Swarm198

9 hours ago, elhonez said:

There was no easy choice here. We, the long-time fans, probably would have revolted if Typhoid Mary had been removed, which arguably would have been the more logical choice based on exposure alone. I would have preferred Bullseye be removed, but apparently this version is an army-builder, and the MMM team may have factored that into the decision.

At the end of the day, I think keeping Mary was the right choice.

Putting an army builder in a $40 set with four non-builder figures is a silly decision. You can probably count on one hand the number of people who are going to spend that kind of money to army build that costume.

Cutting a character at all was also a silly decision. Doing the math, a $40 set with five figures is $8/figure. A $50 set with six figures is $8.33/figure. I don’t really see the logic there.

Considering most people are probably buying their sets from online retailers, sets with fewer characters are going to end up costing more per figure because they’re paying for shipping too.

It’s hilarious that DST dropped Echo from a pack that will be on shelves within a month of her own show premiering on D+.

#facepalm

New Hasbro figures are hitting stores and seem to be flying off the shelves.

Any plans for Minimates to go with the new series?

DST had an animated set designed two years ago and we’ve been waiting for release ever since.

Juggernaut is definitely a Spider-Man villain, right?

2 hours ago, thereasonsy said:

Completely understandable… but… maybe a 5 pack of Cobra soldiers then? Maybe a BAT, a Crimson Guard, a techo viper, a tele-viper, and Eel viper?!? 🙏

https://www.tumblr.com/fereality-indy/633137783084597249/top-ten-gi-joe-troop-builders-i-want-for-my

 

 

@luke314pi, have you ever looked into Kickstarter for that type of thing?

Might help gauge interest in sets like this.

So they dropped a new, popular character that was just introduced to the MCU and will have their own show on Disney+ around the time the set hits stores. Also a character that hasn’t really been released in other toy lines and was featured in the mainline Avengers comic not too long ago. Also, also an indigenous, female character, which every toy line is lacking… 

Alright then.

On 4/16/2023 at 2:23 PM, DSTZach said:

Also not sure it's faster. 

Well we've been waiting on the animated X-Men wave since October of 2020, so I think I'm gonna have to disagree with you there.

Still on the fence about this set. Losing a character doesn't seem like a wise decision, but I agree with others that it definitely shouldn't be Mary.

I feel like its crazy to have seen these in October and still not have a confirmed solicitation. DST should look into Kickstarter FFS.

RIP GI Joe Minimates.

• Damnation - Brother Voodoo, Mr. Knight, Blade, modern Dr. Strange, modern Loki, Mephisto, Ghost Rider(s), Elsa Bloodstone
• Any mutant character post House of X - Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops, Magik, Storm, Wolverine, Moira, Kate Pryde, etc.
• Secret Wars/Hickman's Avengers - Dr. Doom (white), Maker, Dr. Strange, Namor, Black Panther, etc.

Anyone have an idea of when Series 1 actually ships? I thought these were supposed to be out in like July…

Prey Minimates? PLEASE!?

• Endgame Thor
• Mr. Knight
• WandaVIsion finale (or MoM) Scarlet Witch
• He Who Remains
• Sylvie
• Maya/Echo

I also think a proper MoM zombie Strange Minimate with a soul cloak could be really cool, although I think figures like that are outside of DST's tooling budget these days.

I'd buy 'em. Especially with Revelations costumes.

14 minutes ago, fwoosheyman said:

I can’t believe that no one on the internet covered the DST panel and there’s no info/pics except one marvel minimates picture. 

It baffles me that this line is 20 years old and currently has licenses to Marvel, the MCU, Transformers, Power Rangers, TMNT, and GI Joe… and has little to no presence on any toy news site.

I’m pretty sure that if I didn’t check this site every couple of months, I’d be under the impression Minimates were cancelled years ago.

On 7/3/2022 at 6:52 PM, DSTZach said:

TMNT is a 4-pack VHS box set. Not a 6-pack. Confusing I know. 

If you glue Kate's extra head to Hulkling's wings, this is basically an 8-pack.

... I'm sorry I had to. It's all in good fun.

In all seriousness, I'm excited for these. I really hope these aren't the last Young Avengers we see.

Weren't we supposed to see a TMNT set this weekend?

Some of you all have are acting like cult members. The Kool-Aid is strong here.

Imagine going to a public forum and telling people to stop posting their thoughts and opinions because they are "harassing" someone with *checks notes*... valid criticism and a meme... while implying they're drunk and calling them a "miserable cunt".

@MattallicaThat meme was funny.

24 minutes ago, DSTZach said:

And count Scott as a figure, please. He has as much new tooling as any figure if not more. 50 divided by six is eight.

That is borderline insulting. Scott is not a figure. There's not even a body. I'm pretty sure I can make that with two fodder pieces and a marker cap. And you're arguing in favor of charging $8.00 for it?

The fact that he has more tooling than the rest of the set is the problem here.

If tooling is all that matters, why isn't H.E.R.B.I.E. considered a figure? The marketing lists the FF box set as six figures.

32 minutes ago, DSTZach said:

Sorry for the price increase. The alternative is we don't make Minimates. I would rather this. 

I think you'd have a lot less complaints about the prices if the figures were better.

2 hours ago, DSTZach said:

Where? I believe SRP in 2017 for a two-pack was still around $9.99. If you bought it at Toys R Us, well, you may start to get an idea of how things go when you underprice products. (See also: Walgreens' toy section.)

Even at $5.00/minimate, charging $10.00 now is a 100% increase (a year or two after another $1.50 increase pre-pandemic). I love minimates, but that is ridiculous for repainted figures that have already been released. I'm literally holding the Spider-Man figure with a Dr. Strange cape up next to the screen and it looks the same. Some dry brushing and I don't think anyone would be able to tell a difference.

3 hours ago, DSTZach said:

A global pandemic caused so much havoc with the global workforce and global freight lines that labor and shipping have both skyrocketed. It's not like there is no reason given for the price increase.

Funko, McFarlane, and multiple smaller/indie toy lines have not doubled prices on their products. Even Marvel Select figures have only gone up ~$5.00, from $24.99 to ~$29.99 with some still at the $27.99 price point.

2 hours ago, DSTZach said:

Fun fact, this set was conceived shortly after the episode aired, as a way to get new MM out relatively close to the episode, with no new tooling. So it was done for speed, not cost.

DST failed at both of those.

2 hours ago, DSTZach said:

BUT after the first round of designs, it became apparent we would need some new tooling -- Scarlet Witch's hair, and ALL of Scott Lang. THaqt pushed back the release date a little. We could have just swapped Scott out for Zombie Hawkeye, but Scott made for a much better set.

A little? The last episode aired on October 6th of last year. That was like like nine months ago.

Making this an all zombie set with an extra figure instead of a glorified accessory, closer to the original release would have been the better call.

2 hours ago, DSTZach said:

On a related note, if you look at the detail put into each figure, calling it "low effort" is a huge smack in the face to the designer/artist. Barry did an amazing job.

I feel like this is just gaslighting at this point. The figures look great, but they are repaints. 

I've done plenty of customs. Some are just part swaps and some are paint and sculpting. I have no issue with objectively referring to some of them as "low effort". That is not a slap in the face.

21 minutes ago, TM2 Dinobot said:

 

Yeah, I couldn't resist. It was the first thing that came to mind. $50 for a 5-pack (because let's face it, it's a five pack) is crazy, but is it too far out of line with where inflation is at? I'm balking at the price, but EVERYTHING is going up. Not just Minimates. 

That Spider-Man minimate (minus the cape) is just a repaint. It was originally released in 2017 when Homecoming came out. I bought it for ~$3.50.

Five years later, Diamond Select is releasing the same product for ~$10.00 and telling us it’s because “inflation”.

Oof. This is not a $50.00 set. I feel like most of these could be MCU/Walking Dead QCs.

I wonder how popular these will be considering there’s no guarantee that people will ever be able to complete a “What If?” team.

Maybe next year we’ll get Endgame Thor, Endgame Captain Marvel, Rescue, Captain America (Sam), Kate, Moon Knight, an updated Scarlet Witch, Agatha, Shang-Chi, Wenwu, or Ms. Marvel…

I love that NECA is just rolling in cash right now because of the retro TMNT love, but DST couldn’t get it together long enough to test the waters.

If I remember correctly, these were announced way ahead of the TMNT hype bubble that we’re in right now and all the current pops, figures, etc. flies off the shelves.

I feel like DST is always looking for “the next big license” that will introduce new customers to the line and… well… this was it.

Sounds like by the time these are bought, shipped from the UK, and then shipped again to their new forever homes, they’ll cost almost as much as the other new minimates going forward.

I’m going with Archer.