minivenom

I bought that one and the stolen treasure chase or whatever it's called (with the jeep and truck) last weekend. As I started building I was talking to my girlfriend in my best Sean Connery accent and she told me I was warped. I'm thinking about going out today to buy the $20 set, and sometime after Christmas I'll get the big set. So much to buy, so little money...

I completely agree with you on that one. The real disappointments to me are characters who get a bulky chest but really shouldn't. It totally ruins the look of the character. Minimates like Martian Manhunter and Nightcrawler weren't as good as they could have been because of the chest piece. Power Girl was crap, etc...

But your user picture is one of the most recent minimates? One with a specially detailed/sculpted torso at that? Clearly it's not quite as dire as you say, if you pick one of the new adulterated minimates to represent you visually in the forums. Yeah, ironic ain't it?

I'm definitely turned off to the newer Minimates. I was looking at an original Hulk earlier today and thinking about how much the Minimates have changed and it's a real disappointment. I think that's what has pushed me more into my LEGO habit. They continue to be simple figures, with the occasional sculpted head where appropriate, but no silly giant torsos and such. To me, Minimates have lost the essence of what made them "minimates".

I guess nostalgia is one thing that causes me to collect toys like Star Wars and GI Joe. I can't really explain how the block figure thing got started, though. I didn't care for LEGO as a kid, and now it's the main toy I buy. I love the LEGO minifigs and my Minimates. I like to pose them and make little comic scenes, but I haven't done it for quite some time now. I just haven't had the time to enjoy my toys lately. As to what exactly drives me to spend my hard earned money on toys, I don't really have an answer. Maybe I should seek counseling.

In my experience with the 2" Minimates, (which means from the beginning of the Marvel line) I have owned several copies of the same minimates and there have always been variances in the shoulder ROM. Poor QC and varying molds have given us Minimates with arms that won't stay on the shoulder joints, arms that hardly have any side movement, hip joints that snap off in legs, and snapping knees and elbows. I don't think there is an exact answer to when the "new" shoulder joint debuted. Some waves have been better than others, but you pretty much just buy them and pray for a good set.

HOLY CRAP!!!! I got it today, boys and girls. The box weighs almost 28 pounds! I've got a lot going on right now so it will be a couple days before I even open it. I'm hoping I'll be ready to start by Monday or Tuesday of next week. I'll be sure to take pictures of the box, all the pieces still bagged, assembly in progress, etc... Should be loads of fun.

I turned in all 30, and only qualified for an honorable mention. Perhaps one of my pics was not allowed? No worries, either way. It was still a lot of fun taking pictures, and like everyone else I can't wait to see everyone's pictures. Thanks to all you guys who made this contest possible. It seems that everyone who participated had a good time... and all of us "grownups" had an excuse to play with our toys.

I sent my pics, but between drama at home and a new ISP, and my girlfriend having to send the second half of my pictures, I don't know if they all went through. I hope they did, but I have to head out right now, so if they didn't then I guess I'm just out of luck. Win some, lose some. Either way, it's been a ton of fun doing these pictures. Thanks to everyone who made this happen. This place rocks!!

I've got to side with the converted skeptics on this one. Last year, I saw pictures in Toyfare and hated them, but upon seeing them at WWC 2006 I thought they looked fine. I think Batman looks better than any of the others. I also agree that Harley's face looks kind of fat, but it's all good. They are block figures, and things like that can be forgiven.

OK, I'm in. Meet Mini-minivenom!

Don't worry, Shane's Shockini is always at the top of my shopping list.

I will be there on Saturday. Can't really afford to stay overnight this year, so I had to settle for a one day pass. I'm probably hopelessly behind on Minimates, but I'll be buying whatever I can find at the show, and then it's off to the LEGO store to spend even more money!!

I've been every year since 2003, and those pictures really bring back some memories. I'll only be there on Saturday this year, but I'm really looking forward to the show, and hitting the LEGO store afterward.

My current grail is a shiny gold C-3PO LEGO minifig. For those who don't know, LEGO is randomly packing 10000 into this year's Star Wars sets.

Man, I could never part with my bombermate. I was so stoked when I got mine and saw it personalized with my username on the package. If the day comes that I part with my entire minimate collection, this piece is staying with me, if for no other reason than to have proof that Timbo is a good-hearted pimp.

Finally the superior Shockinis get the respect they deserve. All is well with the world!

I find the occasional few minutes to play with LEGO.

Aw, it's nothing to get worked up over. He's just happy to see you is all. I've actually got several minimates with the same style crotch. I first noticed it on some of the C3 Minimates. Both my Superman and Batcave Joker have this style crotch. I imagine it was just an abnormality in one of the molds used. Damn, you know you really have no life when you spend a Saturday evening talking about the crotches of your toys. Yes, I am a complete and total loser.

Hope you buy him dinner first. :biggrin: Of course. What kind of guy do you think I am?

I've got three of them, and both legs are molded plastic on all. It seems really strange that they would assemble a figure with one painted and one molded leg, but we've seen lots of strange crap with our beloved minimates so I can't say it surprises me. The other thing to consider is whether or not you're sure the leg is painted. I realize that it looks different, but I have seen cases where the plastics and paints used don't match up just right. See any of the Walmart twopacks for samples. Spidey looked horrific. To see whether or not it's painted, pop the leg off the hip and look in the leg hole. If it's all blue, it's not a painted leg.

I generally prefer colored plastic over painted parts. The fact that painted parts look more vibrant is a good argument, but I think it's more due to the plastic AA uses on the Minimates than anything else. Take LEGO minifigs, for instance. Molded pieces and vibrant colors. The other problem I have with the painted bodies is all the broken hips our Mates have been suffering lately. The extra paint in the joints is causing quality issues.

Yeah, I agree with Rad. We really should start acting like a proper internet forum and abuse the noobs. Time to bring out the tried and true veteran replies to noob posts. Things like: "Try using the search function, noob douchebag!" "OMG! This thread was discussed to death on March 6th, 2001. Where the hell were you?" And my personal favorite "Go kill yourself." I promise on my entire Shockini collection that I will do a better job.

I'm dying to see this movie. I really enjoyed the first two and, judging from the trailer, the third is going to kick some ass as well.

Mega Bloks' building blocks suck royally. They are just a touch better than the C3 bricks and that's not saying much. The original Mega Bloks figures also suck major ass. I can't think of anything nice at all to say about them. The newer, more articulated figures they have now still feel cheap compared to LEGO and Minimates, but they are a HUGE improvement over what MB has done in the past. The heads are maybe a tad too big for the bodies, but overall they are decent "block figures." I bought a $5 or $6 set just to get a Captain Jack Sparrow figure and I think it's pretty cool. I really want to break down and get the new Spiderman 3 figures as well, but only if I find them on clearance later, as I don't want to pay the extra money for blocks I'm never going to use. Overall, and this is coming from a huuuge LEGO fan, I'd say the new style MB minifigs are worth a purchase if it's a property you like, but avoid the older stuff like the plague.