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Walking Dead Minimates!


funkguerilla

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Zach, can you better explain why some licenses need larger retailer support and others can exist with just specialty shops?  It seems as if "specialty only" releases are fewer than ever.

Why can licenses like View Askew, Godzilla, Back to the Future (for the most part aside from a couple of vehicles), Sin City, Tarantino, Forbidden Planet, Iron Giant, X-Files (again, for the most part) get specialty only, while licenses like Walking Dead needs a larger retailer?  If you still have the license, couldn't you just as easily release a periodic boxset or 2-pack to gauge interest and keep the line alive rather than let the line linger in hopes of another retailer coming on board? 

Edited by youbastards
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I believe specialty TWD orders were not great at the end. The minimum order with the factory is fairly high, and a low specialty order with no TRU support can sometimes be nowhere near the minimum order quantity. We could offer something as a test, but if the orders are not there to make it -- and we don't need to pre-sell the whole run, just a significant portion -- then we have to cancel. And listing and cancelling products is not good for future sales.

For instance, Battle Beasts 2 was dropped by TRU, and specialty orders were not there. So we couldn't make it. Obviously, relatively few retailers were inconvenienced, but it is not something we like to do. It is why we chose not to even solicit the new Star Trek wave.

Assortments can be a tough sell, price-wise and listing-wise, while box sets can sometimes do a little better, because more independent and online retailers can order them. It really depends on the license. Not every Marvel Movie assortment does as well as others, in terms of specially orders, which is why we're trying box sets for certain movies: Ant-Man, Thor 3, and Black Panther.

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26 minutes ago, DSTZach said:

Not every Marvel Movie assortment does as well as others, in terms of specially orders, which is why we're trying box sets for certain movies: Ant-Man, Thor 3, and Black Panther.

1

Interesting...

I personally prefer assortments to box sets because of the cost, but I definitely understand why retailers would be more interested in them. Maybe Ant-Man and the Wasp will get a box set or two.

Edited by BuffaloDelorean
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I love the TV show (although there was a period when I was so bored I wanted to become a walker ) ,enjoyed the Minimates & I'm about to become very familiar with the comic series .  

The Minimates were based on the comic characters not the TV characters but to a degree many of the characters that we got as 'mates could quite easily pass for their TV counterparts & we were blessed with quite a few of them .   The zombie characters ('mates) that we got were great fun although I never felt that they went far enough ....quite simply too much decay & not enough claret .

I can also see the need for a few fresh survivor characters & MisterPL's request for a tiger was initially funny .....then a tad irritating....then I saw Shiva in its CG flesh & now I too want a tiger . 

All that said I'm of the opinion that this particular line is just about done & if we can look forward to a further box set or two ...great just great.

My juices would flow again if DST secured the TV character licence ,if that happened then I reckon I'd see a resurgence of interest from Minimate buyers & new interest from TV show enthusiasts .........however I don't see the TV licence happening any time soon .

Shame 'cause I'd kill for a Daryl Minimate...........he could even borrow Ghost Rider's bike...........oh sorry I forgot!

 

    

Edited by buttheadsmate
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2 hours ago, buttheadsmate said:

MisterPL's request for a tiger was initially funny .....then a tad irritating....then I saw Shiva in its CG flesh & now I too want a tiger .     

Yes, absolutely. Great idea. Fully endorse it.
(Not that I watch the show, read the books, or bought any of the merchandise, just not a zombie fan at all. But putting a pair of fangs on a Shiva minimate to make Zabu is within my sculpting skill level, while turning that white wolf thing from MVC3 is just out forever out of reach)

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I'd gladly take a box set with a redone Ezekiel, Shiva, and two walkers.

And a final wave to get some of those other designs made.

Rick / Walker; Michonne / Walker; Whisperer / Walker; Variant Whisperer /Walker

I think those would sell.

Edited by NerdyTrev
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17 minutes ago, BuffaloDelorean said:

I'd be lying if I said I had any real interest in Zabu or Shiva, but a tiger 'mate would get me to buy a two pack, if maybe not a box set.

 

7 minutes ago, NerdyTrev said:

I'd gladly take a box set with a redone Ezekiel, Shiva, and two walkers. 

 

koolgame2.jpg

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so i came back to this topic after a really long time just to see if there was maybe any news and accidently read the first page thinking it was the most recent and got super excited.

 

still have hope that this line is not dead. hey, maybe since TRU is bankrupt they'll have to call up minimates for help.

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Yeah, look what Minimates did for Borders and Hastings!

 

Maybe things would be different if DST had the rights to the TV show. I guess we'll never know since Todd beat them to the punch and forced them to settle for the comic.

 

A noticeable lack of tigers certainly didn't help.

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54 minutes ago, MisterPL said:

The good news is...

AHH! Another lead-in :thud:

I have to say the show has started down the path of series stagnation, ( Negan has been the life blood IMO ) but hey, I'm a guy who is looking forward to the return of "Curse of Oak Island"!

My Oak Island custom minimates are the only ones my wife lets live downstairs :highfive:

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From Ask DST #379:

 

Matthew K.: Hello Chuck, I was wondering is the Walking Dead Minimate line done? And if it is, were you guys thinking on bringing back the Maximum Zombies line?

DSTChuck: Right now the TWD line is on hold. We have not really looked into whether we would want to bring Maximum Zombies back, but that line was fun!


 

It's been two years since the last release. People put "on hold" for far less time generally hang up. If DST did decide to restart the line, at this point they'd need to consider starting from scratch to lure in new collectors. Maybe a Greatest Hits assortment or just a straight "Legacy" do-over that skips around storylines.

 

Otherwise Maximum Zombies 2.0 might be a nice way to fill the undead gap.

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On 10/31/2017 at 12:42 PM, MisterPL said:

It's been two years since the last release. People put "on hold" for far less time generally hang up. If DST did decide to restart the line, at this point they'd need to consider starting from scratch to lure in new collectors. Maybe a Greatest Hits assortment or just a straight "Legacy" do-over that skips around storylines.

Clearly, people are still hanging around waiting for news. We could probably start where we left off, with the time jump wave, considering that big-beard Rick appeared in the first episode of the season. He was in the unmade assortment, along with Magda, the Whisperers and I believe long-haired Negan. Now I want to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan with long hair!                                                                                           

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