newaddict

First time I'm actually eligible and I have family over during the contest!?! Well, next time maybe. Congrats to the winners and also on the very clever topic title. Very funny and very cool all around.

Another BigBadToyStore pre-orderer here. I was on the fence a little too long about whether or not I wanted a full case and missed out on Stuckakid, so they were the next least expensive place a came across that still had pre-orders open. I'm hoping to here sometime in the next two weeks. Seeing these in the hands of other people already has driven me to want them so very much more. Must have more plastic crack!

Well, I'm thrilled at the news these are out there. They look good and it at least hints that there is still hope for Minimates to do well in a non-specialty based mass market like Target. I am definitely going to resume hunting as I must have the new Daredevil/Ghost Rider pack (who am I kidding I'll buy them all if I see them). I'm not super optimistic about finding them at my local Target since they never got in the GSX packs or the Wolverine/Iceman case either. They just keep restocking the Fantastic 4 two packs again and again.

Well actually I've had some time off from work lately, so these did go somewhat quickly, but I doubt I could have finished them in 3 days. Waiting for the paint to dry seemed to take the longest amount of time. Also I found myself going cross-eyed after a while of painting detail in such a small scale.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Antacost, Wiccan's cape is a modified LOTR Elven Archer skirt piece. I picked up quite a few of these guys a little while back and with a little cutting and shaping it was just about right (atleast for my skill level). Again everyone thanks for the encouragement. Oh and Deadpool, I'm still working on Iron Lad and a Vision to round out the team. Just don't think they'll be done before the holidays.

Young Avengers Stature and Patriot Hulkling and Wiccan Speed and Hawkeye Iron Lad and Vision The Young Avengers Excelsior Darkhawk Ricochet Runaways Here's a preview of the first of my Runaways (a work in progress) Molly Chase Victor Gert Exiles Mimic "Battle Ready" Sunfire Morph Group Shot Sasquatch Modified Sasquatch Avatar the Last Airbender Aang Variant Aang Fire Nation Soldier Sokka Katara Group Shot Batman Beyond Blight Royal Flush Ten Royal Flush Ace King Queen Royal Flush Thus Far (4 of 5) Villains Mandarin The Vulture Vulture in Flight Vehicles/Playsets My fantasti-craft (corny I know) Rearview Vehicle divided Other Customs Ant-Man Wonderman Hellboy Frankenmates group 1 group 2

Okay, my two cents . . . Firefly/Serenity - I've seen the custom concepts on this board, so I know I'm not the only one who thinks these could be cool. Heroes could be interesting as well if done properly. Fifth Element - this is another one I've heard discussed which could do really well in the cult classics sort of way. There's countless others, but those are the ones which pop to mind.

I love this idea. Imagine 'mates being marketed like Stikfas. A generic theme set with assorted accessories and a decal sheet. I can't imagine they'd be any more expensive than Stikfas, and I know I'd buy them. These must be done!

My dad used to tell me that when I was younger, he'd sit somewhere close by and listen to me play with my G.I.Joes or Star Wars figures. He said between the sound effects, character voices and storylines it was like listening to a radio drama or book on tape. I guess I've never really outgrown that feeling of needing sound effects when I "admire" my toys. Now if only I could figure out a way to do theme music, I'd be all set!

I was just thinking that maybe the reason we're seeing two (possibly three) back to back movie related series, is that the comic ones aren't selling quite as well as AA might be hoping -- at least in the Mass Market Division. Honestly, I can imagine a Civil War or Avengers series might be a tough sale to Target (or the average non-comic familiar customer), but a line with a massive media tie-in, even a much belated one like X3 would have a wider appeal. I'll be honest, I've followed comics on and off for some time, but I often find myself looking things up on the Internet to find out whom some new character is in a certain assortment (not just with Minimates, but ML, SMC, etc.). These might not be my first choice, but if this can bring new acolytes to the brotherhood of minis so be it.

Not that this is really important, but I wanted to rant, so here goes: My local Target has had the same 5 Fantastic Four 2 packs forever. I know that they are the same ones because the packages are very worn in specific areas. I've tried to wait patiently for GSX packs to show up, but to date there has been nothing. So I decided to buy the last of the Fantastic Four packs (all 5) for customs or whatnot, thinking this might speed things along. So I stop by Target today and what is sitting on the shelf? Another half dozen Fantastic Four 2 packs! These things are never going away.

I really like what you've done with Iron Man. I wish we could see an actual AA release along these line. But then again I guess he'd have to change his name to some like Wolverine in order for us to get another version of him.

I thought about this for a while, since I'm really rather fond of all my C3 figures, but Batgirl won out because of the removable mask aspect. So many of these 'mates would have faired better with removable masks and hair pieces to put on in place of the masks.

Very nice work all around. I must admit to jumping onto the bandwagon in terms of admiring Lockheed. That really makes Kitty seem so much more complete.

When I used to work at local toy store (years ago) we would have a lot of people return items they had purchased as "defective." We would return their money or issue a credit and then attempt to regain something from the manufacturing company. More often than not though, the toys weren't broken, only being misused or the kids simply didn't like them as much as they thought they would. The items would be stored in the backroom in large containers until we received credit from the companies at which point we were supposed dispose of the items. Very few things ever made it out to the dumpster though as many of the employees were either toy fans or had children at home. One time however a new employee took an entire box of items out without realizing the "official" protocol allowing the employees to dig through it first. AS soon as his mistake was discovered, three employees were all climbing in after their "misplaced treasures."

I'm not really gonna get my hopes up because I'd kill to have a "black costumed" Spidey. I just can't bring myself to spend the money to get one off Ebay (at least not yet). But if they do in fact find a loophole of some sort, I would be a very happy plastic-crack addict, er, minimate collector.

Well, I went ahead and ordered a set of these even though I wasn't really sure I wanted them. If nothing else, it's another 'mate fix for me until something else comes out. I guess if I go into expecting them not to be fantastic, then I may atleast be a little bit surprised with what I get. I really need the February releases sooner than later.

I guess in all the discussion, I forgot to answer the question (sorry). I think most of the price points seem pretty reasonable. I'm not sure about the transport set with 10 minimates, but I'd have to see the final product to say one way or the other. As to the five pack, my choices would be: Spooner, Calvin, Lanning, Sonny and NS-5 (evil). I feel this group would serve as a good intro set which might help a first time buyer decide to go back and purchase more of the additional sets. The idea of a build a figure VIKI could work well, or maybe just a translucent backdrop piece which could simulate the effect? As to the sculpting, not sure how much is too much. I like the traditional "block" style that 'mates have, but some additional detailing might lend itself nicely to the robots. Anyway, I'll buy them if/when they become available.

Yeah, 5th Element! Okay I'll take a set of those as well.

Palz were sort of the emphasis for me getting into 'mates. I purchased the Buffy ones first because I was a fan of the show and thought they would be interesting. Even at that point I was able to pick most of the up on clearance. Then I got the X-Files and Die Hard Palz, also on clearance to expand on my "Buffy" world. And just as I was really getting into them, Palisades went away and I was left wanting more. So I gave 'mates a second look and found them to indeed be superior (with the exception of the accessories) and just as addicting. They were fun though.

As I said before, I would buy these. I'm just not sure how many other people out there would. I could see army builder police and NS-5's, and I would definitely love the core character set. Even the vehicles and cargo containers would be really cool in my opinion, as anything which helps to expand and enrich the 'mate scaled universe is a welcome addition. However there have been valid concerns expressed regarding this concept. First of all, the lack of a current media tie-in. As a fan of the short lived Xevoz line by Hasbro (very cool toys if you haven't experienced them for yourself), I saw first hand how a line with an awesome concept can die on the shelves without having something to draw the new audience into the "universe." Secondly, the shipping schedule for the current 'mate offerings seems to be an issue already. I understand production difficulties can slow things down and are unavoidable sometimes. But would adding more irons to the fire slow things down even more? I don't know? But I would buy them!

I know that personally I'd buy these if they were produced, but then again I'm becoming quickly addicted to anything and everything minimate. Since the other responses thus far are questionable about this, I guess though I would like these I feel perhaps a stronger license would be more profitable.

I am really impressed by the range of your customs and also the versatility/dirversity. The Tick customs are great and the sculpted beard on Sentry adds much needed depth to the character.

I am always amazed at the creativity of the members here. I really like your execution of both pieces, but "Strange" is really my favorite.

I'm torn on this issue simply because of the current holes in my collection. While I have several chases, there are still some which elude me. I enjoy the hunt, but the also the disappointment after missing an item, say two or three times on Ebay, can be frustrating. If there was a local, reliable source for me to purchase 'mates then I might feel differently. I guess I'd be happy if the chases were not truly different characters, such as SpiderWoman 2, but rather "true" costume variations. Then I guess I wouldn't feel totally crestfallen if I didn't manage to snag one on the first go-round.