Prowlar Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 If we didn't re- use parts, this wave would likely not exist. We have conservative expectations, so we have to keep new tooling within certain parameters. I completely understand your point and I'm not surprised how amazing they look. Even properties that I don't particularly care I often end up picking up because they're too good to pass up or they have parts that will make great customs. What I am surprised by is that, with the exception of the bear, each new character only gets a new head or head and body combination. However, considering Anubis' whole point was the fact that he was wearing the Dread Weapon boots, it seems a strange change to make when re-using the Moose/Giraffe lower leg in solid silver plastic would have been a closer match rather than human boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSTZach Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 The first series sold out eventually, but it took much longer than we thought it would. If orders are lower for Series 2 than Series 1, we might have to consider the possibility that there is not sufficient demand. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youbastards Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Hopefully, the lack of humans will help this time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I fear that these will be a hard sell to comics shops, unfortunately. Not necessarily to patrons of comics shops, but the guys that place the orders. They just don't seem to want to risk ordering 'mates that aren't from known properties. Can't blame them, I guess. We have to hope that the preorders from Luke, BBTS, AFX, and other online retailers are strong. I'm sure you guys are going to explore every option to keep these alive. Box sets might be a good way to go, as some retailers seem more likely to support them since they can order them individually. Might I suggest partnering with one retailer to make these a store exclusive? Would there be enough orders to make that possible? Could you do them one at a time, and bagged, like the old Web Armor Spider-Man? Or... could you guys use these as the start of a Minimate Collectors Club, and mix in some Pirates and Max guys as well? Just throwing some ideas out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Paco Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I placed my order for a full set of the eight figures from Luke as well as an extra bat/cobra set and robin/jackal set. I like the nod to Batman and Robin but I really like the Robin as it looks like a great addition to the line. The Jackal (Anubis) looks like the poorest figure in the line-up but I love the head. I made an Anubis for a custom line I had worked on and I would like to see fi this figure will work in that line as well. The Cobra looks nice and I hope the tail is a little different from the Rattlesnake in more than the missing rattle-end. I like how the Giraffe has reused the leg parts from the Moose. The Bat looks like the previous Bat only themed off of Batman for coloring. I do with there was a Cheetah and when we do get that animal, how compatible would it be to make a hybrid with Cheetara for a female version? Can't wait for wave three. If there is a Wave Three, I would love to see a nod to Wonder Woman and Superman in the set. (just kidding, as not sure what critter would work for either of them.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youbastards Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 If you don't have any interest in this line, but plan to buy either Godzilla or TMNT MInimates, keep in mind that Battle Beasts are a great line for anyone who wants Godzilla or Shredder to fight a pitchfork wielding cow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta chameleon Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Toyark put up some great photos of series 2 Battle Beasts, with their weapons. I was very pleasantly surprised by the Giraffe's accessories. I love the spear and shield. Between that and the neck armor on him, I am getting a very African/Zulu feel to him, which is really working for his character design. The more I see of the wave, the more the Giraffe has unexpectedly become my absolute favorite. He may be becoming one of my favorite BB minimate right behind the original Gator. http://news.toyark.com/2014/02/17/toy-fair-2014-diamond-select-toys-minimates-117816 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
force2099 Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 The first series sold out eventually, but it took much longer than we thought it would. If orders are lower for Series 2 than Series 1, we might have to consider the possibility that there is not sufficient demand. Fingers crossed. So did the Toysrus one do so well due to the store ordering low amounts; because the two toysrus stores by me were sold out of them in about week or two. I never got the exclusive set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 My TRU wasn't eligible to receive them at all. I have to wonder how many other stores were also ineligible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddin Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 If you don't have any interest in this line, but plan to buy either Godzilla or TMNT MInimates, keep in mind that Battle Beasts are a great line for anyone who wants Godzilla or Shredder to fight a pitchfork wielding cow! I'm banking on a High Evolutionary needing some Knights of Wundagore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSTZach Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Not sure what is still available at toysrus.com, but Hellpop found some TRU BB for me at his local store just last week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 And I still have to mail them! ...sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Paco Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I noticed that the Cobra has the Rattlesnake's tail including the Rattle. What is up with that? Couldn't they modify the mold to not have the rattle on the cobra? I still like the figure. I did order a second one so I can use his tail and swap it out with my custom Medusa mate I made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta chameleon Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I noticed that the Cobra has the Rattlesnake's tail including the Rattle. What is up with that? Couldn't they modify the mold to not have the rattle on the cobra? I still like the figure. I did order a second one so I can use his tail and swap it out with my custom Medusa mate I made. Sculpting a piece isn't too terribly cost prohibitive. However, making a mold is pretty expensive. And you can't really make a changes to a mold, instead you would make a new mold. Even though you may just want to make one small modification, such as removing the rattle on the snake's tail, while that may not be much in the way of sculpting, that is going to be an entirely new mold, which would cost DST a lot of money. From the looks of it, they are trying to extend the use of a lot of different tooling from series 1 to help recoup costs form the mold making process, which toy companies do all the time, by reusing parts in different arrangements, along with a small number of new parts, to create a new character. If they had to make a completely new mold of a rattle-less snake tail, then my guess is we would have just seen a different animal all together rather than a new mold of a piece that incredibly similar to another mold they already have paid for. I did notice the rattle on the tail, and that may bug some people, but I'm fine with it. I already know I am getting two full sets of these guys, so I may just have to remove the rattle and sculpt a new snake tail tip on the second Cobra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
force2099 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 And I still have to mail them! ...sorry. Do you or the store around you have any moose and bats two packs????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Nope, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Paco Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I realize that molds cost money and I am still a fan of the Cobra but it just caught me by surprise to see the rattler on the tail. I may break down and add to my order before they are released but I really like the Cobra, the new Bat and the Giraffe. I do like the the reuse of parts as in the Moose's foot parts on the Giraffe, Vorin's legs on the Cow, Merk's parts on Thrush. Even the feet on the Hammerhead are a reuse of the feet from one of the aliens in Halo. The Jackal's boots are a reuse of parts. I may try to make a Minotaur from the cow(bull-since it appears to be a male character). The bear is nice and so I may retire the custom bear I made or maybe repaint mine to be a panda or something different. I think the bear could be redone as a polar bear and still look good. Not sure what you can do to make something new from the hammerhead. Now I am thinking if we were to get a second wave that maybe we should get some felines. A lion, the cheetah, a tiger or a lynx. I would also like to see an Elephant and a Hippo also or a zebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whywing Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I am hoping for a new version of the original Squirrely squirel, he was my favorite as a kid. I don't have any of wave 1 in hand (yet) but the pictures I have seen are awesome. Just seeing these in a DST catalog piqued my interest and lead to a purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nessex Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 The thing i noticed with this wave was how clever and mostly inconspicuous the parts re-use was. With the exception of the bat, every figure looks like a totally new character, and yet so much of wave 1 has been re-used. I'm really impressed with wave 2. In fact, i think i like it better than wave 1. I waited till wave 1 was convenient to find, but i think i'm going to be pre-ordering wave 2 to make sure i don't miss out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediJohnson Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 The first series sold out eventually, but it took much longer than we thought it would. If orders are lower for Series 2 than Series 1, we might have to consider the possibility that there is not sufficient demand. Fingers crossed. I've always loved anthropomorphic animals, and this brand reminds me of an old roleplaying game called "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness". It is too bad DST cannot cross-brand battle beasts with other compatible brands, such as TMNT or Kung Fu Panda (which you don't have, but should look at, since a 3rd film is coming and has a successful tv show in its 3rd season). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shogi Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Sculpting a piece isn't too terribly cost prohibitive. However, making a mold is pretty expensive. And you can't really make a changes to a mold, instead you would make a new mold. Even though you may just want to make one small modification, such as removing the rattle on the snake's tail, while that may not be much in the way of sculpting, that is going to be an entirely new mold, which would cost DST a lot of money. From the looks of it, they are trying to extend the use of a lot of different tooling from series 1 to help recoup costs form the mold making process, which toy companies do all the time, by reusing parts in different arrangements, along with a small number of new parts, to create a new character. If they had to make a completely new mold of a rattle-less snake tail, then my guess is we would have just seen a different animal all together rather than a new mold of a piece that incredibly similar to another mold they already have paid for. I did notice the rattle on the tail, and that may bug some people, but I'm fine with it. I already know I am getting two full sets of these guys, so I may just have to remove the rattle and sculpt a new snake tail tip on the second Cobra. Toy companies make changes to molds lots of times. It's called "retooling" I imagine it's cheaper then making a new mold, but still more expensive than just reusing an unaltered mold. However, in the case of the Rattlesnake tail, you probably couldn't retool the mold since the rattle is already larger than the tail (typically retooling a mold will mean carving out part of the mold, which would make a larger piece of plastic on the toy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappy Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) When you look at the prototype, you can see the rattle is painted gold, to match some of Cobra's other weapons and armor. The implication being that it's an artificial thing he's added to his arsenal, sort of like brass knuckles for the tail. Clever workaround, DST. Edited February 27, 2014 by Cappy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous Rex Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Wait....... are we nitpicking a rattle tail, on a figure... with a cobra head, that has arms, and weapons, and wears armor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta chameleon Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Wait....... are we nitpicking a rattle tail, on a figure... with a cobra head, that has arms, and weapons, and wears armor? It's all about accuracy. Out of every cobra human warrior hybrid I have ever seen here in Chicago, none have had a rattle tail. I'm just kidding. I could see how it might bother others, but I think it's fine. Heck, anytime you are making a snake into a humanoid warrior, there are going to be compromises. The original Battle Beast snake is actually quite odd. He has legs, with feet and toes, but he doesn't actually have "arms." Instead, his arms are just two more snake heads. So are there brains in each snake head arm? Do the arms compete with the main head for dominance over the body? Why does he have feet but not hands? How does he actually handle weapons? Now that guy was weirder than this Cobra warrior with a rattle on his tail, and I still loved him. I have over a 150 of the original snake. Cappy, I didn't notice at first that the rattle is painted to match his armor. Now that I see it, I certainly get a brass knuckles feel to it. That's the way I am going to think of the Cobra now, he gave himself a club tail. Awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny B Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 What I always wondered was why nobody bats an eye at the fact that all the beasts are aliens, yet they're based on Earth animals. I get that these creatures need some kind of relate-able component, but I still wonder why it doesn't occur to most people (or maybe it does and nobody really talks about it?) that we're using what we know of Earth lifeforms to imagine what extraterrestrial animals would be like.but a rattle on the end of a cobra tail is weird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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