Vinylmation Odyssey

Although the space shuttle Endeavor never lifted off for it's history flight today, Disney posted a story about a couple Vinylmation that recently returned from a trip to space.

Picture from Disney Parks Blog

Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in May of 2010 brought with them a Park 3 Mission Space and a Create Your Own figure. These well-traveled Vinylmation are now on display at D-Street Orlando. Read all about it here at the Disney Parks Blog.

Vinylmation Exchange Report

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!

Pirate Mickey Sets Sail for Japan

Update: 4/28/11 The Japan Disney Store exclusive Pirate Mickey Hero of the Caribbean went on sale today and we found some already up on eBay. These pics are from eBay seller hawaiian_seaside. We also now know the artist is Kazuhiro Murase.

Artist Card	Artist Signing

4/13/11 Looks like Japan is getting a great looking Pirate Mickey Vinylmation. Vinylmationworld.com yesterday found an ad on the the Japan Disney Store website advertising this upcoming release. According to our translation of the ads, this piece will come out on April 28th and cost 1290 Yen (approx. $15.75).

	Pirate Mickey Hero of the Caribbean Here's the turnaround of our latest hero all the way from Japan. It appears to be using the old mold. This figure's release comes almost a month before the 4th movie in the Pirates franchise hits theaters and more than 2 months before the Pirates attraction based series is projected to hit shelves here in the states. This colorful figure will be sold in a pirate themed tin.
	Check out Pirate Mickey's gold tooth and bandanna. The bandanna looks a lot like the one on the Jack Sparrow Pirate Vinylmation we saw last week. Jack is part of the Pirate of the Caribbean Attraction Series. Also notice the scar by his right eye. His eyes are a bit goofy looking.
	Look at the bling. The artist gave Mickey lots of jewels and rings. On his left hand are two pieces, one of which looks like a blue Mickey Head.
	Here's the bottom of the piece. It says, "Pirate Mickey Hero of the Caribbean" The artist signature is to hard to read, but it looks like it starts with a K. Anyone know who that might be?
	Looks like tins are back, or this figure was made before the change, we might never know. We do like the tins, and using it as a treasure chest makes a lot of sense! Lots of detail, including lots of booty, handles to carry it, and a Mickey shaped keyhole in the lock.

Japan Disney Store Ad

Japan Disney Store Ad

Vinylmation Speculation

Sometimes it's fun to take some Vinylmation info and rumors out there and speculate on what's to come. We know Disney plans to put out an alien Vinylmation after this mysterious picture was posted on the Vinylmation blog yesterday:

Couple this, with the rumor of a Robots series coming to Disney Stores... and you get the weirdest and coolest set made to date:

DV Artist rendering of possible Vinylmation series

We contacted Disney today and they do not have a comment at this time on the rumored Disney Store exclusive Robots or Cutesters Like Us series. We will let you know the details when we hear more.

As for the Alien, he may also be a release at the upcoming Sci Fi Trading Academy at Disneyland on June 24th (Details). So far, only pins have been announced as far as merchandise available at the event. A quick look at the catalog of pins shows that most are Disney or "fun" themed designs... only one came close to the classic alien look of the above Vinylmation concept art.

That pin catalog also gave us peak at a Robot themed pin set, filled with Disney Robots from past and present:

This great looking set includes Aly San San (Star Tours 2), R2-MK (Star Wars Weekends), WALL-E, V.I.N.CENT (Disney's Black Hole), B.E.N. (Disney's Treasure Planet). Might we see a Vinylmation set along the same lines?

What do you think about the Alien? Just an upcoming Urban figure or a Sci Fi set? How about the possibility of a Robots series and another Cutesters themed set? It's fun to speculate on what's to come in Vinylmation and we will be sure to bring you any official news from Disney as we get it.

Villains Invading D-Streets 5/6/11

It looks like the Disney Stores couldn't keep the evil Villains contained. Now it seems that they will be taking over both D-Street stores on May 6th. They even got the California Store to open at 8 AM!

Wedding Wednesday

Last month we did a whole week of wedding related Vinylmation. In honor of the Royal Wedding this week, and in conjunction with @DragynAlly's Wedding Wednesday, we put together some pictures. Weddings and Vinylmation, together forever!
We found this picture over at the Disney Wedding Blog. If I ever get married, you KNOW, that this will be there. Although, I'd rather make it out of ice cream, not just ice! disneyweddingblog.com
	Photographer Cassie Dyer, from ponchothemouse.tumblr.com took a picture of her favorite vinylmation, Poncho, with some flowers from her cousin's wedding. Our post about Cassie and Poncho
Maria Clapsis’ customs, which we reviewed and compared to the Celebrations set of Bride and Groom. Wedding Week Day One
	Lisa and Trace Farry’s custom bride and groom guest book Vinylmation. Wedding Week Day Two
Stormtrooper of the Week #8. With a background from flickr.com/photos/redandjonny/ Wedding Week Day Three
	Jenifer Marie's Bride and Groom set. Wedding Week Day Four
To join in on the Royal fun RSVP on Facebook. Then on Friday around 4 AM join them at the Wedding Feed. They will be there all night/day chatting about the Royal Wedding. Also check out these other sites for more Wedding Wednesday fun! The Host: The Dragyn's Lair Check back at Dragyn's Lair on Friday for some prizes! Other Sites Involved: My Disney Dreams Disney on Wheels Manda's Disney Blog T-Town Tiffany Making My Fairytale The Many Adventures of a Disney-Lovin' Spectrum Mom The Attic Mouse And Host hosted posts by: @jordilouwho

Stormtrooper of the Week #13

The Empire didn't pay Kelvin enough, so at night he had to freelance.

Spotlight On: Vinylmation Custom Artist Chris

Today's featured Vinylmation Custom artist blew us away with the creativity of his work. From the World of Color, to the Indiana Jones Adventure, Chris puts everything he has into each and every piece. Chris, who resides in Orlando, Florida, shares with us today a couple of his prized creations, the 9" Tower of Terror and 3" Bellboy.

Destination Vinylmation: First impression when I saw the 9" Tower of Terror was WOW! A lot had to go into this figure... talk to us about the conception of this piece.

Chris: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 9" figure took roughly two weeks of work to complete. It was a LONG time. The inspiration to create this figure actually came from a few different areas. First off, I decided long ago that if I'm going to do a 9" figure, it needs to be crazy detailed. They come across bland if you just paint something onto them like you would do with a 3". That works on the smaller scale, but not on something three times the size. Because of space constraints, I try to limit my 9" figures to things I really, really want to have. For my 9" customs, my intention is to have one representing each of my favorite attractions - Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Journey to the Center of the Earth and Splash Mountain.

DV: Was Tower of Terror always meant to be created on such a grand scale?

Indiana Jones 9"

Chris: I worked on my Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye figure first, and impressed even myself with the new level of detail I was able to put into it. Indy is my favorite attraction the world over, but The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror holds a very special place in my heart. Not only is it, in my opinion, the best themed attraction ever created, with one of the most compelling and engaging stories ever scripted for a theme park attraction, but it also happens to be the first place I worked when I moved to Florida more than eleven years ago.

Add all of that motivation to my constant drive to always outdo myself and you get an idea as to why I put so much work into the Tower 9" figure, and exactly WHY it was meant to be done on such a great scale.

DV: Do you sketch the designs out on paper first?

Chris: I used to do sketches first. I even created a template to make my own artist cards with them. I've since stopped doing it that way. It's weird, but I've actually found I can get more detailed if I create on the fly. Plus i improve (the design) as I go. I also used to draw in pencil on the figures first and paint them. I've stopped doing that as well and find it's actually a bit easier for me to just paint the designs straight on.

DV: You added a lot of material to the original Vinylmation form. The hotel, extends out the back of the figure, what is the back part of the figure constructed of?

Chris: You're going to be surprised here, but this one took a little creativity. The back, as well as the cupola, are constructed out of cardstock.

I measured everything out and cut it to specific size, constructed it together and attached it to the vinyl with modeling paste. I next painted over the cardstock with the paste to make it rigid, and blended the seems where the paper meets the vinyl so you really cannot tell where one ends and the other begins.

I considered quite a few means of accomplishing this beforehand, including plaster of paris, spackle and paper mache. I also considered Sculpey clay, which I have since started working with and quite enjoy, but for this, where I wanted rigid, flat surfaces, it would have been difficult to accomplish with the clay, so I went this route and could not be more pleased with the results.

DV: What about the Hollywood Tower Hotel sign on the front, is that metal?

Chris: High quality photo paper.

I'm a graphic designer by trade. I created the image in PhotoShop first, using all sorts of shadow, bevel and glow effects to replicate the neon letters as well as the burnt out letters. I then used a few small pieces of the snapped elevator cable that were extra after I was done with it to stand it off from the face so it has more depth to it.

DV: What was the most challenging part?

Chris: Patience. There was a lot of... paint some details and then wait for them to dry so I could paint more, age them, distress them, etc. Especially the further along I got, when it was clearly beginning to show it's final shape, I was really excited to keep working at it to see it complete.

DV: What is your favorite feature of the Tower figure?

Chris: It really made me happy to see how seamlessly I was able to blend the vinyl with the cardstock to create one flowing figure from top to bottom. I absolutely love that the cupola looks like it was part of the original figure's mold in the finished product and not something glued on.

I also love seeing the ride photo in the elevator as it was taken on my birthday.

All of that not-withstanding, my favorite feature is absolutely how well it uses the Mickey shape. For me, the important features of the figure are the nose, ears and eyes. They need to all make sense for the art you are creating - in this case, the Hollywood Tower Hotel's facade, but also still stay true to the proportions of Mickey Mouse. In this case, the ears line up perfectly with where the top of the tower juts out on each side (to house the ride's massive motors), two eyes are formed with very intentionally placed windows (not apart of the actual building) and the nose IS the ride's elevator, built out dimensionally over the mickey nose to give added depth.

DV: Your eyes are automatically drawn to the head and all the features you just mentioned up there, but the detail on feet is a great touch.

Chris: Thanks! I think the Hollywood Tower Hotel stone marquee and entry gates are a major mood setter for the attraction and I could not omit them from the vinyl. One of the things I loved so much about my Indy 9" was how it incorporated several key scenes from the ride to create one flowing representative image.

Indiana Jones 9" figure's feet

DV: Let's talk about the Bellhop... I can't help but notice the name tag, is the artist the inspiration for this figure?

Chris: Indeed! The title of that figure is VinylMEtion. One of my first 3" customs was a Runaway Brain Mickey as a HTH Bellhop.

It always annoyed me how anytime you'd see characters depicted as Bellhops on any official merchandise, it was always friendly, playful, funny characters. You never saw anything to represent the sinister mood of those Bellhops from another dimension, so to me, that was a natural fit. Given that it was one of my first, I learned a lot and got a lot better over the years that followed. I knew I wanted to make a really well detailed 3" to go along with my newly finished 9". I considered other characters to portray, including Roger Rabbit - my favorite Disney character - but came to the conclusion that I myself am in a sense sort of a character. Based on the feedback I've received over the years with the facial expressions I use, "evil" eyes, etc, I figured it would be easy enough to "cartoonize" that into a very well represented figure.

Much like any seasoned animator often does, I put myself in front of a mirror and made angry faces at myself to capture the perfect mood. I added a dimensional scan of my actual name tag as well as a dimensional aiguillette on the arm and epaulettes on the shoulders, and of course, the classic bellhop hat.
DV: Is there anything you would do differently to either of these figures?

Chris: Ha - it's funny you'd ask that. One would think I'd know every detail of the HTH Bellhop costume by now. I actually forgot to paint the stripe on the leg of the pants (though admittedly only a small amount even shows given the trenchcoat painted on the figure). I need to make that simple fix to him, but just haven't had the time as of yet. I bought glow paint to go back and paint the neon sign on the front of the building in the 9" so it will "light up" at night. Something else I'll do to plus it when I have a little spare time.

DV: What creations are next for Chris?

Chris: I've recently completed my massive World of Color 9" - although calling it just a 9" is really not giving it credit with as much extra as was custom built into and around the figure, including a special lighting design for the dimensional fountains. I'd love to showcase that with the Destination Vinylmation readers next time!

DV: We will be sure to feature that piece soon, but for now, we will give out readers just a sneak peak.

Chris: The next logical step for me would probably be the third of my top three favorite attractions, Journey to the Center of the Earth 9", and an accompanying Lava Monster 3" figure. I also have had a Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull inspired 3" on hold for a while that I've been meaning to finish (with a clear vinyl head, of course). I've tossed around some ideas for what I might be able to do to represent Phantom Manor as well. Another idea is a very dimensional castle design similar to the Tower of Terror 9", probably representing Disneyland Paris' Sleeping Beauty Castle. I'll say this - I have a box of twenty 3" blanks and three extra 9" blanks I picked up from a great DisneyStore.com sale recently, so there is definitely more to come!

DV: We can't to see them. Is there a website where people can view or purchase your work?

Chris: Because I am still employed seasonally at the Walt Disney World Resort, I cannot allow the sale of my customs. Honestly though, I don't think I would even if I could. I put so much effort into these that they are very personal to me. It would be difficult to part with them because each are so uniquely me. I've been posting the images on my own FaceBook page, as well as on Disney's official Vinylmation FaceBook page for everyone to see as I finish them. I'd love to start sharing them with DestinationVinylmation.com, as I truly feel this is the best fan site highlighting this hobby on the net today!

DV: Thank you Chris, we appreciate your time today. Anything else you would like to add? Chris: I hope that people draw inspiration from my customs to motivate them to push the limits of their own imagination. I think the best thing for this hobby is to see what other people have been able to accomplish, which will in turn give you the confidence to try and top it yourself. I'd love to see someone make a better, more detailed 9" to compete with any of mine. I think competition only makes us all work harder and in the end, there's even better vinyls out there for everyone to share!