State of the Minimate Address

[drgnrbrn316]

I came onboard as a minimate fan a year or two ago, and its a decision I've not regretted so far. My addiction to the line started with interest in collecting Spidey and his villains, but soon expanded to where I had the entire Marvel line. My interest quickly spread to the DC C3 line and the Indiemates as well. I had little interest in the LotR line due to the blandness of normal people and lack of interest in the movies, but I still purchased some sets to "help the cause". And thus, my love for the little people grew from the modern era of minimates (I missed the boat on the 3" lines, and haven't really tried to dig back into the past). I've seen some ups and downs in the lines and I've always remained hopeful. But lately, I've felt that hope waining. Its my hope that next year will breathe some life into my little addiction, as this year has been a bit of a blow to my optimism for the line. How, you may ask? Well, let's take a walk down memory lane:

Lord of the Rings

We finally received something in the way of conformation that the Lord of the Rings line was dead after the numerous delays that pushed back Wave 3. This news did not shock me greatly, as I had never been a die-hard fan of the line, since there's only so much flash and color you can add to normal people, and the movies had come and gone by now. Still, three waves was a good run for a movie product, as the buzz surrounding most movies tends to fade rather quickly. However, since LotR had been the easiest minimate sets to find in my area, it made me slightly nervous in regards to the future of the minimate product as a whole.

Street Fighter

The first of the new license to appear in the last year, the Street Fighter line showed a lot of promise, being the best quality paint aps and construction, with a wide variety of colorful characters to pull from, not to mention a unique accessory in the form of energy blasts. However, recent revelations show that the line isn't doing as well as management had hoped and that the future looks troubling. Though the finger pointing has varied between lack of key characters and excess of lesser known characters, the ultimate problem seems to stem from lack of availability in key markets, and not much interest in Street Fighter in general. So, one of the lines that's supposed to herald in the new era of minimates starts to buckle under pressure.

Battlestar Galactica

Another new license, BSG comes equipped with a built in fanbase, much like Star Trek, Street Fighter, and LotR before it. With a new series airing on SciFi and a classic series still beloved by many, this line too shows a lot of promise. Personally, I've never had much of an opinion of the show, one way or the other, though I do intend to do my part to support the line when it finally ships. Unfortunately, the line has failed to produce much more than control art for the characters it intends to ship. We've seen a few sculpts of a couple characters, and not much more. With delays running rampant on all things minimate this year, hopefully this line will not buckle before it can be released, much like the fate of Batman Begins.

Speed Racer

A new license based on an upcoming revival of a long dead anime show. This line shows some promise in the inclusion of the characters' cars. However, with only two characters shown thus far, with not much in the way flash in the character design to boot, my thoughts on this line are wary. I was never a big fan of the show in its beginning, and have little interest in the upcoming revival. I realize this could be another cult classic with a built in fanbase, but if not handled properly and not marketed in the right areas, this line could fail before given a chance to expand, much like Street Fighter.

Movie Mates

A few new licenses mentioned this year focused on upcoming movie projects. X-Men: The Last Stand was mentioned in the previous year, but as the release date for the movie inched closer and closer, we never saw control art, prototypes, character line-ups, anything. The movie has come and past with still no word on a definitive anything in regards to the line, though it has been suggested that the interest is still present to warrant the venture.

Another movie to be minimated is the upcoming Rocky picture, this one heralding in a line of figures presumably ranging throughout the entire film series. A few pieces of control art have been released thus far, but to me, its hard to get behind a range of plain characters when there's so many other more appealing licenses going unnoticed. Also, given the dated material that the line is based off of, I find it highly doubtful that the line will flourish as others have in the past.

The third movie license revealed to us is the upcoming Ghost Rider picture. With control art featuring a variation of the Ghost Riders we've seen in the Marvel line and a rather mundane character wielding a shovel, personal interest in this line is very little at the moment. With the chances of a motorcycle ruled out, despite this not falling under the original Marvel licensing agreement (to my knowledge), There's little keeping me interested in this line as well.

All this being said, the future of these various movie mates doesn't seem to appealing or promising to me. LotR showed us that lines based on movies only work for so long. The cult favor of aged movies such as Rocky may generate a built-in fanbase, but I do not see any longterm growth coming from this or any of the other movie related lines.

Kelloggs

The latest license announced from the boys upstairs. This, in my opinion, is the worst step towards building a better tomorrow for the minimate. I understand more licenses with more widespread recognition creates a name for the product, but cereal?! You have unused licenses like Star Trek in your pocket, with who knows how many licenses for far more appealing lines based off of countless TV shows, movies, books, games, anime shows, cartoons, etc floating out in limbo just waiting for someone to snatch it up and run with it, and you bring in cereal? If this isn't building a product foundation on sand, I don't know what is.

MAX Statues

Debuting two of the bigger characters from the Marvel Universe, the MAX statues were considered the only way to obtain the larger than life characters. However, the inarticulation, the fragile sculpt materials, and the hefty price tag doomed this line before it ever got a chance to really get started. In AA/DST's defense, there really wasn't much choice in how the line was approached, but its a shame it had to end the way it did.

Exclusives

This year saw a very low number of minimate exclusives released, whereas in previous years, they have shipped in excess. There were no Wizard World exclusives, no Marvel related 2-packs, nor anything else we've come to expect over the past few years. A very disappointing year was spared by the inclusion of the Emerald City Comic Con minimates, the John Stewart exclusive, and the Bad Apple/Red Cross figures. Exciting and interesting as these inclusions were, compared to previous years, this year was still lacking.

DC Direct

Rising from the ashes of the doomed DC C3 line, the DC Direct minimates has generated the most buzz this year. The control art and prototypes of the figures, as well as the mapping out of not one, not two, but three waves of characters. DC Direct has really raised the bar with their line-ups, showcasing more than the "Big 3" and offering up a wide range of villains to boot. Built up to herald in the new era, the wind has fallen from the sails, however, with delays in the production and shipping of the line. Though its to be expected with a new line, the bad news still brings into doubt the future of this line. Only time will tell.

And finally, the "flagship" of the minimate line:

Marvel

Coming from a year that saw blatant part reuse and repaints, this year was supposed to be the big turn around for the Marvel line. In the past, I could understand the part reuse, the repaints, the reissuing of older characters. But in some of the corners cut to get the New Avengers and Astonishing X-Men produced, both in part reuse and in paint aps, not to mention the year long wait on these figures, while more time and effort were devoted to other lines, I've gone from accepting the necessity to frustrated at what the line has turned into. With a roster of over 5000 characters, do we really need wave after wave of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, etc, with no new parts or looks for the figures? And when you have to do a part reuse wave, why can't you use parts from the existing molds to flesh out the character? No boots or mask for Wolverine, no boots or chestpiece for Colossus, no excessive armaments for Nick Fury, no weapons at all for Ronin. And when they couldn't make a skull cap for Luke Cage, rather than release him bald, they draw attention to the fact that they couldn't be bothered to adorn him properly by painting the hat on.

The line shows promise in rereleasing old figures with new DVDs, getting 4-packs and resolicits in more mass market places, and generally stirring up some interest in Marvel minimates. But, all this interest will amount to nothing if AA/DST fail to run with it. With big events like Avengers Disassembled, House of M, Annihilation, Planet Hulk, and Civil War coming and going with no acknowledgement from the minimate line, how are you going to keep the comic book fans happy with a comic book line? Why collect your favorite heroes if you've no one for them to square off with? Why collect at all when your favorite character is passed over time and again for Battle-Damaged, Unmasked Spider-Man, or Wolverine with a slightly different costume, but the same exact look?

As I've said above, I love minimates. I support the lines as best I can when they arrive. If they arrive. But if any of these lines, or minimates in general are to thrive, the powers that be really need to step things up and show us that they can move in the right direction. At the moment, all they're doing is telling us about good things to come, yet showing nothing. And with the lines that are working, they're just spinning their wheels rather than move in a positive direction.

I know nothing on the production of these figures, so if my concerns or assumptions are misplaced, then I apologize. Its just when you go this long with nothing to show for it, even the most diehard of followers starts to question exactly where you're headed.

[Danny]

A very well thought out and interesting post, sir.

I cannot help but agree with some of your points.

[Jatta Pake]

I agree as well. Some really good points that sum up the situation.

[Shanester]

Yeah, share with you a lot of the same observations/feelings/connections about these tiny plastic figures.

Its hard to tell what is happening or coming our way. Things seemed very solid when we were getting about 2 Marvel waves at a time every 6 to nine months and C3 first hit shelves. Now lines are becoming extinct before they even get a fair shake on the maket and its been (seemingly) an eternity since we got a fresh Marvel wave.

SFII minis seemed like icing on the cake, but were never going to peak my interest much.

Speed Racer was a huge part of my childhood television days. To me, Speed Racer and Battle of the Planets (Gatchaman) were the coolest shows on the planet back in the day. Seeing Speed in minimate form will be cool, but not epic.

BSG is a cool show, but seemed cooler back in the original episodes (which I never missed). For some reason, I just can't get excited about this line. I am not sure if I am just not interested anymore, or if I might subconsciously think the line is doomed before it even sees the retail light of day. So why bother. Not trying to be pessimistic, just realistic.

Rocky & Cereal mates. Why? Cool for mini-mates in general (I guess), but I fear they could continue the trend of cancelled mini-mate projects and bring even the big licenses like Marvel down with them.

DCD. Bring these on! I am ready already, whats the dang hold-up!

[Cyc]

I tend to agree with the points, though I think people do tend to overestimate the control over getting and holding licenses AA has, but I will voice a little fear that niggles at the back of my head.

What the if newer lines aren't expansion but replacement as Marvel gets too hard to continue on with...

[minivenom]

It's sad to me to see how the past few years have gone. It really looks like the whole Minimate craze is starting to pass. I've seen a lot of people selling off their collections in recent months, and I'm not seeing any new product coming any time soon. It's depressing, really.

The Rise and Fall of Minimates

2003 - Minimates fever hits its full stride. Exclusives galore, Gold Spidey, and an abundance of Minimates sold by dealers at Wizard World Chicago.

2004 - Still going strong, but two series of Marvel mates have some quality issues. C3 debuts with much fanfare, but almost immediately falls on its face, also due to poor quality. Fewer comic stores ordering Minimates, and the selection at WWC is not quite as good as 2003. All current figures except for variants are readily available.

2005 - C3 dies. Marvel seems to fix the quality issues, but where the hell are the Minimates? No local stores carry Minimates anymore, online sources are dwindling, and only old pegwarmers are found at WWC. DST gives away Silver Spidey, but still can't seem to generate any interest in the product. End up buying series 10-11 from DST booth at WWC because I can't find them anywhere else.

2006 - Still no Marvel Minimates since 1st half of 2005. Street Fighter debuts with the best quality Minimates to date, but nobody is carrying them around here. End up buying on ebay. Marvel series 12 & 13, promised for months, are still nowhere to be found. New DC mates line is announced and promised to have 3 series out by the end of the year, only to be suddenly pulled to be "resolicited" at a later date. Only Minimates seen at WWC are displayed at DST and DCD booths. NOBODY is selling them anymore. What the hell happened?

[Reideen1313]

My question is, what's the cause for the problems? We have multiple licensors involved. DC Direct, Marvel, DST, Play Along, Capcom and now apparently Playmaker Toys with the cereal mates line. Y'know - the guys who brought you the most popular toy of, well, ever - the slingshot monkey.

The one constant in all these lines is Art Asylum. So, with that in mind, I automatically assume Art Asylum is the issue - whether it is them or their choice of manufacturing plants, shippers, etc, it boils down to AA's decisions and lack of marketing the product appropriately.

I'll still buy the product, but not nearly as much of it as I was 2 years ago - mostly through no fault of my own since I cannot find the product anywhere. If I'd seen the SF stuff, I might have considered them just to buy some new 'mates. I'm almost positively buying the BSG stuff - assuming I find the sets. DCD is already preordered, although I'm considering cancelling that until I hear when they're due.

[drgnrbrn316]

I tend to agree with the points, though I think people do tend to overestimate the control over getting and holding licenses AA has, but I will voice a little fear that niggles at the back of my head.

What the if newer lines aren't expansion but replacement as Marvel gets too hard to continue on with...

I do understand that acquiring and holding a license isn't as simple as snatching it out of the air as it floats by. I'm just baffled by the choices that have been made. It would seem that there is a lot of property that isn't being touched by LEGO, Mega Bloks, and other figures and sets of that scale and build. Whether AA is trying to bring in a wide variety of products with a single license (which does make sense) or they just aren't trying, I don't know. Should we ever get an "Ask AA/DST" section running (assuming they're willing to play ball with us), I'd be interested in learning the ins and outs of going from license to product.

You bring up an interesting point though Cyc. The delays with waves 12 & 13 do seem to mirror the final months of LotR. Of course, with Marvel figures being included with DVDs and control art for the new 4-packs being debuted, there is suggestion that the powers-that-be are still working on this line.

[rx78jj]

The series has become rather lack luster as of lately. I'm really not that excited aboutt he new Marvel Minis, but am looking forward to the DC minis. But I do agree that something has to be done about bringing up a resurgence to the minimate line. I still say that the Street Fighter Minimates should still be put into production. They have a good idea, run with it.

[Cyc]

You bring up an interesting point though Cyc. The delays with waves 12 & 13 do seem to mirror the final months of LotR. Of course, with Marvel figures being included with DVDs and control art for the new 4-packs being debuted, there is suggestion that the powers-that-be are still working on this line.

I don't think the line is ending, just the love affair at Marvel and DST for the line has. It's like any long term relationship, the love is still there but also reality tends to weigh more heavily such as the making the line more cost-effect to produce in the face of declining sales through the reuse and chasing short fads (New Avengers) to please Marvel.

[jodd]

Here's the BIGGEST concern that I have with AA. The website of AA is sooo... outdated. I wish they get thier act together and finish completing a project rather than having it under construction for over a year. If only they would complete their website and show their product line to people who are not familiar with the toyline; I believe more people would be interested in minimates, speed racer, madball, and the other products they offer. However, every day I go to the AA website and find nothing. The only way I find information about the product line is Minimate Multiverse and the AA forum. Advertisement is so important, but I believe AA is digging a hole for themselves.

[Amazing.JL]

Marvel is the main line and drives the product. Unfortunately they aren’t doing a great job in designing and more. C3 is the only line that had a commercial out there and I never saw it. There are a lot of reasons why Minimates are just not doing as well as they should and we really don’t know all of them. Heck all the main participants/producers are at fault.

Marvel being the most successful to date is lagging behind and have yet to reach their potential. The C3/DC debacle at least got to three waves and more than LOTR. With New DC on the horizon, it has the potential to be great finally getting them in two packs but again another release that has been delayed. As far as I’m concerned everything that is not Marvel and DC are supplemental and blessing to just have. I have a hard time believing BSG/Trek/SF2/Speedracer have the longevity to hold on as much as the big two. I’m a fan of all these licenses, but I frankly don’t see them getting much past two-three waves if we even get that far. Cereal mates are somewhat of a joke. Sure more minimates are nice but these are more of a promo.

Believe me I wish for their success but let’s be realistic about how things are being handled and what the results have been. Seeing is believing and until they do, they will lose minimate fandom with time. As a minimate lover I can only sit here and wait which is stupid. How much longer can someone wait? Hopefully heading into winter we will see more minimates but these have been long overdue.

I kinda hate posting this as I have recently been in a positive mood.

[handsomedevil]

By the time new Minimates come out, I'll have found a bunch of other toy lines to collect.

Hey AA: if ya snooze, ya lose! It's about time to wake up and smell the coffee!

...and by the way, don't make us wait this long and rehash some Spidey/X-men crap! And if you even think about raising the price again, you can kiss my ass goodbye!

[Kirby]

After reading everyone's opinions, I think I'll stick to not having one.