vinylmation-archive – Page 28

I Love NY… Only Smaller

WDWNT on July 11, 2011

As we rumored a few weeks back, the Times Square NYC Disney Store did in fact release another 3″ exclusive today and our friend the Playwright was there.

I “Mickey Head” NY in a tin

This I “Mickey Head” NY is a 3″ version of a 9″ figure that was released a few months ago. It is designed on the new mold, comes in a tin and retails for $12.95.

I “Mickey Head” NY with Hey Taxi and Statue of Liberty Minnie

Inside of tin

Thanks to the Playwright for these great pictures and report. He not only picked one up, but he toured the city with his new Vinylmation as well!

There is a lot to explore in NYC out of your tin

Best way to get around

He doesn’t take up much room on the Subway

Loads of great information in this show. We start out by selecting our Vinyl All Star 9 from the first half of the year. Then we discuss the recent releases of the DLR AP exclusives and the Steam Park set. We wrap up the WDW Trading Event with info on: Park 7, Holiday 3, Astrology and the Florida Project. We discuss the EPCOT banner with some interesting figures on it. And of course, open up the Mystery Mail Bag to answer your questions and discuss your comments.

Listen Now:

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New Vinylmation on Display at WDW

WDWNT on July 9, 2011

I was like a kid in a candy store last night at the Vinylmation/Pin Trade show at Walt Disney World. The candy store was the Fantasia Ballroom in the Contemporary Resort. The candy was the amazing looking upcoming Vinylmation from Park 7, Holiday 3, Urban 7, Astrology and The Florida Project. First up, lets flash back to the year 2000. Remember this:

This figure will be in Park 7 and is scheduled for an early fall 2011 release. It’s the EPCOT ball as it looked in 2000 when they added the Mickey hand, wand and stars. I am in a minority, but I liked this look a lot. Not as a permanent feature, and the 7 years it was there was a bit too long, but I was a fan. And I’m a HUGE fan of this figure. With the ball in the body, using the right arm as sorcerer Mickey’s arm (note the red sleeve), and the accessory wand with star!!! With the clear blue head and stars in the ears, this figure looks amazing in person. Also from Park 7…

Beautiful colors on this Kali River Rapids figure. Kali of course is a place to get very, very wet at the Animal Kingdom. Depending on what third of the raft you sit on, you either stay rather dry, get a little wet or couldn’t be more wet if you just jumped into the river. One more Park 7 was there. Check out the Hollywood Studios Earful tower.

The tower perfectly fits the Vinylmation mold and looks great. But what’s that red, white and blue figure in the bottom corner?

BOOM! This fireworks figure from Holiday 3, Fall 2011, is explosive. (sorry) We saw the pin from Sci Fi academy pics, and as expected, it comes with the cone cap.

In this side view, you can see the fuse. You can also peak at the side of Earful Tower where Mickey Mouse is painted on. But that’s not all! Astrology was on hand. And check this out:

Ya, Sagittarious has a bow. It seems to be the only accessory in the set. Astrology, designed by the talented combo of Lisa Badeen and Maria Clapsis, with art direction by Thomas Scott, has designs that are very well thought out. Here’s a look at the whole set:

I’m not a big fan of this set in theory, and am still not sure what ones, if any I’ll be buying, but I can’t deny the set is looks great and is well designed with the constellations mapped out onto the figures with perfect placement of the designs.

The packaging is an open window design with 6 figures pictured on one side and 6 on the other. They list the dates corresponding to the astrology signs so you can pick your figures out very easily.

Up to now, we have only seen a 2D version the 9″ Park 6 Davy Crockett. When we saw the 3″ version for the D23 Expo, Davy had a coon skin hat with a tail. It looks great, and lead us to hope for the same for the 9″ version. From the picture, we knew he would have the hat… but the tail?

Oh yeah! The King of the Wild Frontier, due out mid-August, is going to look great exploring the wilderness of my Vinylmation cabinet. Now we have seen all of Urban 7 before, but last night, one of life’s great mysteries would be answered. When we first saw Mike Sullivan’s, what we first called, “a Bob Ross painting like figure”…

we had no real clue what it represented. But what we DID know for sure, is the back would hold all the answers and let us know exac…

Oh. Ok, maybe it didn’t. Let’s move on to The Florida Project…

Dumbo from The Florida Project

Pooh from The Florida Project

I wasn’t sure about the Empress Lilly figure, but the design looks spectacular in person. The printing, the colors and the quality are really special on this Florida Project Vinylmation. The packaging was also on full display for the first time.

Speaking of The Florida Project, they also had many of the pins for the September event on display. I visited those boards many times. I can’t wait for this event. I’m a huge retro Disney fan, and these products are right up my ally. Darn you Vinylmation for being my gateway drug to pins! Well, I had fun seeing everyone there last night. Did you make some good trades? What do you think of the Vinylmation on display?

Empress Lily Box

WDWNT on July 8, 2011

Picture Copyright Disney

Today vinylmation.com released real shots of The Florida Project vinylmation. You can check them all out at the site, but the most interesting, and freshest part of the announcement was a picture of the box the Empress Lily will come it. I love the colors of The Florida Project!

Disneyland Passholders Wait for Ariel and Goofy

WDWNT on July 8, 2011

Today is the day. Disneyland Passholders can purchase Ariel and Goofy passholder exclusive Vinylmation. Cynthia sent us a picture of the line:

“Was in line at 4:45 am. Everyone so far has a wristband. Good times.”

Changes Coming to Disney Online Store; Vinylmation Purchase Limits & More

WDWNT on July 7, 2011

Disney today has posted some new, official Disney Store Online purchase limits for Limited Edition Vinylmation products. This announcement comes 1 week after Disney’s Presidential Customer Service department called me about an online survey I filled out about my online ordering experience. On the tails of Goof Troop and other debacles, I’m sure they have received many such negative survey results and have had to place many of these calls and emails. The customer service rep did seem genuinely interested in all I had to say about release times, fake sell outs and yes, purchase limits. When I asked what would be done, she told me that a HUGE change to the Disney Store Online will occur on July 18th. She said it will improve inventory control, the way we find items and the way we check out.

As far as this announcement, here are the purchase limit details direct from the Disney Vinylmation Blog:

For limited edition, 9-inch Vinylmation figures – A purchase limit of two (2) figures per order will be applied.
For limited release or open edition, 3-inch or 1.5-inch Vinylmation figures – A purchase limit of two (2) trays per order. If ordering individual units, there is a purchase limit of eight (8) individual units per order.
For limited edition sets (such as the two-figure Disney Afternoon sets or 6 piece Steam Park set) – Order limits will apply in order to ensure more Guests get the opportunity to purchase the product and will vary by set. See individual product pages for details.

*Please note that we reserve the right to make modifications to these purchase policies. If a modification is made, we will communicate the change in advance of release.

“We want to ensure that you have an enjoyable shopping experience whether you are shopping on-line, at Disney Parks or in a Disney Store. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we apologize for any frustrations you may have experienced.” -Disney

What are your thoughts on these changes?

Steam Park Arrives at D-Street Tomorrow

WDWNT on July 7, 2011

Disney Steampunk inspired Steam Park set will be available at both D-Streets Friday morning. The 6 figures set, designed by Mike Sullivan (Star Wars) will retail for $99.95 and be limited to 1000 sets. They will be up on the Online Store on July 22nd. Chris was at D-Street and sent us some pictures of the display.

Steam Park set on display at D-Street Orlando

Let’s take a closer look at some of the figures:

A Hidden Mickey!

What time is it? One thing I know about Disney… nothing is random.
Does anyone know the significance of 10:10am/pm?

The face of evil peeking out.

For more on Steam Park, including the amazing packaging, check out our Steam Park Explained page.

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

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.

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.