Teams That Would Fit Perfectly In The Current Boxsets

[NerdyTrev]

Had this thought late last night:

In 2012 we received two sets of 4-packs meant to combine and form the core of Alpha Flight. On the back of each box was a solicitation image of the opposite set indicating "Coming Soon!" or "Also Available!" 

Even so much as recently we had the two Power Rangers box sets which were intended to be united to form a single front packaging image.

Could the same model be applied to this way of releasing minimates? Plan two "waves" meant to be released within a short window of one another and intended to interact directly with each other? 

Example: A tandem release of Fantastic Four / Inhumans featuring two members of the Four and three members of the Inhuman Royal Family each. 

It could be done based on completing teams, commemorating storylines, etc.

[AFMcGill]

Which Inhuman is getting the shaft there? Lockjaw or Triton?

[NerdyTrev]

Absolutely not Triton. He's my favorite. 

May be a tad compromising, but Lockjaw could be a pack-in figure. Size could be achieved, but perhaps not mobility.

[AFMcGill]

There is that old Lockjaw (came with the bad adaptation of early Psylocke). And there's an old Black Bolt (and an animated Black Bolt AND an animated Medusa).

Luna minifigure?

(Actually maybe a Magneto Family themed boxset with Magneto, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Polaris, Crystal and a Luna minifgure could be a thing...)

[buttheadsmate]

 

1 hour ago, NerdyTrev said:

Absolutely not Triton. He's my favorite. 

May be a tad compromising, but Lockjaw could be a pack-in figure. Size could be achieved, but perhaps not mobility.

Lockjaw as a pack in figure? 

I wouldn't mind a set of Inhumans but it needs to be said that the animated Medusa was superb & very un-animated  looking & inexpensively plentiful on eBay . The same 2-pack had a rather dull (lazy design -sorry ) Black Bolt ...but he's OK .  What I'm saying is ....I'm not sure an Inhumans set is timely?

 

 

Edited April 16 by buttheadsmate
sp.

[NerdyTrev]

12 minutes ago, buttheadsmate said:

Lockjaw as a pack in figure 

 

As if you don't already have ample amounts of the previous Lockjaw minimate. Probably.  

[thereasonsy]

3 hours ago, TheMinimateKing30 said:

Oh, God, not a Battle-Damaged Spider-Man. That's giving me MAD Friends and Foes box set flashbacks 💀

Honestly, the goal is to not only get a new Electro, but just get new looks for most of the classic villains that don't rely on the animated stuff to do so. I cannot BEGIN to describe to you how EXHAUSTED I am in seeing the classic Green Goblin design in the comic book releases and ONLY that version. A Marvel Knights or Thunderbolts Goblin, IMO, would go HARD. Hell, I'd take a Final Chapter-styled Green Goblin if it meant we had just a BRIEF break from the classic design.

I hear you on this. I feel like I have the same figure 17 times over. And I barely wanted one. I vaguely recall that the new costumes weren’t selling well but that might be a Legends topic. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

2 hours ago, BuffaloDelorean said:

As a Thunderbolts fan, a Sinister Syndicate set would be pretty great, and the Wrecking Crew with a better classic Thor also seems like it'd be a good fit for this format.

I would love this but good luck getting my custom crew out of my hands! 
 

 

[DSTZach]

I think Inhumans is a tough sell right now. Maybe when the show came out there was a small window, but it was REAL small. 

And I think when we ultimately release the '90s X-Men sets, they will be companion sets like some have suggested. An apple that's worth the reach, as it were. 

[thereasonsy]

7 hours ago, buttheadsmate said:

 

Lockjaw as a pack in figure? 

I wouldn't mind a set of Inhumans but it needs to be said that the animated Medusa was superb & very un-animated  looking & inexpensively plentiful on eBay . The same 2-pack had a rather dull (lazy design -sorry ) Black Bolt ...but he's OK .  What I'm saying is ....I'm not sure an Inhumans set is timely?

 

 

I used a First Class Jean Grey head on it and forgot about it until you just brought it up. 

[Nessex]

11 hours ago, DSTZach said:

I think Inhumans is a tough sell right now. Maybe when the show came out there was a small window, but it was REAL small. 

If we're talking about the live action show that ABC produced... that window probably existed in the lead-up to the show's premier. 
The second that first episode went to air, it killed any hope for The Inhumans being touched again for a long time. 

[AFMcGill]

18 hours ago, DSTZach said:

I think Inhumans is a tough sell right now. Maybe when the show came out there was a small window, but it was REAL small. 

And I think when we ultimately release the '90s X-Men sets, they will be companion sets like some have suggested. An apple that's worth the reach, as it were. 

This gives me some hope... the last Minimates I got were the Dark Phoenix ones (I only wanted Gladiator but wound up having to get the whole wave because there's virtually no longer any eBay market for loose minimates). None of the boxsets have appealed to me personally. The Daredevil one has some things i want (D-Man and Mary) but again I can't even find one for sale and I'm accepting that there's zero chance I will ever see a loose one for sale. Not being in America is another factor and it's been so long since I got a Minimate it has made me lose sight of how fun the line can be.

The boxsets unfortunately lock one of the main appeals of the line away - interchangeable parts. It's been said before but nobody is going to buy a boxset because they see a set of legs or a head that would look good on a custom they envision. That now there's not much loose ones on eBay (who was that one seller that sold them all loose? I bought about 70% of my Minimate collection from there!), it's barely accessible to me. The extra cost of postage makes the idea of getting a boxset I already only want 2 figures from (and feel the need to improve Mary with Jean DeWolff legs)... the boxsets are a model that I would say are problematic because no matter what there will be customers who don't want all 5 figures. Either there will be a remake of a figure they already have and don't feel the need to upgrade or there will be characters they have no interest in. I would say, actually, the first two boxsets while not appealing to me, were at least selected wisely in that they mostly appealed to the same person. If you want one Young Avenger, you probably want all 6. Daredevil is a different case - I have a Kingpin, I have a Bullseye... not everyone does have those obviously, and Elektra-Daredevil isn't something I'm into (never read those comics) but I have wanted a Yellow Costume Daredevil for ages specifically to make a D-Man. I've wanted Typhoid Mary for ages (even if I have to kitbash some parts to make her look more like she did in the 80s). 

I don't know what I'm saying. As a line, I think Minimates need to be more available for people to buy them for their parts. I'd buy something I'm not interested in if it had a pentagram on a bare chest because it is begging to go on a Son of Satan custom I have laying around. If it's looked behind a weird boxset with 4 other figures, no way am I going to get it for that one chest block. My point here is that one of the biggest unique selling points of the line is gone with boxsets.

Obviously, a lot of personal taste and personal geography is colouring my thoughts but someone mentioned those Alpha Flight boxsets and those were great and the Young Avengers was a decent set if you're into that... New Warriors, Thunderbolts - they'd have been killer. Maybe overall the boxsets have to be slam-dunks, all the figures should appeal to the same person? If someone wants x, then they naturally want y as well. Try not to have someone who wants x but is affected by not wanting y. The Daredevil one felt particularly pick and mix and featured 1 new character to the line and a completely disconnected Daredevil design with a selection of modern designs on everyone else. 

Maybe just make a future boxset that is just an empty tray except for one figure and it is the classic 80s Beetle that matches the female Beetle's colours and then I'll shut up?

[DSTZach]

Just as a single customizer will not buy a five-pack to get one part, a retailer will not buy a case of 2-packs to sell one set. It is the new reality. 

Whether we can promote it or not, the play feature of Minimates is certainly interchangeability, and that play feature still exists within a box set -- it arguably exists more in a box set than a two-pack. Customizing is a much smaller subset of that play feature. It thrives here, but I don't think the average customer is trying to mod existing Mates. And most do not have three out of the five characters. Most POTENTIAL customers will want all five. 

If more than one person is interested in box set singles, ESPECIALLY if they're an international customer, they may want to talk to Luke about breaking up any of his remaining box sets and selling them individually. I don't know if that makes sense for him, business-wise, but if he is getting sales he wouldn't get otherwise...

Edited April 17 by DSTZach

[AFMcGill]

Well, I don't think I am the only person who has ever felt the need to change a Minimate to be more in-line with what they prefer or what they wanted?

I will apologise for any projection, I have felt incredibly outside and abandoned as a customer - I actually didn't even know DD was OUT (and I can't find any listing on Luke's?), I've been aimlessly searching eBay every week expecting the boxset to show up for sale somewhere. It's release, down to the figures included, seemed to be fluctuating and unsure - I had no idea it had actually been out for months (I think?). I'm someone who doesn't check things daily, at this point weekly or maybe even monthly. There's like 1 Marvel release per year! I knew it was coming out "some time in 2024" and have been keeping an eye out for it on eBay.

I have now found out the reason for my obliviousness and apparently unavailability - a .. certain eBay seller that once had a menagerie... began blocking people from viewing their store on any eBay besides .com when they changed their name away from specifically Minimates. I think all my frustration, disappointment and anger should now be directed at them. And those big stupid idiots even gave the loose Puppet Master the Ultimate Nullifier accessory instead of the loose Reed Richards that one time!!

Buying from Luke's is inevitable now, I guess. I did definitely get X-Factor wave from him (with several Madri) and I think Dark Phoenix too. Always wanted to get some sticker sheets and loose parts just for fodder but it'd always come time and it's like "yeah, I can't justify the postage cost on small buys" which equated to me getting the entire Dark Phoenix wave when all I really wanted was Gladiator and maybe Dark Phoenix.

Just it was nice going through eBay and cherry-picking what I wanted when that was an option because... well, I use eBay to buy most other hobby things that I buy... it was easier to go on eBay and search for things than going to another specific website.

[DSTZach]

2 hours ago, AFMcGill said:

Well, I don't think I am the only person who has ever felt the need to change a Minimate to be more in-line with what they prefer or what they wanted?

Not at all. I just meant it is not the first thing most customers think of. 

2 hours ago, AFMcGill said:

I will apologise for any projection, I have felt incredibly outside and abandoned as a customer - I actually didn't even know DD was OUT (and I can't find any listing on Luke's?), I've been aimlessly searching eBay every week expecting the boxset to show up for sale somewhere. It's release, down to the figures included, seemed to be fluctuating and unsure - I had no idea it had actually been out for months (I think?). I'm someone who doesn't check things daily, at this point weekly or maybe even monthly. There's like 1 Marvel release per year! I knew it was coming out "some time in 2024" and have been keeping an eye out for it on eBay.

Sorry you feel abandoned, we have been trying to regularly pump out Marvel sets, but we are only now getting back up to speed. I'm hoping that with this next Spidey set being revealed this Friday and offered next Friday, that will be three Marvel sets we will be able to release in one calendar year (2024). It may not always work out like that, since DD came out in January, and the third may hit in December, but fingers crossed. 

2 hours ago, AFMcGill said:

I have now found out the reason for my obliviousness and apparently unavailability - a .. certain eBay seller that once had a menagerie... began blocking people from viewing their store on any eBay besides .com when they changed their name away from specifically Minimates. I think all my frustration, disappointment and anger should now be directed at them. And those big stupid idiots even gave the loose Puppet Master the Ultimate Nullifier accessory instead of the loose Reed Richards that one time!!

I didn't realize he had changed his name, but he doesn't sell internationally anymore, either? That is unfortunate. 

2 hours ago, AFMcGill said:

Buying from Luke's is inevitable now, I guess. I did definitely get X-Factor wave from him (with several Madri) and I think Dark Phoenix too. Always wanted to get some sticker sheets and loose parts just for fodder but it'd always come time and it's like "yeah, I can't justify the postage cost on small buys" which equated to me getting the entire Dark Phoenix wave when all I really wanted was Gladiator and maybe Dark Phoenix.

Postage is high across the board, it costs me $15-20 just to send an action figure part to the UK for customer service. But I know Luke offers out-of-package shipping and the like for international customers. 

Whatever route you choose, I wish you luck - I would subscribe to Luke's mailing list even if you don't order anything, so you can see what's out and what's coming up. You can also subscribe to the DST mailing list, but we don't have one just for Minimates, so you'll get a lot of toy news. But we also have regular sales, so that might be helpful. 

[TheMinimateKing30]

On 4/16/2024 at 11:29 AM, thereasonsy said:

I hear you on this. I feel like I have the same figure 17 times over. And I barely wanted one. I vaguely recall that the new costumes weren’t selling well but that might be a Legends topic. 🤷🏻‍♂️

The Bring on the Bad Guys! and Wave 41 Green Goblins are, IMO, sufficient enough as just classic Goblins. The former if you want detail, the latter if you want the glider and alt. Norman Osborn head.

I want a design we haven't seen before. Again, if marketability is the issue, a Thunderbolts Green Goblin is the perfect answer.

https://www.chasingamazingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/image28.jpg

It's just a moderately-updated look to the classic design. Throw in a glider and an alt. Norman head and boom. Instant lure for young and experienced collectors alike.

[buttheadsmate]

No argument from me, your post is spot on ......although...

...IMHO the 15 year old GG* (Bring on TBG)  is perfection & it is the only true comic version out of the 9 GG we have gotten (Himmel ) .    The other versions look archaic or straight from a Walgreens wave.    

* which was also included in TRU Wave 2 . TRU wave 2 had 10 characters which included (to date) my favourite Green Goblin, one of my favourite Spider-Mans , my favourite Magneto, my favourite Doctor Doom, my favourite Punisher ,my favourite coloured Hulk , perhaps my favourite Wolverine , my favourite Wonder Man & ....cor blimey mate ...Union Jack 

TRU Wave 2    ....that wasn't a wave it was a Tsunami .....wonderful.

 

 

[TheMinimateKing30]

On 4/18/2024 at 6:33 PM, buttheadsmate said:

No argument from me, your post is spot on ......although...

...IMHO the 15 year old GG* (Bring on TBG)  is perfection & it is the only true comic version out of the 9 GG we have gotten (Himmel ) .    The other versions look archaic or straight from a Walgreens wave.    

* which was also included in TRU Wave 2 . TRU wave 2 had 10 characters which included (to date) my favourite Green Goblin, one of my favourite Spider-Mans , my favourite Magneto, my favourite Doctor Doom, my favourite Punisher ,my favourite coloured Hulk , perhaps my favourite Wolverine , my favourite Wonder Man & ....cor blimey mate ...Union Jack 

TRU Wave 2    ....that wasn't a wave it was a Tsunami .....wonderful.

 

 

On God. IK the Heroes to the Rescue Spider-Man is considered peak Spider-Man (I can agree that it is a peak Spider-Man in its own right)... I'm still more biased towards the Wave 24 Spider-Man being the greatest comic book Spider-Man Minimate ever released. Vibrant red, dark blue, and some of the best printing I've ever seen on a Spider-Man. But, that's a conversation for a different thread.

The Wave 86 Green Goblin, despite some gripes with it, looks absolutely amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

(Still waiting on my coveted Thunderbolts and Marvel Knights Goblins in the meantime XD)