AdyCarter Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Maybe Im just post alcohol pesimistic but Im seriously questioning the future of Minimates... DC = Delayed Marvel = Over a year since the last wave and STILL no release info BSG = Pushed back till god knows when X3 = M.I.A. Maximates = Cancelled after the first two LOTR = Expired SF2 = Future Uncertain. What have we got to look forward to? Speed Racer Mates are abysmal and the only other thing on the horizon are the cereal mates which hold zero appeal to me. Its a dark time thats for sure What have we had recently? Darktide = Rehashes Marvel 2 Packs @ Target = Rehashes Ultimate Avengers = Rehashes SF2 4 Packs = Rehashes Speed Racer = Abysmal John Stewart = Yay I know most of this stuff is an attempt to break mass market, but come one throw the devoted fans that have been here years a bone, please! Edit: Yes this is the first time in a long while (ever?) I've posted a huge rant about the products, but Im getting increasingly fed up throwing all my money at this hobby. Minifigure Multiverse anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestlé Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 When we join with Kubricks I'm outta here. Seriously though, it's not the first time these pointss have come up. ALL of them legitimate. Nevertheless, the shred of hope I have for the DCD mates makes it all worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpool Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 It is dissapointing, but I still have quite a few characters to get, so I'm not feeling this quite as bad as you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBT! Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Ady's right... I couldn't have said it better myself... I've lost that special minimate feeling.... ( cos it s gone.. gone.. gone whoaahooo) I'm not sure what AA are thinking but they seem to have lost their way. ( bring back that minimate feeling... whooa that minimate feeling...) Today picking up those new mates I had a huge rush followed by a horrible sinking feeling when actually took time to look at them... speed racer minimates seems like a half baked afterthought cos they had the license.... Am I the only one feeling like they are milking the cow before it dies T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRISIS Survivor Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 my only concern is that after the line finally dies what will become of us will the site stay up or will we never talk to each other again but even if the site does stop i just want to say thanks to ady and all the other members of the staff for all the good times and the laughs long live the mates long live the multivers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amazing.JL Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 That is the question that no one knows the answer to. AA just doesn't know what the hell they are doing. I really believe they don't really care about minimates. These huge gaps of no new and real minimates just alienate minimate fandom. We were excited to get news about the pending Marvel waves but are taking what seems more than half a year to come out. They finally announce DC packs and they get resolicited. Sure DC is known for that but it gets amplified with the compounded disappointments. All AA/DST/DC know how to do is kill a buzz and expect people will be back. They can keep dreaming but do they really care? I think not. We didn't even get Marvel Exclusives this year to get us by without a couple waves released. Sure SFII got released but they don't float everyone’s boat as the other licenses do. Just one wave doesn't cut it either. Just to get minimates isn’t enough and they can't get the message. I frankly may only give this run of minimate collecting until next years summer cons. I'll cut it sooner if we don't get more turnaround of new releases of the bigger licenses or ones that I’m more interested in. I was really close to doing this already a couple months back. I really believe that minimates can be huge, but only if the product is marketed and managed correctly. Believing they ever would is a pipe dream. During this year of virtual emptiness I had to stop coming to the old boards because there was nothing to be excited about. The community is great and while we talk just about anything to get by, it can only take us so far. I've noticed that the more time we don't get more minimates, the more we rant about it because we are all unhappy about the current situation. I've noticed many are just not being themselves anymore. This is a great community. While we are brought together by the minimate addiction, we are also recovering from it because they (AA/Other) don't keep feeding us our needs. If minimates are our linchpin, then many of us will leave into obscurity as minimates are done. As there is a beginning, there is an end. The real question to me is how close is the end of minimates? At some point this forum may have to be a devoted to something other than minimates. Hopefully it is much further into the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rx78jj Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Well. You all seem on the brink of letting go. I know the Speed Racer minimates didnt live up to the quality we had gotten used to, but that doesnt necessarily mean thats where the minis are going. Sure it's been a while but so what. I'm willing to stick it out till Christmas. If by then there are no more minis, then Amazing.JL is right. We would have to let go. Not because we didnt love our minis enough but because someone up top didnt know what they had going, not until the they lost it. Funny thing though, it's not only there lose but ours as well. AND I STILL WANT MY WAR MACHINE!!!!! Thor too. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrection Bob Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 For me, I don't see a lack of new product as cause for me to quit collecting them so much as a case of there not being anything for me to buy. I quit collecting things when I don't like what's being put out or if a line loses what made it good in the first place, but a lack of Minimates is more like a forced hiatus on my collecting. Of course, I'm relatively new to Minimates and am still happily filling in gaps, so I'm not as bored as the folks that are all caught up and wondering where those new Marvel waves are. So basically, I'll be happy to buy Minimates when there's something to buy (as long as they're as good as I've come to expect from the line) but if AA's not putting out anything for me to spend money on, that's their loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITAN Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 I admit that it doesn't look too great at the moment regarding the lack of news for BSG, Streetfighter. However, i honestly believe that the DCD Mates WILL come out, and when they do they'll run and run (hopefully). Who knows what's gonna happen with the Marvel Mates, lets hope they haven't killed a once VERY popular line with too many Spider-man, Wolverine and Thing Variants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 I just can't see HOW you can bugger up a line like Marvel. You have to try really hard at it to mess it up. I've been sifting through my Minimates box creating my entry for the cover contest, and there's so many cool ones, despite people moaning about character choices. I think the overall decline has stemmed from their inability to produce the newer waves for the Marvel line and it's snowballed from there. However, I would say that the DC Minimates will be a new turning point, an upswing. We need to ride out the admittedly long bleak times. Don't turn to the way of the Kubrick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpool Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 If the DC mates EVER come out, then I think we'll be saved. They look great. Only problem is, what with all the recent failure, will they think there is enough people willing to buy them? I know I will! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amazing.JL Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 However, I would say that the DC Minimates will be a new turning point, an upswing. We need to ride out the admittedly long bleak times. Don't turn to the way of the Kubrick! Completely agree with you Danny. I'm really hoping DC Mates get released and others for the sake of the minimate. Hopefully the upswing begins with the new Marvel waves then DC. Yes this is has been a long and rough ride. Hopefully the brighter side is right around the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestlé Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 I think there is a lot of fact to whats being said... But at the same time this could be the "darkness before the dawn." DCD Mates look to be the greatest step so far in MMs. The question is: How long are people willing to hold out for them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpool Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 I'll hold out as long as need be. I just really want them. This is a great opportunity to mix Marvel and DC. Marvel Legends just dont look right with DC Direct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cloneme Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Join the church today, keep the faith and feel reborn!! The Church of Minimates saves! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBT! Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 The question is: How long are people willing to hold out for them? IF we dont get Marvel and or DC by xmas then that will likely be the end for me... It just seems we get a date and it gets pushed back... We were told the marvel wave was all reuse because they wanted to get them out 'quickly' which was over 6 months ago! - and in that time we have had a lot of cash cow re-releases. It's been 15 months since we have had any new Marvel ( and those waves were all parts re-use too). On AA's site it was commented that they will only read comments by fans that are posted there, well that goes to show that they either aren't in touch or dont really care about those who've stood by them in these dry times. Dont get me wrong I have talked/emailed with Adam & Donna in the past and they are genuinely nice people, I just dont think that they understand the fustrations and delays means so many are close to walking away from minimates. I know I sound pissed, it's not that I'm angry... it's more like I'm resigned to the fact that things will never be as good as the 2-3 waves of new figures with (limited reuse) a year we had in the past and wonder IF we'll see BSG, DC or even 12&13. T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBT! Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Join the church today, keep the faith and feel reborn!! The Church of Minimates saves! lol yep it's all based on faith..... cos there's no proof... sounds about right T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpool Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Join the church today, keep the faith and feel reborn!! The Church of Minimates saves! lol yep it's all based on faith..... cos there's no proof... sounds about right T. We need something to occupy our minds while we wait. I vote, we get all our spare minis, melt them down, and make a true maximate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Don't turn to the way of the Kubrick! LOL - you kids... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM2 Dinobot Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 I see good things on the horizon actually. When we get NO new mates by Christmas, people are going to start selling their entire collections. Remember, when the rats leave a sinking ship, the vultures move in. Not the best anology, but you get my point. The other good news, this gives people a chance to catch up on the pieces they're missing. ...Yeah, I'm grasping at straws, aren't I? I actually haven't been in here that much. There just has been nothing new lately. And while yall are fun and all, I've actually been trying to pull back on my internet addiction. (yeah right) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilgore Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Start thinking even farther into the future though, when your grandkids come to you, starved for entertainment and you bring out the Minimates you've kept, wrapped in raw silk in a redwood case padded in velvet and they can't believe what they're seeing; actual tangible toys, not virtual ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drgnrbrn316 Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Start thinking even farther into the future though, when your grandkids come to you, starved for entertainment and you bring out the Minimates you've kept, wrapped in raw silk in a redwood case padded in velvet and they can't believe what they're seeing; actual tangible toys, not virtual ones. And they say, "Minimates? What a flash in the pan that turned out to be!" Kidding aside, I've professed before to being one of AA/DST's biggest supporters in the past when they hit a slow point in creativity and gave us a couple waves of part reuse or dusted off a few old exclusives and shipped them out as new. But what turned me to this more bleak way of thinking was waves 12 & 13. Back in the old boards, we were told to be patient and that we'd be impressed with what was to come. Then, they unveiled New Avengers/Astonishing X-Men. More part reuse, yes, but they said that it was a rushed wave and that the next ones would be the real deal as far as a new era was concerned. I was even happy with the part reuse. But when six months goes by with no word, and we've come and past one or two supposed release dates with no word, you tend to analyze things a lot more closely than you would if they just revealed them then shipped them. With no new protos to look at, I keep staring at these things and just picking out everything that's wrong with the figure. A painted on hat, paint apps that don't wrap around, lack of part reuse that would have made sense (no boots or even a mask for Wolverine, no jacket for DoFP Wolverine, no boots or chest piece for Colossus, not even an unclawed hand for Wolverine!) It's enough to create some doubt in the creative direction of the product. Then, you get news, but not on what you're waiting for, but on the new stuff you're supposed to look forward to when they can't even get what they've already gotten right. DC, which would have breathed life into the struggling product if they could ever actually release any sets. Street Fighter II, which was good except for the whole not being available anywhere thing. BSG, which we still haven't seen much more beyond control art for. Rocky, which will be a bane to anyone who hates character overuseage, considering every set is likely to come with a different Rocky figure. Ghost Rider, a let down when the control art shows one of the two most prominent characters is a guy with a shovel, but an even bigger letdown when its revealed that though this is a separate liscence from the regular Marvel line, we still get no damn motorcycle. Speed Racer, which had promise right up until they fumbled the ball in crappy paint, more part reuse, and out of scale vehicles. Kellogs', which is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Add all of that with the death of the LotR line, the unknown status of the X3 line, no summer exclusives, not even a blank minimate with something slapped on it for effect. The only way we got ANYTHING new this year, was a hasty John Stewart and when some members of the board conspired to bring us the SDCC mates. So, after all of that, its pretty understandable how those that were onboard since the beginning, or those like myself that discovered the product, quickly played catch-up, and have been swiping up everything they can ever since, how they can be a bit negative about the current prospects. If they can ever release DC mates, then the product may have a future, as the new scales and character selection give a lot to be thought about in the Marvel brand. If they can get these things in stores where people who aren't as netsavy can find them, then there's hope. If they can make any sort of announcement on these lines that we're painfully anticipating, then there's a chance. But at present, the future looks pretty bleak. I feel bad on what they've done to us, addicts coming back for a product that just isn't giving us the satisfaction it used to, taking countless abuse at the hands of our supplier. Minimates isn't a habit that I'm looking to quit anytime soon, but how long before I'm embarrassed that I blow chunks of my money on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Try running a website I feel dirty Seriously, though, some great points there. I guess it's the cumulative factor of all the delays, the crappy paint jobs, the uncertainty of the other lines that really puts the people who have been here from the start into a negative funk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestlé Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 But won't it all be worth it when we have Lex Luthors battle suit in our hands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drgnrbrn316 Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 But won't it all be worth it when we have Lex Luthors battle suit in our hands? Actually, no. I was never really a fan of DC comics, though I will be collecting the minimates, much as I did C3. It was always hard for me to root for a guy with every power known to man, or a rich guy who could buy his own super hero status. I know you have to suspend some disbelief when it comes to comics, or anything else in the entertainment world for that matter, but when I first jumped on board, there really wasn't a Superman character in Marvel (Sentry is still rarely used, so I'm still good), and Daredevil was never really wealthy, so it meant more to me when he went out without powers and gave everything for a cause. It's going to take a great deal to make thus tortuous year up to me. 2007 is going to be a make or break year for minimates as a whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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