Destination Vinylmation: March 2013

Friday, March 29, 2013

Josh Edwards' ToT Custom Series For Sale Friday 3/29!

These will be for sale on Friday, March 29th at noon central standard time. So that would be 1pm for the east coasters and 10am for the west coasters. If you are interested in a chance to buy one, please send me a message through my custom page ON that day and no earlier. The price of each box will be $55. I will start with the first person once I receive payment then I will go to the next until all 12 are sold.

Follow Josh on his Facebook page.

ZoMG: Cutesters en Vogue Review

Hello everyone. I know it has been awhile since I have written an article for Destination Vinylmation but I am SO HAPPY to be back. Let’s get into a subject that I am extremely excited about, Cutesters En Vogue.

Cutesters En Vogue will be released today, Friday March 29th. This will be the very first time we see the BRAND NEW Vinylmation “Minnie Mouse” platform, with the dress silhouette, bow and of course Minnie’s high heeled shoes. I personally cannot wait to see the new “Minnie Mouse” in person.

Let’s go through the line up,

First we have the Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany’s looking Vinylmation, which is a personal favorite of mine. I love the Breakfast at Tiffany’s reference as well as the use of the bow for the bun on top of her head. Also love the eyelashes on this one, she’s very girly.

Next we have the girl in a light pink cap sleeved dress with pearl necklace and bracelets. She has a big pink bow on top of her head and her blonde hair is pulled back. This one reminds me of a ballerina.

Next we have the cat with a big yellow bow on top of her head and a pink and yellow floral collar. The Minnie Shoes have little paws on them, so adorable.

Then we have the flapper looking girl with a red fringe dress and long chain of pearls. I love the feather headband on her as well as the pouty red lip and winky face. She is definitely one of my favorites.

The Pink Poodle is simply adorable. With the happy puppy smile and big black bow that accents her black and pink collar.

Next is the girl in the yellow mod looking dress with bold front bangs. I love that they gave each girl her own era. The polka dot ears and bow are a great touch. This figure will also have a variant version in a turquoise blue colored dress.

(variant)

Another one of my favorites is the puppy in the purse. This is such an out of the box design; I think it’s adorable. It reminds me of my dog when I carry her around. I also LOVE the dog bones in the ears of the Vinylmation. SO CUTE.

(Variant)

Lastly we have the CHASER. The chaser is a floral design with a pink bow on the front. This one almost reminds me of a bouquet or even a veil going down the back. I’m not sure why they chose to NOT make a girl the chaser to go along with the theme but the flowers are very cute and do tie into the set well. The floral design also has a yellow variant.

I am really looking forward to this new set of Cutesters Vinylmation. I have also been a big fan of the Cutesters Series since they started and I am excited to see them taking a new direction with the series by making it an 8 figure set instead of 12 and using the new “Minnie Mouse” platform. This is the perfect place to start this platform off and I cannot wait to see it in person FINALLY on Friday.

I think overall the set is cohesive and was really well designed. I love the Minnie from what I have seen and I think it is going to bring great opportunities for figures to come. I also enjoy that they have given each girl her own unique personality/style.

Everyone make sure you head to D-Street in California/Florida or to your local Disney Store and pick up a Cutesters En Vogue!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Collector's Corner: Kimiko

How long have you been collecting? I've been collecting for 3 1/2 years, since October of 2009
How many vinyl do you have? According to Chasing Vinylmation, I have 878..... yikes!

What was your first vinylmation? Urban 2 Cosmos
What is your favorite Disney made Vinylmation? This is tough. I think my all time favorite is Park 5 flowers and fairies. I love the crystals!
Who is your favorite Disney artist? It's a 3 way tie between Thomas Scott, Maria Clapsis, and Mike Sullivan.
What is your favorite custom vinyl? I love all the customs I have, but my favorite is the Starducks custom by Red Virtue Vinylmation Arts. I'm a huge Starbucks fiend, so this was perfect for me!

Nick has one of those. He's a big drinker too. What is the vinyl you want but don't have yet? Definitely the park 1 balloon chaser!
What you are looking forward to in 2013 from Vinylmation? I'm looking forward to more Disney themed vinyls. Really looking forward to the Beauty and the Beast set!

Thanks for sharing your collection with us Kimiko. I hope you can share it again in a year and we can see how much bigger it is!

Reminder: If you'd like to share your own collection with us, just email us and your collection can be featured too!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Custom VinylMadness 2013 Winner

And it's done! The first annual Custom VinylMadness is over and the winner is Aristocats, by Mark Hoffmann. We would like to thank all the custom artists who sent in customs for the Madness and we would also like to thank all the voters who helped us crown this year's winner!

Urban Redux Super Mystery Chasers Revealed

I am very impressed with the Disney Merchandise Blog. As we talked about in the last DV Podcast episode, the Merchandise Blog is taking the lead in being THE source for news on Disney theme parks merchandise releases. The official Vinylmation blog and now the official Pin blog, both redirect to the merchandise blog. I do think the consolidation and dedicated authors is a great thing... now that they are setting this precedent, let's hope they keep it up. Now, onto the BIG news.

There are a total of 24 one-of-a-kind Super Mystery Chasers inserted into Urban Redux Series 1. Above, you can see just 6 of them. There are 4 from each artist. At least in this group, they appear to be spin offs from the original set designs. Caley drew an ant from her ant farm. Monty drew the Pig in full form from his Pig, Bunny, Turtle figure. And Maria drew a Cat Ninja to go with her human ninja in the set. I keep loving the idea of this series more and more! I know there will be debate on this, but I enjoy the fact that the Super Mystery Chasers have something to do with the figures from the base set. They almost tell a mini story. Challenge: If you come to own all four Redux customs from a single artist, you get to co-host an episode of the Destination Vinylmation podcast with us!

We wondered if we would ever see these. It is good to know that we will eventually see all the designs via the Disney Merchandise Blog. They promise peeks at the remaining figures. They also link to a Disney Parks Blog article about Redux and point guests to the online store for purchase. And, in another post, they reveal the chaser to the upcoming Cutesters en Vogue and promise to show us the variants next week. Now, we have already seen them all, from photos they already hid online, plus the series is already out in Paris... but this could mark a shift in philosophy for the blogs. Stay tuned. So far, a wonderful start to this much needed Disney blog.

Star Wars Droids Vinylmation Jr. 9 Explained

Vinylmation, Jr.Series 9: Star Wars Droids

Release Date at Darth’s Mall DHS: May 31, 2013
Release Date other WDW and DLR locations: June 3, 2013

Retail: $9.95 each
Item Number: 400007225213

Update 03/27/13 The actual Vinylmation based on the previously seen pins have been released at Disneyland Paris. The photos in this update are from Vinylmation Kingdom via Clement Mori:

MYSTERY CHASERS

Update 03/18/13 Updated the names with your comments and added collage of the actual droids these pins represent.

OCVinylDon from the Vinylmation Traders Facebook group shared a photo of some pins previewed at Friday's Disneyland trade night. This pin set is Vinylmation Jr. Series 9: Star Wars Droids. It has a mix of droids from the Star Wars movies as well as the Star Tours attraction and Disney Parks. We fully expect to see this in actual Vinylmation form soon as well. The pin blind bags will be released in May at Star Wars Weekends for $29.95.

Top Row (from left) 4-LOM, C3P0, R2-MK, 2-1B Surgical Droid, Battle Droid, Aly San San
Bottom Row (from left) Super Battle Droid, Pit Droid, Ace, R5-D4, IG 88, R2-D2

This preview only shows 12 out of what should be 18. What droids are missing that you would like to see?

Monday, March 25, 2013

Spotlight On: NRB Relic's Remy

NRB Relic emailed us this cool custom and we thought you guys should know a little more about it.

NRB: HE IS HERE..!!! NRB Relics newest 3" custom Vinylmation inspired by Remy from Ratatouille "Lets Get Cooking". This custom Vinylmation is part of The Custom Artist Project Series 2 PIXAR.

DV: WE're excited too. Pixar is a great choice for a series. One question about your vinyl though. What is the spoon made of?
NRB: Remy's Spoon is made with an apoxie clay that I use on most of my pieces.

DV: Is Ratatouille your favorite Pixar movie?
NRB: Ratatouille is one of my favorites....there are so many wonderful ones to choose from....Remy gave me a chance to add a lot of detail.....! He was truly a blast.....!

DV: Where can we find out more about this figure and the Custom Artist's Project?
NRB: To find out more about this series visit facebook.com/groups/ArtistProject/. To see more artwork from NRB Relic visit facebook.com/NRBRelic or nrbrelic.com.

DV: Thanks for the info!

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Episode 113 Lava Lamp

Ep. 113 Lava Lamp

This week we go in depth about Urban Redux. What is is, what it can be and what it means for the hobby. We also talk about Flower and Garden, Easter Egg Hunt and some random tangents about mollusks and portals. There is of course a full release and events calendar as well.

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Javier Soto's Flower and Garden Custom

Artist Javier Soto will have a 9" Custom for sale at the 2013 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival:

No word on the date of release or price yet.

Noah and the Bunny

Noah will be creating a limited number of Custom Vinylmation to celebrate Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival. These pieces will be available on a first come, first served basis on the morning of Sunday, April 7th. Guests wishing to purchase a Custom Vinylmation will need to obtain a wristband at the Disney Artist tent, located on the promenade. A wristband will allow the Guest to purchase one Custom Vinylmation.

Noah Instagramed the following photo:

CVM - Round Five - Fantasmic Four Winners

Here are the Round Five: The Fantasmic Four Winners.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Update on Artist Howie Green

When we last spotlighted Boston artist Howie Green, he was getting ready to begin his "Golf Balls on Parade" project. He has been busy in 2013. Let's take a look...

- Completed a slew of custom vinyl toys

Mr. Ghost Rider.... going up on Howie's Ebay store today.

- Designed CD album cover for Terrell Bowers first album

- Finished up the design for my second production figure for Trail of the Painted Ponies scheduled for release this Fall but which is still top secret since it involves an infamous TV actress/celebrity.

- Completed two large mural painting projects with several hundred volunteers from the Boston Red Sox Foundation (including players, coaching staff, and managers John Farrell and Ben Cherington) at the Washington Irving School and Dimock Center in Boston, MA - even had a visit from the Sox official Mascot, Wally the Green Monster.

- Painted the 3 in a series of 4 giant golf balls in Rochester, NY for the upcoming Golf Balls on Parade event at the PGA Tournament at Oak Hill Country Club this Summer. I'm returning to Rochester soon to paint the remaining 1.