J.P.

Here's a thread discussion of others already voicing their opinions of the newly announced SDCC 6" Battle Beasts... http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s...p;#entry1592105 I think the right move would be to produce the Battle Beasts Minimates as the actual line showcasing many diff. characters, PLUS having just a few of these 6" versions available for anyone wanting a larger more stylized figure to add to their collection. Because of the reasons I already discussed, & for $15 a figure this line standing alone as the premier Battle Beasts line would most likely fail. I DO think it would be a good move if these were released in conjunction with the BB MM line. It gives collectors another current BB option. If you like Iron Man, you have your selection of Mighty Muggs, Minimates, Marvel Universe, etc ETC, which are all different toy styles to satisfy many types of toy collectors. Yet if Battle Beasts is brought back and only as Minimates, it doesn't leave ANY option for those collectors who don't like block mini-figures, because even though these BB Minimates Gator Exclusives are unlike any Mates to come before, they are still very much so block figures and no doubt minifigs. So if that's the plan, I think it's a brilliant one for business & buyers I will definitely get 1 or 2 of these guys, but I should really go ahead and set aside a savings account for the BB MMs. Ha, I'm kind of joking, but only kind of. There will most likely be A LOT of characters and I hope the 2pk price doesn't increase due to the extra work & goodies

I just wrote a paragraph pertaining to these new SDCC "Battle Beasts" vs. Battle Beasts Minimates (if they make anymore beyond these croc exclusives) in a message to a member and thought, you know, I should post this, cause I'd REALLY like to hear others' opinions on the topic. So here it is, edited to be a post of course Has anyone heard any news as to what is to come of the Battle Beasts Minimates? After seeing pictures of those larger SDCC BB that are clearly not mates, I don't know what to think. Did any SDCC goers ask, or heard of anyone asking, Chuck whether they were still planning on having a BB MM line after seeing the larger ones on display? If so, what's the news? I've been so excited for the BB MM line to come, and although I admit the look of some of these larger beasties are really cool, others on display @ SDCC look downright stupid to me, and I would rather see this new look on the mates (we know it's possible & if anyone can do it AA can). If both lines happen, I think that could be really neat, but if abandoning the BB MM idea occurs & that's the route that Diamond & AA want to go, I think there are some large errors in judgment & making that switch would lose at least three key elements that would help sales and encourage growth upon an existing fan-base (significantly, in my opinion), not to mention jumping into a brand new market instead of continuing branching out in one that they already dominate. Also, I know I'm no economatician or mathemagician, but some of this seems like common sense following their market trends, so please hear me out before you rip me a new one (1) the possibilities in interchangeability that comes with the mates just improves upon that transformers/beast formers ideology which is where Battle Beasts originated. I think that this would bring in true Battle Beasts fans of old & perhaps even Transformers fans. Hell, I could see an entire new fan-base being created for a Minimates line that is meant to mix & match, choose your own teams, trade armor, add on weapons, make your own half-breed, etc... It may just be the photos I viewed of the recently revealed much larger SDCC Battle Beasts on display, but I believe the characters & their suits are all one piece, & even if they weren't, with the different sizes and shapes, the only interchangeability here will be hand held weapons, that is, if characters like the Octopus can even hold any weapons other than their own (the original Hasbro/Takara BB lines from the early 80s at least had the same understanding when it came to the hands, like Minimates do now) (2) Bringing articulation to the Battle Beasts world can only be a step in the right direction. The battle poses of these exclusive crocs or gators (whatever you want to call them, just dont call them luggage :hulk: ) look damn cool! And let's take that larger ape beast they had on display for example; what kind of bizarre pose was he stuck in? I say a ridiculously dumb one that nobody is going to want. Now I haven't heard anything about such, but to me, these figures look like soft viny/rubber/plastic that may have wire in the limbs for bendy articulation. If this turns out to be the case, that's fine for collectors displaying these figures, but the playability goes waaaaayyy down with, "Oops, the friggin wire broke!". As they always do (a recent Toy Break episode addressed the still current problem with the "9" Neca figures). Kids will not have fond memories of those battle beasts. Or if they do, you can guarantee they'll also have a memory of when the wire snapped and unfortunately the word "cheap" may also be used. (3) Collectors will be (and already are) wary about these newly announced larger BB, and collecting the entire series may be an issue. Collectors are quite favorable to the size of current BB & MM (Minifigures) because of the subjects, styles, & quality of course, but also because of the price-point & they allow for MANY figures, with plenty of room to display them. Us mini-figure fans are a proud, dedicated, and vocal bunch (like anyone with devotion towards what they like) & most likely we will not be purchasing many, if any, of these larger beasts, which means bye bye (not buy buy) old school Battle Beasts fans. How many animals do you think they'll actually be able to, or afford to produce? They've announced that these larger Battle Beasts will hit stores in 2011 @ $14.99, but no mention yet as whether sold in single or double packs at that price (Read more & see pictures HERE). I think anyone who knows Diamond or is just a Minimates collector purchasing at retail knows that $15 will be for 1 of these figures, hmm, just like the bendy "9" figures actually. And that line ended after 2 figures produced & was based on a major motion picture (this line's death includes accompanying reasons besides the toy quality though). If they trade minimates versions for these SDCC previewed, i think it will be a belly flop. They will never have the character # as the BB of old, they will most likely lose more fans than they will gain, and how many of those buying these figures are going to be able to own more than a few? I hope it doesn't hurt AA too much if they do... This could be worse than the Palisades Micronauts release I Joke Haha, when it comes down to it, I just REALLY want my Battle Beasts Minimates dangit. But hey, there's some stuff to talk about With Love for the Beast Mates, JPenguin

Check out this little "Blocumentary" on the passionate group called "AFOL" or Adult Fans of Legos by Director Jess Gibson. It's a wonderful look at the hardcore world of LEGOs collectors and builders. And you thought we were dorks (I KID!) Just recently released and already available to watch online through Vimeo, there is no excuse to skip this one! The love that this community has for the colorful tiny brick world of LEGO has brought about some breathtaking collections and innovations that will indeed make your... AFOL, A BLOCUMENTARY Feel free to discuss your thoughts about this video and share your own Lego stories of love, hatred, fond memories, 1st lego set, collections, alien abductions, etc. Also, would anyone happen to know if anyone from the Minimate Mulitverse is on there? Have Fun & Enjoy!

I hadn't even thought of that. Good observation. On the real-world side of the M.A.X. line, you know that there will be terrorists mates, and someone will raise a ruckus about it. Still, the announcement of villains brings to mind some really cool possibilities (some of those despicable me vehicles would be fun even - too late for that one though.. custom?), and there will always be someone wanting to complain. Ha, I remember hearing someone comment, saying the Power Man mate released is racist because of his fat lip (true stuff. my cousin knew a guy who knew a guy)... Can't please everybody either (as we've seen with the responses from board members over the sdcc announcements - everyone has good points though). And it's most likely that the # of those whose feathers do get ruffled will be a small enough minority that those feathers will just disappear on the wind... I can see there also being a response of respect for depicting "real world" conflict too... ...and about the comic con stabbing I've heard from some of you multiversers before about how ridiculous the space issue is at sdcc (i've never been myself), and this CNN video about the stabbing brings that into question, concerning the excitement of all the attendees and not enough room for everyone to enjoy what they may have paid for. I guess it can be argued that if one was dedicated enough, they'd get to the panel super early, but still if there are 400 people camping out for a seat in a 300 capacity room (this is an example, i know it's not exact), would the next level of dedication become physically fighting for seats? Seriously! If I ever attend, maybe I'll have to prepare kaiju big battle style I dont know what really happened, and apparently neither does anyone yet, but this vid raises good question: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/07/25/comic....bing/index.html ...for all the reporting, guys (what, i'm on a roll)

This would be a great time to bring in Sinister, FINALLY at least. That would be Awesome if I wasn't such a broke bastich

PLANET BEAST :hulk:

Jeff, that is really REALLY cool! Take it from a guy who's had triple digit procedures and has medical problems that can't be fixed with modern technology, IF it does come to that point (NOT THAT IT WILL, but if it does), the BEST person to have on your side is someone who can roll with complications. It's wonderful if one is superb at performing the job they are required to in order to get successful results from a mapped system/strategy, but even better when they can remain calm and work miracles in the face of danger in the unexpected... Being the best oncologist in the province is not a self-proclaimed title. One must earn that kind of respect. It seems Kyrra is in the best of hands. I'm soo sorry to hear what you and your family, especially lil' Kyrra, is going through. There are many people here lifting her up, and you have many a friend here if you need us. Stay Strong and Hopeful, for in truth, there is no reason not to, and it is what Kyrra most needs right now - your love and conviction in assurance that everything will be okay. No matter what happens,... Everything will be okay. I'm here for ya, man. You guys are in my thoughts.

BHM, & the Captn are right! It can definitely be fun to track them down post-convention, and there's almost nothing like the excitement of finding one and for a good price/trade at that,.. but in some ways, I wish that the promos fit more to the "promotional" description; getting people excited about what the product is & what is to come with just a taste of what will be. By "taste", I mean - not as good as the actual release.. Although in truth, we have no idea how the Battle Beast line will turn out. We could be getting totally amped up for these promos because they are so new to us, they are the revival of a popular toy-line from some of our childhoods, and they're foreign in the way of minimates like we have never known with their sculpt, etc. And really, the market releases could blow these con exclusives out of the water, causing their value to only be cherished by us collectors (swallowing that $20-$100 based on what they are worth to us, not the market). Also, as anxious as I am for the new Battle Beasts, there are issues with this Gator promo that do leave it in that prototype stage, at least I hope so. Soooo, I just talked a few things out there and realize that where I started isn't where I ended. I think I just had a debate with myself. Ha, now I'm just confused. Anyone want to sort through my word vomit? I think what I'm trying to say is - I don't like the idea of limited exclusives, but at the same time, we'll all get a shot at the good stuff... hopefully. AND that is if the promos are meant to be just a taste, meaning we'll be blown away by the toy-line. I'm really thinking this must be so, with no underlying detail on the Gators' bodies, like promos of the past. It's just, why do these samples have to taste so AWESOME This doesn't mean I'm not down with the SDCC Battle Beast, because I'm all sorts of down with it! They Exist, they rock, I want one

Did they show any new Battle Beasts pictures other than the Gators we know of? Ditto. I still have Three C2E2 Beasties left, so if you still don't have one yet, there's a lot I'd trade for, including the world's 'best' PB&J perhaps I hope that one of the Gator variants, if they continue with the Gator as the Exclusive Promo BB, is a Clear Variant. Although, with it all not being one piece (like the clear BB of old), it may look odd and lose too much detail. Maybe if it was cloudy clear, it would work better. Ehh, whatever the case, I still want it

Oh, Rob. -> CHECK IT <-

yeah, i just went with the organ transplant option. turns out you really don't need your nipples.

yeah, i tend to be a mint in package collector with minimates, buutttt i think i'll just seek a loose feral from this one. maybe i'll change my mind once it's released. in light of previous sets, the final looks could differ (at least with cable and domino). i bet that deadpool is the final look though.

Haha, and where's Mr. Sinister? I would've bet we'd have seen him by now. Perhaps a save for AoA?

I cant begin to think how they would execute Nemesis to perfection, still we can hope. But yeah, I'm there with ya, Nessex. Thumbs Up to this 2pk!

For those of you that have seen these cardboard (are they actually cardboard?) playsets in person, are they as cheap as they look in the pictures? Worse? The idea of playsets since C3 is welcomed by me, but the only element here that attracts me too is the exclusive figures that they decide to issue with it, specifically Battle Beasts. Other than that, almost every aspect of this playset turns me off. A 3D block setting like C3 would be ideal, and if the reason for the flat printed cardboard playsets is financial, I'd almost rather not have a playset at all, than one so cheap. It will hopefully come with display putty, because even the slightest brush against the playset, and since it'll most likely be coated cardboard, then MY HEAVENS! - your figures go slip n' slide, and I imagine even trying to push down on the surface with display putty will most likely damage your playset pretty fast too (a bend or puncture)... Hmmm, I just couldn't justlify purchasing a cheaply constructed item for around $30 that would most likely break before the year's up... I'd really like to hear from anyone who has examined these in person. Perhaps if the graphics were more versatile & the price more agreeable I could accept it (you know, that "you get what you pay for" philosophy). There isn't enough for me visually, currently as is, with a LARGE research laboratory, an office building from the outside, and an alley/sewer. What if it indicated a more Battle Beastie environment, one where 3 of the sections were elemental? Ha, that just got me unnecessarily excited - like if one corner was a volcano scene, one an oceanic habitat under water, and another within a lush forest. I know that we're not even sure what will come of the use of elements if at all, or if this playset is supposed to have anything to do with BB other than the exclusive coming with, but even with what we already know of Battle Beasts, different scenes would be awesome, and definitely make me feel like I was getting my money's worth. Hell, having a variation between scenes gives us a lot of play with ALL Minimates (ex: Platoon set in forest), & when MAX comes out too, transferring the vehicles to different environments (ex: water crafts under ocean w/o touching water). The other corner & flats could still be available for a science lab, the moon, a subway sandwich, etc. Maybe they could provide dry erase markers and have a "Build Your Own Scene" Section. This I could get behind, although I still don't like the standing issue. Has anyone heard how they plan to keep the mates standing? Are there foot pegs that I just don't know about?