DSTZach

Bad news about the Redacted army dump being canceled.

The good news it wasn't a Redacted army dump. Never was. I won't remind people what it was, because I'm sure people would get even angrier. But timing, manpower, past performance and availability of reference all played their part in making it infeasible, I'm sure.

I too, missed out on Series 1. But that David is wonderful. Bravo!

Think you might have to custom them up yourself, boyd

i don't think DST is gonna re-visit the morrison/darktide era any time soon.

(although - i confess to wanting them as well)

You guys should plead your case to Ask DST. If we can make '90s X-Force members, why not '00s X-Men?

Q: Do you know if DST will be releasing an Army Builder dump bin as it did with the Cap A, IM2 & Thor movies?

(apologies if this has already been asked)

No. We had been planning one, and I inadvertently announced one, but we ultimately decided not to go with it. But the army builder sets in this wave are pretty great as it is.

Zach, should we still believe that latest release info that MvC wave two will hit specialty stores next week, or is there an updated bit of info causing delays and the loss of joy in the universe?

I can't say for sure until they actually arrive, but let's assume so for the time being.

I'm not sure if anyone asked this question already, but will Loki come with an extra hairpiece?

It doesn't look like it.

Bummer. I mean - i think i new that we weren't going to see MvC2 characters, but it didn't stop me from getting my hopes up that we'd end up getting Blackheart, Spiral & Marrow etc ....

But...they're Marvel characters...and - *knock on wood* - Marvel's still going...

He's got a point there.

Zach, will DST be revealing silhouetted versions of Maria and the REDACTED soon? It would be nice to at least see their outlines.

I don't think were allowed to show the redacted silho's. May 4 may very well be the first real look at them. That may change, but probably not.

Maria Hill is cleared on March 1, it seems, so we'll show her then. Her silhouette is nothing special. Honestly.

I think it's funny, in that scene where they're all standing back to back in a circle, getting their weapons ready, and the Black Widow... reloads her gun. She's gotta be thinking "what the !@# am I doing here with just a gun?" :biggrin:

What about Hawkeye? Standing next to freakin' Thor, Hulk, and Iron Man, dude has a bow and arrow. But then, that was always the case in the comics, as well.

[Removes DST cap, puts on fanboy cap] Every Avenger has their strengths and weaknesses -- for example, Thor does NOT do stealth. But I have to say, I have never questioned how Hawkeye measured up against the other Avengers. Not only have I always found him to be a badass, he's a man with a tool, like Cap or Iron Man or even Thor. Sure, Cap is physically superior, Iron Man's tool is more expensive, and Thor's is magical, but Hawkeye has precision on his side, and I always figured he could take down an alien ship with a well-placed exploding arrowhead as easily as Thor could with his hammer.

Also, I like his costume. :biggrin: And even a hint of maroon in his movie suit is enough for me.

But yeah, unless she has a bandolier of grenades, Widow is outclassed in that fight.

As always I'm hoping someone can shed some light, maybe offer up a small summary of what Darktide Is/Was, and why I should have these characters.

X-Men: Darktide was a boxed set of four Minimates that came with a DVD of an animated short film, created by the DAVE School and using the Minimate characters. It was sold at retail, and the X-Men were generally pretty angry in it. The other two characters in the set were Wolverine and Juggernaut, but the movie also featured Beast and Archangel. You can also see the movie in the Theater at artasylum.com, along with the Batman short the DAVE School did and the two stop-motion shorts we've made so far.

I'm sure people are happy to answer your questions all day around here, but I highly recommend the Minimate Database as a tool. It's pretty amazingly inclusive, aside from minor production variations. (A search for "Darktide" brings up all the figures.)

As far as Phoenix/New Phoenix goes, I think that was just the first Phoenix we made, so she didn't need a prefix.

Changey trousers Hulk, and Iron Man definitely had the triangle (DIDN'T have the circle) reactor in the first trailer (haven't seen the superbowl slot)

I do think, with the big need for secrecy surrounding films like this, that the reference stuff the toy companies are giving must end up being early concept stuff.

that or everyone spends the whole film getting changed.

Having covered this industry for years before joining DST, I can tell you that most toy companies work from early reference material. Minimates have a bit more leeway due to their relatively quick production time, but our movie Cap and Skull Marvel Selects were based on early costumes/renderings, hence the mask and face differences, and our Hawkeye uses data from before he had the sunglasses. DST has often had to pass on lines because we wouldn't have enough time to develop the product given the status of the reference art.

Iron Man, however, wears two different armors in the movie. Our Minimate is based on the Mark VII, with the circle. We're not making a Select of it, but we're re-issuing the Mark VI with the triangle.

Will the theoretical Hawkeye we should not worry about piecing together a QC for also have the same quiver setup?

Theoretically.

My main curiousty now on Hawkeye is this: How MANY arrows does he come with? Having them is great and all, but if he only comes with two, well, not as great. Granted I have a bunch I can put in the quiver, I was just wondering. I like accessories.

I think it's 3 permanent arrows, 3 removable. i think FI Hawkeye will have it, as well, but don't quote me.

Also, removable arrows and an empty quiver? I have two words for that. The first word starts with the letter F and the second words is Yes. Then there's some exclamation points. And he comes with a bow? Is it a NEW bow, or a bow we already have? I'm happy either way, but curiosity and all that. You know how it is.

He carries a compound bow in the movie, and the control art I'm seeing is for a compound bow. Also, it says "new bow."

Speaking of KITT variations... are you going to make the Un-SPM wih the bright orange pop-up-stoppy-things?

I don't think they're planning one with the braking system, but I know they have a few more they want to do. May not be until next year, though.

I know you are just ribbing me and all , but DST's recently released Medusa minimate is sporting similar seaweed pasties no bigger than Raven Hex's metal ones. Explain that.

Fair point. But Medusa has a BIT more coverage with that seaweed up top and a LOT more down below, not to mention the distracting starfish in the center. And I wouldn't call HER tame, either.

Hey Zach, can you confirm that Hawkeye's arrows are removable? And he will come with a bow, correct? Thanks!

Yes and yes.

Question: Will Cap's facial tampo line up with his mask better this time around to your knowledge?

When you say "this time around," do you mean an earlier Cap had a tampo that did not line up, or are you simply referring to this prototype?

Here's a photoshopped pic of the Avengers. I took away the hulk's exposed neck and shrunk his head ever so slightly. Looks better now (and probably what we'll be getting in the end. I also raised Captain America's mouth so it wasn't on his chin any more.

I meant to double-check that Cap's face tampo was off before I posted it anywhere, and it's possible he Hulk's head wasn't on all the way, but I don't see how Hulk's head would be smaller than what was shown.

I believe there was a decent amount of lag as well as moderation on their side. Seeing as I never saw my Lee Burns comment make it to the blog....

The Marvel.com guys approve every comment. Otherwise it would be a constant stream of curse words and people asking off-topic questions. Sorry the Lee Burns shout-out didn't make it on.

I'm not obsessed. You are hurting my feelings. Leesaaah,you are tearing me apart!!!

They have "The Room" in Greece?

Believe it or not, Maria Hill actually has her own embargo date. And she's the short-packed figure, I believe. The Aunt May of this wave.

BONUS: Apparently, the REDACTED name spread to Marvel.com a while back, and they couldn't figure out why people were saying the villains were called the REDACTED. Apparently, it was my fault.

The MvC3 license only covers the SF players in that game, and it looks like we're getting to all of them by Wave 3.

All of them? Does that cover cameo appearances as well?

It does not cover cameo appearances. None of those characters are in the third wave we have planned.

wasn't there a Raven Hex minimate prototype kickin' around back when a potential Tarot 4-pack was in the works?

UPDATE: Just found it. Why couldn't DST just use this version of Raven Hex? Seems "tame" enough for the casual collector.

We were talking about that one above. I wouldn't be surprised if the nudity was an issue to some retailers, but I'd still like to see the character get made. Although somehow, I'm not surprised that a nearly nude figure wearing steel pasties is "tame" to Mini-Myte. :biggrin:

Zach, think we'll see any of those "surprise" boxed sets this month at Toyfair?

Totally off-topic. Since most of them are retailer and/or convention exclusives, probably not.

So more relentless teasing, eh? You know the problem with prolonged teasing? The payoff had better be really, really good.

Hey, he asked. I wasn't gonna mention them again.

And rest assured, no matter how good I think these sets are, I'm sure someone on here will say they could have been better.

There is one way we can get a mega man Minimate. Well,not the blue boy but the fat blue-yellow middle aged dude but it's still mega man,right? Well,we can get him if they aquire the sfxtekken. That way we can get tekken,street fighter and megaman and pacman and cole from infamous.The video game reveals that I'm hoping for are:

Sfxtekken-who wouldn't want having blanka and a guy in a tiger mask? Or a devil guy?

Mk-Come on,iced ninja vs fierry skeleton ninja vs kratos?oh and kratos!!!

Gow-badass overly sculpted dudes with insanely chainsaw weapons vs ugly grey monsters. Who wouldn't like that?

Soul calibur-this way we may get a spawn and the game's characters have some very awesome designs!

Ninja gaiden-so many monsters,so many weapons for ryu and so many cool characters and designs.

If a game has special guest characters exclusive to one system (Kratos, Spawn), they are likely NOT covered under the game's license.

Rich, there's an online form, yes:

http://www.artasylum.com/question

Use it for customer service issues (although there's not much we can do for overseas customers) and for DSTChuck Q&As. Anything else, feel free to message me.