Today's VBG post will cover all the basics you need to know as a new collector. What vinyls are, how they're sold, where to buy them, etc.
So you know that vinyls look like this little guy here. But what else do you need to know? Well, these guys come in 3 different sizes: 1.5" known as Jr. Vinylmations, 3" the standard or most common size, and 9" which sometimes come in a combo set with a 3".
Secondly, there are several different series of Vinylmation, such as Urban, Park, Animation, Villains, etc. I guess you could describe series as the "theme" of a certain group of vinyls. Park was the very first series and has it's 12th coming up this summer. As of me writing this, the most recent release is Mickey's Wild West (released April 22, 2013).
Next up, you need to know that vinyls are sold in two different ways: blind boxed, or open window. Blind box means you have no idea what's inside until you open it. Open window by contrast is a clear box so you can see what you're buying inside. 3" vinyls are a mix of blind box and open window, Jr vinyls are almost always blind boxed if they're in a series (some individual or dual packs are open window). 9" vinyls and combos are always open window.
If you're wondering why you'd buy a box not knowing what's inside it, that's part of the reason Vinylmation was born. Trading is part of the hobby. If you don't know what you're going to get, you have the fun of chasing what you want, the excitement and anticipation of opening your box to see what you get, and then if you get duplicates - you trade for something you do want. (I will do another post that focuses on trading later).
One important thing to note is that Vinylmations are strictly no refunds. If a vinyl is broken when you buy it, Disney will honor a refund there, but Vinylmations were designed to be a trading hobby and therefore refunds because you don't like the figure or go a duplicate will not be accepted.
Several different series are released each year. For example, so far in 2013 we've seen: Myths & Legends, Whiskers & Tales, High School, Urban Redux #1, Cutesters en Vogue, Animation 3 and Mickey's Wild West in the 3" series and so far this year in the Jr. size: Jr. #7 in Space and Jr. #8 Goofy's Candy Co. So there's always plenty of variety and always new releases to collect in the Vinylmation world. To keep up with future releases, check out Disney's Official Vinylmation Website or Vinylmation Kingdom, an unofficial but very detailed, accurate and up to date fan site. (Vinylmation Kingdom also has information on previous releases).
Disney makes a certain number of vinyls per series (which they don't announce) and will sell those vinyls until they're gone. At that point, a series becomes "retired" which just means that Disney are not making them anymore. They might still have some to sell but at that stage, the amount is limited. If a series has been retired for a number of years, such as Park #3, the only way to get hold of them is on the secondary market (e.g. Ebay, Amazon, trading, etc).
Limited Editions & Combo Packs
Disney also release certain Limited Editions (or LEs) to accompany several series or as an individual release. These are open window and come in sizes of 500, 750, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 and 2500. Combo packs are also released individually or to complement a series. They come as 2-packs, 3-pack, 5-pack, 9"/3" combos and 3"/Jr combos.
So now you should have a firm grip on what Vinylmations are and how they work. Stay tuned for more info and tips on starting out as a new Vinylmation collector!
So you know that vinyls look like this little guy here. But what else do you need to know? Well, these guys come in 3 different sizes: 1.5" known as Jr. Vinylmations, 3" the standard or most common size, and 9" which sometimes come in a combo set with a 3".
Jr. Vinylmation
Secondly, there are several different series of Vinylmation, such as Urban, Park, Animation, Villains, etc. I guess you could describe series as the "theme" of a certain group of vinyls. Park was the very first series and has it's 12th coming up this summer. As of me writing this, the most recent release is Mickey's Wild West (released April 22, 2013).
Mickey's Wild West 3" Series - blind boxed
Next up, you need to know that vinyls are sold in two different ways: blind boxed, or open window. Blind box means you have no idea what's inside until you open it. Open window by contrast is a clear box so you can see what you're buying inside. 3" vinyls are a mix of blind box and open window, Jr vinyls are almost always blind boxed if they're in a series (some individual or dual packs are open window). 9" vinyls and combos are always open window.
Open Window TRON: Legacy Series
If you're wondering why you'd buy a box not knowing what's inside it, that's part of the reason Vinylmation was born. Trading is part of the hobby. If you don't know what you're going to get, you have the fun of chasing what you want, the excitement and anticipation of opening your box to see what you get, and then if you get duplicates - you trade for something you do want. (I will do another post that focuses on trading later).
One important thing to note is that Vinylmations are strictly no refunds. If a vinyl is broken when you buy it, Disney will honor a refund there, but Vinylmations were designed to be a trading hobby and therefore refunds because you don't like the figure or go a duplicate will not be accepted.
Animation 3 blind box series
Several different series are released each year. For example, so far in 2013 we've seen: Myths & Legends, Whiskers & Tales, High School, Urban Redux #1, Cutesters en Vogue, Animation 3 and Mickey's Wild West in the 3" series and so far this year in the Jr. size: Jr. #7 in Space and Jr. #8 Goofy's Candy Co. So there's always plenty of variety and always new releases to collect in the Vinylmation world. To keep up with future releases, check out Disney's Official Vinylmation Website or Vinylmation Kingdom, an unofficial but very detailed, accurate and up to date fan site. (Vinylmation Kingdom also has information on previous releases).
Retired Cutesters Series
Disney makes a certain number of vinyls per series (which they don't announce) and will sell those vinyls until they're gone. At that point, a series becomes "retired" which just means that Disney are not making them anymore. They might still have some to sell but at that stage, the amount is limited. If a series has been retired for a number of years, such as Park #3, the only way to get hold of them is on the secondary market (e.g. Ebay, Amazon, trading, etc).
Brave 3" and Jr Combo Pack
Limited Editions & Combo Packs
Disney also release certain Limited Editions (or LEs) to accompany several series or as an individual release. These are open window and come in sizes of 500, 750, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 and 2500. Combo packs are also released individually or to complement a series. They come as 2-packs, 3-pack, 5-pack, 9"/3" combos and 3"/Jr combos.
So now you should have a firm grip on what Vinylmations are and how they work. Stay tuned for more info and tips on starting out as a new Vinylmation collector!
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