Episode 173 Dr. Strange

Ep. 173 Dr. Strange This week we talk about the release of the 2014 Halloween figures and the short upcoming release calendar. We also unveil the ballot for the 2014 Dee Vee Awards. Also, Brendt gives us the highlights of his trip to NY Comic Con 2014. Some Disney talk in there, but mostly a geek-out session about TV, Marvel, shopping and more.

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Bad Taste in Collector's Mouths

Just when we thought the Comic Con release issues were in the past, the DisneyStore.com today made the 8 "Comic Con Exclusive" So Tasty figures available for purchase online.

According to the Vinylmation blog back on July 10th these were "very limited edition" and only "250 available of each design" at SDCC. Unfortunately, there is no mention of a limited edition size on the DisneyStore.com listing for these figures. The product shot does however show the Comic Con logo on the box.

So where exactly does the truth lie with these 8 Comic Con So Tasty figures? Was there a quantity of the 250 left over that they decided to sell online? It is really hard for me to believe there were any of these $10 figures left over from Comic Con. It seemed collectors and re-sellers where buying these up like candy. Maybe in some technical speak only 250 were available at Comic Con but the original production run was in fact much higher? That is possible, just would be nice if they were honest about that from the outset. Or how about the speculation that the 250 LE only applied to figures sold on site with the SDCC logo on the box? Again, valid. It still gives collectors something to look for, but what about the SDCC logo on the production shot online? Or, the most dreaded of all, will all who order these and get a confirmation wake up tomorrow to a "sorry, these were not available at the time of your purchase" email from the Disney Store? All these questions are valid, and they all have issues and more questions attached to them. But one of the most important questions is how upset are buyers who paid upwards of $500 on eBay for a full set of 8?

One way or another, it seems like the Vinylmation collectors were mislead once again. Just looking at screen shots from Disney's own Vinylmation Blog shows either a misscommunication or misdirection somewhere along the way.

Your thoughts on the SDCC Comic Con So Tasty 8?

Episode 081 Epcot 82

Ep. 081 Epcot 82 In a guest filled podcast we talk with Matt from Vinylmation Kingdom about all the Vinylmation previews at Comic Con. We discuss the state and future of the hobby with Kristina from Tomopop. And Annemarie calls in to give insight on her Hurley 9" custom and Comic Con. We also fit a review of Park 9 in there with the latest news and up to date release calendar.

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Bucket of Popcorns

Vinylmation World found a few more Popcorns figures on display at Comic Con.

This Dumbo Popcorns is the normal version of the LE Variant we saw at the last WDW Trade Night. Love it!

Goofy was assumed because of the John Carter video a few months back. His eyes look great. The hat is wonderfully sized with the rest of the figure.

Jack Skellington! Wow, so glad the bat bow tie is a separate piece instead of just painted on.

Classic Collection Preview

Update: 7/14/12 Today we saw a picture on vinylmation exchange that added another figure to the classics collection. Skye Stolnitz put the above picture up. Looks like the added Clarabell.

Picture is from Vinylmation Kingdom who credits Vinylmation Exhange. WOW!!! Can not wait for this series! Donald looks soooooo angry and awesome.

"Look at all the hats!!!"-M.C.

FREE Wreck It Ralph Vinylmation at SDCC

Stop by the Funko booth at Comic Con today for a FREE Wreck It Ralph Vinylmation! There are only 500 of them.

Photo from Vinylmation Exchange Facebook page. When I first saw Disney Store's tweet about this, I was extremely excited. A bit less so after seeing it is only good old Theme Park Favorite Ringer Tee guy with a logo tee. How about your impressions?

Update: 7/13/12 Several of these have popped up on eBay and have sold from between $65-$80! Crazy!!!!!!
Would you pay that much for a FREE vinyl?

Release Day: July 13, 2012

Excuse me if I'm a little jaded this morning and not rushing to my computer to order from the Disney Store Online today. Not much surprise, but the Carl and Ellie release yesterday went less than smoothly. That included a mid afternoon tease where we all flooded the DSO again to purchase the "now available" Carl and Ellie combo. Of course we woke up to emails from Disney apologizing for the mistake. I wrote them back with a little note of my own, did anyone else?

So today, a few releases hit the Disney Store Online once again... and once again I am reading grumblings of errors for a few figures that didn't even have close to the hype or demand of Carl and Ellie.

The Comic Con release slate continues today with the Purple Park Starz Squid Variant. An LE of 1954 for $24.95.

As expected, Epcot's favorite purple dragon popped up online today. This Figment Park Starz variant is an LE 2500 for $24.95. Varying reports say he was available at times overnight? The listing now says Sold Out. But there are issues with the listing description...

The edition size seems wrong and it doesn't have poseable arms and head. A report on the Vinylmation Exchange Facebook page says the listing has been changed to Sold Out while changes are made.

Park 9 is available online and at your local D-Street.

9" Park 9 Art of Animation Poster is at D-Streets. Check out my history of the Disneyland attraction here.

9" Park 9 Feature Animation Building is at D-Streets as well. Check out my history of the Burbank building where Disney magic is drawn to life here.

Haunted Mansion Preview

MissMouse1928 posted this picture on the Vinylmation Connection forums

It is a preview of 4 of the upcoming Haunted Mansion set figures. Here we have Phineas, one of the hitchhiking ghosts. As expected, he is designed on a clear blue vinyl body. I like the use of the bold white for his brows and black for the eyes. Master Gracey is also here in the front right. It looks like Cesar's ghost in the back left. His spirit almost seems to have a green tint to it. Nice to see different uses of the clear bodies here. We can also see what appears to be one of the singing busts.

Up and Out

Almost as fast as Carl and Ellie appeared on the DisneyStore.com last night around Midnight PST... they were gone.

By all accounts they were available for around 20 minutes. But already there are accounts of confirmation emails yet DSO doesn't show record of your purchase. People adding items to carts, but not able to check out. Slow loading pages where the figures could not be accessed. I was among the frustrated that went to add a set to my cart only to find them not available on the next page. Tell us your story and let us know what time you were or were not able to grab this combo set? And what does this mean for the rest of the week's purchases?

Also, if you are a Comic Con attendee, did you try to purchase through your QR code yet? I'm hearing that avenue says Sold Out as well, but I do not have any confirmation if they were ever available through that route.

More Star Wars 2!!

The Star Wars 2 Set of 11! Thanks to Evilos for the pic.

Evilos tweeted this pictures he found on Facebook fromthe San Diego Comic Con. Check out the Star Wars 2 series! I see an X-Wing pilot. What can you see?

Oh, and then the specially boxed Help Me Obi-wan Hologram Leia. Awesome!!!

Comic Con Boy & Girl Online Now

Purchase the Comic Con Boy and Girl combo no superpowers (or Comic Con ticket) needed. Just stop by the Disney Store where they unexpectedly popped up for purchase.

We were told non-attendees would have to wait at least a day, but that does not seem to be the case. Just a couple quick notes... The set is designed by Eric Caszatt. The LE on Disney Store says "LE 1000", the VM Events page says "LE 2000". Not sure which is correct or if this means only 1000 are available at Disney Store Online and 1000 via QR code at Comic Con. Also, you need to type in "Comic Con" into the search at the Disney Store website. A "Vinylmation" search did not show this set.

Frankenweenie Vinyl(mation?) at Comic Con

Has Tim Burton changed the face of Vinylmation? At Comic Con, guests will be able to purchase an LE 1000 Disney vinyl collectible for $40 based on his upcoming movie Frankenweenie.

Represented is Sparky-Saurus, Victor's dog in the movie. The interesting thing about this is by all accounts, they are calling this a "Vinylmation." Most articles and press releases use the word Vinylmation either in the title of what this is or the article/description itself. Sure we have seen a ton of different molds by now, but this would be a complete departure... a figure that comes on a vinyl display stand and background. We contacted Disney and I guess time will tell (once we see the packaging) if this is a true Vinylmation and therefore a sign of things to come. I wouldn't mind seeing "sets" packaged as Vinylmation. Such as a Park Starz 3 pack with a vinyl ride vehicle. How about Brer Bear, Fox and Rabbit with a model of Splash Mountain to place behind them?

Episode 080 Tomorrowland Space Suit

Ep. 080 Tomorrowland Space Suit In this episode we review all the news brought to us at the WDW Trade Night. Pixar, Park Starz, Comic Con, Park 9 and Popcorns all make headlines. We also have Annemarie stop by to give her two cents on the topics and talk about her latest custom. And of course we dive into your comments in the Mystery Mail Bag.

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Comic Con Figures Offered Via QR Code

At Friday's WDW Trade Night, Disney explained to us the process through which the 5 Comic Con Vinylmation sets will be made available. Attendees at the event will be able to obtain QR codes to scan with their phone. This QR code is the only way to access the online shop where the Vinylmation that is made available that day can be purchased. At the end of the day, after attendees have their exclusive opportunity to purchase the figures, whatever quantity left over will be made available to everyone. I'm not trying to be a downer here, but after seeing how Disney handles its online sales, I am not having a good feeling about this. Numerous questions are brought to mind immediately including: What time exactly should we non-attendees be looking for these? How will the online store (assuming Disney Store?) handle the inventory count? I am not savvy when it comes to QR codes so, are they unique to each guest? Can they be made public and shared? Where do we non-attendees even look the product to see if it is available yet? It seems like a fun yet overly technical way to deal with a product that is going to be in such high demand. And given Disney's online track record, we are not only in for some sleepless nights, but some frustrating ones. But I do hope for the best. That it runs smoothly and we collectors are given precise directions on how to attempt to purchase the figures we would like to add to our collections. I just wish they didn't make us jump through so many hoops to do so. Check out our Comic Con Explained page for all the pictures, release schedule and details, but for the first time we were shown the 3"/Jr King and Queen of Hearts: That will be a July 14 release and an LE of 2500 with a price tag of $24.95.

More Pixar Combos Coming (After) Up?

On July 12, a two figure 3" combo set featuring Carl and Ellie from Up will release at Comic Con and Online. It was great to see them in person with the packaging at the WDW Trade Night. But it wasn't just the phenomenal designs on the figures that caught my eye. The box, which features pictures of Pixar characters from all the movies, says "Vinylmation Pixar Disney #1". Meaning... we are to see more Pixar combos coming down the line! I have been craving this. Especially after it became clear the Animation series is staying away from Pixar. So ever since the Lightning and Mater 2 pack, I have been saying this is the perfect way to present the Pixar universe characters to us. I am super excited! I hope some Bug's Life vinyls are just over the horizon. Maybe a Marlin and Dory combo? Remy and Linguini? What combos would you like to see in this collection?

Episode 079 Tower of Terror Elevator

Ep. 079 Tower of Terror Elevator This week we get to reveal 2  wonderful upcoming figures, the line up of the Disney Classic Collection and the revised Comic Con lineup. We have a few questions and comments in the Mystery Mail Bag and we review the upcoming calendar of releases and events.

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