Next Wave of Disney Character Star Wars Action Figures

WDWNT on June 13, 2012

Again, no new Vinylmation on display, but plenty of Star Wars stuff. On display was a set of 6 Disney Characters as Star Wars action figures. At first I was excited to get a peak at the 6th series, but these do not seem to fall in line with the figures we are used to. (see series 5 here). First of, it’s a set of six. Second, there are repeat characters. And third, the quality seems a notch below. Take a look at the set below. It is themed toward the Phantom Menace and will be released in August at a retail price of $9.95.

Donald Duck is of course Darth Maul. In a Disney blog article, we were made to believe this would be available this weekend… it was not. It is an upgrade to the Darth Maul Donald we already have because this on has a robe made out of fabric.

 

Instead of having Goofy reprise his role as C-3P0, here he is TC-14. A protocol droid found in the Phantom Menace.

 

Mickey appears as a young Anakin Skywalker all ready to take on a pod race.

 

Minnie is once again Queen Amidala. She also was the same character in a previous action figure set. The had garb looks a little more intricate on this one.

 

Yep, that’s Pluto peeking out of R2D2. I always wondered how they would portray this droid in an action figure set. I think I like it, but may have to see it in hand, and not through glass, to be sure.

 

I always liked Stitch as Yoda, but do not need a second one in my collection… but I do need a Jedi Council chair!!! So you got me again Disney. Just like you got me to re-buy Mickey as Indiana Jones because you packaged him with Goofy and an Ark.

 

Disney Character Star Wars Photoshoot

WDWNT on June 11, 2012

What a coincidence. While at Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios the other day we ran into the Disney Character Star Wars figures checking out the festivities. It seems as if they hung out at Star Tours for a while and then visited some of their favorite attractions.

–

 

–

 

–

 

–

 

–
Pete dressed as Boba Fett and stood in line for an hour to meet Jaba, only to find out this was the real Boba Fett’s meet and greet line…. awkward.
–

 

Darth Vader Goofy figured the first step to (Disney) world domination is research. So he hopped aboard the Studio Backlot Tour to learn more… complete waste of time.
–

 

Princess Leia Minnie used her alone time to take in a show. Not even Obi Wan could save her from this performance.
–

 

Stormtrooper Donald decided to terrorize some guests.
–

 

X-Wing Pilot Mickey figured he would learn the ways of the force from some Jedi Masters…
–

 

…in hopes of improving his pathetic 23,000 point score on Toy Story Midway Mania.
–

 

Stitch Yoda found out the hard way… Help answer trivia questions, the force does not.
–
“These are not the Fast Passes you are looking for.”

 

New Star Wars Figures Coming Soon

WDWNT on March 5, 2012

by Nick LoCicero

I’ve been waiting so long for these! The Disney Parks Blog has announced a March release for the Disney Character Star Wars Series 5 set.

Series 5 will feature Huey, Dewy and Louie as Jawas and then, for the first time, a few Clone Wars figures made the cut. Donald Duck as Commander Cody, Daisy as Aurra Sing, Goofy and Cad Bane and Stitch as General Grievous.

Donald and Rizzo Star Wars Action Figures Review

WDWNT on January 12, 2012

As part of the month-long celebration that is Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the merchandise team created some great new mash-up action figures. Donald Duck as Savage Opress and Rizzo as Yoda, are different yet exciting additions to their respective series runs.

I’ll start with the Donald as Savage Opress. Opress is the feature of a story line on the Clone Wars animated TV show. He is discovered by Ventress who wants to use him to defeat Count Dooku (who in turn wants to use him to defeat Darth Sidous). Opress is Darth Maul’s brother, therefore has a similar paint scheme, just different colors. Since Disney has already given us a Darth Maul Donald, this figure is a perfect niche choice for a limited edition figure… especially with the much appreciated Clone Wars focus on the last series.

As with the Darth Maul figure, this one has some great paint detail and sculpted horns on the face.

Savage Opress action figure
–
Savage Opress Clone Wars screenshot
–

His uniform is fairly accurate to the show with the robes, belts, gloves and boots. He of course has the duel light saber as well. If I were to be picky, I would have liked to see more detail on the shoulder pads to indicate as series of shields instead of one big pad.

The edition size is 2012 and the price is $12.95… putting it just $3 over the normal series retail.

Continuing the Muppets as Star Wars series that began earlier this year, Rizzo appears as Yoda in this one-off limited release figure. The earlier series really impressed me overall with well done character selection, designs, joint movement and accessories… and this figure does not disappoint.

Would Kermit make a better Yoda? That can be debated, but Kermit is needed for the starring role of Luke Skywalker, so the elder Jedi’s role falls onto the rat’s shoulders. I like the approach of only using green on the Yoda ears and eyes as opposed to when Stitch is Yoda and his entire body is painted green. That full body paint works well on Stitch, but the varied approach is nice to see here. The details are all here in the face and robe, but the geek in me is drawn to the two accessories. You can have Yoda Rizzo hold either a light saber or a cane… and that is just cool.

The only gripe here is the price. At $14.95 this figure is at best $2 over priced… at worst $5. The Muppets 2-packs retail at $18.95… that’s $9 each for figures that are much larger than this one. I can see paying a few extra bucks for a limited release item, especially one released at the hoopla around Star Wars Weekends, but at $15, this is $2 more than the Limited Edition Savage Opress Donald! I have long, long ago stopped trying to figure out Disney pricing because my head was about to explode like the Death Star.

Inside Darth’s Maul

WDWNT on January 12, 2012

I arrived at about 8:30am and Stormtroopers loomed over the DHS entrance make sure guests stayed in line. I headed directly for the merchandise. I’ve never hit up the merchandise tent on opening day before at Star Wars Weekends… good thing I wore my standing shoes. It was basically three and a half hours from park entrance to check out. I grabbed some pins, vinyls and toys… but there was a ton of great stuff. Take a peek at all the merchandise and fun found inside Darth’s Mall, the merchandise tent at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

–

–

– 

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

More Muppets Star Wars

WDWNT on January 12, 2012

Unfortunately, no Star Wars 2 Vinylmation were on display at the start of Star Wars Weekends today at DHS. But they did a few interesting previews. The first of which is an addition to the Star Wars Muppets action figures from earlier this year. This 3 pack set will be out in August and will retail at $18.95.

Animal makes an appearance as Boba Fett. The skinny Fett does look strikingly odd, but I like the character choice and enjoy the addition of drumsticks.
Link Hogthrob, who was featured as Han Solo in the first release, returns in this pack as Han Solo in carbonite. Always a fun design, this really fits in well with the set.

To round things out, Scooter has been called upon to play the part of Lando. And you know what? He pulls it off. Great costume and cape. The first round of figures were designed with high quality, so I expect nothing less from these. 

Maria Clapsis and Mike Sullivan Artist Signings

WDWNT on January 12, 2012

Star Wars Weekends begins this Friday, May 18th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and along with all the Star Wars costume characters and actors on hand, Disney Design Group artists will also be meeting guests and signing autographs.

Maria Clapsis, the artist behind the designs of the Disney Character Star Wars series and Mike Sullivan, designer of Star Wars Series 1 will both be signing on select dates throughout the four weekends.

The signings will be held in two locations, both inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Darth’s Mall is the event merchandise tent set up behind Rock’n Roller Coaster.

Maria Clapsis and Mike Sullivan
Friday, May 18th
4-6pm at Darth’s Mall

Maria Clapsis
Saturday, May 19th
2-4pm at Darth’s Mall

Maria Clapsis
Sunday, May 20th
12-2pm at Darth’s Mall

Maria Clapsis
Saturday, May 26th
12-1p at Animation Gallery (DHS)
2-4pm at Darth’s Mall

Maria Clapsis and Mike Sullivan
Saturday, June 2nd
12-1p at Animation Gallery (DHS)
2-4pm at Darth’s Mall

Maria Clapsis and Mike Sullivan
Saturday, June 9th
12-1p at Animation Gallery (DHS)
2-4pm at Darth’s Mall

Episode 071 Astro Orbiter

WDWNT on January 12, 2012

 

Ep. 071 Astro Orbiter

This week we discuss the new Nightmare Before Christmas Set and its place in Vinylmation. We also bring up news about Disney Character Star Wars, Disneyland figures, DCLs and a ton of new, confirmed and changed release dates. We also get a voicemail in Mystery Mail Bag concerning the upcoming trading night. And yes, we sneak in some Avengers talk as well.

Listen in Popup Player

Download podcast