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Minimates Carrying Case Announced


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I have a cardboard shoebox. It holds well over a hundred minmates. They're not organized in any way, of course, but it's great that the entire Marvel Universe can be carried around so easily.

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It's decisions like this that make me really feel for DST. They're trying to do something cool for the fanbase and bring new collectors into the mix, but, like the Lab playset, I think it's destined to fail as a half-measure.

To do a decorated, molded plastic case and make it cost-effective, they would likely have to do a run of 10K or more. I doubt anything DST has ever done has been a higher run than 5K. They can do a decent-quality chipboard thing at that quantity, but, considering the labor that's going to go into printing, die-cutting and hand-assembling these, they can't price them lower than probably $20 and break even.

Without the economies of scale Hasbro and Mattel enjoy, it's going to be tough for DST to compete on things like this. It would almost be cooler for them to pick a pre-existing molded storage case and produce some stickers to that case's specs or something so people can customize their own.

Edited by Lobsterman
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I bet it will ship in--> a cardboard box!

Though if it came with Baghead Spidey everyone would buy 2!

That's it! Don't use cardboard--use a brown paper bag! Cut two spidey shaped eye holes. Now it is a Baghead Spidey Head Carry Case!

SOLD!!! :lol:

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It would seem that DST's concept isn't widely regarded. Maybe we could continue this thread with thoughts on what members would like . I would personally like something that allows storage of Minimates without too much 'rattle' yet has some measure of display value . I envisage some 'monster' version of the transparent tray & lid that Minimates tend to arrive in . As pointed out these wouldn't be perfect but surely somebody could design a common enough shape that would hold a 'mate with a certain amount of stability whether in transit ( not a priority for me anyway) or merely in a drawer . The size I see in my mind's eye is the original TRU 10 pack size & has the ability to interlock in multiples . OK this wouldn't be the most robust item but I reckon it would be cheap .

post-638-1273010641_thumb.jpg Courtesy of Minimate Central ......still the finest reviews around ;)

If I still had my entrepreneurial fire I'd just find a manufacturer myself & just get a load done.

Now that's just my idea...any others?

edit: I keep looking at that picture of those 'mates .....they still look good to me. :D

Edited by buttheadsmate
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Something that was not cheap, quality-wise, but was cheap, price-wise would be the way to go. The specific look of the carrying case wouldn't matter so much, IMO, though I would also like to vote for the Minimate Spidey head :D

However, as mentioned before, this is not a likely scenario given that DST is not Hasbro.

Of course, I wish DST luck with all of this, but I just don't see it happening based on the little information we have been given.

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You know, the more I think about it, they could potentially pull off something really cool if they fashioned the case out of a chipboard tube (think oatmeal canister) and deco'ed it like a big Minimate head. The lid could even be designed like a slip-over mask or hairpiece.

The minimates could sit in wheel-shaped trays with eight wedges each, and the trays could hang from a central spoke with a handle, so you could pull the whole "rack" of minimates out of the tube.

Okay, I need to patent this idea myself...

---

Something like... this.

post-238-1273017079_thumb.jpg

Edited by Lobsterman
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That's a pretty good idea Lobsterman. and it'd be pretty easy to manufacture if it's just a plastic cylindrical tub with trays in it. It'd be kind of cool to have a big spiderman minimate head too! (assuming it were a marvel minimate carrier)

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Chuck said at the MMMV Chat they were tossing ideas around for the carry case. I honestly didn't think making it from cardboard would be that idea.

They must be able to do better than that, it's hardly a durable method of transportation!

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You know, the more I think about it, they could potentially pull off something really cool if they fashioned the case out of a chipboard tube (think oatmeal canister) and deco'ed it like a big Minimate head. The lid could even be designed like a slip-over mask or hairpiece.

The minimates could sit in wheel-shaped trays with eight wedges each, and the trays could hang from a central spoke with a handle, so you could pull the whole "rack" of minimates out of the tube.

Okay, I need to patent this idea myself...

---

Something like... this.

That looks great Lobsterman! I would also recommend that the handle be able to flip down and recess into the lid, and add some grooves that would fit into the bottom of another case if you wanted to stack them. Maybe even a groove/pin system that would allow you to lock them together.

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Chuck said at the MMMV Chat they were tossing ideas around for the carry case. I honestly didn't think making it from cardboard would be that idea.

They must be able to do better than that, it's hardly a durable method of transportation!

If they were tossing around ideas, think of what the ideas that got rejected were like.

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"Let's make it out of tissue paper!"

That was apparently Matt's idea & inevitably went down the toilet,although wrapping a cardboard carrying case with tissue paper for protection is still apparently under discussion .......

It's a crap idea .

This was an early test-shot shown on the Art Asylum Bog post-638-1273077293_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow it's so big!!! At this rate we'll only need 37 of them to hold our entire collection. Not counting 3 inchers. Or two and a half inchers. or... Still it is nice they threw in a preview of the pirate mates!

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Still mildly concerned about the choice of material, but all things considered I like it.

It really does have that kiddie vibe to it though, doesn't it? (Not that that's a bad thing, it kinda gives me fun little nostalgic throwbacks to those classic toy carrying cases like boyd said :D)

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