Star Wars 2 Explained

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Star Wars Series 2 Explained
Release Date: Celebration VI: August 23, WDW August 24, DLR: August 25, 2012
Price: $14.95
Details: Blind Box 12 figure series

Update: 08/17/12 Series 2 accidentally released at Emporium at the Magic Kingdom today. Rumored price is $14.95 per blind box!!!!!


Update: 08/14/12 Picture of Chaser added. HQ pics of all the characters now available.

Click image above to reveal the chaser

Update: 08/13/12 The Disney Parks blog released some new photos today and some words from SW2 artists Thomas Scott and Casey Jones

“The first series was created at a different time in Vinylmation history,” explained Thomas. “When we began developing series two, we considered several factors for future growth. We again worked closely with Lucasfilm when selecting the characters for the new series. We also thought about how those characters could appear in future series.” – Thomas Scott

“I like using the ears as a way to further enhance the story,” explained Casey. “When designing these figures, I looked for something iconic to add to the ears, such as the ‘binary sunset’ on the Tusken Raider or Obi-Wan Kenobi figures. Adding design elements from the film help set the stage for each character.” – Casey Jones

The article says that Casey Jones created concept sketches of each figure, while Maria Clapsis turned those sketches into full-color images.


Update: 08/07/12 Artist Casey Jones tweeted us to let us know the release date for Star Wars 2 in Orlando will actually be Friday, August 24 (Disney’s Events page said 8/25). Casey Jones will be at D-Street from 11am-1pm EST to sign Star Wars 2 figures.


Update: 08/06/12 Release date of Saturday, August 25 announced for D-Street Orlando. Casey Jones will be at D-Street from 11am-1pm EST to sign Star Wars 2 figures. Also, the LE 2500 Princess Leia Hologram figure will be on sale at Star Wars Celebration VI from August 23-26. Celebration is a ticketed convention held at the Orange County Convention Center.


Update: 07/29/12 Release date of Saturday, August 25 announced for D-Street Anaheim. Casey Jones will be at D-Street from 3p-6p PST to sign Star Wars 2 figures. No release info for Orlando yet. But the weekend of August 23-26 is Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando, so a release is expected.


Update: 07/18/12 Pictures of 11 of 12 figures now up. Here is a look at them in their entirety from Vinylmation World.

Update: 07/08/12 Pictures of Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Muftak added in pin form.


Update: 11/17/11 The facebook page for Star Tours had a first look at the Obi-Wan vinyl from Star Wars 2.

Star Wars Series 2 is based on characters from a New Hope Episode IV, the first Star Wars movie to hit theaters. This series was a Casey Jones, Maria Clapsis and Thomas Scott collaboration, each contributing to different parts of the design process they could best handle. As more figures are released, we will see the composition of the set. Do they have to repeat the big stars of the movie franchise? (Luke, Leia, Han Solo) Or can supporting characters carry this second series?

 Darth Vader

Window in one ear, stars in the other. A bit more realistic looking that the series 1 version. It has a helmet shaped feature coming off the head!

Princess Leia

The walls of the ship in her ears look great. Can’t wait to see the details in her clothing in person. The hair buns are the perfect touch after the braided hair ring for series 1.

Luke Skywalker

His return for series 2 puts him on Tatooine with the duel suns ablaze and the colorful skyline in the ears.

Muftak

He is found in the Mos Eisley Cantina. He is paired up with Kabe in the movie

Ponda Baba


Nice coloring and that’s a great looking, although ugly, face.

Han Solo


He looks a lot better in this series. I didn’t like the bland Han look from Series 1. He looks more rugged here with more defined hair and clothing features.

X-Wing Pilot


Great visor look just like X-Wing Mickey.
Grand Moff Tarkin

Tarkin is the commander of the first Death Star. In Episode IV he is portrayed by actor Peter Cushing. This set is doing a great job so far at use of ears. Instead of blank, the artist is using them to represent where we might see the character.

Obi Wan Kenobi

Luke’s first mentor as a Jedi. Also the chaser in Star Wars 1 with a “ghost” variant.

Greedo

The bounty hunter that comes after Han on Tatooine. He never shot first!

Tusken Raider

Roaming Tatooine, these guys ride single file to hide their numbers. Amazing use of ears. The desert scene looks great.

Mystery Chaser

Click on image to see the chaser and our thoughts on it.

Vinylmation Speculation: Star Wars 2 characters

WDWNT on September 21, 2011

First off, we only know two official characters. So as a reminder, this is all just speculation from MC’s brain.

We know of two characters, Greedo and a Tusken Raider. We also know that the set will be based on the Star Wars: A New Hope.

Now for what I want/think should be part of the set.

Jawa

Jack Purvis and others

If we have Raiders we should also get a Jawas. This could be the triple for the case! Imagine an army of these guys. (Unless they come out as Jr.’s which would rock even more.)

Aunt Beru

Sheila Frasier

And think, there could be a “on fire skeleton” variant! (I was gonna add a pic of that scene, but it’s still pretty horrific.)

Uncle Owen

Phil Brown

Also treated to a similar fate, but good for a set.

Luke Skywalker (X-Wing pilot)

Mark Hamill

We have him as a novice Jedi, how about the outfit he spends the last half of A New Hope in.

Prisoner Princess Leia

Carrie Fisher

Again, lets see her as we first saw her, in flowing white robes.

Grand Moff Tarkin

Peter Cushing

The guy who really seemed like the antagonist in the first movie. He actually tells Vader what to do!

Wedge Antilles

Denis Lawson

One of the few Rebellion pilots to make it through all 3 movies. This guy is very very lucky.

Biggs Darklighter

Garrick Hagon

An old friend of Luke’s that joined the Rebellion as an X-Wing fighter.

Porkins

William Hootkins

Big guy. Dead Guy. Poor Porkins.

Mon Mothma

Caroline Blakiston

One of the biggest political figures in the Rebellion.

Admiral Ackbar

Timothy M. Rose

The leader of the fleet that attacks the first Death Star. He knows when something is good, and when “It’s a trap!”.
From a marketing standpoint this would be brilliant. Think of all the University of Mississippi students who would want one!

Any random cantina guy

There are a lot to choose from, but they would help fill out the set. (Yes, I know his name is Pondo Baba. I say random because there are several creatures in the bar that they could use)

Gonk

I didn’t have any robots for this set, so how about the much maligned Gonk. He’s a robot, that looks like a trash can. How cool is that? No, seriously. Is that cool?
Chaser- Original Jabba

This is what Jabba looked like before he was cut in the original film. Lucas later went back an covered over him with a CGI version of the Jabba we all know.

And then hopefully they will release some LE sets. Muppets 2 had them, why not Star Wars 2!

Sandcrawler 9″/Jawa 3″

I like when size matters. This would be a perfect set.

Cantina Band 3″ set

They all look the same, but this would be a great set for accessories. If they can make the 6 piece Kitchen Kabaret, then this would be similar.
Death Star 9″/
Tie 3″/X-wing 3″

This would be epic. I think they should totally do this (but this would be the only way I’d want to see vehicles done. None in the normal set please!)

I left out Han, Chewie, and Ben because they would look the same as series 1. (They don’t have a large selection of wardrobe.)
Who would you like to see as part of this set?

Florida Project: Star Wars 2

WDWNT on September 12, 2011

Update: 9/16/11 Star Wars 2 Vinylmation Explained page added.

The Florida Project also bought the announcement of Star Wars 2. We knew this was coming, but here are the official details.

Star Wars 2 will be based on Episode 4: A New Hope. It is scheduled to be released in August 2012. Several artist worked on this series, including Casey and Maria.

We’ve seen two characters, Greedo and a Tusken Raider. (I really like the two suns of Tatooine in the right ear)

Star Wars Vinylmation: The Adventure Continues…

WDWNT on July 6, 2011

Very exciting news for Star Wars fans this week on Vinylnation.net. Star Wars 2, an Open Window Set, and possibly some new figures as early as this Fall. First off, when asked if Rex, the droid from Star Tours, will be included in Star Wars Series 2, Donald Ferro, Vinylmation Project Manager, said “We’ll be very pleased around the time of the Florida Project.”

Rex – Star Tours. Copyright StarWars.com

Will we see some Star Tours Vinylmation? Or, in my opinion, better yet a series of Disney Robots? I still think it’s a great idea to put out a Disney Robots set. There are plenty to fill in a set, Also, I would like to get an alternate version of Wall-E that’s at an accessible price point. Remember this EPCOT banner that we first saw on Vinylmation Kingdom?

Wall-E on new mold

I went and checked that out in person the other day. Had to see the Robots and Spaced themed vinyl for myself. On this banner are never before seen Vinylmation (Figment in Space Suit), as well as previously released Vinylmation on the new mold (C-3PO, Tron, Boba Fett).

Vincent from Disney’s “Black Hole”

Next, Star Wars Series 2. No word on characters, but they are planning a 2011 release for this 12 figure Mystery Box set. Will series 2 be focused on secondary characters? Or will some of the main characters make appearances with different clothing?

Now, how about the open window Star Wars Vinylmation? This is different from Series 2 and Donald Ferro said he is “confident” of a Summer 2011 release. Possibly before Celebration VI (the Star Wars fan fest held in Orlando August 23-26 2011). So what will be in these? I have two thoughts:

1. Clone Wars Vinylmation

I for one really enjoy this animated series. I just watched much of the Clone Wars marathon on Cartoon Network on the 4th of July. I’m a fan of the style of characters and the universe has great characters. Not to mention that Disney has been heavily pushing the Clone Wars series. At Star Wars Weekend the past two years, Clone Wars heavily influenced the characters, merchandise, guest appearances, and signage. Also, Series 5 of Disney’s line of toys that feature Disney Characters as Star Wars characters will be Clone Wars themed.

Display at Star Wars Weekends 2011

This set is due out this Fall. I really like these figures and have been collecting them since series 1 a few years back. And these characters lead me nicely into…

2. Disney Characters as Star Wars Characters Vinylmation

I would be a big fan of these too. As I said, I already collect the action figures they make in this series.

Small part of my collection

It’s a combo of two of my favorite things, and issuing these as open window makes a lot of sense. Remember, Open Window doesn’t have to be 12 figures. They can do 6 or 8. So, those are my ideas for the Open Window… what do you think?

One last thing… More Star Wars Series 1 will hit shelves this Summer or Fall. Donald said they planned for it to be around for a year or so like many of the series, but demand far outpaced production. They decided not to up the rate of production, hence the periods of no Star Wars cases in D-Street.