Vinylmation Review - 2013 Poster Art Series Overview

I have a lot to say about the 2013 Poster Art Series and so I'll be breaking down my Vinylmation Review into several parts. First I'm going to give a brief overview of the series in general and as a whole, before moving on to look at the figures 3 at a time. (I said I had a lot to say!) So let's get started!

Photo credit: DestinationVinylmation

Honestly I was very skeptical about this series when I saw January's release. I am not the biggest fan of year specific merchandise, no matter what form it comes in, but especially when it comes to Vinylmation. It's not the reason I collect them. I find the target audience very specific for those types of things. But my opinion soon changed.

For starters, I hadn't seen the poster art when I saw the first figure, so it didn't mean all that much to me. As more figures were released, it became apparent that anyone could love these figures without evening realizing some of them were 2013 specific merchandise (especially February, March and October) or that they were based on theme park promotional posters. They are fantastic figures, with beautiful artwork in their own right.

March Walt Disney World Poster Art

I now think it's actually a pretty neat idea to base figures off of theme park posters and some of these figures are absolutely amazing! I'm also really enjoying figures featured from artists who are new to me, like Jonathan Bishop and Dave Keefer, as well as artists I've seen before but not very often, like Patty Landing and Tyler Dumas. Some collectors are not fans of series produced by those aforementioned artists, like the Jr and Cutester series (nothing against the artists, it's the series theme), so it's great that they have something "meaty-er" to show off with.

Now this series in my opinion could have backfired. If the posters were more about promoting the number 2013 and didn't include as many park aspects such as rides, floral details and other intricacies, this would not be such a well designed and detailed series. I think it's the art that attracts collectors to these figures, not the 2013 factor. But on the flip side, as 2013 is a special year for me at Walt Disney World (with my Disney wedding and honeymoon) having a 2013 figure adds to the appeal. But that's something very personal, as I said before, year specific merchandise has a very niche market.

July Walt Disney World Poster Art

I also think having a limited edition of this figures was a good call for this series. These are such great figures that I don't want the 2013 label to turn this set into outlet fodder. Whilst 2,013 is kind of a cheesy number, they have to pick one and that's appropriate. Plus with a $14.95 retail price, I think it's a good number and will stop crazy over-production of these figures.

So overall, I am pleasantly surprised with this series and I'll actually be sad to stop blogging about the releases!

Be sure to check out the other parts of this Vinylmation Review coming soon!