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Battle Beasts Minimates


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Just checked the LRG thread, seems there's been some buzz about the 'mates in Transformers communities as well. Not sure how accurate this is, but it would be interesting to hear a third party's opinion on them.

EDIT: Okay, here's a couple of other threads I've found that discussed the Battle Beast minimate at SDCC:

http://www.seibertron.com/energonpub/viewtopic.php?t=56561

http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=61141

http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/forum/v...9f994a41c3478c9

So far the reaction to the news has been more varied elsewhere, though there are still some guys out there who wished it was the vintage style making a comeback instead. Fair enough.

I guess it really would be more helpful if we actually hear more straight from DST about the Battle Beasts license. Do they really own it lock, stock and barrel now? What are their future plans? Will they release other animals besides the SDCC gator? Will they be solely found in playsets or can we start expecting these in singles/2-packs?

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If DST really owns the whole property, I don't see what could stop them from doing retro versions of these figures, like they've done with some of the other properties they have.

That being said, I don't see it being too controversial for them to transition this into a Minimate property. You get the same characters in the same size with added articulation. You also get the ability to mix and match to create new characters, essentially.

At first, I was wary about this, because Battle Beasts seemed to somehow pass me by in my childhood, though they do seem vaguely familiar. But looking at the buzz this has stirred up in various pockets of the internet, I'm thinking there may be something to this after all.

If we can get these in the right stores in the right format, then this could be a big hit with both the nostalgic and the newer audience. I don't see these being exclusive to big bulky playsets.

And hopefully, the pocket resistance can see our good-natured ribbing of this license for what it is: warmly embracing a new member of the family. Would we really be trying to learn so much about this old line if we hated it?

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Hey guys,

I am a new member here. I came over from the littlerubberguys board, where my screen name is koppenschevelle. I have been collecting Battle Beasts since I was 4 years old. After only being able to get a few packs when they were released in 86-87, I saw them disappear from stores. After that, I collected other small 2" toylines, hoping to find figures that would match up with my Battle Beasts. I even went so far as to try and make custom figures out of wood pieces and putty, with mixed results. My holy grail was finding the random Battle Beast every so often at a garage sale. About 5 years ago, I found the littlerubberguys forums, which was named beastformers.com back then. I found out their names and about laser beasts, etc... I was able to actually start fully collecting Battle Beasts again. I started making customs with actual battle beasts as the base body, and with a better eye for paint, with fairly good results. I do not have a complete collection yet. I completed my 1-76 battle beast collection, but I still have a few of the laser beasts missing. I have been playing with, customizing and collecting battle beasts for close to 23 years now.

So I would say that I am a fairly dedicated battle beast collector. I may have other lines that I love to collect, but if I had to choose just one toyline, it would be Battle Beasts. And with that, let me say that I am THRILLED that they are finally making new battle beasts. We have sort of heard inklings of rumors about a possible rerelease for a couple years now. But nothing really with an substational weight to it. We even saw a concept sketch from a hasbro book made within the past couple years that shows some sort of Hyena battle beasts. But honestly I thought it was mainly just grasping at straws. I never actually believed someone would actually remake Battle Beasts.

Of course I would have loved to just see new figures and rereleases in exactly the same style as the original figures, but I don't think that would work. The line needed a fresh edge to them, plus being able to release them along with an existing line means that more people would see them and get interested in them rather than if they were a stand alone line. Initially, I thought that it would be a good idea for Hasbro to release them under their Heroes line, perhaps even as a side to the Robot Heroes of Transformers. Well, this release isn't too far off.

Anyways, I love that they are 2". I really don't care about large figures, and while they may not be the same style, atleast they will be the same scale as the previous battle beasts. I also like the armor on that gator. It is a different, new armor design, but still looks like the battle beast styled armor. I also like that they are articulated so well. We have a couple guys on the board that are absolutely fantastic at adding articulation to battle beasts, and they have always been top notch quality and in high demand. I am really interested in seeing what they are going to do with the line. What would be perfect in my eyes is minimates being the main line for Battle Beasts, and if successful enough, down the line small statues of the more popular battle beasts. That would really be something.

Oh, and by the way, I pick Delta Chameleon: He was my first battle beast and is still my favorite to this day

34Chameleon1a.jpg

Eric

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Welcome to the boards Delta Chameleon!

Always great to have new folks and opinions onboard! especially as we aren't ( as you can tell by this thread) experts about battle beasts.

I'm actually surprised that someone didn't go the SHS route with these but can see why DST is going the minimate route. I dont know if you own any minimates but the articulation surprises most people on a figure of this scale.

T.

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I was pretty stoked when I heard these were getting the minimate treatment, since I loved these toys when I was a young tike (I was 4 when they came out). But I can understand some of the purists' objections to the updated look - the originals had a distinct style that is all their own (and I too am kinda surprised that they didn't get sucked into the SHS line somehow). Still, I am extremely excited to be getting Battle Beast Minimates! I just hope that they keep the water/fire/wood signs (I know they mentioned that it might not be possible... did anyone catch why it might not be easy to incorporate those into the new products?) but even without them, the license has great potential :biggrin:

and it's cool to see new fans being welcomed into the world of minimates!

Oh, and I call Kickback Kangaroo

035.jpg

This was the only one I was actually able to get ahold of as a kid (though I had friends who owned dozens of them... I was always jealous), and as a result, he was my favorite cuz I always played with him B)

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Welcome to the boards Delta Chameleon!

Always great to have new folks and opinions onboard! especially as we aren't ( as you can tell by this thread) experts about battle beasts.

I'm actually surprised that someone didn't go the SHS route with these but can see why DST is going the minimate route. I dont know if you own any minimates but the articulation surprises most people on a figure of this scale.

T.

I don't own a single minimate yet. But a local comic store has them, and I am considering picking up a pack to see how I like the articulation and construction of the figures. I really like that they have a very wide range of licenses that they cover.

I am really hoping though that DST figures out a what to incorporate the fire wood water aspect of Battle Beasts since that was such an integral part of the toyline. It was one of the things that distinguished itself from so many other anthromorphic toy lines of the late 80's.

Eric

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I am really hoping though that DST figures out a what to incorporate the fire wood water aspect of Battle Beasts since that was such an integral part of the toyline. It was one of the things that distinguished itself from so many other anthromorphic toy lines of the late 80's.

I hope so, too. Even if they can't do the color change thing, a little tampo showing their "abilities" would be nice.

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I wouldn't mind betting that the colour-changing thing is a safety issue. Some of the old plastics ,including our C3 stuff, wouldn't make the grade these days. Anything remotely borderline regarding 'possible problems' ain't 'appenin with 'toys' these days. I do not imply for one moment that there is any concrete evidence that the old Battle Beasts or any other toy is harmful but just check this out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalate which is just an example of what may be harmful but thermochromic plastic even sounds bad.

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I guess it really would be more helpful if we actually hear more straight from DST about the Battle Beasts license.

So true. How can they put this gator in the SDCC display, announce the ownership of the BB brand and then just vanish ? I'm sure that the DST staff need to rest after the show but we have to know. I only would like a post at the Art Asylum blog or a press release. They just sayed too less ... or too much.

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They are probably still trying to figure out how they are going to handle the license. As such, there probably isn't much left to say yet that we haven't already heard. . .having said that, you might consider sending a message to the Art Asylum crew at their blog here. Once a month, DSTChuck answers Minimate-related questions from fans here.

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I was for a period.

Oh, zing! That one made me laugh.

I have my reservations about these. One of which is that it's just another property for DST to see if it sticks. I don't really have much of a problem with that, except when we end up with half-done lines like SF and Rocky. (I should note that I understand why they drop the lines, but it's still disappointing.)

Second, I'm just not sure where the interest is in these. It just doesn't seem like something that would sell, but I could be wrong. I'm sure there are smarter, more well-informed guys at DST that ran the numbers.

Third, I'm concerned about how all the molded bits will work with the Minimate aesthetic. They've tried it out with figures like Clayface, so it could work, but these guys have a lot more stuff to them. We pay about $4/mate right now, and that's with minimal extra molding. Each of these guys will require lots of new tooling, so how much will they cost?

Having said that, the originals had a ton of charm and were cool, cheesy, goofy, and fun all at once. In spite of whatever reservations I have, I'm certainly interested to see what DST does with these guys.

Also, Wolfgang Walrus is the best of all:

037a.jpg

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Also, Wolfgang Walrus is the best of all:

037a.jpg

Scope Cougar would take his ass out from a half-mile away using his scope of doom. Wolfgang and his cyber-axe wouldn't stand a chance.

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Thought I would throw this out there for all the Battle Beast fans.

This guy does some amazing customs of Battle Beasts, just thought I'd give him some advertisement:

http://godbeast.com/bb_customs.htm

I love his clear stuff, absolutely great work!

Hey thanks for the compliment & plug!!! ;)B)

I joined here last night. Just wanted to watch the debate and maybe chime in if needed (for BB/LB info).

I know many of you have read my posts on LRG...trust me, I am no hater of MMs...just a true fan of the vintage BB/LB toys.

I truly need to see way more than a single figure and a cardboard prop/playset to spend my $ on these. Just having the name and a semi-look of BB isn't enough for me to do that.

Time will tell and I do really hope DST goes all out on this to make both our collector groups pleased!

TGB

Edited by THEGODBEAST
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