What makes Minimates work for you?

[BannersID]

MisterPL made a comment in the speculation thread about MEGO's and multiple same scale properties. It brought out a flood of great memories for me, loved MEGO's as a kid. It also got me to wondering about what the appeal of minimates is for folks. For me its a MEGO factor and a matter of articulation. For me when figs carry a high degree of articulation its a real win, the block figure seems to allow itself to this while joints and such are not so jarring to the eye because it is just a block figure. Tons of interchangeable parts is also a winning concept for me as I LOVED the Micronauts line.

So how 'bout the rest of you? What is it about this line that keeps you coming back?

*I did take some time to look for a similar thread as this but failed to find one, if I missed it Mods please feel free to merge this in the right spot*

[JeffBohn]

Depth of character choice, team building, etc. Doubt I'm going to see a Meggan figure in another line.

[bigvis497]

Speaking as strictly a marvel guy it's character selection. And DST doesn't screw the fans over like other toy companies. We get completed teams, multiple looks for characters, and tons of accessories. I love that we get civilian-type characters that would never be made elsewhere. I love the bang you get for your buck. There's rare stuff out there, but if you're on the ball, stuff isn't TOO hard to find. They're small and easy to store.

Speaking as an artist, I like how each minimate is a design problem. What I mean by that is "how can we make this character work in this form."

[Lobsterman]

Customizability. It doesn't matter how deep they go with a line, there's always going to be a character I want that they're not going to make. The block body combined with a vast library of prefab parts let me make a custom of that figure with relatively little effort and time, as compared to a custom Marvel Legends or Universe-scale figure, which would require a moderate to heavy amount of painting and sculpting.

Basically, I can say, "hey, I'd love a Dargon from Sectaurs to hang out with Lion-O" and it wouldn't be an enormous pain in the ass to make it happen.

[youbastards]

Price, character diversity, interchangeability, ease of availability (minus the recurring TRU fiascoes), and design are what keep me buying them. Initially, it was the simplicity of design, price, and ease of availability. When Marvel Minimates first launched, I was mostly collecting Marvel Legends and the variant/chase problems are what drove me away. Since Daredevil has always been one of my favorite Marvel characters, and he was solicited in Wave 1, I jumped at them immediately.

Edited January 4, 2013 by youbastards

[Turtle]

Initially, it was the simplicity of design, price, and ease of availability.

Same here. I love the basic design of Minimates. So simple, so fun, so playable. I'm still not a fan of some of the overdone 'mates- a lot of the video game 'mates, a lot of the Ghostbuster 'mates, Battle Beasts- they just don't work for me, and I don't collect them. An occasional over-designed Minimate is ok, and can even be fun. But when most of line doesn't look like Minimates, I'm not interested at all. The price is still a huge factor. Most 3-3/4 toys sell for about $10 per figure. For less than that, you get 2 Minimates and neato accessories. Can't beat it.

And the properties offered. I picked up Marvel 'mates here and there, but when DC and BSG were offered, I got on board completely.

And the great character selection within properties. We occasionally complain about who we haven't gotten, but look at who we have gotten.

The thing that will always keep me loyal to Minimates though, is the fact that AA and then DST have always been so amazingly interactive with and responsive to the community. That doesn't happen much, and when it does, it really matters to me.

[Jeff]

Minimates for me is the only toy line that i know of that if you miss a figure, it's guaranteed you can find another version of it........or wait until they make a new wave- and I'm not just talking about the MVP's like Spidey and Wolverine. Look at how many Thing minimates there are.

Size is the biggest factor for me. Fit great on my desk at work...despite everyone thinking they are Legos.

[Mirymate]

<snip>

The price is still a huge factor. Most 3-3/4 toys sell for about $10 per figure. For less than that, you get 2 Minimates and neato accessories. Can't beat it.

<snip>

And the great character selection within properties. We occasionally complain about who we haven't gotten, but look at who we have gotten.

The thing that will always keep me loyal to Minimates though, is the fact that AA and then DST have always been so amazingly interactive with and responsive to the community. That doesn't happen much, and when it does, it really matters to me.

What the reptile said.

There will never ever be a Marvel comics based toy line that will make me 100% happy, my love of 616 B, C, & D-listers is just too great to see them all immortalized in plastic. But minimates has come closer than I ever imagined possible. And despite price creep, the two per pack aspect make them the best value going. And I haven't seen a toy companies represenatives this engaged with it's fan base since Jesse Falcon and the hey-day of TB ML.

[Nessex]

It's this place.

Minimates are awesome - for all of the above reasons. But this place is what got me from casual collector to borderline completionist.

This place has kept me entertained when i've been bored at work, distracted me when times where rough in my personal life, and has found me new friends.

And on a very practical note - the MMMV has introduced my to Lukes Toy Store and some very kind board members. I owe large portions of my collection of my collection to several people on this board (and one in particular). I have had offers of help from members who were, at the time, all but total strangers. Offers to help me find TRU exlusives; offers to pick up Con exclusives; offers to trade for things i have missed out on, offers to bid on my behalf on eBay, etc...

I'm not going to name names, but this community has enabled my addiction. You guys have made Minimates work for me... and i wish i could pay back even half the kindness.

[Twisted Two-Face]

Simplicity, size, blockiness, and the wide range of characters and properties. Nothing more complicated than that; they appealed to me as a kid and got even better as i grew up.

Nessex makes a good point; MMMV people and Minimate fans in general tend to be more sane than other collectors, i've noticed.

Edited January 5, 2013 by Twisted Two-Face

[sky_dive]

simple:

they're fun to collect and display

[BannersID]

great responses. thnx.

I have to admit I agree about the character depth we have gotten and I tend to think the same way about Marvel toy lines as in "Once you start it you better finish it and I want EVERYBODY.". I also agree strongly about this place. I've had to spend some time considering liquidating my mates and when I look at the figs I have and their accessories there is a lot of influence from the 'verse from seamless QC's, hot mods and part swaps to actual figs from trades or outright gifts. Its turned my collection into just that, Mine, its somehow much more personal for me than any other modern toy line I've collected, it's going to be a real hard sell if it should come to that.

[MisterMiracle]

1. They're not super expensive.

2. They're easy to take apart and make customs.

3. The character selection is great.

4. It's awesome how they are so many different brands.

5. The accessories are amazing.

6. They're really fun to look at and pose.

[Punisher]

It's this place.

Minimates are awesome - for all of the above reasons. But this place is what got me from casual collector to borderline completionist.

This place has kept me entertained when i've been bored at work, distracted me when times where rough in my personal life, and has found me new friends.

And on a very practical note - the MMMV has introduced my to Lukes Toy Store and some very kind board members. I owe large portions of my collection of my collection to several people on this board (and one in particular). I have had offers of help from members who were, at the time, all but total strangers. Offers to help me find TRU exlusives; offers to pick up Con exclusives; offers to trade for things i have missed out on, offers to bid on my behalf on eBay, etc...

I'm not going to name names, but this community has enabled my addiction. You guys have made Minimates work for me... and i wish i could pay back even half the kindness.

100% agreed. MMMV is my most visited site on the web. I love this place!

[The Geohound]

For me it's all about the action. I love minimates just for their simplicity, but more than anything I love to see just how far I can push the articulation. I do this with all the figures I get, and while there are a lot out there that are way more articulated than minimates, when you really get to doing stuff with them, they might be posed right, but they get to be too bulky and then they just don't look good no matter how accurate they are. I've almost never had that kind of issue with minimates.

[stegron01]

For me there are lots of things I love about minimates. As a primarily (but by no means exclusively!) marvel fan, like a lot of other people I really like the chance to get so many relatively obscure characters and the chance to complete so many teams/villain rosters. I also like their uniformity and even though there are still so many B and C list avengers and thor characters in particular that I want to see, there are figures in this line that I've never seen elsewhere. I also think the number of releases per year is great because you are never too far away from an announcement or speculation over the next release. Their small size is also a major factor since otherwise I would simply have no room to display that many figures!

Oh, and even though I'm relatively new on here and don't post a huge amount I'd echo what others have said about the MMMV. It's a friendly and interesting place that I visit daily and a day like today where there is nothing much being said on the marvel pages is rare, but even then you still get interesting threads like this.

[bilbofett]

Customization is THE reason I collect. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of depth of characters, but the need to have more is always a plus. Speaking of more- falcon, falcon, falcon,(deathlok), falcon, falcon. :biggrin:

[gambitron]

I love that I can have over a thousand of these and it doesn't take up a ton of room. I love the diversity of characters for Marvel and how many other great lines they have. I love the articulation and simply the style. I also love that they are small enough to carry around in my pocket since I like to have something with me when i go somewhere boring to have something to fiddle with.

[Shogi]

Probably mostly rehashes of what others have said, but here's my list:

Price - For less than the price of a single figure from most other toylines, I get TWO minimates!

Universal Compatability - I can have Spidey team up with Master Chief and Marty Mcfly!

Customization - Using mostly parts from the 24 and BSG lines I was able to create a small Doctor Who toyline (I only painted two hair pieces) What other toyline has that kinda custom potential?

Team Building - It's not a matter of will they make this character, it's a matter of which version of this character do I want to use for my team?

Size/Detail/Articulation - I can fit more figures everywhere when they're only around 2" tall. The amount of printed and sculpted detail along with 14 points of articulation on a 2" Minimate is more than some toy makers put on 5" figures

Accessories/alternate looks - While not all Minimates have this, those that do are done well enough to basically give you two different figures in one toy.

[MisterPL]

In the beginning, I was a die-hard collector of 3 3/4" action figures. The more realistic, the better. I was totally into anything based on a movie, even if it was one I didn't like (most Star Wars) or hadn't even seen (The A-Team remake).

Block figures weren't for me. I wanted realistically styled miniature versions of my favorite characters from film, TV, and comics. I didn't want these little LEGO wannabes with their stylized looks and stiff, cutesy bodies.

Then my mother bought me the first Star Trek Minimates. (She was being silly, still buying toys for her 30-something son.) They were okay and I enjoy Trek so I gave them a try. It was the articulation that surprised me. These little guys were a lot more posable than I thought they'd be.

Since then I've strayed from 3 3/4" figures and stayed with Minimates for many of the reasons already listed; small size, infinite variety, easy customization, abundant accessories, authentic design... all of it. I've embraced the Minimate aesthetic whole-heartedly and come to understand and appreciate why collectors have liked block figures from the start. It's become a fun little hobby for me and I'm looking forward to continuing for as long as DST and AA (and I suppose TRU) keep cranking them out.

[The Vox]

I first found minimates while trying to find some inexpensive super hero figures for my nephews that were not "scary" looking. Little did I know that 8 years later I would get bigger into collecting these things than any other item in my life.

Size for storage and display are a big selling point. I love the quality and even the art work. I am still amazed how a few lines on a round block face can make a piece of plastic look like a person I have scene in a movie, etc. I have to say, not all toys can also be works of art.. especially this small. But minimates have done it.