DSTZach Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 It wouldn't be just sour grapes. We have legal protection for our product design. If the product design is duplicated, at any scale, and not challenged, it could threaten our protections at all scales. We don't want just anyone to be able to make the same product as us, or it threatens the entire business If I recall correctly, Lego lost the protection for their block style, opening up their business to more competitors. Licensing and a new girls' division have kept them on top, of course. And if an 8" Marvel action figure is produced, or any IP, no matter the style, you can bet that Marvel or whoever would have something to say about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCW Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Also, and maybe this is just me, don't flaunt it on the official unofficial forum for said product? That's basically asking for trouble and just bad manners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 DST owns the rights to manufacture Minimates. They can make them any size they want to. Unfortunately they have no interest in offering blanks of any size outside of promotional figures and their in-house brands like Calico Jack and M.A.X. aren't really in demand. Â Licensing is a different animal. Like a tiger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Scarlet Spider Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, SCW said: Also, and maybe this is just me, don't flaunt it on the official unofficial forum for said product? That's basically asking for trouble and just bad manners. I guess that makes sense. Just seemed like a product people have been wanting for years and there could be a way for them to actually get it now so thought I'd share. I doubt anything will come of it because he is a customizer and I don't think he's "mass producing" so I think it was just a tangent about something cool that got out of control, but eh. It's not like we have a thread dedicated to bootleg toys on this forum... XD Edited February 2, 2017 by The Scarlet Spider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinous Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 We have a thread about bootleg toys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Scarlet Spider Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 (edited) Superhero bootlego thread. Either way i get that bootleg toys can be bad and I guess I wasn't clear enough on that. I'm not disagreeing with anyone that taking intellectual property is bad but I consider these customs. I was in no way saying DST should let some other company pump out toys that are copies that's dumb but that's not what this guy is going in my opinion. He's just a guy making customs like so many other people and I guess "mass produce" threw that off and wasn't clear and was my fault. I just meant he was working on a way to make em faster. No different than Broddick Manor or any other awesome customizer and the fact that he's making 8" mates is even cooler to me. Edited February 2, 2017 by The Scarlet Spider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattallica Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 I just dont understand DST not acting on a larger minimate blank, I, along with countless others, have been clamoring for one for years. just think about it you have fans asking for a product, it requires no licensing fees, it crosses many different lines so it has potential to sell to any minimate fan not just Marvel or Aliens or any one theme, it could/would have multiple purchase potential, it may show Licensors like Marvel that its a viable product etc etc. whats the down side? DST makes lots of stuff that is risky and never sells then gets clearanced out(Vinimates,). how could this be any worse? it has people demanding it do bottle openers have people demanding them? Banks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Scarlet Spider Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 (edited) 56 minutes ago, Mattallica said: I just dont understand DST not acting on a larger minimate blank, I, along with countless others, have been clamoring for one for years. just think about it you have fans asking for a product, it requires no licensing fees, it crosses many different lines so it has potential to sell to any minimate fan not just Marvel or Aliens or any one theme, it could/would have multiple purchase potential, it may show Licensors like Marvel that its a viable product etc etc. whats the down side? DST makes lots of stuff that is risky and never sells then gets clearanced out(Vinimates,). how could this be any worse? it has people demanding it do bottle openers have people demanding them? Banks? I feel you on this. I also don't even get the licensing, like Marvel has selects and they're 7" which compete with legends WAY more than Maximates EVER would and I remember them stating the competition with other lines as one reason marvel was eh on it like how is a 7" (for sake of argument) Maximate more in competition or a threat to other marvel lines than a select? I don't know. I've given up hope on DST doing maximates and I know other want them. That's why I figured people would be excited that someone did them but that didn't go so well XD. If a dude, one guy not a company can produce these customs then I'm gonna say hell yeah and rejoice. Edited February 2, 2017 by The Scarlet Spider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessex Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 I suspect (and i'm not in the toy industry, so i could be completely wrong) that if DST *were* to really push a blank 8" minimate to retailers, and it were a commercial failure that ended up in the clearance bins, then they would have a harder time justifying new product said retailers in the future. Having stuff end up at clearance might be a short term gain for collectors, but it's a long term loss for the line. No retailer wants to buy stock and have to sell at or below wholesale to move it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Regarding this 8" blank issue, I'm of the belief that the solution is more simplistic than many might imagine but it would still depend on whether DST would be amenable. Yet again Medicom come to mind ,they produced 400% versions of many of their kubricks , '400%' being their terminology, not mine, so don't ask me why '400%'  . They are similar in concept to maximates , y'know.......big........ & articulated . Medicom also produced a set of 3 blanks- red ,yellow & blue .  I have no idea whether these blanks sold well or not but the reality is they were made ,they exist ,they sold. So if we come back to DST , maybe they would sell somebody the licence to produce blanks or just produce the blanks for someone who is willing to foot the bill & take it on the chin if they didn't sell . I'm sure there would be drawbacks to my simplistic idea but if we consider that somebody thought Agent 88 Minimates was a great idea then.... f**k me...... 8" blanks ought to be considered IMVHO. One important thing you should know about the 400% kubricks , they are NOT solid pieces cobbled together ,they are hollow ........hollow arms,hollow heads etc.etc. . I bought my first one ,Spider-Man ,years ago & to this day I recall my disappointment when I first realised   . Hollow ain't no good for me.  If DST weren't able to run with the big blank idea then I,for one, would be quite happy to consider buying a KO ,bootleg,short-run custom,promo,proto, not for resale ,bullshit titled 8" blank from whatever source was selling them . Put my name down now but if it involves anything to with crowdfunding cross my name off again . ...........& here's another idea why not blind bag them  ?   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSTZach Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Maybe I'm not in the right threads, but in the five years I've been coming here, I'm not sure I've ever seen much of a clamor for 8" blank Minimates. A return of licensed Maximates? Sure. But I have not heard the blank thing as much. And while the size of the audience for blanks can be argued, the number of retailers who want to take a gamble on something like that is much, much smaller. The likelihood that a significant number of them are aware of the Minimate customizing community and want to support it via their stores is slim. We could maybe try to push it harder, but as we do not know for sure how they would sell (aside from any sales data we have for similar DIY items sold through Previews, like the Kubrick set, or recent custom figure kits, which I'm fairly certain have not been huge sellers), making any bold sales predictions would be presumptuous. With a licensed item, we can at least point to movie success, or the sales of past products in that license. Not so with blanks. We could sell them directly to consumers, but I do not think that the number we'd sell through our shop and conventions (we're currently US only for both) would justify the significant tooling cost. For an articulated figure, we'd need to make 10s of thousands for the extensive tooling to cost out. A vinyl unarticulated figure is, I believe, a less expensive mold-making procedure, so a lower number may be possible. Resin statues (like the Maximates) could be done in even smaller runs, but the price is obviously much higher. THAT SAID, I think Chuck would like to see larger MInimates in some form, so never say never. Also, not every product we make is something we have been repeatedly asked for, but it is something we see a market for. Millions of people use bottle openers, so making one of a popular but not previously used license makes sense. They sell great at shows. And our bust banks are less expensive AND more functional than busts, both of those qualities being sales multipliers for retailers and collectors. Once collectors start buying any of our various bank lines, we start getting letters asking who will be next. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 TBH I own quite a few Minimates ,factory issued & custom , that are 'larger' in the sense that they are larger than the 2" norm .  I have never been the greatest advocate of an 8" Minimate series but I have always been of the belief that a few bigger (than the norm) Marvel Minimates would be bloody wonderful . My 'Luke' custom Giant Man is a wonder to behold . 3" Minimates were actually the first type of Minimate ..They existed,they sold  & if I recall correctly the 2" Minimate came to be because of Marvel's insistence that it be 2" not 3" . I have read that the 3" molds have either fallen into disrepair or have been discarded , so we're back to square one. Zach's post tells it like it is & I thank him for that & I guess that should close debate on why DST 'should' do an 8" Minimate. He also leaves us with hope for larger Minimates  which I'm grateful for.         Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TENIME_art Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Maybe the mods can move this conversation to its own thread in a different section of the site? To get us back on topic: I cannot wait for this movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zylek Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 So is the gold chick Ayesha? Â Then we can see her minimate now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TENIME_art Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 (edited) I assumed that when I saw her. We haven't seen Ego yet, AFAIK, and Funko revealed his Pop figure a few weeks ago. Edited February 6, 2017 by TENIME_art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinous Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 I'm not too worried about, you can just imagine what he's Gonna look like as a minimate based on those Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSTZach Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Specialty Assortment hits March 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloDelorean Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 13 minutes ago, DSTZach said: Specialty Assortment hits March 1. Does that mean we can see Ego and Ayesha? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinous Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 What is the specialty assortment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloDelorean Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) 28 minutes ago, Heinous said: What is the specialty assortment? Star-Lord & Yondu Gamora & Rocket w/ Groot Mantis & Taserface Ego & Ayesha I'm in for the three revealed packs, but I'll need to see the last one to decide. Edited February 16, 2017 by BuffaloDelorean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TENIME_art Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Funko revealed Ego in a Pop & Dorbz, and Ayesha in a Pint Size Hero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloDelorean Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 43 minutes ago, TENIME_art said: Funko revealed Ego in a Pop & Dorbz, and Ayesha in a Pint Size Hero. That's true, but I'm specifically waiting to see the minimates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TENIME_art Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Well, me too. But at least we know what the characters look like at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinous Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloDelorean Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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