MisterPL

Sweet. Thanks Ady!

Mine are the same way. Hadn't noticed 'til I read this. Ares is friggin' HUGE. I love it. I want a Darkseid apology 'mate. And does the Green Arrow/Deathstroke set have the most accessories ever or is it just me? Oodles of fun stuph there.

Best way to market Classic BSG is probably as exclusive box sets. Hopefully Suncoast/FYE will step up to the plate (pending sales of modern BSG) and offer a set or two.

Yeah, I can think of more flattering logos. (Ady, couldn't you have made it a cylinder, like a Minimate head?)

Gee, that would be a great opportunity for Universal to reissue Season 2 in one complete set. Looking forward to August when I can pick up Season 3 AND the soundtrack.

For what it's worth, I tried contacting DCD twice to do a Q&A on the AA board (while it was in limbo) and got no responses. It's not impossible but it ain't easy either. I'd recommend using their "Ask DC Direct" if only to show them how much interest there is in the line.

With a new X-Files feature film around the corner, it's time to offer block figures of the property in the scale God intended.

I have very little interest in the category but I'd feel obliged to pick up The Police as Minimates.

I'm having a tough time contributing to this thread because for once DCD seems to be reading my mind. They honestly haven't offered anything over 6 series I'm not jazzed about so I'm not really inclined to give them any direction but, "Keep 'em comin'!"

Hmmm... "There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief, "There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief. Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth, None of them along the line know what any of it is worth." "No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke, "There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke. But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate, So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late." All along the watchtower, princes kept the view While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too. Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl, Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.

And the withdrawal begins. I'm having a tough time accepting that those characters are Cylons just because they're picking up radio signals from Earth in their dental work. I'd believe Roslin is a Cylon first, if only because of her psychic connection to Athena, Six, and Hera. Which reminds me of one of the reasons I like this show; strong female roles. For a sci-fi series, it's NOT a sausage fest. That's refreshing and continues to be. It was weird to hear music I was familiar with on this show. I'd always considered that the timeline for BSG parallels our own, not taking place in the past or the future. If/when they get to Earth, I expect it to be present day. Loving Baltar's dilemma. Yeah, he'll land on his feet. "Butterfingers" made me laugh. Glad Starbuck wasn't in a white flight suit and reincarnated as a dude. Looking forward to 2008. Gonna go buy some BSG books to pass the time. And hunt some 'mates.

Again, DCD IS OFFERING VARIANTS, they're just not making them hard to find like DST's CHASE figures that are one per case. Of course they're going to continue to offer variants of top-selling characters like Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, et al. But making popular variants easy to acquire will only make this line more collectible for veterans and more accessible to newcomers. Chase figures are a bad idea especially from DCD's point of view.

I can't honestly say I'm crazy about these moment-specific variants. I'd really rather have more characters than these. I mean, look at the line-up of the 14 Spider-Man 3 figures: Spidey/Peter (x5) Eddie/Venom (x3) Harry/Goblin (x2) Marko/Sandman (x2) Gwen (x1) MJ (x1 and she's a CHASE!) Who the hell is running this show, Mattel or Hasbro? No Aunt May or Uncle Ben, no J. Jonah Jameson or Robbie Robertson. I guess two series is as far as we'll get with this incarnation of the Spidey-verse.

Agreed, Danny. My retailer has customers who won't buy ANY of the Marvel sets unless they can get the chase figure as well. I'm sure DST believes this will force retailers to buy more cases but the reality is that small shops simply can't afford to and don't want to sit on the excess inventory. My LCS is VERY happy with the sell-through on the chase-less DC Minimates.

Happy Birthday, Bill. (Only because I know he's reading and I'll catch all sorts of shit from him later if I don't at least mention it.)

Since Battlestar Galactica product is enjoying some presence in the mass market thanks to Hasbro's Titanium diecast vehicle line, has there been any effort to get BSG Minimates into Toys "R" Us or Target? If so, what can we expect?

DST really should try soliciting these as boxed sets. There's demand, just not the kind the new series is enjoying. I'm betting it's better than Indymates, though.

They could offer two versions; one with armor, one without. I'd like to see a version with that utility garter he wore. Very sexy.

Actually it's not odd at all. Human skin isn't flat, it's layered. CGI modellers struggled getting flesh down right for years until they had a way to create skin that had a subtle translucency to it. Because the pigment is molded in, colored plastic is closer to a realistic flesh look than just paint. I prefer painted uniforms as well, probably for the same reason.

Here are some Batman variants I'd like to see: Golden Age Batman Silver Age Batman Bronze Age Batman Post-Knightfall Batman

If collectors want variants like President Lex or Tuxedo Bruce, DCD will find a way to offer them. This line is in its infancy. I'd be shocked if boxed sets featuring all sorts of characters haven't already been considered.

DC Direct DOES offer variant Minimates. They just don't make them CHASE figures. There's a significant difference. I'm betting that DCD is leery of chase figures – particularly popular variants – because they catch enough shit on the rare occasion they do that in their other lines. Collectors are generally fed up with too many Superman and Batman variants in the "6-inch" line and they're not even chase figures. Such variants are necessary to the success of this line. There's no way retailers would order more than four series without having another version of a popular character in the mix. Personally I'm all for variants because I like significant costume changes. Battle-damaged versions are okay but I prefer era-specific variants as well. Put a Golden Age Batman into a classic JSA assortment if it means it'll make it to market. I'm sure retailers are missing the chase figures in the DC line simply because they can't overcharge for them and exploit their customers like an instant secondary market. Bottom line: NO CHASE FIGURES, please. Keep this line collectible.

I forgot to mention that my Minimates smell like the back of Elisha Cuthbert's neck. Isn't that odd? But hey, I had my share of disappointments, too. No Marvel Movie Minimates today.

My pleasure, Danny. And Mystery Man, at least you've got something to look forward to. Too often DCD's track record is laced with QC problems and collectors end up dreading getting their orders in after reading bad reviews. There was no breakage or bad paint apps in my lot and I didn't even pick them. Looks like another solid assortment. Kudos to AA and their artists! The sculpted details really stand out.

No pics but I've got a review: Superman • Brainiac 13: Finally, DC Direct offers a variant of Superman from the popular "Our Worlds at War" storyline. This has been a no-brainer from the beginning yet DCD chose to release it as a Minimate instead. That's fine with me because this figure rocks. Complete with angry red eyes, a battle-worn costume, and a chunk of Red K, this Superman is pretty authentic to the source material. The even better news is that Brainiac 13 is indeed HUGE. Art Asylum used the 2.5" body as a base for this guy so he's noticeably taller and bulkier than his opponent. His mechanical tendrils are packaged seperately and were a bit of a chore to assemble. Unlike his 6-inch scale predecessor the tendrils are not bendy. That's probably a good thing since it keeps them light which allows this Brainiac to stand up straight. Booster Gold • Blue Beetle: Together at last, the way God intended. Both figures feature removable, sculpted headgear, probably to allow for the translucent visor and goggles they wear. Booster's details look good right down to the flight ring on his right hand. His sidekick Skeets is attached to a removeable waistpiece sandwiched between his torso and waist allowing the robot to "hover" over Booster's shoulder. Again, no wire armature here but since the vapor trail is clear it's still pretty cool. Beetle comes with his gun and a working holster to stash it in. If I wanted to nitpick I'd have included Beetle's rappel rod or at least a hairpiece for Ted. And while I'm still curious what Booster would look like in black & GOLD instead of comic book blue & yellow the hues suit the block figure format. Simply put, these are adorable. Dr. Fate • Power Girl: I never thought I'd be so excited to add a flat-chested Power Girl to my collection. She certainly didn't have to be considering she has a sculpted chest piece over her torso featuring details for her cape. If any character could have broken format and featured sculpted cleavage, this would have been it but I applaud DCD and AA for not giving in to whatever puerile notions that might have tempted them during her development. [EDIT: Would nipples have killed you?! - EvilPL] Dr. Fate, like Booster, is adorned in comic book colors but again it works here. His "golden" helmet is removeable and features the goateed portrait of... um, Kent Nelson? Whoever it is, he comes with a hairpiece and that's always a good thing. Loving the flaired cape as well. Robin • The Penguin: I'm gonna start with The Penguin so I can talk about the ingenious way they've made him appear smaller than other figures. In short, he's wearing slippers. At first glance he looks like a tubby little guy thanks to his sculpted torso piece. But upon closer inspection you'll notice that his feet are shorter than those of other Minimates, making him noticeably more diminutive. That made me wish they'd done the same thing with Robin, especially since his sculpted skirt (for lack of a better term) adds height to his figure. However, using the slipper trick probably would have made the overall proportions of the figure look queer. He'd look like he has monkey arms so it was probably a good call. Accessories include a batarang and a closed umbrella. Penguin's hat is sculpted to his hair but I can live with it. Everything else looks good from the green scales on Robin's trunks to the grey highlights on his Silver Age mask. Unfortunately because the mask is painted on, you won't get Dick... just a bald, earless Robin. Tip your waitresses, folks. Have a safe trip home.