo and Stitch mural on my Granddaughters wall. I have illustrated a few children’s books over the years and designed collector pins for Hard Rock Cafe. Had the pleasure of designing a set of Limited Edition pins for the Salt Lake Winter Olympics for Hard Rock Cafe as well, which was pretty cool.

I also designed Angel figures for a local company here in Morgan Hill…..and to our surprise we actually saw one of the figures in a small village in Switzerland….talk about a small world!

RT: Wow that’s impressive work! Great detail! What drew you to create a custom Vinylmation? Which was your first one?

MH: Actually my partner Rene was the one who brought it to my attention. He has always been my biggest supporter. I saw a site that had customs on there and he said, “you could do that”…and the rest is history. My first custom was of Ariel, The Little Mermaid.

He and Mickey have always been my favorite! So I had the best of both worlds….an Ariel painted on a Mickey!! When I saw her come to life as I was painting her I knew I was hooked!!

RT: What is the hardest part about painting such a 3D design?

MH: For me it has to be painting a face around Mickey’s nose….but that is part of the challenge….I personally think that was one of the cool things about the Vinylmation.

RT: The Ariel is beautiful, probably the best Princess custom I’ve seen yet! What is coming next?

MH: Thank you so much. Well, I just finished Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I painted her in her blue dress and apron. The beginning of the movie when she is walking through the village is one of my favorite parts and I wanted to bring that into the piece.

RT: I’ve seen this one as it was being made, and it’s simply AMAZING… but now let’s show the world:

Wow, she is BEAUTIFUL! I really like Belle, you captured her eyes perfectly, and I love the clouds behind her in the ears! What’s next on your custom agenda?

MH: I am seriously thinking of Jasmine….I have the blank Mickey staring right at me, just waiting to get started!!

RT: You seem to have a princess theme, which I love! Are you doing multiples of any design, and are they for sale?

MH: All of mine are one of a kind, if I do another Ariel or Belle, it wouldn’t look the same. Of course all of them are for sale! Belle is the first one I am putting on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260848890664#ht_685wt_1396

RT: Well thanks for taking the time to show off your customs and talking to us today, anything else you want to share?

MH: I would just like to thank all the great people I have met and who have shown interest in my painting. Who would have thought a Little Mermaid would have opened up a whole new world for me!!

You can check out MORE of Mark’s art at: markhoffmann.com or add him here: http://www.facebook.com/MarkJHoffmann