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DST Q & A #6


Shanester

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Please, remember a few things when asking questions.

1. Make sure your question(s) has hot/have not already been asked.

2. Try to keep it to 1-3 questions per member/per post.

3. Ask DST ONLY about DST licenses (ie. DST does not control DCD Minis).

4. Keep your question short and to the point. No novels or life stories.

5. If you are insulting, threatening, rude, demanding, impolite, or fail to heed any of these rules, your question will very well be deleted.

Go!

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Hey Chuck, Thanks for doing the Q&A's and for putting up with our daft questions.

1a) Is the stance DST seems to have on only producing licensed minimates such as Marvel, 24, Bttf etc simply a case that you feel people wont purchase generic figures or perhaps it's trickier to call them 2" collectibles if they aren't recognizable characters?

1b) Bearing in mind the above, Is there ever a chance DST would consider doing unlicensed/generic figures such as Swat guys, Bank Robbers, Terrorists or Spec ops?

Tell me you haven't thought it would be cool for Jack Bauer to have bad guys to chase/shoot at or Doc Brown to buy his weapons grade plutonium from? Lil kids (and big ones) love toy soldiers and Target/TRU/Wallmart etc always seems to have this sort of thing in different scales in some shape or form so there must be a market for them.

2) It's nearly xmas ( if this gets sent by then) What are you hoping to find under your tree this year?

T.

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Hey Chuck. Thanks, as always, for taking the time to answer questions.

1.) How far in advance does the planning process for each wave generally go? For instance, while the prototypes for one wave are being produced, are you already working on the designs for a second wave, maybe the line-up for a third?

2.) What's the one Spider-man variation that you've most wanted to do but haven't gotten around to yet? Civil War Spider-man doesn't count.

3.) If Spider-man and Wolverine ran off together to start a new comic book company outside the Marvel license, how would that impact the Marvel line?

4.) What happens to the prototypes once a line goes into production? Are they broken down and reused? Do they sit in a box waiting for you to play with them on your desk? Are they keistered by factory workers and sold on the black market?

5.) Do you have trouble with losing hands and feet from your minimates when playing with them in the bathtub? Do you have some sort of drain cover you could recommend?

Edit: A couple questions concerning recent news and releases:

6.) Will the Marvel Minimate license be affected by the recent news that DST has lost part or all of the Marvel license?

7.) What ever happened to the replacement limbs that the "Marvel Zombies" Black Panther was intended to have? The recent release did not have them. Were they scrapped from the final release, or is this an oversight in the same regard as the Rocky hairpiece?

Thanks again for your time.

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Hello,

This is my first time asking questions.

1) Has anyone at DST thought about doing research on the best selling Kubrick sets and creating similar Minimate sets to generate larger revenues from a larger fan base? This would be simply based on quantitative results from Kubrick sales. I ask because I see this as future revenue growth and creating an opportunity to offset the smaller sales generated by selling obscure sets to the die hard fans.

2) Where are the Iron Man box sets?

3) Is there a career opportunity at DST for a rep that can help the brand get shelf placement in the larger toy store chains? I could definately grow the brand (I have much experience), and would be interested in doing so.

That is it for me,

WW4M

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Hello again.

Seeing as Ultimate anything is proving popular will we be seeing any Ultimates or Ultimate Characters in Mini Form soon? X-Men, Spidey, and Goblin were good teasers, but Iron Man is a necessity.

Any Chance of a Cryptozoology line? That is: Jersey Devil, Bigfoot, Chupacabra ect.

Any chance that a Universal Monsters license could be procured. Mummymates and an official frankenmate would rule!

And as a joke question:

Iron Man's suit is escentially a vehicle. Why did Marvel let you produce it? ;)

P.S. Disregard any Spelling Errors.

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I'd love to get Blanks (for customizing) in various sizes such as 2.5" 3" and a large 6"-8" any chance you guys would make such available? that way we customizers could make larger characters that you guys either can't(Marvel) or won't (other liscences) be making. id love to make a 8" giantman or goliath for my Avengers team.

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The candid responses for Q & A 5 were much appreciated.... thanks

First, I might well get this out there, since we know that it's gonna come up (in spite of Shanesters rule #1)....

1. When will see the Ghost Rider Mates?

2. Are the Target Spiderman Minimates really dead?

3. Ditto with Street Fighter....

(For those who have been in a coma, too busy fighting the Covenant or otherwise occupied reading Vogon poetry - It's been safely established that you should not hold your breath for Ghost Rider, SF or Target Spiderman mates)

That having been said - here's some real questions:

1. When you guys are developing series of mates, like Rocky or BTTF, do you have an idea of what the series will be like, or do you just keep going, so long as there is consumer interest?

2. The Clint Eastwood westerns are such an original idea - has there been any discussion about branching to other Eastwood movies, or are you focusing on the Fistful of Dollars/Few Dollars More thems?

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Thanks for puttin up with us Chuck, oh and happy holidays/happy new year. :D

With two more Tolkien movies possible(The Hobbit and Children of Hurin) is it possible you might revisit Lord of the Rings minimates, or is the licence to expensive to pursue? Thanks again.

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Any Chance of a Cryptozoology line? That is: Jersey Devil, Bigfoot, Chupacabra ect.

Hey I didn't know you were a fellow Crypto-freak! Cool. :D Mezco produced a line of Cryptozoology toys about 5 years ago. It consisted of Big Foot, the Jersey Devil, Mothman and Nessy. They were all 4" I think, but there's also a 12" prototype of the Jersey Devil and at least 100 Toy Fair 12" Mothmen running around. They all pop up on ebay once in a while. Anyways, hope that helps any.

Anyways, to the Q&A.

Chuck! Thanks for putting up with us lowly people folk.

1) Would it be possible to do characters from a Marvel TV show? Such as X-Men Evolution? Does yall's license extend that far? Cause that's a Wolvy costume I'd really love to see.

2) Now that Thor is out of the way, is there any chance of a fan choice thing? Like maybe we have a battle royale run off and the top 6 get made into Minimates, with the 7th being DST's favorite?

3) Have you thought about other classic/modern licenses as with BSG, such as Dr Who? :D Also, what's the low down on the BSG Classics Packs that were just unveiled?

4) What happened to Lorraine's boobies in the Enchantment Under the Sea 2 pack from BTTF.com? I miss her ample cleavage. :(

I have a question about non-Minimates for DST, if I may throw it in the mail bag anyways?

Yall are doing a great job with the Transformers busts. I'm really enjoying them. I have a quick question. Why are there so many retailer exclusives? and do yall also have the license for Beast Wars? If you do will yall be doing show accurate statues/busts like the much mourned Hard Hero Rhinox and Waspinator, or more comic book inspired like the rest of G1? Either way, I've been waiting years for any representation of TM2 Dinobot.

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Any chance for comic characters from another comic company? I know that you said that the Indymates set sold very poorly, but I think that is because of the characters you chose. I was familiar with all of them, but I know a lot of other people weren't. I'd love to see a Cyberforce set, or an old school Wetworks set, not to mention characters like the Darkness, Pitt, and The Savage Dragon.

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Hi.

Why are their holes in the bottom of mini mates feet? I can understand the c-3 ones but the newer sets leave me guessing. Were there planned stands/bases for them? I personally appreciate the holes as they fit perfect on lego studs, but was curious none the less. thanks

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2) Now that Thor is out of the way, is there any chance of a fan choice thing? Like maybe we have a battle royale run off and the top 6 get made into Minimates, with the 7th being DST's favorite?

You mean Spider-Man or Wolverine right? :P

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Just wanted to mainly say thank you very much, also if you can give my thanks to the AA people. I'm looking forward to the "Man with no Name" mates...one step closer to a Lone Ranger mate. Looking forward to Spiderman 3 mates and beyond. Some questions:

With the Vision being clear at his arms and legs, can the Loki arms and legs fit in to make a "solid" Vision?

How many more lines do you have planned for the Marvel line?

When will we get the next big reveiw?

Are you reading any Marvel comics for inspiration? If yes, which ones?

Has the Lone Ranger ever been considered for minimateness?

Thats about that, if in anyway you can influence the DC guys, give them a heads up about a Spirit minimate, great character you should check out. Thanks again!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Will the "Back to the Future III" mates have the boot-feet that "FaFDM" do? I noticed that the proto-pic.s showed them with normal ones.

Will the Star Trek Rand and Chapel be part of a regular wave, or exclusive?

Thanks again Chuck (especially for the "Classic BSG" and "For a Few Dollars More" mates!), 2008 looks to be an exciting year!

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okay heres mine:

1. first of all thanks for everything and have u had a good christmas?

2. with the secret invasion coming up i just have to ask this: are u a skrull?

3. is shanester or a other MMMV member a skrull?

4. do u know any skrulls?

5. now that we got that over with heres another one: i know u probebly hear this alot but whats the status of gambit and deadpool, have u got licences or are they in the make or something?

6. are blanks coming into store soon? like a wallmart exclusive blank or something like that?

7. are the 3" mates awaiting their comeback or do u have something planned for them?

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After series 19 and 20 how many more series/exclusives will be coming out in 2008? I'm talkin' unannounced stuff.

What are the odds on a Kang minimate? Hercules? Regular Giant Man/Ant-Man? Wasp? Falcon?

I just picked up the Zombie Iron Man/Attacked Black Panther 2-pack. Now that DST has molded parts for the Black Panther head and retro Iron Man faceplate what are the chances of a release of a regular, non-zombie version of these characters?

Thank you

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Hello,

1)With Vision 2.0 comming out soon, is it possible we will see the rest of the Young Avengers anytime soon? A box set of them would be just awesome! *Crosses fingers* lol

2)Is Black Widow (Yelena or Natasha) planned for any upcomming waves? They should be fairly easy to do with so many great parts available. The BSG Six's hair just screams Yelena =D

Thanks,

Are-Jay

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First time asking questions to DST

1. What security controls/precautions are taken when producing minimates overseas? I've noticed some recent blackmarket knockoffs recently on ebay, and curious if you just wait for finished merchandise to be shipped, or if you have staff that oversee production.

2. Can we expect to see Ironman or Hulk Movie-mates in conjuction with the movie release, or dvd release, or will movie-mates still be released seperately from their cinematic releases? ie. XM3 & SM3

Thanks

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With the recent news that the UK and Europe will no longer be getting minimates, can I ask why (with genuine curiosity, not just internet company-bashing) it was decided to stop circulation instead of release them on time and at the same cost as the American market?

The current situation (minimates usually see distribution 1-2 months after their American release, sometimes 3+ months, and the $ sign is replaced by a £ sign instead of the price being converted) seems to be indicative of the problem with low sales, though this is probably just the price situation.

Sorry to come in so critical, as I am a slavish buyer and will continue to buy the product, but this is a board owned and created by an Englishman (and one from my home county), so it was only to be expected :D

Jo

P.S. - when will we see minimate Deadpool?

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Shanester, any chance we can send this off to get answers? The whole loss of the Marvel license has me and other worried. I'd like to get an official answer to this as soon as possible before the rumors and speculation get out of control.

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With the recent news that the UK and Europe will no longer be getting minimates, can I ask why (with genuine curiosity, not just internet company-bashing) it was decided to stop circulation instead of release them on time and at the same cost as the American market?

The current situation (minimates usually see distribution 1-2 months after their American release, sometimes 3+ months, and the $ sign is replaced by a £ sign instead of the price being converted) seems to be indicative of the problem with low sales, though this is probably just the price situation.

Sorry to come in so critical, as I am a slavish buyer and will continue to buy the product, but this is a board owned and created by an Englishman (and one from my home county), so it was only to be expected :D

Jo

P.S. - when will we see minimate Deadpool?

Sorry for taking this a bit off topic. I dont think we in the UK can place any blame on DST for the prices that we have to pay in the UK I myself would just put that down to the UK shops themselves. Sorry but when it comes to these types of items be they minimates, busts, figures or anything like that unless they can get on to the mainstream shelves of say Woolworths etc we are just going to get stung by the owners with the old chestnut of carriage thats why the $/£ price is the same.

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Hi Chuck,

For the Star Trek line, are you going to be done with TOS after Series 3? I ask because I'm hoping to see more aliens and adversaries from that series in the mix. Like the giant RUK!! Lokai/Bele, Romulans, Tellarites, Thelev (who actually stabs Kirk -- action feature!), a Keeper, Balok's freaky puppet, the giant Taureans, the hot Shahna, a Metron, a Melkotian... plenty of worthies to mix in with main character variants.

I was really happy to see Sarek & Spock's Brain in S3, hoping to see more fun characters and variations from TOS.

-elH

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