drgnrbrn316

Thanks a lot for the laugh Ivan. After seeing Spidey's naked keister plastered on the website, I temporarily went blind from shock. You owe me $80 for the eye exam man.

That's a good question. I know I'm customizing six characters just so they fit the selection I've made. I imagine using what's been provided officially for you would work ok, but it could hurt you come voting time.

Rules says a cover or panel from a DC, Marvel, or Independant comic showing minimates, be them custom or official. Sounds to be within the limits to me, though I imagine the ruling is determined on whether 4 panels is acceptable over the already agreed upon 1.

I might would be tempted to open one of those Dragon Design Gold Spideys, but never one of the numbered ones. Worth far too much for me to play in the bathtub with like all the rest... ...I've said too much.

Thanks! Spidey-Lizard was achieved in much the same way as my original Lizard. A small hole at the bottom of his back allowed me to attach his tail, and a Venom head and hands were used to give him his animalistic look. I even took some plastic from an action figure box and fashioned the tattered remains of his mask on the back of his head. James is a Bruce Banner hair-piece, Unmasked Spidey head, New X-Men Wolvie jacket, and a toothpick, Punisher pistol, and Lego rifle for accessories. I painted him and Pyramid head with a dry brush to give them the grainy look and feel from the game. That rifle was a pain to fit his hands too. I have the scars on my fingertips to prove it!

Updated with the first two completed characters from my Silent Hill 2 "line". Also added more to the Faces of Spider-Man list (remember, all of these are real costumes worn in the comics!) Finally added the first completed Enforcer, as promised! A work in progress added also, with a Bulked-Up Hulk. I need to work on matching the green hues. On the horizon: More Spideys! More Villains! More Silent Hill! And maybe Red Sonja!

I do understand that acquiring and holding a license isn't as simple as snatching it out of the air as it floats by. I'm just baffled by the choices that have been made. It would seem that there is a lot of property that isn't being touched by LEGO, Mega Bloks, and other figures and sets of that scale and build. Whether AA is trying to bring in a wide variety of products with a single license (which does make sense) or they just aren't trying, I don't know. Should we ever get an "Ask AA/DST" section running (assuming they're willing to play ball with us), I'd be interested in learning the ins and outs of going from license to product. You bring up an interesting point though Cyc. The delays with waves 12 & 13 do seem to mirror the final months of LotR. Of course, with Marvel figures being included with DVDs and control art for the new 4-packs being debuted, there is suggestion that the powers-that-be are still working on this line.

I imagine so long as its in the minimate style, like the Giant Sized X-Men or maybe even that Toyfare mock cover for Powerman and Iron Fist, then its all good.

I came onboard as a minimate fan a year or two ago, and its a decision I've not regretted so far. My addiction to the line started with interest in collecting Spidey and his villains, but soon expanded to where I had the entire Marvel line. My interest quickly spread to the DC C3 line and the Indiemates as well. I had little interest in the LotR line due to the blandness of normal people and lack of interest in the movies, but I still purchased some sets to "help the cause". And thus, my love for the little people grew from the modern era of minimates (I missed the boat on the 3" lines, and haven't really tried to dig back into the past). I've seen some ups and downs in the lines and I've always remained hopeful. But lately, I've felt that hope waining. Its my hope that next year will breathe some life into my little addiction, as this year has been a bit of a blow to my optimism for the line. How, you may ask? Well, let's take a walk down memory lane: Lord of the Rings We finally received something in the way of conformation that the Lord of the Rings line was dead after the numerous delays that pushed back Wave 3. This news did not shock me greatly, as I had never been a die-hard fan of the line, since there's only so much flash and color you can add to normal people, and the movies had come and gone by now. Still, three waves was a good run for a movie product, as the buzz surrounding most movies tends to fade rather quickly. However, since LotR had been the easiest minimate sets to find in my area, it made me slightly nervous in regards to the future of the minimate product as a whole. Street Fighter The first of the new license to appear in the last year, the Street Fighter line showed a lot of promise, being the best quality paint aps and construction, with a wide variety of colorful characters to pull from, not to mention a unique accessory in the form of energy blasts. However, recent revelations show that the line isn't doing as well as management had hoped and that the future looks troubling. Though the finger pointing has varied between lack of key characters and excess of lesser known characters, the ultimate problem seems to stem from lack of availability in key markets, and not much interest in Street Fighter in general. So, one of the lines that's supposed to herald in the new era of minimates starts to buckle under pressure. Battlestar Galactica Another new license, BSG comes equipped with a built in fanbase, much like Star Trek, Street Fighter, and LotR before it. With a new series airing on SciFi and a classic series still beloved by many, this line too shows a lot of promise. Personally, I've never had much of an opinion of the show, one way or the other, though I do intend to do my part to support the line when it finally ships. Unfortunately, the line has failed to produce much more than control art for the characters it intends to ship. We've seen a few sculpts of a couple characters, and not much more. With delays running rampant on all things minimate this year, hopefully this line will not buckle before it can be released, much like the fate of Batman Begins. Speed Racer A new license based on an upcoming revival of a long dead anime show. This line shows some promise in the inclusion of the characters' cars. However, with only two characters shown thus far, with not much in the way flash in the character design to boot, my thoughts on this line are wary. I was never a big fan of the show in its beginning, and have little interest in the upcoming revival. I realize this could be another cult classic with a built in fanbase, but if not handled properly and not marketed in the right areas, this line could fail before given a chance to expand, much like Street Fighter. Movie Mates A few new licenses mentioned this year focused on upcoming movie projects. X-Men: The Last Stand was mentioned in the previous year, but as the release date for the movie inched closer and closer, we never saw control art, prototypes, character line-ups, anything. The movie has come and past with still no word on a definitive anything in regards to the line, though it has been suggested that the interest is still present to warrant the venture. Another movie to be minimated is the upcoming Rocky picture, this one heralding in a line of figures presumably ranging throughout the entire film series. A few pieces of control art have been released thus far, but to me, its hard to get behind a range of plain characters when there's so many other more appealing licenses going unnoticed. Also, given the dated material that the line is based off of, I find it highly doubtful that the line will flourish as others have in the past. The third movie license revealed to us is the upcoming Ghost Rider picture. With control art featuring a variation of the Ghost Riders we've seen in the Marvel line and a rather mundane character wielding a shovel, personal interest in this line is very little at the moment. With the chances of a motorcycle ruled out, despite this not falling under the original Marvel licensing agreement (to my knowledge), There's little keeping me interested in this line as well. All this being said, the future of these various movie mates doesn't seem to appealing or promising to me. LotR showed us that lines based on movies only work for so long. The cult favor of aged movies such as Rocky may generate a built-in fanbase, but I do not see any longterm growth coming from this or any of the other movie related lines. Kelloggs The latest license announced from the boys upstairs. This, in my opinion, is the worst step towards building a better tomorrow for the minimate. I understand more licenses with more widespread recognition creates a name for the product, but cereal?! You have unused licenses like Star Trek in your pocket, with who knows how many licenses for far more appealing lines based off of countless TV shows, movies, books, games, anime shows, cartoons, etc floating out in limbo just waiting for someone to snatch it up and run with it, and you bring in cereal? If this isn't building a product foundation on sand, I don't know what is. MAX Statues Debuting two of the bigger characters from the Marvel Universe, the MAX statues were considered the only way to obtain the larger than life characters. However, the inarticulation, the fragile sculpt materials, and the hefty price tag doomed this line before it ever got a chance to really get started. In AA/DST's defense, there really wasn't much choice in how the line was approached, but its a shame it had to end the way it did. Exclusives This year saw a very low number of minimate exclusives released, whereas in previous years, they have shipped in excess. There were no Wizard World exclusives, no Marvel related 2-packs, nor anything else we've come to expect over the past few years. A very disappointing year was spared by the inclusion of the Emerald City Comic Con minimates, the John Stewart exclusive, and the Bad Apple/Red Cross figures. Exciting and interesting as these inclusions were, compared to previous years, this year was still lacking. DC Direct Rising from the ashes of the doomed DC C3 line, the DC Direct minimates has generated the most buzz this year. The control art and prototypes of the figures, as well as the mapping out of not one, not two, but three waves of characters. DC Direct has really raised the bar with their line-ups, showcasing more than the "Big 3" and offering up a wide range of villains to boot. Built up to herald in the new era, the wind has fallen from the sails, however, with delays in the production and shipping of the line. Though its to be expected with a new line, the bad news still brings into doubt the future of this line. Only time will tell. And finally, the "flagship" of the minimate line: Marvel Coming from a year that saw blatant part reuse and repaints, this year was supposed to be the big turn around for the Marvel line. In the past, I could understand the part reuse, the repaints, the reissuing of older characters. But in some of the corners cut to get the New Avengers and Astonishing X-Men produced, both in part reuse and in paint aps, not to mention the year long wait on these figures, while more time and effort were devoted to other lines, I've gone from accepting the necessity to frustrated at what the line has turned into. With a roster of over 5000 characters, do we really need wave after wave of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, etc, with no new parts or looks for the figures? And when you have to do a part reuse wave, why can't you use parts from the existing molds to flesh out the character? No boots or mask for Wolverine, no boots or chestpiece for Colossus, no excessive armaments for Nick Fury, no weapons at all for Ronin. And when they couldn't make a skull cap for Luke Cage, rather than release him bald, they draw attention to the fact that they couldn't be bothered to adorn him properly by painting the hat on. The line shows promise in rereleasing old figures with new DVDs, getting 4-packs and resolicits in more mass market places, and generally stirring up some interest in Marvel minimates. But, all this interest will amount to nothing if AA/DST fail to run with it. With big events like Avengers Disassembled, House of M, Annihilation, Planet Hulk, and Civil War coming and going with no acknowledgement from the minimate line, how are you going to keep the comic book fans happy with a comic book line? Why collect your favorite heroes if you've no one for them to square off with? Why collect at all when your favorite character is passed over time and again for Battle-Damaged, Unmasked Spider-Man, or Wolverine with a slightly different costume, but the same exact look? As I've said above, I love minimates. I support the lines as best I can when they arrive. If they arrive. But if any of these lines, or minimates in general are to thrive, the powers that be really need to step things up and show us that they can move in the right direction. At the moment, all they're doing is telling us about good things to come, yet showing nothing. And with the lines that are working, they're just spinning their wheels rather than move in a positive direction. I know nothing on the production of these figures, so if my concerns or assumptions are misplaced, then I apologize. Its just when you go this long with nothing to show for it, even the most diehard of followers starts to question exactly where you're headed.

Not strange at all. The actress who played Rose said that the costume department was supposed to be making her one of those costumes to keep.

Its good to see these "gems" given their own section on the site, but I'd have called it "Upcoming Lines" or something along those lines. After all, Rocky and Kelloggs don't exactly share a whole lot of common points, other than being turned into minimates.

They also promised us big things this year for Marvel, but all we've seen is Battle-Damaged Unmasked Spiderman. No, this line is on the ropes and the fight hasn't even started yet. We've seen art for the Ghost Rider movie and for Rocky mates, but nothing for X3. I'm not getting my hopes up until I see an advertisement selling them (not pre-ordering them)

Nothing in Greenville really sells them anymore. Marvel 4-packs, LotR 4-packs, and DC C3 used to be available in small quantities at TRU, and I could find Marvel Wave 6(?) at my local comic book store. But for the past few months, there's been a whole lot of nothing here in G-ville. Darktide is on shelves of TRU now, and the Ultimate Avengers 2 minimates at TRU and K-Mart, but I've never seen Street Fighter anywhere here, nor have I seen anything mate related at Target/Walmart/etc. I can't say Street Fighter was doomed by character choices, because they had a wide variety with unique looks and pieces, and it seems to me that colorful variety sells a lot better than plain looking people like Star Trek and LotR. No, what seemingly killed this line (and will kill all others if things don't change) is lack of wide-spread availability and wide-spread awareness. I know TV and print ads are expensive, but as has been said before, you have to spend money to make money. There should be ads for these things on every related website, every related publication, etc. How many people bought Ultimate Avengers because of the mates in Greenville? Me. They're relatively unknown here. What little exposure they've had is lost because I haven't seen any sort of marketing for them, nothing to generate any sort of interest. Had the commercial for Ultimate Avengers had a little blurb at the end about shopping at Toys R Us to get the exclusive Cap or Iron Man, then maybe it would have been different. I know we're talking about Street Fighter here, and not Marvel or LotR, but the thing is that these things will never sell if they aren't available to a market or are just not known to the consumer.

I can picture the ad campaign now. First, we show this: Then this: Really, I can't see how this idea can miss!

I'm not even remotely excited by this particular line. Who needs Lord of the Rings or Street Fighter, we have Tony the frickin' Tiger! This can't miss! Again, as I've said before, I can't picture anyone sitting at home, enjoying a nice bowl of Frosted Flakes, looking at the box and thinking, "If only I had my own miniature Tony the Tiger to play with, then my life would truly be complete." Perhaps I'm wrong on this and there's this whole underground community of cereal-related collectors, but I'm not thinking they are any larger a market than those who followed LotR or Street Fighter. I know they can't match comicbook collectors, yet our beloved Marvel and DC keep getting pushed back and all we're seeing is one seemingly stupid business decision after another. I've got plenty of paint and plenty of LEGO bandanas that can be used to work on Tigra and Bishop. I'm staying away from these things.

True, but at the same time, comic book stores are more likely to stock comic book related characters on their shelves. Street Fighter didn't have that luxury. At the same time, Street Fighter is a dated product. With who knows how many companies trying to jump on top of the "bubble" of opportunity for a SF line, the minimates just got bumped off. Should be interesting to see how BSG and Speed Racer fair though.

Curse you! You beat me to it! Good work though.

God I missed this place!

I think the tie-ins that haven't shifted probably won't play key roles in the main title or the other tie-ins. The only concern I have is if they happen to do something like they did after Spidey unmasked where the other books kind of showed the news reports in the background. As far as the minimates are concerned, I'd be happy just to see the promised New Avengers/Astonishing X-Men ship.

LOL! Funniest thing I've heard all day! Given the massive amount of new pieces necessary for these guys, I'd say that the "production delays" is probably a pretty accurate account. If we were talking three waves of blatant reuse, then yeah, I might get worried, but there's been such a buzz for these things that I imagine they just want to make sure they have the stock to handle it.

Well, I've already made like ten minimate zombies, so I should be set for taking over the minimate world.

Correct! Take it away.

I got a couple copies of the dvd for trade or sale should anyone want just the movie.

What character made his debut in Adventures into Fear #19 alongside Man-Thing?

Is that one of the clones? Peter Parker's parents are Richard and Mary Parker, though Ben and May Parker substituted for most of his life.