AFMcGill

The cloning process went really wrong with him.

He's wearing a costume, the patterning on his costume is based on the scars on his skin:

As i mentioned multiple things about Kaine, to clarify what i consider the actual "problem"

(decent series, btw)

@DSTZach Okay, I'm trying not to be confrontational but i am confrontational by nature (i have an Emma Frost avatar for a reason) and i apologise for if anything like "lazy" or anything else that sounds insulting is in here but i want to raise these points Kaine's Minimate design is based on Mark Bagley art from Amazing Spider-Man #397. This is actually an inaccurate depiction of his costume - namely the colours and the lack of design elements (or the visibility of them in the art). Kaine was created and designed by Steven Butler in Web of Spider-Man #117, he is otherwise consistently depicted as his mask being the same colour as the rest of his "costume" (be it a blue or black, however one interprets it, neither interpretation would be wrong or incorrect). Whereas most of his design elements are actual crucial parts of the character's history and origin. He is scarred (due to cellular degeneration caused by imperfect cloning). The lines, resembling random web lines, all over his costume are representative of that. He has spikes, also caused by his origin as a faulty clone. Green Goblin's design is based on a recoloured cover to Spectacular Spider-Man #225 for the Green Goblin: A Lighter Shade of Green trade paperback from the early 2010s. These new colours are, again, a bad representation of the character's colour scheme - the trade paperback cover is the only image of the character with that almost blue shade of purple. Likewise, the use of shadows has been misinterpreted as part of the colour scheme. Like Kaine, certain things are again important parts of the character's backstory. Phil Urich's origin is that he stumbled onto a secret hideout formerly used by the Green Goblin (we never learn if it was Norman or Harry, just one of them) and all of his equipment and even his costume are leftover Green Goblin gear. The colours are meant to be whatever colour an Osborn Green Goblin costume would be in 1995. In my mind, I'm willing to accept many little things. As I noted, Kaine... should... have spikes all over but that would be a nightmare to actually implement. Getting rid of that - that is fine with me. I understand that completely. I never for a minute even expected him to have spikes if we ever got him. Then his patterning that runs throughout his body is probably a bit too detailed, randomly complicated and annoying to actually put on his arms and legs. Nor is it that I am a stickler for "what I remember", I'm actually a big fan of the Marvel Legends figure of Madelyne Pryor from X-Men 97 and prefer that to her actual comic costume. Yes, I recently said I felt compelled to make Typhoid Mary look more like how she looked in the 80s but I was totally fine that I had to do that, I was happy there was a Typhoid Mary to do it with at all. I don't know what to say. Initially I was worried because things that are quite core to the characters were not known - and that's forgivable. I'm not expecting people making kid's toys to know every facet of every character from a license. I also know that licensors often don't really provide reference materials and that actually devoting resources to the level of research that people believe they deserve isn't viable either. If you don't know Kaine's costume is covered in those weird web style patterns because his skin is like that and it's all a big part of his character... that's fine. And the Phil Urich thing, you don't have to know that. Neither of these things are essential knowledge, my problem is that I feel pretty confident I have identified the exact sources of these designs. I don't mean to come off as snide or insulting when I claim they are the first image results on Google Image Search for those characters but it is the truth. It opens a myriad of further concerns - things like the fact Google displays multiple results at once, so why has reference only been narrowed to the one when even just a quick glance at a second image would quickly make it clear that the colours aren't like that anywhere else. Furthermore, maybe more practically and demonstratably concerning, if this is evident of overall reference - what's to stop the next wave of Minimates having a character design accidentally based on original fan art by mistake? It happened to Mike Deodato Jr. with a cover featuring Kate Bishop Hawkeye a few years ago. The recent DC animated movies "borrowed" (aka outright stole) a DeviantArt redesign of Black Lightning. Something like that one recoloured Green Goblin trade cover could just as easily have been some guy practicing colouring and they posted it on Twitter and it got retweeted a bunch and then someone uploaded it to a forum or a website or posted it in a Favourite Characters Thread and it got passed around over and over again and now it is the first Google Image Result without the clue of it's origin. Now, having said all this and had my 17th moan of the year on here, I think the absolutely funniest response would be to not acknowledge any of this and just clinically say "these are prototype shots for marketing purposes, they are not representative of the final product".

Having thought on it, yep, that recoloured image for the trade of the series is exactly what they've based Phil Urich on. My head space was thinking of the purple because I knew he was purple and green so I didn't really even clock or have the mental capacity to recognise that to someone who has never seen the character before, the amount of black could be construed as his cloak is black and it is part of his colour scheme. That it's not even the original colours of the cover (it was a recolored image for a trade paperback in the early 2010s) and that for some reason they are referring to that and only that is genuinely dismaying.

Then why is the product's mask and "chest emblem" not the same black of the rest of his costume? I know very well that Kaine's costume could be seen as black, but the Minimate's mask and the bit on his cape piece are blue against the rest of the body which is black. Whatever colour Kaine's costume is, however you want to interpret the colour, it is very definitely the one base colour. The Minimate is presenting two colours. The reason and the reason for the entire Minimate looking off is this one image which is the first that comes up on Google and is the only time he is drawn that way - incorrectly without the scar patterning running all through his costume and wherein he appears to have blue and black parts. We're getting a Minimate of a character based on one art team's mistake in an issue rather than the character's design as it appears in every other issue. And then on the other hand, why is Green Goblin's purple cloak completely black. Not even matching the dark almost blue purple parts of his costume. It's the exact same problem as Kaine, the designs either haven't been researched adequately or they have become lost from what they are meant to look like along the way. I challenge anyone to find me a picture of Phil Urich Green Goblin with a combo of black cloak and almost blue rest of costume. The closest I can find is this which is a digitally recoloured cover for a trade collection and still is far from black and blue. This was the original art and it's colours.

Deathbird, the Imperial Guard and the Starjammers ain't even muties. The Gen X kids on the other hand.

Okay, he's slightly less blue which is an improvement but I'd say Goblin still isn't even close to the right colours. His costume, his origin, is that he found one of Osborn's old hideouts with his costumes and equipment. They are meant to be the same colour as the other Green Goblins. That's why every single bit of art of him has him in those vibrant green and pink/purple. There's none with him in blue, there's none with him in black that isn't meant to be inferred as shadow or shading. And Kaine's body is beyond annoying. My chief complaint is he's meant to be one colour throughout his costume. The navy blue. It's meant to run across his entire costume, the grey "web" lines on his mask are all over his body, they're meant to represent clone degeneration and the scars he has on his unmasked face. Then there's the spikes but I find the random blue and black scheme of the Minimate completely off. I noticed when you google image search for Kaine (or if go on his Wikipedia page) - the first result has very dark art showing him in a manner where one could infer that design of the Minimate - that his mask and chest are blue and the rest black but it's the only image of him like that. This is what the character looks like: I would understand losing the pattern for simplicity's sake and even losing the spikes for logistical reasons but that the colours aren't even right on him or Phil is hugely bothering. So close to pre-ordering the set but... to me, Kaine and Phil Urich are only slightly recognisable as who they are meant to be. They look familiar but have been badly researched and/or inaccurately adapted. Both these things aren't just nitpicks, they are integral parts of the character's designs or backstories. Kaine is a messed up clone with scarring and spikes all over because he is imperfect, his costume reflects that. He didn't have this funky lining all over because he thought it looked cool, it represents an important part of who he is and his origin. And on origins, Green Goblin's story is he found the old Green Goblin's stash, not that he found some cosplay rags somewhere that are off-colour. And, while I'm at it, man, unmasked Kaine is asking too much but not having one will suck - a face with unique marks on it that could actually hammer home the fact he and Ben are both meant to be Peter Parker clones... but I guess we're not getting an unmasked Ben either so, what's the point. I'm sure Luke will do some stickers at some point. On another note, a positive is to see Spider-Carnage is coming with alternate legs (and it looks like arms) to further compliment the look. That'd have been a small thing I'd have been willing to overlook but nice effort. Still is easily something I would trade for Kaine's body actually looking anything like Kaine's body. Are those shoulder pads new on Doc Ock? Are they part of the back-harness with her octopi arms? People wanting an unmasked Phil, the Emil Gregg head that came with Sin-Eater has the perfect hair for him. Exact style and colour from his series. The costume might be the completely wrong colours but at least he can have accurate hair. I'm going to be longing for a follow-up with Spidercide. That way my insatiable need for an 80s style Beetle seems more grounded.

I'd be more interested in a Deathcry.

The blue in Kaine's design is meant to run throughout his costume... and he's got spikes and stuff up his arms! I also don't know where Phil's colour scheme is coming from... blue and dark green?? Spider-Man seems on the darker side too. Even when he was Spider-Carnage, he wasn't really black instead of blue.

Well, I don't think I am the only person who has ever felt the need to change a Minimate to be more in-line with what they prefer or what they wanted? I will apologise for any projection, I have felt incredibly outside and abandoned as a customer - I actually didn't even know DD was OUT (and I can't find any listing on Luke's?), I've been aimlessly searching eBay every week expecting the boxset to show up for sale somewhere. It's release, down to the figures included, seemed to be fluctuating and unsure - I had no idea it had actually been out for months (I think?). I'm someone who doesn't check things daily, at this point weekly or maybe even monthly. There's like 1 Marvel release per year! I knew it was coming out "some time in 2024" and have been keeping an eye out for it on eBay. I have now found out the reason for my obliviousness and apparently unavailability - a .. certain eBay seller that once had a menagerie... began blocking people from viewing their store on any eBay besides .com when they changed their name away from specifically Minimates. I think all my frustration, disappointment and anger should now be directed at them. And those big stupid idiots even gave the loose Puppet Master the Ultimate Nullifier accessory instead of the loose Reed Richards that one time!! Buying from Luke's is inevitable now, I guess. I did definitely get X-Factor wave from him (with several Madri) and I think Dark Phoenix too. Always wanted to get some sticker sheets and loose parts just for fodder but it'd always come time and it's like "yeah, I can't justify the postage cost on small buys" which equated to me getting the entire Dark Phoenix wave when all I really wanted was Gladiator and maybe Dark Phoenix. Just it was nice going through eBay and cherry-picking what I wanted when that was an option because... well, I use eBay to buy most other hobby things that I buy... it was easier to go on eBay and search for things than going to another specific website.

I'm dying for a classic Thanos. The Infinity Gauntlet boxset one is just not enough. Likewise that Drax... we need a bulked up version of that guy.

This gives me some hope... the last Minimates I got were the Dark Phoenix ones (I only wanted Gladiator but wound up having to get the whole wave because there's virtually no longer any eBay market for loose minimates). None of the boxsets have appealed to me personally. The Daredevil one has some things i want (D-Man and Mary) but again I can't even find one for sale and I'm accepting that there's zero chance I will ever see a loose one for sale. Not being in America is another factor and it's been so long since I got a Minimate it has made me lose sight of how fun the line can be. The boxsets unfortunately lock one of the main appeals of the line away - interchangeable parts. It's been said before but nobody is going to buy a boxset because they see a set of legs or a head that would look good on a custom they envision. That now there's not much loose ones on eBay (who was that one seller that sold them all loose? I bought about 70% of my Minimate collection from there!), it's barely accessible to me. The extra cost of postage makes the idea of getting a boxset I already only want 2 figures from (and feel the need to improve Mary with Jean DeWolff legs)... the boxsets are a model that I would say are problematic because no matter what there will be customers who don't want all 5 figures. Either there will be a remake of a figure they already have and don't feel the need to upgrade or there will be characters they have no interest in. I would say, actually, the first two boxsets while not appealing to me, were at least selected wisely in that they mostly appealed to the same person. If you want one Young Avenger, you probably want all 6. Daredevil is a different case - I have a Kingpin, I have a Bullseye... not everyone does have those obviously, and Elektra-Daredevil isn't something I'm into (never read those comics) but I have wanted a Yellow Costume Daredevil for ages specifically to make a D-Man. I've wanted Typhoid Mary for ages (even if I have to kitbash some parts to make her look more like she did in the 80s). I don't know what I'm saying. As a line, I think Minimates need to be more available for people to buy them for their parts. I'd buy something I'm not interested in if it had a pentagram on a bare chest because it is begging to go on a Son of Satan custom I have laying around. If it's looked behind a weird boxset with 4 other figures, no way am I going to get it for that one chest block. My point here is that one of the biggest unique selling points of the line is gone with boxsets. Obviously, a lot of personal taste and personal geography is colouring my thoughts but someone mentioned those Alpha Flight boxsets and those were great and the Young Avengers was a decent set if you're into that... New Warriors, Thunderbolts - they'd have been killer. Maybe overall the boxsets have to be slam-dunks, all the figures should appeal to the same person? If someone wants x, then they naturally want y as well. Try not to have someone who wants x but is affected by not wanting y. The Daredevil one felt particularly pick and mix and featured 1 new character to the line and a completely disconnected Daredevil design with a selection of modern designs on everyone else. Maybe just make a future boxset that is just an empty tray except for one figure and it is the classic 80s Beetle that matches the female Beetle's colours and then I'll shut up?

ALSO, technically, one could argue we have gotten a non-animated Jackal before.