2013 Dee Vee Award Show - Episode 142 Griffin Chaser

2013 Dee Vee Award Show After a long break, we're back with the results of YOUR voting. The 3rd Annual Dee Vee award show that chooses the best of the best of the past year. As always, it is filled with celebrity presenters and lots of fun! So sit back, relax and find out who won! And thanks to everyone who voted!

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Episode 141 Sunny Day

Ep. 141 Sunny Day This week we review Pixar 2 and NBC 2. We talk about all the releases over the past few weeks and of course give a full run down of what will release next. There is also news about chasers, variants and other Vinylmation fun!

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The Custom Artist Project Series 3: Park Redux to Release November 22

The Custom Artist Project is the original collaborative multi-artist Vinylmation series consisting of several of the best Vinylmation custom artists in the world. Each series is made up of 24 figures, 2 of each and 1 mystery chaser, to replicate a real Vinylmation case. The series started in the summer of 2012 with Series 1: Sidekickz, followed up in the Spring of 2013 with Series 2: Pixar.

Series 3: Park Redux is being released on November 22nd, 2013. For this series, each artist chose an already existing figure from one of the official Vinylmation Park series and redesigned them. The figures are

Park 12 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh REDUX by Are Jay

Park 1 Bad Apple REDUX by Brian Shapiro

Park 5 Anubis REDUX by Celeste Villanueva

Park 1 Creepy Wallpaper REDUX by Christopher Avalos aka Evilos

Park 2 Festival of the Lion King REDUX by Heather Kattelman

Park 3 It's a Small World REDUX by Jenny Grinsell

Park 11 World of Color REDUX by Mike Vetrone

Park 4 Pirates Dog REDUX by Miranda Legendre

Park 1 Yeti REDUX by Nanette Simard Belgen aka NRB Relic

Park 6 Monstro REDUX by Dylan Pommer aka Rust This World

Park 5 Fantasmic REDUX by Ryan Branoff

Park 1 Red Balloon by Dylan Pommer aka Rust This World (one of a kind chaser)

There are also five variants in this series:

The figures are astounding in person and Park Redux has proven to be our best series yet. Each previous series has sold out in the first day, so there's no guarantee these figure will last long. Check out our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtistProject/ for pictures of all of the figures and info on each artist.

Official Release Information:
Date: Friday, November 22nd
Time: 9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST
Where: rustthisworld.bigcartel.com
Price: $70 per blind box shipped within the US, +$10 international shipping
Edition size: 25 blind boxes

New Vinylmation Offer "POPS" up for Disney Movie Reward Members

If you collect those digital points for all the Disney movies you purchase, then you may be interested in a new Vinylmation redemption opportunity on the Disney Movie Rewards website.

You can trade in points to get a mystery Popcorns figure from series one. You will not know what Popcorns you will receive, but have the chance of getting Jack Skellington, Chip 'n Dale, Goofy, Mickey, Kermit, Dumbo or Sulley. The offer begins on November 21, 2013. It will cost you either 750 points for free shipping or 600 points plus shipping cost.

Where in the World Do you Vinyl?: Variants

by Ben and Brendt

Disney seems to be going variant crazy lately and I think it's a great thing.  Giving many of the Limited Edition vinyls a variant is a great way to spice things up.  Just don't go too overboard and make variants for the heck of it.  Variants need to make sense in the context of the character as well as enhancing the vinyl itself.   The most positive thing about all of this right now, is that the variants are well designed and make sense.   There are several different ways the Vinylmation team has gone about variants, and I would like to dive deep into these methods and discuss what works, and what doesn’t work.

The most effective type of variant is changing the face or even more.  In my opinion the vinyl that pulled this off the best was the Villians 2 Shere Kahn variant.  The common was a great design on its own, but then the variant stepped it up a notch, and that’s the way I think it should be.  The designers took an iconic scene from the film and adapted it onto the platform.

Instead of grass in the ears, they added fire, changed the expression on his eyes and face to represent fear, and they even added the branch stuck in his tail, just like in the film.  Artist Gerald Mendez did an excellent job here in creating a variant that works as a great companion piece to the common, as opposed to a subtle change.  The new Dr. Frankenollie variant is a great recent example of how well this form of variant can work.  He is making a more sinister face, and they added the light bulb accessory above the head.   A significant enough change has been made to the common version so that when next to each other you can see a distinct change, or progression.

Another clever and successful variant choice came in the Park series with Disney World Park road sign.  The inspiration for vinyl are the famous purple road signs you see when driving up to Walt Disney World.  The sign for Magic Kingdom/Epcot was the common and then two more versions were created for Animal Kingdom, and All Other Guest Areas.   This was a perfect opportunity to make multiple different versions that collectors will want because these signs are so iconic for big fans of the park.

There are a few variants that have followed this method in which I question their necessity; and they both happen to be in Animation 2.  They are the Fantasia 2000 Donald, and John Henry Variants.

With the Donald variant, artist removed the drops of rain that made the common so worth-while.  The rain captures the essence of the segment from the film perfectly; we don’t need an alternate one where he is dry.  The John Henry variants removes the shirt, which is a little better because of the context of his story, but why not make the shirtless one the common, and have no variant at all.  I understand these variants could be a nice before and after sort of thing, but literally nothing else on the vinyl is different.  The faces remain the same and they have the same accessories, therefore they do not enhance the design enough to warrant a variant version.

A common, but not always effective use for variants is changing the color.  This method works best when there is another significant change then just the color.  The variant that excelled the best at this was the Animation 3 Pascal variant.

The common was the Chameleons standard green color with a nice smile on his face.  The variant not only turned him red, but also changed the expression on his face to portray him as a little annoyed.  This works perfectly because not only has the color changed but the facial expression evokes a mood.  Originally it looked like there was going to be a second variant for Pascal, which was yellow, but it had the exact same facial expression as the common.

Personally, I was glad they didn't produce the yellow variant because in my opinion it doesn't really add anything.  Sure, he’s a chameleon and he changes color, but with the same facial expression it doesn't add anything for me.  There are many variants that have gone that route; wet paint Donald, the Alice in Wonderland hedgehog, and many others.  Again, not much changes are made other than a simple color change, and for me, it feels like variant for the sake of variant.

There have been several clear variants, and they have all made sense and are big hits for me.  The new phasing Vision from Marvel 1 looks fantastic.  While nothing design wise has changed on the vinyl, the clear image makes sense perfect sense, based on the character of Vision.

The same goes for the ghost Obi-Wan in Star Wars 1.  In fact, force ghost Obi-Wan was a variant of a chaser, and that is something I would love to see Disney do more of.  The chasers are the most sought after anyway, and adding a variant version of that makes it even more fun to attempt to collect.  The 3 different versions of the pink elephant chaser from Animation 1 is still one of the most fun and ambitious choices the Disney design team has made.

Recently, we have seen that variants are going to be more common, and in a new creative way.  It seems that all of the limited edition vinyls, like the Food and Wine Festival and the Festival of the Masters, are all going to have variants.  This is interesting because what was once an open window, you knew exactly what you were going to get type of deal, is now a fun mystery.  I love the idea of this supplement Park 13 Tower of Terror set.  Not only is it a great addition to this latest park set (especially because it is a smaller case size) but in this instance there are 2 versions.

You have the regular black and white versions of these characters, and then an inverse version that look like they have been transported to the Twilight Zone.  Instead of making it a set of itself with 8 figures, and you can easily get them all, Disney decided to make it either or, and you won’t know which versions of the figures you will get to you open them.  You can either look at this as a money grab, or a great characteristic to the hobby.    For me, that’s what Vinylmation is all about; not knowing what you are going to get, so why not add that feel to more of the products.

So there you have it, a little breakdown of how the idea of variant figures has evolved over the course of this five year hobby, and where it seems to be heading in the future.  How do you feel about variants, and the direction Disney seems to be heading?  Would love to hear your thoughts!

Mike Vetrone Wreck-it Ralph Set Available Today!

A Wreck-it Ralph custom set designed by artist Mike Vetrone will be available later today, Nov. 19, 2013, at VinylmationWorld.com. The custom series consists of 8 Vinylmations and will be released at 10pm EST / 7pm PST exclusively on the  Vinylmation World Online Store.  They will be $85 each, which includes shipping to anywhere in the US.

Animation 4 Vinylmation Explained

Animation 4 Explained
8 figure blind box set
Release date: December 13th 2012
Price: $12.95

Update 11/18/13 Turnaround photos added of missing characters. Chaser added.

	Ralph Wreck It Ralph (2012) I kinda want an 8-bit variant of this. Good over all though.
	Hula Timon Lion King (1994) The variant we all kinda thought would be part of the Lion King set, here, in all it's glory. Hooh!
	Bambi Bambi (1942)
	Abu Aladdin (1992) Elephant variant?
	Rabbit The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
	Sleepy Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs (1937)
	Peter Peter and the Wolf (1946)
	Lucifer Cinderella (1950)
	Meeko Pocahontas (1995)
	Kronk Emporer's New Groove (2000)
	Rhapsody in Blue Girl Fantasia 2000 (1999)
	Hydra Hurcules (1997)

Animation 4 LEs

Gus and Jaq from Cinderella

LE 1500

Expected release date: January 17th 2014

Expected price: $29.95

Gus and Jaq are two of the mice that help Cinderella in her movie.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie

LE 2000

Expected release date: 1/17

Expected price: $44.95

Donald's Nephews

Disney's California Adventure Grand Re-Opening Vinylmation Photoshoot

We took these DCA 2012 figures to the best places we could find over here at the East Coast park.

5th Anniversary Vinylmation Signing and Release Photos

Today, Vinylmation celebrated its 5th anniversary with a release and signing at D-Street Orlando. It was 5 years ago yesterday that a blank white Create-Your-Own 3" Vinylmation was sold at the Festival of the Masters at Downtown Disney. The following month, Park 1 was released... and the rest is history. Vinylmation has come a long way in 5 years. What began as a niche product that was overlooked on the shelves has blossomed into a collectible with its own store, merchandise line and even web series. Vinylmation has been seen on your co-workers desk, held up by celebrities on and even in outer space!

Vinylmation has undergone its share of ups and downs, and who knows where the hobby will be ten years from now. But the reason I purchased my first Vinylmation is still the reason I collect to this day. It is a unique expression of art that truly has a Disney touch. Artists interpret attractions and characters onto a little Mickey Mouse shaped canvas and I have yet to discover a more interesting souvenir that let's me take my memories home with me. There have been a lot of artist involved in Vinylmation over the past 5 years, and I want to thank each and every one of them.

Today, Disney released a special LE 1000 blind box 5th Anniversary 3" figure that had a variant at 1/10 odds. They also released a Marvel Wasp and Yellow Jacket combo, Mickey and Pooh Animal Kingdom combos based on popular theme park tee shirts and a 3" LE 1000 blind box Festival of the Masters Mickey with variant.

Thomas Scott, Maria Clapsis and Ron Cohee also held a signing and met with fans. We did catch up with Maria to record an interview that we will play for you in the podcast that follows next week's Dee Vee Award podcast.