Marvel Minimates Series 50: The Reality

[Nessex]

Yes, everybody VOTE!!!

I just came back from 3 years in the future and would you believe Falcon still hasn't shown up.

12 different variants of Gladiator though, so that was sweet.

You heard it hear first. Do NOT waste any votes on Gladiator, as he will be released in a dozen different variations anyway. :tongue:

[MinnesotaIceman]

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Why not Onslaught? Apocalypse I can understand (he's been done already, so we can hold off on a new 'mate of him for awhile), but Onslaught?

[TM2 Dinobot]

The poll is great but too much like Sophies Choice.

That's... strangely apt.

And yeah, I voted for Songbird because more women is always a good thing. Like, even Sex in the City didn't have enough women. (Actually don't know as I've never ever even seen 2 seconds of that show)

[Mnemosis]

They really should have gone with the full body pic:

The odds are better than not that I know that guy... Ten, you thinking what I'm thinking?

[DSTZach]

I'm getting a similar feeling as Dinobot, but I think the price we'll pay for getting these characters is a Maximum Clonage set (Spidey, Spidey with web pits variant packed with Spidey army builder, Gwen Stacey, MJ, Ben Reilly, and mystery villian we all hope will be Jackel but ends up being Green Goblin.) I love the little guys as my son calls them, but there seems to be an unhealthy fixation on certain characters while others get passed over time and again. The love Spider-man and Wolverine get seems a little excessive, and the big three Avengers are right behind. I have only been at this for a year and am strangely fascinated by the minimates. I think they're great, but I get frustrated when I look at this poll and see all these minimates I would love to have and know it's not likely more than a third will be made while we get yet another variant of a character I already have. I mean really, over twenty Captain Americas, thirty plus Spideys and Iron Men? These are the names that sell, I get that but "Spider sense Spidey" is the last straw. I picked him up yesterday because I didn't have a Punisher yet, but that's it, no more Spider-man minimates will be bought by me until I see more new characters. Sorry for the vent, but Marvel has such too rich a character history to have it's representation dominated by five or six characters. I love the little guys, and Zach you do a great job. The poll is great but too much like Sophies Choice.

One year and you're on the last straw already? Ouch.

Look, any superhero toy line is going to rely on the A-listers to carry the line. Marvel Legends, Marvel Universe, DC Universe Classics... Very rarely do they put out a wave with no Batman or Iron Man or Superman or Wolverine, and when they do it doesn't always go so well.

People laugh when I say that kids buy Minimates, but kids and casual Marvel fans ARE out there, and they buy all of our Spideys at every convention. I can't stop the completists from buying every Mate we make, but if you're only one year in, Red Raptor, I assume you have the luxury of picking and choosing. So you're in a good position, relatively.

And I know people are frustrated that there are a ton of figures they want on this poll and the previous one, but I picked these characters to give each and every one of them a shot at DEFINITELY getting made, BECAUSE I knew you all wanted them. That said, the Marvel Universe is HUGE, and there are plenty of characters coming up that are not on these polls, but that you either ALSO want or that you never knew you wanted. The AFX set, the TRU poll set, Series 48 and 15... we're working on a couple of box sets that will make you very happy. So don't get mad that this series will have ONE ridiculous Cap variant and ONE oft-requested Hulk in it. (Names chosen at random.)

Next poll might be easier for you guys, since most of you want us to re-issue older army builders, and we wanted this one to be all new guys. So Robert and I came up with some cool options. We'll see if you like them.

[Turtle]

I'm sure we will, Zach. The polls have been far more fun than anything, imo. So... wonder what we'll see next. Fingers are crossed for The Right smiley troops or Purifiers.

[Heroic Slacker]

I'm sure we will, Zach. The polls have been far more fun than anything, imo. So... wonder what we'll see next. Fingers are crossed for The Right smiley troops or Purifiers.

The Smiley Troopers always creeped me out so much, I would love to see them as mates.

[Mnemosis]

Zach, let me offer the dissenting opinion here.

Between writing for PoP! and working at a Toys R Us, I do anything and everything I can to promote Minimates (well, maybe not anything and everything, but... I do a lot) Point being, when an adult comes into my store and says "I need a Hulk figure for my (insert child's relation here)" I immediately go to our MvC3 pegs and grab the Hulk/Haggar two-pack. "Have you ever seen Minimates?" Not everybody bites, but the ones that do RARELY buy just one pack. And do you know who they ask for next? You guessed it, guys and gals, Maverick or Rocket Raccoon. No, not really. They ask for Spidey or Cap or Wolverine.

Now, the rest of us as collectors may not give two shits if junior there gets his Spidey, but we damn well should. You know why? The more Minimates HE and his family buy. the longer the line will last.

I'd say I make at least one Minimate sale per week (not counting my own purchases) and it's not just limited to customers. I've turned a handful of readers on to Minimates, and I guarantee you if there weren't current A-Listers available, it would never have happened. Sure, it might be OUR 13th Captain America, but it's someone else's first, and not having to track it down on e-Bay helps to make starting the collection all the more enticing.

So please, everyone... understand the value of the A-listers; you may not want them yourself, but trust me, they're doing you a great service and you don't even realize it.

And if anyone from Marvel should ever read this whilst questioning the value of the Minimates line, I offer you THIS chestnut:

The single most requested DC figures are Wonder Woman and Superman and I rarely have any version of either of them in stock. If DC had Minimates cranking out like Marvel does, it would be the first place I'd turn. As is, those little superdeformed figures are a parent's best bet, and few want to buy those lifeless lumps.

I'm sure we will, Zach. The polls have been far more fun than anything, imo. So... wonder what we'll see next. Fingers are crossed for The Right smiley troops or Purifiers.

I'd love Smileys, but I'd get at MOST three. Purifiers? I'd only limit myself to however many I could find/afford. I would want a TRUE army of Purifiers.

[MisterMiracle]

Well said Mnemosis, I completely agree. I give away my doubles of the bigger names to younger kids to hopefully get them into the Minimate game and keep this great line going.

[hellpop]

There comes a point in any Minimate collector's life where he just has to accept... he's going to have a lot of the big guns. It's just the way it is. We should be thankful that 1. DST (as a general rule) doesn't strait-up rerelease figures, but is always tweaking, and 2. DST never just makes up a figure (none of this Hasbro "Concept Series" business), but finds variants from the source material. My only complaint comes when DST overdoes a character in a short period of time, or releases multiple versions of the same character in the same wave (variants not included). But, you know, big deal.

I'm really surprised that these polls seem to causing so much angst around here. You must all be reading AvX, and it's affecting your brains. :biggrin:

[Mnemosis]

There comes a point in any Minimate collector's life where he just has to accept... he's going to have a lot of the big guns. It's just the way it is. We should be thankful that 1. DST (as a general rule) doesn't strait-up rerelease figures, but is always tweaking, and 2. DST never just makes up a figure (none of this Hasbro "Concept Series" business), but finds variants from the source material. My only complaint comes when DST overdoes a character in a short period of time, or releases multiple versions of the same character in the same wave (variants not included). But, you know, big deal.

I'm really surprised that these polls seem to causing so much angst around here. You must all be reading AvX, and it's affecting your brains. :biggrin:

AMEN to the "no concept series" junk. Or Neon Green Street Luge Batman. And, while I'm a pretty huge DST apologist, I WILL agree on the "space em out" angle, because not doing that semi-defeats the purpose. I TOTALLY get what Zach's saying about them taking a break from Avengers for a bit, because they've just recently been done to death, BUT... now, in a year, if a kid comes in looking for a Captain America, I don't want to tell him there aren't any because "there were too many last year," y'know? I get cashing in on the popularity of a franchise, but I don't think DST should ever push a character so hard they feel the need to cycle them out for a while, because that can hurt as much as it helps.

[Pete]

Simple solution...

Put a Spiderman in every wave and everyone is happy!

(especially me )

[Kamsm8]

You know what the neat thing is about all the various versions of the big-hitters? Everybody can find/make one that is THEIR perfect version. At least, y'know, amongst this board where most of us buy multiple versions. Some people like small, unsculpted figures, so they can make a Hulk that matches that, for instance. Or some people, like me, personally prefer slip-masks, and so they can get a Spider-Man like that.

Obviously, we can't really do that with some characters who only come along once. But I feel like DST has been doing a really good job at nailing those people down (Friends and Foes notwithstanding), so that it doesn't really feel necessary.

And yeah, speaking as a guy whose little brother is obsessed with Minimates, I can tell you his favourites are always the big, name-brand guys. Spiderman, Wolverine, Cap, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor... He doesn't care about Azazel or Secret Invasion Beast. They're too unfamiliar and strange. Obviously, not all kids are like that. But it's more fun to play with your favourites than somebody like Stilt Man, usually.

[Prowlar]

How the hell will Zemo make good custom parts? He's a dude in skin tight bodysuit and a faceless skin tight mask. If anyone was every gonna be a basic mate without much tooling, it's him. Maybe a little piece for his shoulder fuzzies, or his tiara, but that seems about it. If that.

Those qualifications are most, you missed his saber for a swashbuckling Nightcrawler, of the reasons that I consider him a good source of custom parts. Of course, you have to take into consideration that nearly all of my customs are original characters so what I consider good custom parts is very different to someone that focuses on existing characters. However at the end of the day I'll be happy with whoever ends up in the wave since it will still give me parts and options that I hadn't considered combining until I have them in my parts boxes.

[buttheadsmate]

I'm sure we will, Zach. The polls have been far more fun than anything, imo. So... wonder what we'll see next. Fingers are crossed for The Right smiley troops or Purifiers.

Now that's my kind of post. The polls prove that the guys at DST ....& I would have to say especially Zach....

are listening to the people here.Listening to that 10th.Anniversary Debate it comes through loud & clear that Chuck is known as the 'Killer of Dreams' ,meant in a light-hearted way of course but there is substance to that name .....but he won't kill the winners of these polls ....there would be little point in offering them . I accept that we,the hard core,are just a fraction of the Minimate buying market but we are definitely the most listened too & ,for me,that's nice. I'll keep griping because that's part of the fun .

Mnemosis ...well,we're never going to agree on too much are we ? However you are at the heart of what goes on in a store & a staunch Minimate fan & you're making some very valid arguments about A-listers .There's not going to be a 'but' or a sarcastic comment because it seems you're absolutely right especially about DC. I know little about anything toys except for Minimates (& kubricks) & collect little else apart from them ......what I do know is that the DC Minimates line ground to a halt way before it should have purely mainly because the big guns were brought out too early & by the time they got the 2nd. Batman in by Wave 7, sales had dwindled...by wave 8 it was finished.....too many obscure characters .That was undoubtedly my saddest Minimate moment & I'm not too much of a DC fan either. Wonder woman BTW is perhaps my favourite Minimate yep Wonder Woman ,I'm quite surprised however that she is so popular with toy-buyers....I accept she is but I'm surprised. Further ammunition for the A-list big guns.....poor analogy ....is that some people scalped every DC Minimate Series ,that they saw, of their JLA A-Listers.

This A-list 'necessity' reasoning is sound....it doesn't suit me but I accept it's sound .

Edited June 8, 2012 by buttheadsmate

[Hawkeye's Junk]

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looks like someone has a Antacost Onslaught custom. I've got one as well (2 of 5 according to the bottom of the foot). It holds up very well even after 5 years.

Yes, God bless Antacost. He was a great customizer. Mine is 3 out of five. He is still looking good only has a small chip on his should armor. How is yours holding up.

Why not Onslaught? Apocalypse I can understand (he's been done already, so we can hold off on a new 'mate of him for awhile), but Onslaught?

I wanted to show the difference in size. Personally, I would rather have my Onlslaught be 3" instead of 2". 2" scale wouldnt do Onlsaught justice

Edited June 8, 2012 by Hawkeye's Junk

[murderofcrows]

onslaught is a stupid character and if he wins I will cry on the inside and curse on the outside.

[slipstream]

I wanted to show the difference in size. Personally, I would rather have my Onlslaught be 3" instead of 2". 2" scale wouldnt do Onlsaught justice

I don't think that's true...just look at AoA Holocaust *ahem* I mean "Nemesis" - I think they captured his bulk very well with the add ons.

[boyd]

So don't get mad that this series will have ONE ridiculous Cap variant

Great, you just hurt Cap Wolf's feelings. He's going to go be alone in a field and cry at a full moon now.

[TM2 Dinobot]

Zach, let me offer the dissenting opinion here.

*snip*

I would also like to take a moment to address Zach, as well as Chuck who I'm sure is being kept up to date.

This is wave 50. Wave FIFTY. After ten years of Minimates. No toy line has ever been here before. I never thought we'd be here. And I'd just like to offer a HUGE THANK YOU for the years of hard work. Y'all at DST truly love this line. it shows. If you didn't, this forum wouldn't exist. We are sitting here, arguing over a children's toy line that is 10 years old. That alone shows you our dedication, and reflects upon your work.

So I can't speak for anyone else. But for me, even through the endless Caps, QC issues and nitpicks, I can not offer a more heartfelt appreciation than to say "Thank You".

[MisterPL]

As someone who's been around from the beginning, I've long accepted the need to make sure that key characters are available to new collectors. Waves like "Best Of" are a godsend of a fix to folks who are just acquiring the plastic crack addiction. And as others have said, it's pretty rare that 'mates get reissued without some sort of change or improvement.

Plenty of other hobbies have come and gone over the last ten years, those that became more frustrating than fun, but I've always been happy collecting this line. It's not perfect and there are things I wish would change (Marvel vehicles!) but overall this line has been a hoot.

Now when do those Young Justice Minimates hit retail?

[Freaqualizer]

Wow. Is that really true? No other action figures lines have lasted 10 years? If so, bravo. I love minimates..here's to 10 more happy spider-man filled (and yes i understand the need to anchor sets with big name characters, this is said in jest and not a poke to anyone) years!

[TENIME_art]

They really should have gone with the full body pic:

The odds are better than not that I know that guy... Ten, you thinking what I'm thinking?

Oh, that's Scott Whipple.

[elhonez]

Hey Zach, seconding Dinobot here for the kudos & thanks... Series 50? Seriously? These polls rock, they're fun, and I'm excited to see what floats to the surface.

I'm also excited to see the army builder options... Ultroids, Growing Men (Kang's), Classic Multiple Man, Ultimatum soldiers, Dire Wraiths, Frost Giants (comic), Lava Men, Mandroids, Mauler Armor, Moloids, Nameless Ones, New Mutant Sentinels (blue/gray), Sons of the Serpent, Stepford Cuckoos, Vulturions, Howling Commandos (swappable heads), Reavers, Blood Brothers, Smilies, Brothers Grimm... did I hit any of 'em? Wednesday is still so far away...

[buttheadsmate]

Zach, let me offer the dissenting opinion here.

*snip*

I would also like to take a moment to address Zach, as well as Chuck who I'm sure is being kept up to date.

This is wave 50. Wave FIFTY. After ten years of Minimates. No toy line has ever been here before. I never thought we'd be here. And I'd just like to offer a HUGE THANK YOU for the years of hard work. Y'all at DST truly love this line. it shows. If you didn't, this forum wouldn't exist. We are sitting here, arguing over a children's toy line that is 10 years old. That alone shows you our dedication, and reflects upon your work.

So I can't speak for anyone else. But for me, even through the endless Caps, QC issues and nitpicks, I can not offer a more heartfelt appreciation than to say "Thank You".

Now if I was a mod I'd put Dinos sentiment as an inaugural post in a 'Congrats DST 10 years of Minimates' thread .

If I was a mod I'd also ban Dino.

.....& Groundhog & that Geohound guy

Boyd as well, Bob Harris might as well go with him .

Youbastards is another I'd ban purely for his name .....Karamazov80 whilst I'm at it.

Murderofcrows ? He can stay as a fellow-mod & clean out the rest of yus.

There's a new sheriff in town