MisterPL

Yes on Wonder Woman, Predator, and DragonBall Z. No on Aliens. And don't get me started on pro wrestling. Okay, maybe it's not the bondage costumes as much as that hair. Okay, it's probably a combination of things.

The Speculation Thread reminded me of a topic I'd been meaning to start: New properties or themes that are on other people's wish list but not yours. The first one that comes to mind for me is He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. This property never appealed to me and, quite frankly, I just don't get it. I'm not saying I'd quit collecting Minimates altogether if DST got to offer Prince Adam, Man-at-Arms, and all his other homoerotic buddies but I certainly wouldn't be counting the days to their release. Maybe if a movie had a different take (particularly on the costumes) I could get into it but for now, the old Mattel brand just ain't for me, despite the legion of fanboys this franchise enjoys. Who else? I know there are some collectors who [gasp!] have no interest in seeing oft-requested properties like DC Comics or Star Trek return in full force. This is your chance to fly your freak flag and be the odd one out.

Is anyone here really prepared to dump the entire brand because of one property they really don't like? I find THAT hard to believe. Planet of the Apes is still a perfectly viable property. Zach would be a tad hypocritical if he let Burton's utterly disposable "reimagining" ruin the entire franchise for him. That'd be like Peter Pan ruining Minimates. Besides, I've long said that Minimates is the modern-day successor to Mego when it comes to multiple licenses in one format. As a kid I used to enjoy Spider-Man and Batman beaming up to the Enterprise where Kirk and crew would travel to the Planet of the Apes only to find Tarzan hanging out with Cornelius. If I'm going to replay that scenario with Minimates, I'm gonna need POTA 'mates, dammit! What I don't get is the "Kubrick did so, so much with it." That might be true but I don't collect Kubrick figures and a business would be remiss to pass on something just because another company had done something somewhat similar first. So there. (And I'm still betting on Peter Pan.)

I'm thinking somewhere between Toy Story and The Right Stuff. Just this side of Apollo 13 but more in a Star Trek vein. Armageddon. (But Alien would rock.)

If DST is getting a license that has astronauts in it, it damned well better be Planet of the Apes. Set 1 Taylor Astronaut Dodge Astronaut Landon Nova Set 2 Cornelius Zira Dr. Zaius Gorilla Soldier Vehicle Icarus w/ Astronaut Taylor

A Minimate Monolith would be pretty cool. (And don't think I didn't get the Kubrick pun, intended or not.)

I think a reboot is a swell idea! Hopefully the next version will stay closer to the source material and the costumes will be more authentic. Let's start talking about recasting!

I still believe in fairies. [sprinkles pixie dust liberally over the thread]

Yeah, I'd like to keep the toy thread discussion on the topic of toys as well. Still, we run the risk of a toy spoiling part of a storyline. (Like if Series 3 features the aliens who brought the zombie plague from issue #109.*) Then there's speculation about what future characters could be included. *Utter bullshit. Just sayin'.

If we can get 'mates from Kick-Ass and Breaking Bad, why not Django Unchained? Oh, wait. That's Mez-itz. Never mind.

I appreciate Zach's honesty. I've been an adult for a long time now and even though I might not like what he says, I can handle it. And when I can't, I grab my Zach Oat Voodoo Doll™ and drench it with my tears of disappointment.

I prefer the trades, too. I'd rather read comics an arc at a time rather than once a month. I'm not crazy about the ads, either. But when it comes to spoilers, as much as I try to avoid them, they're everywhere. I appreciate people being considerate of those who choose to wait for collected volumes but I don't expect anyone to take responsibility for me wandering into a clearly labelled discussion about The Walking Dead and spoiling the revelation at the end of #106 that Rick has been in a coma this whole time and his doctor's name is Merle. That said, we have Spoiler tags for a reason. It does make it pretty annoying to go through a thread reading these things though.

If Disney just paid $4.05 billion for Lucasfilm, would they have any cash left to acquire Diamond? I know they've got deep pockets, but if Lucasfilm is the Lamborghini then DST is the air freshener. And Peter Pan Minimates might be replacing these rare gems:

Well, it would appear that my LCS owner (who's been ordering Minimates for me for ten years) has finally succumbed to the temptation of online scalping. Normally I get a full set for retail. Today he had two 2-packs for me because he found out the Lori and Amy 'mates are going for boku bucks on eBay. I hope the business he's getting by speculating covers the (previously) guaranteed business he's losing by forcing me to look elsewhere. So much for buying locally. I can't blame him, really, not in this economy. If he can get $30-$40 for these things, good for him. Hopefully it'll just create more demand for everyone later on down the road. And he should be able to move all those extra Michonne and sailor zombies, right? In the meantime, goodbye LCS. Hello, Luke's Toy Store!

Disney sells SO much product through the mass market that there's little if any point of distinction between that and the stuff they peddle through the specialty market. What they need is a product that the mass market big-box retailers haven't been flooded with. Like Peter Pan Minimates!

Yup, it was a Disney release. And it holds the distinction of being the 2nd biggest animated/sci-fi bomb per BoxOfficeMojo.

Are you sure?

Too bad trades didn't offer free 6-months digital subscriptions.

Nope. It came out five years after Toy Story. Disney probably wishes they hadn't bothered with Treasure Planet at all.

My Magic 8-Ball™ is no better than anyone else's but if history is any indication, collector's have had little problem acquiring Hasbro's Star Wars park exclusives thanks to online sales. Hopefully any Disney exclusives will be sold primarily through the Disney Store and their site and also at the parks. The honest truth is that this category is such a small niche that it's barely on their radar at all. I know Disney probably wouldn't have a problem licensing DC properties through a Disney-owned DST. While Disney could certainly keep AA/DST busy making in-house product, the Mouse House made a similar mistake in 1999 when they acquired DreamQuest and shut it down three years later because they were working exclusively on Disney films. They've already said they won't make that mistake again with Lucasfilm's ILM. Like you said, it would really be up to WB. They've licensed their product to manufacturers who make product for competitors but not BY competitors, that I can recall. A Disney acquisition of DST would probably be very bad news for DC Minimates in that regard. That said, I think it's more likely that Disney would set its sights on Hasbro and that rumor has already been debunked. The only companies that might be interested in buying a toy company in this volatile market would be another toy company, and since DST is a division of Diamond, we're either looking at the parent company looking to unload DST or a much larger company seeking to acquire ALL of Diamond, not just DST. Long story short: I'm not worried about DST being snatched up by any other company any time soon. Bring on the DC Minimates, WB!

Anything with an open cockpit is ill conceived. I love the 1966 model purely out of nostalgia but I've always had a tough time picture Bruce and Dick pinstriping the Batmobile so they could take it out on the town. Although in the context of that incarnation of the Dynamic Duo, it's certainly feasible. Burton's Batmobile came pretty close to what a friend of mine and I were concepting after we heard the movie was in development. I was leaning toward a Delorean with bat-wing doors but my friend insisted on an American car. What we got was a Corvette on steroids and at the time we were pretty pleased with it. I did NOT like the redundant cocoon that came out of nowhere. At first glance I liked the Batman Forever Batmobile because it looked like something H. R. Giger might have designed. The fins are far too large and the exposed engine is pretty dumb but I like the look purely for aesthetic reasons. Take off the giant wing on the back and it's not half bad. Then there's Schumacher's Batman and Robin car. Ugh. The whole movie was a parody of the '66 series including the Batmobile. No canopy, ridiculously long fins, lighted accents than scream anything but stealth... it's a caricature of the Barris Batmobile, and not a very flattering one. My favorite is the Tumbler, even though it's kind of off-the-rack. Painting it black helped but part of me was hoping that some bat-like modifications would have happened along the way. Come on, Mr. Fox. Get with the (design) program. As for the scale on these collectibles, if memory serves they're pretty small to be useful for Minimates.

If Peter pans out, we might get Lone Ranger 'mates for that home video release. But given what Zach has said, these new sets and vehicle are definitely not based on that film.

I'm not upset. I don't think that's the deal here if it's a Disney Store exclusive. This is more like ThunderCats or DC Direct's DC Comics line; DST would be a third party, hired to design and manufacture the product and packaging. DST wouldn't have to pay any licensing fees. Therefore their investment (and risk) is relatively low. At least that's how I'd work it.

Looking ahead, Disney's home video releases for March include Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Mulan, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Can't honestly say I'd be thrilled with another Hunchback set but I'd be game for 'mates based on Mike Mignola character designs and Chinese warriors and Huns. Of course none of these movies are currently on the table given that they were released well after 1969. (Same as Aladdin.)

I just checked WB Home Video releases for February. They've only got two and both are only months – not decades – old; Cloud Atlas and Argo. So if this sudden announcement is tied into an older WB film, it's not being reissued in February. Technically, a Peter Pan wave could give us some smaller 'mates. (Over Chuck's dead body, of course, unless Disney insisted.)