Stormtrooper of the Week #01

WDWNT on February 2, 2011

We’d like to introduce a new segment here at Destination Vinylmation. We like to call it, “Stormtrooper of the Week”. Each week on Wednesday we’ll debut a new stormtrooper that they left out of the Star Wars 1 series. (Basically it’s an excuse to break apart our vinylmation and try out different combinations.)

This week, it’s Leia the stormtrooper. Check her out with the crew of the Death Star. (That braid must hurt when she has to put the helmet on!)

Vinylmation Custom Artist Spotlight: Celeste V

WDWNT on February 2, 2011

Celeste V created the Adam Lambert custom Vinylmation figure we talked about yesterday. This figure is up for auction on eBay with 100% of the proceeds going to charity. Hurry, the auction ends on February 2nd at 3pm Pacific time. Visit the auction site here. Today, we had the chance to ask Celeste about her work.

Destination Vinylmation: How long have you been creating custom Vinylmation?

Celeste: Vinylmations specifically, about 6 months or so. I started originally with dunny’s and mighty muggs before vm came (more like overtook) into my life lol.

DV: How many pieces have you created?

Celeste: To be honost I’m not sure myself, if I had to guess,about 45-50.

 DV: What’s your favorite piece?

Celeste: I love every piece I created so far, each one has a story of how and why it was created. Every custom made is always a new challenge and I try to incorporate and add new techniques to each one to give it a personal touch. But if I really had to choose it would be probably be my first custom of Edward Scissorhands. I worked on it for a really long time and tried to create something that would stand out above the crowd. It was fustrating at first, new and different for me and I wanted to give up so many times, but when I finally finished I felt accomplished.

DV: Do you collect the Vinylmation created by Disney artists?

Celeste: Of course! I am a vinylmationholic lol. I have to have them all. I actually just picked up a case of Villains on Monday. Love the villains series.

DV: What is your favorite Vinylmation figure?

Celeste: Wow! I have so many favorites, but I really like the Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Day figure from Trade City). It’s beautifully done… simple yet elegant.

DV: How did you come up with the idea of an Adam Lambert piece?

Celeste: Funny story… I wanted to make him a while ago. I have been a long time fan ever since the Idol days and been to a few concerts. Around the end of 2010 a friend of mine told me about Adam’s charity, mycharity:water and asked if I could try to create him and donate the proceeds. I thought “why not” it was for a great cause and I wanted to see if I could make him. Also Adam’s b-day was jan 29 so it was  perfect timing.

 DV: Can you describe this figure? The inspiration. And what detail went into it.

Celeste: It is a 9″ figure. He is fully painted with artist grade acrylic with a bit of oil paint. I chose to go with a outfit from his music video “If I Had You” The outfit was something out of the ordinary from his already glamourous look. Part of his outfit has glitter paint to portray a silver metallic look. He has gloves fashioned out of real leather and of course black fingernails. The top hat is fashioned out of a foam like board with added suede, a feather and stones that line around the hat. I tried as close as I could to find a neck piece that fits the same look from the video. The hair is braided and dyed with different colors from thick yarn.

DV: What is your favorite aspect of the Adam Lambert figure?

Celeste: I don’t have any one favorite specific thing. I usually look at the whole piece and try to see if It all fits together and have balance.

DV: What was the hardest part in creating this figure?

Celeste: The eyes. It’s difficult to come up with a certain “look” of a real life person. For me personally the eyes are always difficult to transfer to any media form. I must of tried about five different eye expressions and shades on the eyes to get it correct. But all and all I was satisfied with it.

DV: Can you tell us about this charity and why it was chosen?

Celeste: Most of us take clean water for granted and unfortunatly over a billion people all around the world don’t have access to clean water. Charity:water is a non-profit orginization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. I chose this charity not just because of Adam, but because I’ve been to some of these countries and have seen first hand how not having the basics and essentials of life such as clean water can greatly affect their daily lives and overall health. You can learn more about their vision and mission at charitywater.org

DV: Do you plan on more charity auctions in the future?

Celeste: I have done one other charity auction so far and if this goes well I will probably will hold more charity auctions. Any charity auctions held big or small are always worth the effort.

DV: Where can people go to find out more about your pieces and see your work?

Celeste: I do have a blogsite I recentlly made,you can find me there
Adam’s page for donations is here.

 If you would like to place a bid, or find more information, the eBay auction (and more photos) for this 9″ custom piece can be found here.

American Vidol!

WDWNT on February 1, 2011

We were following the twitters out there, and stumbled upon an interesting tweet that mentioned a custom 9 inch vinylmation and an eBay sale for charity. We were, of course, interested.

It turns out that a custom vinylmation artist named Celeste, made and offered up for auction a vinylmation representing Adam Lambert. The piece is an amazing combination of paint and other mixed media, from the hat on his head to the braids down his back.

The piece is being auctioned as part of Adam’s 29th Birthday Wish. He has asked his fans to donate to the mycharity:water in hopes of raising $290,000 for under developed towns that don’t have clean, pure water to drink or clean with.

The auction will be ending really soon, February 2nd at 3pm PST, so get your bids in soon!

We have seen some other customs that Celeste has made, and we will definitively be discussing more in the future.

Adam’s page for donations is here.
The eBay auction (and more photos) for this 9″ custom piece is here.
Celeste’s vinylmation customs are found here.

Ep. 009 SMRT-1

WDWNT on February 1, 2011

Ep. 009 SMRT-1
On today’s episode we talk about and review the Villains series, the WDW 40th Anniversary, and take a look forward to the Cutesters Too series.
Listen Now:
icon for podbean
Standard Podcasts [59:36m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Breaking News Alert: Villains on the loose!

WDWNT on January 31, 2011

We were afraid of this. We heard rumors of a country wide bad guy break out today. And it looks like it is true. Facts are still a bit cloudy right now, things are happening very fast. We are getting in pictures from eye witnesses as we speak. Villains are being spotted around the country… up to no good I bet. We will keep you updated as news breaks, but please be careful out there! And if you see any Villains, get a picture for us, but do NOT try to apprehend. They are considered armed and dangerous.

Update: 9:42pm EST
This is an URGENT news bulletin from Destination Vinylmation. We have been very wrong about our misunderstood Villain friends today. They come in peace and will do us no harm…. Is he gone? Good. Needless to say we were frightened when Prince John found our secret DV recording studio just outside of Orlando. He demanded air time, so we let him sit in on our podcast.

Please, whatever you do, do not underestimate these Villains! They are still out there! Find them all… before they find you! Good night everyone… we are signing off for tonight. We will be back with more news soon. If you don’t hear from us tomorrow… well, take care of yourselves.

Update: 9:21pm EST
Breaking News from Key West, Florida. An evil foe has been spotted soaking up some rays on the beach. An unnamed lifeguard on duty says he overheard Ratcliffe discuss plans to overthrow Rick Scott and take over the Governorship of the state. We are your source for updates about the Villains reign of terror today. Stay tunned…

Update: 9:06pm EST
We are still getting reports of Villains on the loose. But I’m beginning to think they are not all bad. Maybe they are just enjoying a day at the theme parks after being locked up for so long?

Update: 7:46pm EST
We got word from a Universal cast member that Miss de Ville was just enjoying the Harry Potter ride. I’ll give her that, it’s a great ride. But what is Stromboli doing down in Ft. Myers, Florida? Checking out the beaches? I don’t think so… thanks for the picture Cliff. Keep your distance, but keep your eye on him.

Update: 6:58pm EST
We have been tracking these bad guys all day and so far they have only caused minimal damage around Florida and the US. But this… this is just blasphemy. Is there no loyalty to Disney for these evil creatures? What evil could they be causing at Florida’s theme parks?

Update: 6:09pm EST
This is the best shot we’ve received of who we believe is the mysterious leader of the Villains. His crew has been wreaking havoc in Orlando today after busting out of jail. We thank this brave tourist for sending in this picture from outside the Arabian Knights dinner theater.

Update: 5:18pm EST
This photo from and anonymous source at NASA shows a Villain, looks like Shan Yu, hanging around Kennedy Space Center. Is he catching a shuttle launch or stealing national defense secrets? Keep on the look out for suspicious activity in your area today.

Update: 3:41pm EST
We received this photo from a camper in the forests of Ocala, Florida. It’s a bit blurry, but it looks as though our fearless contributer was rushed to snap this photo. It looks to be Mickey’s infamous arch-rival Pete walking around looking for trouble. It seems that Pete may have spotted this photographer, we hope he is OK. Stay safe people, hopefully these Villains will be rounded up quickly.

Update: 2:06pm EST
It looks like The Witch, we can only assume, is poisoning Florida’s Orange supply. How does this compare to her poisoning of Snow’s Apple? It is unfair at this time to compare the two crimes, but she needs to be brought to justice. Keep sending in your tips.

Update: 12:43pm EST
The baddies have been spotted slithering up the Florida Highways. Thanks to a brave motorist for risking his life snapping this pic for us. Where are they going? What do they want?

Update: 11:48am EST
What evil is brewing at the Florida Hotel? An anonymous hotel employee sent this photo in and says some shady characters have been checking in this morning.

Update: 10:57am EST
A Villain is spotted lurking around the Florida Mall in Orlando this morning.

What does a Dog, a Hippo, a Whale and a Wizard have in common?

WDWNT on January 29, 2011

If you answered, “they all showed up on a store shelf at the NYC Times Square Disney Store in Vinylmation form”, you have amazing and scary powers… because you’re right.

Dabid’s Blog reports they found some Merlins, Bolts, Willie the Whales, and Hyacinth the Hippos at the NYC Times Square Disney Store back on January 15th! Dabid has a review and some great pics of Bolt that you can see here: Dabid’s Vinylmation Bolt Blog Post. The highlight for me has to be Bolt’s dog tag. It’s an accessory piece that hangs off Bolt’s neck (see left).

A few days later, Dabid posted some pics and a review of the 9″ Merlin. Merlin’s beard takes up much of the front of the vinyl and the back shows his robes and “magical sparkles” (see right). Dabid says these look fantastic up close.

Disney has not officially announced a released date for these figures, but they seemed to pop up around the country and this is our first confirmation with photos that they are (or were on January 15th) on the store shelves at the Times Square Disney Store.

We want to thank Dabid for his posts. You can easily get to his Vinylmation blog posts here: Dabid’s Blog.

If you find any breaking Vinylmation News or have Vinylmation posts on your blog you would like to share, please email us at DestinationVinylmation.com.
All photos from dabidsblog.wordpress.com.

A Tribute to the Pioneers of America

WDWNT on January 28, 2011

“Here we experience the story of our country’s past…
the colorful drama of frontier America in the exciting days of the covered wagon and the stage coach, the advent of the railroad and the romantic riverboat. Frontierland is a tribute to the faith, courage and ingenuity of the pioneers who blazed the trails across America.” – Walt Disney

On Friday, the 4th in a 5 piece 9″ Vinylmation set depicting vintage Disneyland Attraction Posters will be released exclusively at Disneyland. The Frontierland Poster depicts three attractions that are no longer in operation at Disneyland.
First is the Stagecoach ride. Guests were able to sit on top or inside a stagecoach and take a ride through Frontierland in this opening day attraction. The theming was fantastic as guest were truly transported into a time and place long gone. The ride was short-lived, as it closed forever in 1959 to make way for construction of Nature’s Wonderland. (thank you to www.yesterland.com for some great pictures)

In the middle of the poster is the Mine Train Ride. This attraction opened in 1956 as Rainbow Caverns Mine Train. After a change in Frontierland theming in 1959, this attraction became Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland. This was a slow paced attraction through the wild frontier full of great scenery, animatronic animals, and puns… think Jungle Cruise on a train. The attraction closed in 1977 to make way for the faster paced Big Thunder Mountain.



On the bottom of the poster is the Mule Pack Ride. Real mules, simulated desert. This attraction stuck around until 1973.

As far as the Vinylmation itself, this design, although minor, shows more changes from poster to Vinylmation than any of the previous releases. These changes are due to the style of the original poster. The top is a straight forward copy of the Stage Coach Ride scene from the poster. On the back, artist Alex Maher had to use up what would be empty space… so he finished off the partial horse with the Indian you see in the poster below and added three extra horses onto the back. A great touch! Finishing off a scene with the extra canvas he had, that the poster’s artist did not. The middle is a perfect depiction of the Mine Train Ride. I can’t wait to see this one up close to check out the detail. (on the poster, one of the children is wearing a Mickey Ear Hat!) On the back, is an empty mine, which is not on the poster. Next, Alex had to move the position of the “Mine Train Ride” label to the bottom left of the scene, or else it would have ended up in the neck of the figure. That decision forced the “Mule Pack Ride” label to be moved to the back of the figure. The only design move I question is wrapping the Mule Pack scene around the side. This hides two of the mules from view and leaves some empty space on the front. Also, “Frontierland” was moved to the back instead of placing it in the feet on the front.

Frontierland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Adventureland will all be out as of Friday… we await the 5th and final piece to this Disneyland 55th Anniversary 9″ set, The Monorail.

My first custom purchase

WDWNT on January 25, 2011

I finally got my Mickey in Carbonite from Evilos!!!!


It felt like forever while I was waiting, but it took less than two weeks to receive after I ordered it from his ebay site. It cost me $59.99 plus shipping and is a great addition to my collection. I got caught up in the fever over the Star Wars release, so I ordered it that day just so I could take this picture. It’s a great piece of handiwork, although the filler between the vinyl and the outside case seems just a little less smooth then I thought it would be. Overall however, I think it’s going to go nice next to my Han as a stormtrooper piece I made myself. (Unlike Evilos, who has talent, the customs I make are just putting other vinylmation’s heads on bodies. lol) Also check out his Carbonite key chain and Tron customs.

Order from his ebay site.
Check out Evilos.com for more information about this great artist.

Also a big Thank You to lego.com for their free database of instructions. I was amazed at how fast and easy it was to find the pdf of the old kit I needed. Thanks!

What customs have you ordered? Would you order any? Discuss….

Podcast Debate- Cards or No Cards

WDWNT on January 24, 2011

Pro-Cards

“I think they provide a fun surface for artists to sign, if you don’t want them signing your vinyls. I also think they provide some interesting insight into first drafts of some vinylmation (espeically the first series). I also think they are a convenient way to display your collection, without dragging ever vinylmation figure around with you.” – M.C.

Con-Cards

“Get rid of the cards. I only keep them around because it’s part of the set. But I don’t go out of my way to make sure I get the card in a trade. And 90% of the time you don’t get a card trading with a cast member at WDW. The cards hinder transactions among collectors and take up space on my shelf. If they provided true conceptual drawings and extra information, I’d agree with M.C., but I think differences are a result of the production line’s failed attempt at depicting the artist’s vision. I don’t need a small picture of something I just bought.” – Nick

What do you think? Are you sad they are leaving? Are you happy? Let us know in the comment section!