DSTZach

I can start posting pics here on the boards, as well. Not sure why I haven't! Full galley is here on Artasylum.com: http://www.artasylum.com/gallery/marvel-minimates-42/

I wouldn't think before Toy Fair. But hopefully then.

It did when I posted it a few weeks ago! http://www.facebook.com/diamondselecttoys#!/media/set/?set=a.273694412674823.72554.170392609671671&type=3

I've only been writing packaging (or anything at DST) since May, so I didn't do those, but I HAVE tried to focus on character info over storylines in my bios, unless the storyline is crucial to the set. So by all means, let me know if you have any complaints about Marvel 41/11, Curse of the Mutants, Age of X, Heralds of Galactus, Universal Monsters Series 2, Femme Fatales Set 1, or anythign from here on out. Marvel approves all packaging text, and I have had changes made to stuff I've written. MVC3 text I condensed from official guidebook bios, but I added where more info was needed. And I'll try to post some good Dani/Magma pics soon.

Scroll up, TM2. That's one of the Halo Reach boxed sets -- there are two and each comes with half the team. One of the Warthogs is new -- it has a Gauss cannon -- but the other is the classic model. A lot of the weapons are new, as well -- sniper rifle, shotgun, etc. Not sure the APC wil need the larger packaging. I BELIEVE it fits into the standard Vehicles packaging. But we are definitely going to have some vehicles coming up that need the larger packaging. The Halo Scorpion Tank may need it, but there are others in development, as well.

Behind-the-scenes: Zola's purple castle, pre-Photoshop:

Thanks for the pics -- I still haven't gotten complete TRU samples, so mine are missing a few accessories (half of Crossbones' gear, Cap's alt hair, Balder's sword, etc.) Happy to see everything they actually come with!

Very cool! I second what the guys said about a tripod -- a lot of the magic of moving toys goes away when the camera moves, too. It looks less like a movie and more like a series of photographs that kind of match up. I have a teeny-tiny tripod for my camera, it's only 4 inches high, so I can put the camera right on the desk. It was like $10 at OfficeMax. But I use that for my flip video camera, and not for stop-motion -- I wouldn't even try the latter! The fact that you had the patience to do this at all is amazing. But yeah, storyboards are very helpful if you want to shoot scenes out of order and re-cut them. I'll see if I can post the storyboards for the pirate episode our animator did...

Try to keep ferret-related replacement requests to a minimum. If we replaced every Minimate part that was ever devoured by a ferret, we'd be out of business.

Really great stuff, mikebit. Love the X-Factor, Hot Rod rocks, and that Nemesis is EVIL. Strong Guy looks cool, but I'm lovin' the Havok!

Sets that are sold out, and that came out while I stepped away from the industry for a couple years? And are awesome? Yes. I rarely see Marvel Minimates that old at TRU. Must have fallen behind a shelf. Also picked up Slimeblower Ray and Theater Ghost, but that's a tale for a different thread.

The TRU in Danbury, CT has these. Stupidly forgot to take inventory of characters, was too busy snapping up a deeply discounted Stilt-Man set.

Thanks, guys -- a lot of hard work went into it, and we actually had the basic setup live by SDCC. (Games came later.) I'll be updating the collection galleries monthly, if you need to see what's upcoming, and I'll post links to all the animations there. It's meant to be a true gateway to Minimates, skewing towards younger fans (no Femme Fatales or Universal Monsters content), but I would like it to be fun for collectors as well.

Hey, Ask DST! Appeal to Chuck's love of Spider-Man.

Sent you the pic on FB. It's First Appearance Thor raising his hand above his shoulder. Also, Balder. And Valkyrie. And Sif. And Loki. I'll post a galley this week.

In addition to the fact that the hole in the head should only happen when we want it to, the head plug is apparently not workable. The PVC can't be that thin, and the gap would be noticeable. So we'll just do our best to make sure the holes don't happen.

Mystery Man, did you see this shot I took?

Asked for clarification on tampo printing and head holes. Apparently, if a bald Minimate has a hole, it was either on purpose for hat placement, or a factory error. An example I was given was a tooling error on Cerebro required that Xavier have a head hole. But he was supposed to have no hole, and Cerebro was supposed to have no peg. But it's never done because it's easier or convenient. And tampo printing HAS gone up since the Carnage days. You pay per strike, and Carnage required one strike on every single side of him. What's more, printing a lighter color on dark requires multiple strikes to ensure opacity. So Carnage's eyes, or the top of Cossbones' head, would require three strikes.

The hair plug is pretty cool. After ten years, I won't assume that the designers haven't already thought of this and dismissed it for some reason, but I'll pass it along, if that's all right. I love the MAX figures as well, although I'm not sure what their suspenders have to do with the top of Crossbones' head. Rates must have changed between Carnage and today, because I do know that tampos are apparently super-expensive, and I'm pretty sure they charge per side, because I can't think of too many Minimates that have top-of-head printing. Sorry it's a sticking point for some people.

This is all great stuff, guys. Thanks! Marvel is getting a lot of love, but I guess that's mathematically appropriate. No BSG fans? Anything RGB knocking anyone's socks off? 24?

I really like the Disney-exclusive Iron Man, too.

Oh, I get it. But we're still trying to get the APC to work. But maybe you can put flaming wheels on that and call it the Secret Defenders van.

just got your PM... Awesome news, cheers! Ha ha. It's actually a beefed-up Jackal. Totally ripped. Followed by Jackalbuster Iron Man.

Not to toot DST's horn, but we've been making Minimates for 10 years, and there are over a thousand of them, and most of them are pretty damn good. BUT if we were to pick the best ones ever made, across all brands and eras, which would they be? I'm looking for single-figure nominations, from the entire Multiverse: Marvel, DC, Street Fighter, 24, Crouching Tiger, Back to the Future, Lord of the Rings, Ghostbusters, unique sculpts, bare bones, 2 inch, 3 inch... Suggestions? Anyone?

No way. DSTChuck would kill me.