Is D23 Expo Vinylmation Selection Better than Reflections of Evil Event?

The 2013 D23 Expo takes place in Anaheim this August 9-11 and just like two years ago, there is plenty of special merchandise to pick up to commemorate the event. Yesterday, the RSP Merchandise and Dream Store Advanced Orders form was made available to Sorcerer level ticket holders. All the Vinylmation seen below will be available to any guest of the Expo inside the the Dream Store, but Sorcerer level ticket holders do get first crack at ordering a few of the products.

Of course, Vinylmation is among the merchandise offered at the Dream Store this year, and not only is it a more impressive offering than 2011, but it is more impressive than what should be Vinylmation's (and Pin's) marquee trading and merchandise event of the year... Reflections of Evil. There are 8 different product choices here! Five of them are two packs and one is actually three different vinyls. And each one is incredible interesting.

The most impressive part of this offering is the continuation of sets that we already have or soon will have. But the most intriguing part, is the one that still remains a mystery.

Designed by Thomas Scott, this still mystery Vinylmation refers to the upcoming web series titled "Blank, A Vinylmation Love Story" that we still know very little about. This is a really telling product as it shows the synergy in the brand. I think the web series can be successful if the various division within Disney collaborate on the effort. Now, successful is a relative term. Successful to Disney means a marketing effort to sell product that is disguised as entertainment. Successful to viewers means an entertaining viewing opportunity. Successful to collectors means that it doesn't go too hard core commercial and we loose the still niche side of the hobby.

Also to be released at the Expo:

Here we get the opportunity to add three more dual 3" combos to our collections to extend three sets that should all be available by Expo time in August. This gave Ron Cohee and Thomas Scott to drop in a few more Monsters University and Silly Symphonies characters that just didn't make the cut of the original 12. In the case of Beauty and Beast, Caley Hicks was able to give us variants. I love the idea of not just tossing in a bunch of random designs that try to be too special for the event.

Then we do get a few original designs that are stand alone for the Expo:

D23 is about a true Disney fan experience. It is about looking to the future, hence Blank and Monsters U, but it is also about appreciating the past. These offerings take a look back to classic Disney. The Donald Duck combo as Angel and Devil is masterful. I'm a little bias as a Donald Duck fan. This combo refers to the 1938 film "Donald's Better Self" and Thomas Scott did a wonderful job.

The black and white Minnie Mouse takes us back to old school Minnie just the way Eric Caszatt did with one of the most beautiful sets ever created... the Classic Collection. And Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox is from the 1958 Disney animated short.

You know my feelings that Ron Cohee is the best character artist in Vinylmation today, and I can not wait to see this combo in person.

The final Vinylmation to be offered is the 2013 D23 Expo Logo figure.

I am a HUGE fan of this one of three colors in blind box idea! It allows hard core collectors to have something extra to search out for and trade and collect over the course of the Expo. It also allows collectors like myself, that only need one, to just buy one, but happy and even trade it for a different color if you need mine. It's also well done and simple and should look great on the Mickey canvas. And further more, it is not three different designs... just a color swap. So back to my other point, I'm happy with whichever one I pull.

Great job Disney Design Group!!!