Nick's Top Ten Vinylmation Stories of 2013

It's the end of 2013. Time to look back and reflect on the year that was in Vinylmation. At the end of each year, MC and I come up with our top ten lists. One of our contributors, Brendt will also write one. To try to bring you a different side of things, we make these lists up of things we personally feel are remarkable from the past year... instead of trying to pick what a majority may see as the biggest stories. We also want to invite you to submit your lists as well. Just email them to DestinationVinylmation@gmail.com. Please include your name and hometown.

NICK'S 2013 TOP TEN

10. RIP Disney Vinylmation Blog

The Official Disney Vinylmation blog was shut down in 2013. It may seem like no huge loss. It was not often updated and most collectors that are reading this article probably preferred one of the many fan sites anyway. But in its heyday, the blog gave us wonderful previews and concept art. Vinylmation.com now points to the Disney Merchandise Blog. And that sight is a valuable place for all things from the Disney Parks. It hosts Pin, Vinylmation, Disney Art and other news. It also keeps an easy to follow and well updated release calendar. A nice trade off.

9. Whiskers and Tales

I didn't want to include this one, but it was a big headline for the first month of 2013. With the previous year's issues with Furry Friends, it was a shock that Disney Store would release a sequel. It seemed the same production issues were going to plague this series as well, but those reports may have just been people looking to find problems. In the end, Whiskers and Tales was never recalled, and the product was a success for the Disney Store.

8. WDW AP Discount Drop

While not directly a Vinylmation story, the drop in the Walt Disney World Premium Annual Passholder discount from 20% to 10% had a drastic impact on the hobby. I was not the only AP to purchase less product this year. Much of it had to do with already owning too much vinyl, but the discount drop did stop me from making any quick purchases. And not just with Vinylmation, I spent less money at WDW on all merchandise this year. And it was not an income thing, it was a mindset of not having the deeper discount. And I know many other people who can say the same thing. I am not a numbers person, but I have no idea how this helped WDW's bottom line at all.

7. DV's Christmas Special

This is more a personal pick, but putting together this year's Christmas Special, a Vinylmation take on "It's a Wonderful Life," was a personal highlight in audio production and writing. It was so much fun to do, and have so many voices and sounds involved. It was fun to create, and satisfying to listen to. I really hope you all enjoyed it as well. Listen to it here.

6. Beauty and the Beast

Last year, I had the Classic Collection ranked at the #2 spot on my list and called it Eric Caszatt's masterpiece. This year, the highlight set by far was Beauty and the Beast. Perfection doesn't even begin to describe this total work of art. To date, this is Maria Clapsis' and Caley Hick's masterpiece. And that is saying a lot giving their body of work. Each figure is flawless in design and production. And the stain glass ears will be hard to ever top.

5. In Park Trading Changes

How times have changed. In the span of a year, the facet of collecting that got me involved in Vinylmation in the first place, died and now is slowly returning to life. Trading in the parks with Cast Members was the life blood of Vinylmation. It got people to purchase a piece of plastic, sight unseen, knowing they had the chance to trade it for one they might want. But with the influx of hundreds and hundreds of figures at such a rapid rate, the trading boxes got filled to the brim with undesirables. Cast Members got annoyed with the over-sized, heavy trade boxes. Cast Members also ignored rules set in place so guests could not pick every number in the box and "cherry pick" the good stuff. Trading locations were drastically decreased at both WDW and DLR. Seemingly a negative at first, turned into a positive. Condensed trading location allowed Disney to insert more desirable vinyls. Cast Members also seemed to be better trained. Disney also introduced series specific trading boxes like Park Starz and Pixar. If this trend continues, expect trading at the parks to be fun once again.

4. Customs

Is it just me, or did custom artists take it to the next level this year? There are a ton of talented artists out there painting on this Mickey shaped canvas... and it is fun to watch. Innovation and creativity was abundant this year. Artists who have been doing this for 3 years or more perfected their craft. The idea of creating a set and selling it off as blind boxes really took off. And DV's Custom Vinylmation Madness tournament was a blast and we look forward to holding another one this March.

3. WDI Series

I'm not sure where this set stands in the hearts of most other collectors, but to me, the Walt Disney Imagineering set, released as an LE Open Window collection at the D23 Expo, is the best set ever made. It incorporates what I love about both the Disney parks and Vinylmation. It extends beyond what the park series gives us and shows us an Imagineer's take on how the attractions and themeing elements are created. As for the vinyl themselves, the designs have all sorts of detail with hidden meanings and symbols. The sorcerer hats that were added to represent the icon of WDI (Sorcerer Mickey) we so well used as part of the canvas, that the figures would not even come close to the greatness that they are without them.

2. Disney Store Turns Corner

This may, in the long run, be more important than my top story. The problem is, we have such a small sample, it is hard to tell what the real story is. For about two years now, the Vinylmation put out by the Disney Store artists has been a mixed bag at best, but bordering on a horrible nightmare. While the talent of the artists has never been a question, many of them innovating high above some of the Disney Design Group, the choices for the themes of the sets they produce has been highly questionable. Set after set of uninteresting, non-Disney related sets like Zooper Heroes, High School and Wrestlers bombarded the shelves of local Disney Stores. Then, when sales presumably tanked, they went on sale for BOGOs and were shipped to outlets to be heavily discounted. In turn, this mostly unwanted product is all that collectors who don't live in Orlando or Anaheim had to trade. And collectors near the parks picked them up in bulk to trade with CMs at the park. It was a nasty cycle of wasted talent and unwanted, overproduced product. But then all of a sudden, the tide turned. Medieval went to BOGO like a week after it was released and no non-Disney theme product has followed to date. The Disney Store artists were also handed the reigns of Pixar Series 2 and the Aladdin Junior series. They added a fourth Disney Villains set. A Jungle Book set is on the horizon as is a Disney themed Robots 4! On top of all that, they seemed to have greatly improved the production side. I was shocked at the wonderful quality of Pixar 2 and Villains 4. Also, with the Disney Store not posting release dates or previews, Enrique Pita and Nacho Rodriguez (two Disney Store artists) have taken it upon themselves to promote the products via social media... and people are excited because it is Disney Themed! Great job Disney Store... keep it up.

1. LE Blind Boxes and Smaller Set Sizes

A Vinylmation revolution. Was the hobby dying? No, I don't think so, but it is going through an evolution. More and more people are realizing they can not collect everything. So buying habits are changing. One thing that seemed to be on the decline, was excitement for releases. I'm talking fanatical excitement. We used to line up outside D-Street for open edition blind boxes like Toy Story and Star Wars, while those days may be gone. We also stopped lining up for limited editions. With high quantities and lack of interest, you knew you could trade for it or walk in and pick it up a week later without waiting in line at 3am. For me, I stopped buying blind boxes at all. But now, that has changed. The introduction of LE Blind Boxes with Variants has made it fun again to run down to D-Street and purchase a blind box, eagerly anticipating what might be inside. This is a true game changer as seem at the Food and Wine Fest and Festival of the Masters. And, with smaller set sizes, I feel like dropping $20 on a couple blind boxes and getting a quarter of the set! Then trading for the others I may want. And in the process, having a shot at a chaser or variant. I already see renewed interest. I love the new direction of Vinylmation. Constantly innovating to keep us involved and excited.

Collectors Corner: Nick

MC has been on me awhile now to post some pictures of my collection, so I took some initiative this morning, counted them up and took some pictures. We always welcome you to submit pictures of your collection and over the next few weeks, the DV staff will share ours.

Name: Nick LoCicero

Hometown: Orlando, FL

Collection size: 750

3" = 628
9" = 64
Jr. = 58
Park Starz = 12
Watches = 3
Ear Hats = 4
Customs = 7 (3 I made myself)

My Stormtrooper army is up to 22!

How long have you been collecting?
Since July 1, 2010. I remember the day well. It was the return of Captain EO to Epcot. It was raining all day. To stay dry, I hopped inside Mouse Gears where I saw they started to trade Vinylmation. That hooked me. I went home with 10 and was back just about every couple days for weeks. Now I'm over 700. The 750 figure above is pretty close to accurate. It doesn't include my like 20 traders, 10 sitting there to be repainted customs, 14 Urban 6 Killer Bees awaiting an Epcot Flower and Garden photo shoot and a few other random doubles I hold onto because I like them. (It does however include to 22 Stormtroopers)

One row in my case is dedicated to my favorite Park figures with the chasers gathered to the far right.

One row has various figures including Muppets, Urban chasers and DCL.

What is your favorite figure that you own?
My first one, Park 4 IASW Leopard.

Another row used to be Urban, but now shelves my movie themed pieces.

Which of these is the best feeling: Pulling a figure you want… from a blind box you just purchased, from a great trade with another collector, from a mystery trading box at the park or from a clear trading box?
A blind box. Because I split cases now, that feeling is largely gone. But it was the best.

I have stuff all over... these Villains sit on top of a speaker

This stuff is stacked on top of my display case.

And more still sits in labeled boxes waiting for that addition on my house.

The top of my computer desk is crowded with Disney collectibles. Stormtrooper Donald is one of my favorites.

More stuff on top of my desk.

Way up top, all kinds of Buzzs and Woodys hang out.

One of my favorite sections is my retro Disney themed area.

I even have stuff on my TV stand.

Vinylmation was my gateway drug... pins were the next logical step. Here is my just full pin board.

That Alex Maher designed framed collage is wonderful, but the crown jewel of my Disney collectibles is that WDW 1/2 Marathon medal. One, because I love Donald and the design is brilliant, but mostly because I earned it. Send us an email to DestinationVinylmation@gmail.com to have your collection featured.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artists Nick and Rachel

I just finished my third Vinylmation custom figure and the second in my Donald Duck Cast Member series. It's great to see more and more of you out there picking up a paint brush and giving it a go at your own creations. It is daunting at first, and I had the fortune of having a friend who had all the paints and brushes I needed, but it can be a lot of fun and you never know what you can really do until you do it. I'm not saying I have any real skill yet, but I hope I am showing some improvement along the way.

The Donald I chose to create this time is a Splash Mountain Cast Member. Splash is one of my all-time favorite rides and has a unique and identifiable costume. I started with a light blue base all around the body.

I then layered over that with the white bib on the front and the cross hatching of white to create the checkered effect. I found this very difficult for my skill level to get even in anyway. So I found the best effect I can do would be a more "sketchy" type line. When I tried to draw a more perfect line, it came out too messy. I also make this work in my head by telling myself it's fabric and it bends and folds and isn't perfect anyway.

As you can see, I also used a clear eared vinyl. This is because I will be painting the outline of Splash Mountain in one ear with a sky behind it and water splashes in the other ear. I decided clear ears would give this an added effect.

As you know, Donald's signature is that he gets angry. So Splash Mountain is perfect because, well you get wet. So Donald is angry here because he is being splashed.

For the "splash" I used a few clear, "puffed out" rain drop stickers. I painted the backs with a peal blue and they sprayed an adhesive on after they dried. Note: be careful with spray adhesive. We had a slight production delay when I sprayed my fingers together.

Here is a look at the finished effect of the splash in one ear, with one drop landing on his nose, and the mountain in the other ear. Honestly, the drop on the nose and even how to go about the water effect, came after the figure was almost done. The ear and head splashes were going to be paint. Then possibly hot glue gun drops painted. But these stickers provided the most polished effect for me.

My favorite part of this figure has to be the tiny Splash Mountain in the right ear. I modeled it after the classic attraction poster that is drawn like a cartoon instead of a picture of the real attraction. I am proud of how I fit the top two levels on and the tree with the little bit of detail work in it. And my effect worked as planned. By painting the mountain on the front of the clear ear and the blue sky behind it, it gives a little depth of field. The sky was not planed to have the cloud effect, but when I applied the paint and saw it, I was impressed. Some things just happen by accident and work out for the best.

The complete finished figure from the front.

And the back. Now of course, I'm not the only one painting a series of figures. Let's check in on Rachel's progress with her Fantasia set.

Here next figure is a very ambitious one, Yensid. As you can see, she began with a Toy Story Rex figure and molded a robe out of clay.

She applied blue paint to the body and arms and white to the head.

Then, with paint, she carefully drew the frame of Yensid's face.

Steadily, and with much attention to detail from the film, she applied his facial features.

Yensid's face was nearly complete, but his ears and head still needed some final touches.

She sculpted a hat to place upon his head and painted in the colorful butterfly Yensid conjures up in the film.

The finished Yensid has magnificent detail in his face. The robe has a beautiful flow to it. And the hat and robe were finished off with a slight sparkle in the paint.

Yensid now joins his fellow Fantasia creations.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Nick

After Santa Donald, the second custom in my planned line of Donald Ducks was Star Tours Donald.

I always start with the body. Mostly because I avoid doing the head as long as possible.

That was my first sketch of a face outline onto the canvas. One thing i learned quickly was how difficult it is to translate a 2D drawing to a 3D mold.

It sometimes takes a few tries to be satisfied with the outline and don't be afraid to redesign a few times in the process so it looks best instead of trying to force anything.

There he is without some of the facial details.

After getting the face done, I started on the ears. My idea for Star Tours Donald was he is a Cast Member that is a bit worried as he looks up to the sky and notices a Star Speeder 1000 (the vehicle the guests travel in) heading right toward the Death Star. I actually painted over that Death Star. So hard to get little details down that at my current talent level I have to kind of stylize it instead.

The final version. I'm very happy with the final version. The Star Speeder also took a couple tries as I learned to take out details. It is soooooo small. So the lines are not as straight as I really wanted. I like the detail on this Death Star over the previous picture, the lines and colors make more sense. I am extremely happy with the way I can draw Donald's face. The costume was fun and well represents the real one. I did struggle with two things; the shoulder patches and name tag. I decided in the end that the patches would clutter the body and the detail was so small on them. I practiced and decided that if I couldn't make them look great, he was better without them. The name tag was also omitted as to not clutter the front. I also found it hard to make it look right.

As with my previous custom, I painted along side my friend Rachel who is creating a Fantasia set. She started with the Mop and Buckets and I have an update. She originally made the buckets out of clay, but has since did a redesign and used Juniors to represent the buckets!

It was a great idea that was well executed.

This time around, she made a Low Hop.

Remember I talked about the struggle to translate a 2D drawing to a 3D mold? She went back and forth with the decision to stretch Low Hop over the whole mold and wrap him around. She eventually decided against this and just painted him onto the front. One of the big factors was the foot flopping up looked best this way and that is an important feature. But then the problem of what to put on the back.

She decided on a scene we see in the movie with grass and flowers and the silhouettes of the mushrooms in the foreground. She also added multi-colored glitter to the ears to represent the dust at the beginning of scene that falls from the sky.