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Marvel NOW! Minimates Blind Bag Series


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7 hours ago, Kostisfire said:

 That way, you attract the kids with flashy costumes of the main names, and the more hardcores fans aren't really missing on anything, because they're just costume changes.

Regardless of who the person in the suit is, aren't the characters we went with mostly flashy costumes of the main names? Spider-Man, Wolverine, Venom, Iron Man, Deadpool... Aside from Silk, I think the idea for this line-up was to do exactly as you suggest -- make the series mostly previously released characters.

That said, plenty of hardcore fans want costume changes. I see a lot of requests on here for updated looks, classic looks, etc., and you yourself have requested new, modern versions of Cyclops, Emma, Magneto and Magik more than once.

So I'm not sure we could have ever satisfied everybody, especially since some wanted it to be more desirable and some wanted it to be less, but I think we managed to provide something for everybody.

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1 hour ago, DSTZach said:

Regardless of who the person in the suit is, aren't the characters we went with mostly flashy costumes of the main names? Spider-Man, Wolverine, Venom, Iron Man, Deadpool... Aside from Silk, I think the idea for this line-up was to do exactly as you suggest -- make the series mostly previously released characters.

That said, plenty of hardcore fans want costume changes. I see a lot of requests on here for updated looks, classic looks, etc., and you yourself have requested new, modern versions of Cyclops, Emma, Magneto and Magik more than once.

So I'm not sure we could have ever satisfied everybody, especially since some wanted it to be more desirable and some wanted it to be less, but I think we managed to provide something for everybody.

 The selection ain't bad, but I rarely see folks clamor for newer cotumes, hence why I think going with ANAD looks for all the major players and not doing redos of Spider-Gwen might've been better. The average consumer is attracted because they're all big names, and the older collector is not forced to hunt down that one-per-case Silk. Still, Spider-Gwen at a second wave ain't a bad thing either, same with Miles. And the rest of the choices make sense (Wolverine, Deadpool, Venom, etc). 

 

 As for me, even if I don't like the current crop of titles that much, I love the costumes, so I'm always up for modern outfits and whatnot. Not that the classics are bad, but in contrast with most, I'm a fan of the "ultra-realistic/millitaristic" aspects of the modern redesigns.

Edited by Kostisfire
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6 hours ago, DSTZach said:

So I'm not sure we could have ever satisfied everybody.

Replace one of the characters with an army builder, don't short pack any characters, put 2 of each unique characters in the box except for the army builder who gets 4 slots.

Eight characters, 2 of each per case with the Army Builder getting 4, still totaling 18 'mates per case without the headache of either too many commons or the one per case.

The trick is making the Army Builder desirable, but that's not rearly an Advanced Idea, Man!

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Do we have anybody on here that aren't interested in these but can hit up their local comic shops to hopefully grab some Silk figures for everyone on here?  The one per cases tend to not last long and we've got a long list of people that want them.

 

Also, has anyone confirmed the order of the figures in the box?  The one per case one is usually first.

Edited by MisterMiracle
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5 minutes ago, MisterMiracle said:

Do we have anybody on here that aren't interested in these but can hit up their local comic shops to hopefully grab some Silk figures for everyone on here?  The one per cases tend to not last long and we've got the list of people that want them.

 

Also, has anyone confirmed the order of the figures in the box?  The one per case one is usually first.

I can, hopefully. I'd made plans with The Scarlet Spider to make a trade, but my LCS has been having issues with Diamond Comic Distributors (there's still no sign of wave 70), so who knows how long it will take for these to show up.

According to facebook:

OML 

OML

Spidey

Venom

Venom

Gwen

DP 2099

DP 2099

Gwen

Silk

Iron Man

Iron Man

Spidey

Wolvie

Wolvie

Iron Man

Spidey

Wolvie

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Ugh!  I really hope that that order you just posted was from a shop that mixed them up and not from a freshly opened box.  If that is the legit order and Silk isn't first like all the other one per cases have been, then I think people are going to have a hard time figuring out which one is Silk unless it's a fresh box of 18 that hasn't been scrambled.  

Edited by MisterMiracle
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On 12/16/2016 at 9:55 PM, DSTZach said:

Regardless of who the person in the suit is, aren't the characters we went with mostly flashy costumes of the main names? Spider-Man, Wolverine, Venom, Iron Man, Deadpool... Aside from Silk, I think the idea for this line-up was to do exactly as you suggest -- make the series mostly previously released characters.

That said, plenty of hardcore fans want costume changes. I see a lot of requests on here for updated looks, classic looks, etc., and you yourself have requested new, modern versions of Cyclops, Emma, Magneto and Magik more than once.

So I'm not sure we could have ever satisfied everybody, especially since some wanted it to be more desirable and some wanted it to be less, but I think we managed to provide something for everybody.

I didn't have a lot of characters in this set and I was happy with what we got. I've been out of touch with the comics so it was refreshing to get figures that we wouldn't get anywhere else, Deadpool 2099 especially. I had no idea she was female until I took of her mask. Great stuff and we'll done.

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On 12/17/2016 at 7:07 AM, youbastards said:

Replace one of the characters with an army builder, don't short pack any characters, put 2 of each unique characters in the box except for the army builder who gets 4 slots.

Eight characters, 2 of each per case with the Army Builder getting 4, still totaling 18 'mates per case without the headache of either too many commons or the one per case.

The trick is making the Army Builder desirable, but that's not rearly an Advanced Idea, Man!

We were talking about character selection/uniqueness/costumes, not packouts. I have my own ideas about what would make a good blind bag assortment, but I am not normally involved in line planning. Chuck is, and has discussed this assortment and blind bags in Ask DST.

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I imagine the continued success of this format depends on sell-through. If these collect dust on the counters of comic shops everywhere, it's doubtful retailers will want more. Given the season, these might make decent stocking stuffers. If they're going to work, this is the time of year for it to do so.

 

I gotta say the front of the packaging and the displayer are pretty misleading. I know the large figure images are part of the trade dress but I'm not sure if most consumers are that savvy. And if they are there's a good chance the art will get them to pick up a bag but the product image I'm assuming is on the back will make them put it back down.

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As of this post, there aren't any solicited Blind Bag assortments on the horizon, so unless something changes and this Marvel NOW! wave sells better than expected, it certainly *feels* like Blind Bags may be coming to an end, at least at specialty shops.  Hot Topic may very well continue to support them, but I kind of hope they don't at this point, as their distribution methods leave a lot to be desired.  I think Hot Topic would work better as exclusive two-packs or box sets, something with no variation in the packout that can easily be listed as one sku.  I spent several unsuccessful hours trying to track down someone at HT corporate, the web store, and regional management to see if I could buy multiple NBX and Alice cases direct.  At least with the Gamestop Mass Effect blind bags, the regional manager was able to help and have multiple full cases shipped to a local store to my attention.

NBX - We already know that Specialty Wave 4 was delayed to Fall 2017 and at SDCC there was confirmation that the assortment changed from Blind Bags to 2-packs.

Predator - There wasn't a Blind Bag Series 3 to accompany Specialty Series 3 two-packs.

TMNT - DST took a break and the line may be getting a relaunch with different numbering, so my guess is DST will switch over to 2-packs based on what we currently know with the NBX and Predator lines.

 

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43 minutes ago, MisterPL said:

I gotta say the front of the packaging and the displayer are pretty misleading. I know the large figure images are part of the trade dress but I'm not sure if most consumers are that savvy.

I have to agree there, of the 5 major players in this image, only one represented character is available in the assortment (and he doesn't even come with a repulsor hand like the artwork).  As beautiful as the artwork is, I have to believe that more representative artwork will always better serve the product.

Czz89gEVIAAVLyZ.jpg

Something similar to how LEGO does it...

maxresdefault.jpg

Edited by youbastards
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Yeah, I agree that the art on those bags is misleading (although it looks great!).  If you're putting those characters on the bag because they're recognizable, it makes sense that they should've been part of the wave to begin with.  Adult collectors will probably be okay with the characters but I think most little kids aren't going to be very excited about anyone not Iron man or Spider-Man from this wave.

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54 minutes ago, hellpop said:

Personally, I always thought the best way to handle Marvel blind bags would be basically to treat them like the Best Of waves, with a collection of the big guns. 

 

Agreed but DST is trying to increase their presence in comic shops, where these more obscure variants are most recognizable at retail.

 

Which begs the question, Why not put them on the front of the packaging?

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Not me.

 

On 9/13/2016 at 2:38 PM, DSTZach said:

Luckily, the purpose of this series is not to grab a market share outside of comic shops. It's to increase our presence IN comic shops, places where these characters are recognizable -- although there has already been a debate about recognizability in this thread. Whether you know Silk or Deadpool 2099, most of these characters are in Top 100 comics, and most are wearing pretty recognizable character looks. In fact, some of them have appeared on animated shows, as well.

If a large chain store came to us saying they wanted Marvel Minimates, and they didn't want Greatest Hits two-packs or this blind series, we'd come up with something that worked for them. We've discussed custom assortments with a few large chains in recent years, and Walgreens was one of them that happened.

 

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As there are four variations on Spider-Man, a Guardian of the Galaxy and this exact Iron Man in this wave, I figured this group shot was reasonably representational of the contents. We don't have the time and manpower to create NEW posed artwork for every Minimate we do, so I chose for us to use this dynamic, recognizable art, rather than using flat control artwork, which is purely functional, or even a product shot. (Besides, if the figures on the back will make people put the package down, as people think, why put them on the front? ;) )

I don't know if those Lego pics are of actual product or renders, but Lego frequently uses artwork of their figures doing things they can't do. This art actually demonstrates genuine functionality, alternate parts notwithstanding.

And if you read my quoted comment, I didn't say the enclosed characters were more recognizable than Hulk, just that they were recognizable to comic fans who read popular new comics. There are two Greatest Hits waves available to retailers now, with most of the artwork characters -- why try to sell the exact same characters to retailers who already carry them? This way, the assortment appeals to existing Minimates sellers as well as new Minimates sellers, as long as they're down with blind bags. They also appeal to existing AND new Minimates buyers, at least in the comic shop space.

Not that we don't also send secondary characters to TRU. Series 24 has some obscure guys in it, I would say, but they're packaged with headliners.

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On 12/11/2016 at 6:27 PM, luke314pi said:

Yes these are back up for order. :)

It looks like they are out of stock on the item page, but they say they are available on the menu page. Can you please confirm if you have (or will be getting) more cases, Luke? Thanks.

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But not the case: http://www.lukestoystore.com/Marvel-NOW-Minimates-Single-Packs-Full-Case-of-18_p_595.html

This says Out of Stock and will not allow you to add to cart, even with the "add to cart" button. Otherwise, everywhere else it appears to be in stock. I waited to order because I thought I may get these for X-mas, but it doesn't look like I will anymore. And I really want Silk!

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