SDCC 2013 Behind the Mask 2 Vinylmation Full Lineup and Review

These figures were released in limited quantities over the course of the 2013 San Diego Comic Con. They were released two per day at $10 a piece. Will they become available via the DisneyStore.com after SDCC like the "exclusives" were last year? That remains to be seen. It is good that Disney dumped the QR code idea and just sold these to guests in attendance.

These photos were found on Vinylmation Exchange. As you can see, they were sold in "blind boxes" with a twist. A slit was cut into the box so that you can see what figure you are buying. You can see the boxes have the "SDCC" logo on them. There are 8 total in this set and they include:

• Evil Queen
• Stitch
• Dumbo
• Jack Skellington
• Medusa
• Maleficent
• Merlin
• Mickey Mouse

At first, I thought of these as a poor man's bakery series, but upon further inspection, these do a great job conveying the purpose they were designed to do. I never question the artistry of the Disney Store artists, but the application and production process does not often support their art. I have yet to see these in person, and that is often were the Disney Store vinyl fail in my opinion, but these are off to a great start.

I don't enjoy the idea of "splitting" the figures head around the platform. What I mean is putting the face on the front and the back on the back and leaving the sides blank. That strategy is performed on the Mickey, Maleficent, Merlin and Medusa figures. The Stitch and Evil Queen leave the back black, which I actually prefer to splitting the head. Dumbo lends itself to using the entire mask. While Jack is my favorite of all. Instead of forcing a back of the head design or leaving it blank, the artist placed some artwork on the back that relates to the character. I love it!

As for the individual figure's artwork, Maleficent blows the Reflections of Evil piece out of the water. From here, Stitch looks about as good as the Animation 3 version, which I place as the best Stitch to date. But overall, Jack takes the cake here too. Just brilliant artwork and a wonderful transformation.

As I said, I consistently enjoy the Disney Store artists actual artwork. And think it works great in 2D. But until they change the production process and get the quality up to par with the Disney Design Group, I just can't put them in the same category. Granted, I have not seen these in person, so I will wait to pass final Judgment until I do.