Binaryan

I'd love to see more random movie licenses here and there a la SILENCE OF THE LAMBS... - ALIENS - SERENITY - FIFTH ELEMENT - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Just to scratch the surface... And I'd love to see a HELLBOY line...

Yet another solid set! It's gonna be a costly year for MiniMate fans! Pity that Dark Beast is so ... flat. I think he'd have popped a bit more if they'd given his pants the same metallic blue they used on the Dreadnought or at least some shine.

I hit 3 local TRUs today and came up with NADA! Shelves were either bare or clogged up with IRON MAN 2, Stilt Mans and Crimson Dynamos....

Thanks for the feedback guys! This week we saw the release of the Atlantean Warrior, so I thought I'd take a stab at an Asgardian Warrior. Here's what I came up with --- This fellow was made using a spare Wolverine head (with some added facial hair), a modified Hawkman helm, chest block and arms with Menace's gauntlets, legs and loincloth. I also repainted Hawkman's shield and borrowed Ares' axe to complete the look. I'd like to find a tiny ruby-like jewel for the centerpiece of his harness to add some dimension... any suggestions?

I'm hoping the group shot is more accurate than the individual shot of Magneto. The purple in the first pic is much more striking and effective, IMO than the lighter, muted purple in the second. Rogue looks spot on though something about the hair irks me. I wonder if they'll include any accessories?

Mole Man is kind of disappointing. I think he'd have looked better with Mephisto's Cape in green. Any pics of Namor and the Atlantean yet???

WOWZERS! Great work on both of these!

Most X-cellent news! I agree that Nightcrawler and Meggan are a lock! I'm hoping for her green costume and Nightcrawler's classic look with a rapier and his streamlined Alan Davis costume under the original pointy shoulder chest piece. Of course... I also assumed that Cannonball was a necessity for the X-Force set and we got another Cable and Deadpool instead! As for the other two... I'm not feeling a need for Kitty, Cap'n Britain or Rachel in any form. I'd prefer to see Cerise or Kylun but Pete Wisdom is more likely (and an easy one to do with existing parts). I'd really like to see a villain included! Maybe Saturnyne, Gatecrasher, one of the Warwolves (how cool would that be!) or even Roma. Sadly, Excalibur lacked any iconic/defining/lasting villains. Given that, I'd be 100% okay if they slipped in an updated Juggernaut (which would increase the sales appeal of the set). Also... since this set will likely require little in the way of newly sculpted parts for Meggan, Kurt and Pete Wisdom (even Kylun and Cerise would only need new hairpieces, I think) I'd hope to see some cool accessories such as... - A rapier and translucent BAMF effect for Nightcrawler. - Add-ons for Meggan that give her a feral appearance (a second wolf-like face, a Wolvie hairpiece, Black Bolt's or Man-Bat's wings... to approximate her original look. - Hotknives for Pete Wisdom similar to Psylocke and Gambit's energy effects. - Red translucent weapons, flight base and a shield for Cerise.

The one silver lining with the IM2 Minimates is that they followed it up with the Iron Man themed 616 wave which gave us Mandarin, Crimson Dynamo and Stilt-Man! I can only hope that with the Captain America film we get a similar wave with a new 616 Nick Fury, Sharon Carter, Falcon and some villains like Batroc, Arnim Zola or Baron Zemo. The Thor movie could bring us a 616 Warriors Three set, Sif and maybe Hela. From the initial movie designs, it looks like movie versions of Odin and the Destroyer could blend in well with the 616 stuff.

Thanks for organizing this. It was fun to be a part of it and Chuck was great to take time out to do this. One idea for the next one: Lightning round of character suggestions where we name a character and Chuck replies with short responses... like a Magic Eight-ball for future 'Mates.

Some quick highlights from memory: - More Marvel movie 'Mattes (THOR, CAP, AVENGERS) seem like a done deal and Chuck was pleased with the marketing roll-out for the Iron Man 2 Minimates and plans to use this model for upcoming movie-based Mates. - There will be the two AoA X-Men 'Mates box sets plus 2-packs along this theme. - DC Minimates are dead in the water and there are no other movie-related licenses in the works, though they are looking to expand in this area if the right opportunity/library comes along. - Star Wars Minimates won't happen because Lucas says NO. End of story. - TRU Marvel, Universal Monsters and one other line are shipping soon. - Chuck would love to do Image Comics 'Mates (INVINCIBLE was mentioned) but Todd MacFarlane gets first dibs as a partner so don't hold your breath. - KICK-ASS = "That ship has sailed" though Chuck liked the comic. - James Bond is a property they'd like to acquire as they are big fans, but it doesn't seem likely. - Pirates will be a big push for their own property when it rolls around.

I think I am going to play it safe and not make these for the store. However, if anyone would like one, drop me a PM or an email. The Blackbird looks awesome! All it needs now are a couple of subtle X symbols.

Glad you all liked Forge. He was a lot of fun without getting too far out of my capabilities. Here are a couple of recent quickee customs. First up is a character of my own creation - The Cyber-Ninja!!! He was the result of a happy accident. While experimenting with Goof-Off for my Forge custom, I wiped away half of Tony Stark's mouth. Rather than waste the face, I created an armored half-mask, added an extra Daken mohawk and slapped it on an extra techsuit from an Iron Man figure, which I thought was waaay too cool to be stuck under all that armor. Add movie Deadpool's swords and you have... The Cyber-Ninja! I just won a couple of extra 'Mates (Noh-varr and Kree Soldier) with the specific goal of doing a quick custom First Appearance Mar-Vell. Once I cobbled him together and compared with some online pics, I noticed some of the shortcomings of the original Kree Soldier figure. I did a light coat of metallic green paint and added some additional details around the neck and shoulder. I included a pic of the original for comparison. Makes a world of difference IMHO. I switched Noh-varr's face for a Yellowjacket head and VOILA!

Norman osbourne's green outfit is similar I think Good call! It definately comes close although the difference is fairly noticeable. Makes me think there are no leg and crotch pieces with that shade of green... Hydra agent maybe?

Thanks for the feedback, gang! The gun is actually from an old ToyBiz figure. I recently sold a bunch of old figures at a garage sale.. but I wisely nabbed all the accessories that could possibly work for 'Mates! This gun was actually a handgun for a larger figure and I whittled down the grip to fit Forge. Working on this custom (and looking at others) got me thinking about some basic pieces that are lacking for certain customs I'd like to attempt. I could really use a "Magneto/Quicksilverish" hair piece with the wisps at the widow's peak... or a top-knot ponytail piece for characters like Namorita. And while I'm mostly okay with the "fringed" buccaneer boots on this custom... actual fringed boots on a Mirage or Forge or X-Force Warpath would be awesome!

Blink/Morph as an Exiles/AoA 2-pack seems a no-brainer to me. I also think an AoA Sabretooth/Wild Child set would be awesome. Not to mention Sinister and X-Man, Storm and Quicksilver, etc. AoA has been such a popular storyline due to the many great visuals for the characters. I'm thrilled to see DST mining this for some great-looking 'Mates.

And now for my next trick : FORGE This was made from a Heroes Set Wolverine body, a modified CEO Tony Stark head, a repainted Old Man Hawkeye hairpiece, a hand from Cyborg, a holster and pistol from Spymaster along with a repainted bandolier from Terminator and some painted buccaneer boots! Thanks to groundhog7s for his help with the final parts I needed! As well as to all those who've done their own Forge and provided some direction and inspiration.

My guess is that they figure Karma is the hardest sell for a 2-pack follow-up given her rather bland visual, so they stuck her in the box set a la Jewel. Magik on the other hand comes with a sword, maybe an alternate unarmored arm and if I were designing it -- an alternate hairpiece with horns and Nightcrawler's tail attachment in red and hooves which could be reused for Gorgon of the Inhumans. Similarly, Magma and Dani both have distinct visuals and ample accessories. I'd love to see a Magma/Dani 2-Pack with a powered down Magma variant. Dani would have her bow and an alternate Valkyrie headpiece. Then we'd have Magik and either Belasco or S'ym... maybe even a generic demon army builder. That would just leave a Cypher/Warlock 2-pack, preferably with Warlock "armor" for Doug and several fun add-ons for 'Lock.

Depending on the look you're going for with Karma maybe a Nurse Chapel or Sand Seraf hairpiece? Maybe Selene or Whiplash? Ult. Thor? X3 Storm? Even Ska'ar's could be an inspired choice. Banshee - Adam Warlock? Archangel/Capt. Britain? Capt. Marvel? FA Sabretooth. Blob - I think the movie Blob head has a great shape but for a more traditional hairpiece I'd suggest: Emil Blonsky, or Movie Hulk Toad -Emo Peter Parker, Defenders Hulk. Mark I Iron Man, Ult. Iron Man,

Great work on these. Good choice on Magma's hairpiece. Sam's I'm not so sure on... maybe something more reminiscent of his old skool crewcut. Take a look at BSG Leoben's or SM3 Eddie Brock. Rogue looks GREAT! My favorite version of her and Namorita is spot on as well. Would love to see both of these in my collection! BTW, has there been some announcement regarding a New Mutants Box Set?! Where?

Hmmm... how about Agent Zero's? He has a nice textured collar that could be a good fit for that look. Agent Zero

Thanks for all the pics! Anyone else curious why the Uncanny X-Force is a five-pack? DST has been fairly consistent with the four-pack and even broke up the original X-Factor and X-Men sets to stick with that. I'm wondering if maybe Wolverine isn't a part of the actual set? Maybe an alternate head for Logan is included with the four full figures?

I got a Menace Goblin Glider that was missing the goblin head from the front. I emailed DST customer service (customerservice@diamondselecttoys.com) on 5/13 but never received a response of any kind.

First off.... amazing designs Chazwinksi! Not a single one in that bunch that I would pass over. Which is exactly why we'll never see a Wave that golden. DST's strategy is to sneak in lesser known characters among the ones everyone is clamoring for. Given what we know is on the horizon (Box Sets, Exclusives, Thor & Capt. America movie, etc.) and what has been released so far I'd be thrilled to see the following: FF Updated Wave Invisible Woman/Mole Man Johnny Storm/Moloid Human Torch (variant)/Moloid Mister Fantastic/Crystal This would set DST up nicely for an Inhumans Box set featuring Gorgon, Medusa, Karnak and Triton. It's been a while since we've seen any Avengers characters outside of Iron Man, though the rumored Heroic Age set may address this somewhat. I'm hoping that when the Capt. America movie hits we'll get a set of movie 'Mates followed by a comic-based wave similar to Wave 36 based on Cap's supporting cast (Falcon, 616 Nick Fury, SHIELD Agent, Sharon Carter, Arnim Zola) I could see a SHADOWLAND themed set with: Dark Daredevil/Elektra or White Tiger Luke Cage/Modern Iron Fist Punisher/Hand Ninja Frankencastle (Variant)/Hand ninja As for a mixed set (which I usually prefer), I'd be thrilled with some combination involving: Banshee/Sunfire Weapon X Wolverine/Meggan Songbird/Juggernaut Namorita/Ronan the Accuser Ka-Zar/Zabu

I am definitely not an advocate for having a Spidey/Iron Man/Wolvie in every wave. But if that's how DST needs to market 'Mates, I get it. And here are some other Wolvie variations I wqouldn't mind seeing: AoA, Windsor-Smith Weapon X and Albert could all be fun. Also.... Madripoor/Patch (with two faces - one with the patch and one all feral like here) Team X Wolverine Feral Wolverine with the hideous dog face! And of course, the Fang costume.