Vinylmation Review - Kingdom of Cute

The Kingdom of Cute Vinylmation series was released back in and while it's more Disneyland focused and uses unique molds for each figure, I like it. It's not a favorite series of mine, and I'm not sure that I'll be picking any up because it's based on Disneyland, but I am super happy to see more park themed released. Plus these are super cute designs!

I'm surprised to see 12 figures in this series (plus three variants) because more recently series have included only 8 Vinylmation. I think 12 works here and is the farthest thing from overkill. There are so many great figures here, having 12 I think gives you a better shot at what you want.

Things to love about this series:

• It's retro - I personally love the retro feel of this set. I'm all about anything retro and this works really well in my opinion. There's a feeling of nostalgia here but several of the figures are still current offering at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, such as Space Mountain
• It's cute - The designs are cute juts like the box says! I'm not always a fan of cutesy things but these really work and truly are cute. Who knew you could do that with a gargoyle? 
• Great mix of figures - I love that this set includes attractions (Haunted Mansion, Mad Tea Party), icons (Sleepy Beauty's Castle, the Sword in the Stone) and snacks (Corn Dog, Dole Whip). It's a well balanced collection of many must-have and must-do things at the parks
• New figures - Sometimes repeats of figures are justified, but not all the time. It's great to see figures in this set that haven't been seen in Vinylmation form before, like the Sword in the Stone, Sleeping Beauty's Castle and the Mint Julep, among others
• Fantastic Chaser - The Chaser in this series is perfect! So well designed, and a popular and worthy figure to chase
• The Variants - There are 3 variants in this series (see them here, here and here) so if you're big into collecting variants, you have your work cut out for you! I personally think the last two are unnecessary but I'm not familiar with those attractions at Disneyland so there could be a good reason for those. The Dole Whip variant however makes total sense and is a great idea for a variant! Many people swirl (including me) that it makes a very worthy variant

Things that aren't so great:

• As a veteran of Walt Disney World, I would find this set a lot more appealing if it were geared toward WDW as opposed to Disneyland. There is some overlap for sure: Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Popcorn, Dole Whip and The Jungle Cruise, but that's not enough for me to blind box these figures with only half the set appealing to me. The Mad Tea Party does not look like Magic Kingdom's version, nor does the Skyway, so those are out. 
• The price - at $18.99 a blind box, I have even more reason not to gamble with my money by blind boxing these figures. I know Park Starz are that price but they seem to be much higher quality figures, and they come in fancier presentation boxes. These figures are sold in regular paper boxes like 3" Mickey mold figures. I know the Mickey Cartoon series also retails at $18.99 so perhaps that will always be the Vinylmation price point from here on out, but I think that's steep for both series. The former price of $12.95 per box was much more reasonable. 

Vinylmation Review - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was recently released in anticipation of the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which opened last Friday. This 8 figure set includes: Gamora, Drax, Star Lord, Mantis, Baby Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and Yondu, with Nebula as the chaser. I think movie sets are pretty popular, and Marvel is for sure, so I think this is an appropriate set with a timely release. Thomas Scott designed the majority of these figures, with Jason Peltz designing Rocket and Star Lord.

Things to love about this series:

• The characters - I haven't seen Guardians Vol. 2 yet, but I would imagine that every character from this movie you could want in Vinylmation form is in this set. We have seen almost all these characters in various trailers for the film
• The wonderful designs - its always hard to design a human character on the Mickey platform and Disney artists have tried with varying levels of success for years. Although they look a little chubby, which is very difficult to avoid, I think Thomas Scott has really nailed Gamora, Nebula and Drax, who look like actors Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, and Dave Bautista respectively. Baby Groot, Rocket and Star Lord look spot on in design also
• The variants - if you're big into variants, this series has two: Gamora and Baby Groot
• The accessories - Gamora, Star Lord and Rocket all have fantastic weapon accessories, and Yondu would not be complete without his amazing mohawk accessory
• The level of detail - it looks like there's metallic paint on Star Lord's mask, which is awesome! The level of detail on Drax is also very impressive, he might be my favorite in the set

Things that aren't so great:

• As I previously mentioned, some of the human figures are kinda chubby. I think this is incredibly difficult to prevent, but if you are looking for direct likeness to the actor, Mantis and Yondu are definitely weaker than the other figures
• The ears - they weren't left completely blank, each figure has the Guardians logo in their right ear, but it is a pretty plain design. While I don't hate it, that can be disappointing compared to other higher levels of detail in other figures
• Personal preference here, but I think Mantis should have accessory antennae 

Vinylmation Review - Park Starz #5

It's been a while, but it's time for another Vinylmation Review! Today I'm reviewing Park Starz #5, which was released in January 2017. I know some collectors still aren't sold on Park Starz figures. It took me a while. The most off-putting aspect for me is the higher price tag at $18.99 a blind box. But we now have the 5th series in the line and I think they're still going strong!


Things to love about this series:

• The return of some greats - we've already had a Vinylmation of Trader Sam, Waldo, the goat chewing dynamite and the hitchhiking ghosts, but here they are again with a new mold and looking fabulous! I love that Trader Sam actually has an umbrella, Waldo has a butterfly on his back, and Phineas the Hitchhiking ghost has a briefcase.
• The theme continues - for those collecting a specific theme, Park Starz #5 continues many of the themes the earlier Park Starz series created. There's another Pirates of the Caribbean figure, Hitchhiking Ghost, another Country Bear, and another It's A Small World pair. 
• Good mix of parks represented - while this set is still Disneyland/Magic Kingdom heavy with 3/4 of the set being from those two parks jointly, Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Hong Kong Disneyland are all represented.
• New characters - this set offers a couple new characters that we've never seen before on any Vinylmation canvas. We have an elephant from the Kilimanjaro Safari, Henry (and Sammy) from the Country Bear Jamboree, and a Computer Engineer from Spaceship Earth.
• The added nostalgia - I love the inclusion of Skippy from extinct Magic Kingdom attraction Alien Encounter. It brings some nostalgia to the set and appeals to collectors like me who like to remember past attractions in Vinylmation form, as well as add current park icons to their collection. For Disneyland park goers, Henry from the Country Bear Jamboree may also serve as a nostalgic figure.
• Variants really are variants - for the first time in a Park Starz series, the variant figures are actually variants, seeded into sets in an unknown ratio as opposed to being limited edition figures sold separately, as was the former method with Park Starz.

Things that aren't so great:

I honestly think there's something for everyone here. However, the chaser for me is a huge let down. For those who haven't visited Hong Kong Disneyland (which I assume is the majority of Vinylmation collectors here in the U.S.) Albert from Mystic Manor is pretty much unknown and therefore undesirable. I know that Vinylmation are sold overseas, and so Disney wants to add characters that give a more widespread appeal, but I can't help but think that the main market for Vinylmation is here. Having said that, perhaps the chaser is the best way to go in that respect, because collectors like me who don't want that particular figure are less likely to blox it and get stuck with it. Either way I think the chaser is supposed to be one of the more sought after figures (hence the "chase") and this figure does not fit that description.

Overall I think this is a very strong set and I am glad to see Park Starz return for another series!

Vinylmation Review - Designer #2

When the Designer #2 series was first previewed on the Disney Parks Merchandise blog, I was pretty excited. Collectors seemed to like the unique style of the first Designer series, as well as the artist Miss Mindy. The second series did not disappoint! Instead of being a movie or park themed set, this designer series brought a variety of popular characters and a mix of different art styles to create an all-new series. When this set was released and I saw the backs of these figures, I was completely blown away! With all the changes in the Vinylmation world over the last couple years, this is exactly the series this hobby needs.

Things to love about this series:

• It's something a little different - We've had a lot of Eachez releases recently, several Star Wars releases, and a fair amount of Marvel Vinylmation too. This set is different in that it's artsy, and not aimed at a specific movie or franchise
• Good characters - I say this a lot, but I mean it. If you're a princess fan, there's Snow White and Belle in this set. You like Villains? There's Zurg and Cruella de Vil. You like classic Disney characters? There's Pluto and Donald Duck. In fact, you could argue that the designs on the back of these vinyls make this a 14 figure set
• The Chaser - (Spoiler alert) The chaser is Sorcerer Mickey. Before you grab your rotten vegetables and tell me just how many Sorcerer Mickeys we've had, hear me out. It's true, we really got burnt out on Sorcerer Mickey figures, but this one is different. Firstly, it's far more artistic and doesn't look like any Sorcerer Mickey that came before it. Secondly, if you weren't sold on this figure when you saw the front, take a look at the back. This is my favorite Sorcerer Mickey ever, and now I wish I had that instead of the figure from Park #5 (trade anyone?)
• The accessories - If you needed more convincing that Snow White and Belle were incredible figures, check out their accessories! The enchanted rose might be my favorite accessory ever with how appropriate it is and how pretty and well designed. Snow White's apple is something I don't think we've seen before. I love it because it's appropriate for the figure and has another design on the back (the poisoned apple), which makes it the perfect accessory for both Snow White and the evil hag on the back of the figure. Of course Buzz is not complete without his helmet, and I love that Donald's hat is an accessory and not drawn on the figure
• Variants - This one is going in my things to love list and my things that aren't so great list. It's here in the things to love section because if you really love variants, there are two in this set 
• Mix of platforms - This set uses a mix of the Mickey platform and the Minnie platform, and it works perfectly! I love seeing the two princesses in this series on the Minnie platform and how Minnie's bow has been well used in the designs
• Great use of ears - The 16 designs in this series all have great use of ears with the exception of one (Belle). Even though some are more simple, like the ribbon on Donald's hat and Patch's ears, it looks great and works well for that character. I would like to have seen something more creative than plain black in the ears and bow on Belle, but overall the ears have been used very well in this set

Things that aren't so great: 

• Variants - I'm not a huge variant fan, especially when I don't think the variant is relevant. For example, the only thing that's different being the color. I guess the Pluto variant and Snow White variant are kind of like another artistic take on that same design, and maybe some people like that, but I think it's really just a color change for the sake of creating variants and I'm not a fan
• Character repeats - We've seen every character in this set before, so there's really nothing new here in terms of unique characters. However, the designs are completely different and many far surpass their predecessors. If you want a character we haven't had before in Vinylmation form, you won't find it here. (Unless you want an angel/devil Pluto, we've had several Pluto figures but not that exact one). But even if you own some of these characters already, there's reason to add them to your collection again 

Overall, despite the things I personally think aren't so great, I still think this is an absolutely fantastic series! I am so happy to see such a strong and desirable Vinylmation set and a few of these are on my want list for sure. 

Vinylmation Review - Park Starz #4

I was thrilled to see the return of the Park Starz line with the release of Park Starz Series #4! I've posted before on how it took some time for me to come around and appreciate Park Starz figures since their literal break of the mold was an adjustment to my love of uniformity. I'm glad to see that Park Starz have not gone the way of the 9" Vinylmation and that this set keeps to high expectations, bringing the usual mix of current characters and extinct attractions from Disney Parks across the world.

Reasons to love this series:

• Strong set - Park Starz #4 is a 12 figure set, which is bigger than the usual set size of 8 figures these days. Despite the higher number of figures, this set is still very strong and high quality, with no obvious undesirable characters
• Original characters - Most of the characters in this set have already been a Vinylmation in the past and are appearing as Park Starz figures for the first time (Ace, the Iguanadon, Pirates of the Caribbean dog, etc.) however, there are still some original characters entering the Vinylmation world for the first time, including the It's A Small World girl and penguin, Mr. Potato Head as he appears in Toy Story Mania, and the reindeer from Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
• Variants - Park Starz series have previously sold variants separately as a Limited Edition figure or set. For this series, the variants have been seeded in to the regular blind boxes, in the same way variants are found within regular Vinylmation series. That has really mixed things up and made this set more appealing. On top of that, the artists made some great choices when picking variants for this set. Yes there's the usual sepia Pirates of the Caribbean variant, but I love the Cadaver Dan variant! So appropriate and perfectly executed! 
• Appealing to everyone - With characters from Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disney, I think there's something for everyone in this set
• Great balance of old characters mixed with new - I mean this in two ways: firstly, the characters that we've already seen as Vinylmation have taken Park Starz form in a new and exciting way. (I especially love the Colonel and the Dapper Dan!) Secondly, I mean there's a good balance of current attractions represented, like It's A Small World and the Iguanadon from Dinosaur, mixed with old favorites from attractions no longer in existence, like the Colonel and Communicore
• Creative designs - I love the mold shapes and colors, and the only characters I couldn't instantly recognize were from parks that I hadn't visited. Great work from Thomas Scott, Casey Jones and Caley Hicks! 

Things that aren't so great:

• Personally, the Phantom Manor figures and the chaser don't appeal to me since I haven't ever visited Tokyo Disney, and I haven't been to Disneyland Paris in over 10 years
• I think mixing the variants in to the regular set instead of selling them separately adds to the number of people who will blind box the set and keep it popular, but I wish I could save myself the money and buy it separately like I've done in the past
• I also don't find the sepia Pirates of the Caribbean dog variant very appealing. If you've started collecting these I can see how that would make a pretty cool continuation of your set, but I haven't bought any so far and I'm started to get bored of how repetitive that variant style has gotten

Overall, I really do love this set! I think Park Starz has come back with a bang and I really hope I can pick up all of the figures I want from this set. 

Vinylmation Review - Adventureland Jr. Series

I love spending time in Adventureland, so when an Adventureland Jr. series was released I was instantly interested and excited to see what figures would be a part of that set. I always prefer 3" figures over Jr. figures, but I think this set is extremely high quality and it certainly drew me in, despite being a Vinylmation Jr. series.

Reasons to love this series:

• Fantastic designs - I love the cute and colorful designs on all the figures in this series! They are bold, eye catching, and they accurately represent the bright colors of Adventureland. On top of that, each figure looks exactly as it should: the Tiki Room birds are true to life, and the expression on the Orange Bird is spot on
• Great mix of characters - I think there's something for everyone in this set. There are more obvious characters like Jose, Michael, Pierre and Fritz, plus the Jungle Cruise Hippo and Elephant, in addition there are some more unknown characters for hardcore fans such as myself, including the Tiki Room drummer, Tiki Room Totem, the Skull from the Jungle Cruise, and Rosita, and of course, everyone loves the Orange Bird! 
• Appealing chasers - there are 2 chasers in this series: the Tiki Room Drummer and Fritz. If you don't care for the Tiki Room, then I guess neither would be appealing chasers, but on the whole I think both designs are incredibly strong and each one appeals to a different type of collector. Most people will recognize Fritz and those who are bigger fans will recognize and chase after the Tiki Room Drummer too

Things that aren't so great:

I really don't have a single criticism of this series. There are some figures that appeal to me much less than others, but I don't think a bad design or character choice exists here. I think this set is fully representative of Adventureland and I think it's a job well done for artist Caley Hicks who designed this entire set. 

Vinylmation Review - Mickey Mouse Club

The Mickey Mouse Club Vinylmation series was previewed last year on the Disney Parks Blog and it certainly had my attention from that moment on! I was excited to know when it would be released so I could see the other figures and the chaser. While the chaser didn't mean much to me (so I was a little disappointed) I think this is a really strong set overall, and another fantastic Vinylmation release.

Things to love about this series:

• Variants! - How could I not start there? Collectors go nuts for variants these days, way more than they do for chasers. It's the whole reason we have Eachez. For the first time, EVERY figure in this set has a variant! The variants are the same figures in color, and they look stunning
• Accessories - These figures wouldn't look half as good without their accessories. Mickey has a baton and his bandleader hat, while Ranger Woodlore has his hat accessory, which looks fantastic
• Different molds - I think it's really neat to see Clarabelle and Daisy on the Minnie mold. To put those two alongside the regular Mickey mold adds depth and variety to the set, which I like
• Characters - Ranger Woodlore and Humphrey the bear aren't known by everyone, but with so many Vinylmation already out there, it's always nice to see new characters over repeats of the same figure for the tenth time. While both these characters have been produced already, these characters have been repeated for the first time in this series

Things that aren't so great:

I think for those unfamiliar with the Mickey Mouse Club show will not have such a strong connection to this set as those who do. In that same vein, I think they may not recognize some of the characters, or appreciate the chaser. I certainly don't understand the chaser and therefore it doesn't appeal to me personally. But overall, like I said, this is a strong set. The characters are great, beautifully designed, and who wouldn't want a colored variant?!

Vinylmation Review - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens received its own Vinylmation series on its release day. Previous Star Wars Vinylmation series have proved popular with collectors and it seems this series was received with enthusiasm also. The series is even more appealing to those who have seen and enjoyed the latest installment of Star Wars. I actually think this movie had enough going on that this set could have been expanded to 12 figures. I would have included Luke, Maz Kanata, Captain Phasma and General Hux and made this set 12 figures, keeping Han as the chaser.

Reasons to love this series:

• Character assortment - I think every character you could possibly want from The Force Awakens is in this series. (Okay, you might want Chewbacca but there's already a Vinylmation of him in existence). There's the heroes, the lovable droid, the new villain, C-3PO sporting his new look, and the updated Stormtrooper. Kylo Ren is particularly popular among collectors 
• Variants - The possibility of a variant is often the incentive collectors need to pick up blind boxes these days, so it's always great to have them in a series, but they only get my vote if they make sense as part of the set. Rey in her desert gear and Finn in is stormtrooper outfit definitely fit that description. (I would have liked to have seen a variant of Finn with his helmet on and the bloody hand print, but perhaps that was too risque?)
• Desirable chaser - Some collectors argue that the quality of chasers is starting to decline and thus chasers aren't what collectors chase anymore. I don't think that applies to the Han Solo chaser in this series. Fans were thrilled to see the return of the lovable scruffy looking nerf herder. I think this is a wonderfully designed figure and perfect for the chaser
• Accessories - Kylo Ren would not be complete without his 3 prong lightsaber and Rey would not be complete without her staff. Thankfully, both were included as accessories as they look perfect! To top it off, the stormtrooper even has a blaster to make him an even stronger figure
• Creativity - I think the way BB-8 was designed is perfect! What a neat and creative way to translate another popular new character on to the Vinylmation mold

Things that aren't so great:

The only criticism I have with this set is the character faces. It is so hard to translate human faces on to the new Mickey mold. Most end up looking chubby and not quite like they should. I think Han (designed by Thomas Scott) is the best at looking most like the actor, but he still doesn't look as good as Thomas Scott's Indiana Jones figure, also played by Harrison Ford. Rey, Finn and Poe all look good, but in my opinion do not look like Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac.

Vinylmation Review - Haunted Mansion Series #2

The Haunted Mansion is a Disney attraction that has remained popular over the years and across generations. Its popularity appears to be growing, and with that comes an increasing demand for more Haunted Mansion merchandise, which we have seen from the opening of Memento Mori and its line of Haunted Mansion decor, clothing and accessories.

The Haunted Mansion Series #1 was a strong set that proved popular, so I think it's great that Disney have released the Haunted Mansion Series #2.

Things to love about this series:

• The use of clear - it works perfectly for the ghost figures and I can't see how they could have been designed any better than that
• Good selection of characters - there are so many to choose from in the attraction, and we've already had several released in the first series. I'm glad there were no repeats in the way the Skeleton Helmsman has been repeated across the Pirates of the Caribbean series
• Popular figures - I think collectors will be thrilled to finally have Ezra to accompany the other 2 hitchhiking ghosts. The caretaker is another character I think collectors will be happy to own, and the skeleton portrait of Master Gracey will go well with the living Master Gracey from the first series
• Great use of accessories - Ezra wouldn't be complete without his bowler hat, the caretaker definitely needed his baseball cap and lantern, and Madame Leota looks fantastic with her crystal ball accessory
• Good use of a variant - I think the variants from the first Haunted Mansion series have created an expectation that there would be variants in this series. Collectors won't be disappointed by the variants that were chosen for this series! Again there's a hitchhiking ghost variant and also a variant of Madame Leota

Things that aren't so great:

I don't have any complains about this series. I think the characters are all great choice and the variants will entice collectors to keep buying blind boxes. My personal opinion is that the chaser isn't strong enough that I would keep buying blind boxes for it. I think the Opera Singer is a fun and memorable character, with a well executed design, but I think the portrait of Master Gracey is a more popular and appropriate figure for the chaser. 

Vinylmation Review - Peter Pan Series

Peter Pan is a true Disney classic and in my opinion, a fantastic choice for a Vinylmation series that has proved to be successful. Caley Hicks and Ron Cohee did an amazing job at designing these figures and I wanted to share my review.


Things to love about this series:

• The characters - I think everyone you could want is in this series. (Well, Mr Smee is missing, as is Tick Tock, but you can get both from the Villains series)
• The accessories - how perfect is Michael's hat and umbrella?! Plus Nana and Wendy have bows, Tiger Lilly has a feather, and Captain Hook has not just an awesome hat, but also a hook for a hand. As they all should
• Likeness - I think Michael, John, Peter, Nana and Captain Hook, are absolutely spot on in looking like they do on screen. Tinkerbell and Wendy are great, I just think Wendy isn't as perfect and Tink looks a little on the chubby side. But they are still fantastic figures
• The ears - you know I love good artwork in the ears! Peter has Neverland and Tinkerbell, and the three children have their bedroom wallpaper in the ears. Nothing else would be more appropriate
• Worthy chaser - I think Tiger Lilly is both a desirable character and a sought after Vinylmation, since it's been designed so well
• Amazing variants - the variants are appropriate: Wendy, John and Michael sprinkled in pixie dust. On top of that, they are beautiful! I've never made it my mission to own variants, but I wish I owned these!
• Mix of molds - I love that both the Mickey and Minnie mold are in this series. It works perfectly for Nana, Wendy, Tinkerbell and Tiger Lilly, plus it's nice to see things mixed up a little

Things that aren't so great:
I don't think that there's anything not to like about this series. However, some might be wishing we had a Tick Tock or Mr Smee. Others might also be tired of repeats of Captain Hook, Nana, Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. Personally, I think Captain Hook and Nana needed a do-over and these versions blow their predecessors out of the water

Vinylmation Review - Park #16 Disneyland 60 Series

The Park #16 Disneyland 60th Anniversary Series was released just last week and I have been pretty impressed by it! I have only visited the Disneyland Resort once, in 2003, so a lot has changed since then. I didn't think this series would appeal to me much for that reason, but surprisingly there are a few figures I'm thinking about adding to my collection!

Reasons to love this series:

• A great variety of attractions from both Disneyland Resort parks are represented in this series: The Enchanted Tiki Room, Mickey's Fun Wheel, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's A Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Tours, among others. I'm partial to Ree-Yees since I think he's memorable and hilarious to Disney veterans. A great pick! 
• Appropriate variants - Mickey's Fun Wheel has a Sun Wheel variant figure, representing the original Ferris wheel attraction that was at California Adventure from 2001-2008. (This is how the ride was during my trip). The It's A Small World Clock has a Christmas variant, depicting how the attraction looks when dressed up for the holidays
• Fantastic designs - I just love the bright colors of the Tiki bird! Beautifully done! The design of Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin is wonderfully done too, with the car stretching out across the arms and the figure's ears used perfectly for the extension of Roger Rabbit's ears
• New molds used - This looks to be the first Park series to use the Minnie Vinylmation mold along with the Mickey mold. The Tiki bird and It's A Small World Clock are both on the new Minnie mold, and they look awesome! The Tiki bird even adds an accessory to the new mold
• Awesome use of accessories - In my opinion, a lack of good accessories can really take away the appeal of the figure. (I'm looking at you Fozzie, no way do I want you without your hat!) The Tiki bird naturally has a hat to finish his look, but the accessories that blew me away were Ree-Yees's camera and the Pirate's bone. So perfect! I was not expecting this, but the accessories could be the difference between these figures being "maybes" and "must-haves".

Things that aren't so great:
This is really just personal to me, since the series, in my mind, is fantastic overall. But there are some figures that don't appeal to me. Like I said, I've only been to Disneyland once, so Oogie Boogie is lost on me, I don't know what he's from. I also don't recall riding Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, so that figure is not on my list either.

Vinylmation Review - Star Wars #4

Star Wars #4 was released during Star Wars weekends in 2014. Despite the shift to 8 figure sets, Star Wars continues to have 12 figures per series. There have been some mixed feelings about this series, which is why I wanted to give my review.

Things to love:

• If you're a big Star Wars fan, the first thing to love it that it's a Star Wars set. There is so much to explore within the Star Wars universe, that I think it's great Disney keeps making Star Wars Vinylmation. Especially with annual Star Wars Weekends
• This series has more of the lesser known characters, which will appeal more to big fans who might not want to get the same characters over and over again
• Memorable characters - I think it's awesome that there's a Wampa and a Tauntaun in this set! They're pretty memorable and we haven't seen them before
• Do-Overs - looking back at the first Star Wars series, some of the characters really could have been done better in my opinion. Vinylmation was still evolving, expanding and finding it's stride. But perhaps this series gives collectors a chance to own more intricately designed figures that we've seen in the past. The Boba Fett combo topper in particular is much better than in Star Wars #1
• Variation on repeats - yes we have another R2, Leia, Luke and Han, but they're not identical to previous releases of these characters. Luke and Han are in their Hoth attire, R2 is on Dagobah, and Leia is dressed like she is on Bespin. They are central to the Star Wars Saga so you should expect to see them again in this series. I think this set would have been less popular without them
• Appropriate use of a variant - while not amazing or impressive to me, the Luke variant at least makes sense, as it reflects an actual scene from the movie. The figure has also been well designed and I especially love his ears. I don't like when variants have no meaning and are created purely for the sake of it

Things that aren't so great:

• Well, if you really don't enjoy repeats of figures, you won't like this series. One third of the figures are characters we've seen before
• Unknown characters - I'm a pretty big Star Wars fan, I've lost count of how many times I've watched these movies, but I'm not one of those people who knows every little detail. I'm not familiar with the Ugnaught, Zuckuss or 4-LOM, so I can see how half this set would not appeal to some collectors

Vinylmation Review - Jr. 11 Finding Nemo

If you've been around this blog for a while, you probably know that I'm not the biggest fan of Vinylmation Jr. I think they started out pretty weak in comparison to the 3" and 9" lines, and I thought the keychain was kinda weird. Having said that, newer series such as Finding Nemo have really been changing my opinion there.

Reasons to love this series:

• I think it's pretty fun! Look at all the bright colors!
• There's a good selection of characters - Obviously the main characters are here: Nemo, Marlin and Dory. There are also memorable characters such as Bruce the shark, Darla, Squirt, the seagull and the angler fish
• Great use of clear - I really love he clear bodies and ears to show the sea. It looks fantastic!

Things that aren't so great:
The cartoony look - I think Darla, Nemo and the angler fish look pretty true to life, but many of the other figures are a little too cartoony for my taste. In my opinion Marlin, Dory and Bruce don't look like they do in the movie, especially when you compare them to the Pixar #2 figure

I think this series has really stepped up the Jr. series game, but I would have preferred to see Finding Nemo as a 3" series.

Vinylmation Review - Toy Story Series #2

Toy Stores Series #2 (not to be confused with the movie Toy Story 2) features characters from all 3 Toy Story movies. The series was announced at the Imagination Gala and I think it's held up to collectors' expectations.

Reasons to love this series:

• The design - I know that sounds broad and obvious but here's what I mean. The figures really look like toys! Somehow Ron Cohee has made Trixie, Twitch and Buzz look like plastic toys, but without making the Vinylmation figure itself look cheap and tacky. In the same vein, Dolly looks like she has a soft, plush doll texture, and Mr and Mrs Potato Head look like toys with 3D body parts
• Great accessories - I think the best accessory is Buzz's arm and the way he can hold it. I also like that his other arm is clear, I think it looks better. The other great accessories are Mr and Mrs Potato Head's hats and Buzz's helmet
• The mix of old and new characters - we've seen Buzz, Woody and Jessie before, but this time they all look different, giving you reason to want another "duplicate" figure. There's nothing worse than wearing out a figure by repeating it too many times. There's also some new characters too
• Good choice of variant - I like variants to make sense and not be created for the pure sake of a variant. The former has been done here with the Mr Potato Head variant and I think it's a hit with collectors
• Good use of clear - like I said before, it was perfect to make one of Buzz's arms clear. I also like the clear ears on Twitch to show off his antennae appropriately 

Things that aren't so great:

Overall I think this is a really strong series. The only downside I can think of is a personal opinion. I don't think Twitch is an amazing chaser. I think he's a fantastic figure that's spot on, but I don't think he's memorable and popular enough to warrant being the chaser.

Vinylmation Review - Mystery Bakery Haunted Mansion Ghosts

It's October and that means Halloween is right around the corner! So for today's Vinylmation Review, I'm taking a look at the Mystery Bakery Haunted Mansion Ghosts. 
 

Released: July 12, 2013

Blind Open Window

The Haunted Mansion Mystery Bakery series is one of the better "flavors" in my opinion. Having 3 different characters actually warrants this style of a blind open window series. It may also persuade you to buy more than one box because you might pull another character, rather than the same character with a different face.

The Hitchhiking Ghosts have a gray cupcake case that reminds me of the tombstones at the attraction. The icing is an eerie mix of dark blue and a lighter, greenish blue that matches the color of the ghosts. All around the icing are stretched ghoulish faces just like the ones that seep out of the organ inside the Haunted Mansion. 

All of the ghosts wear green shirts like they do in the attraction. The ghost on the left in the picture is Gus, who looks just like his counterpart in the attraction. He has the same long, white beard, bushy eyebrows and white hair. He's missing his ball and chain but I think that's ok. He has some of the dark blue icing on his nose. Ezra is the ghost in the middle of the picture. I love his evil expression with his signature smile. He has icing on the top of his head.

Finally, Phineas is the ghost on the right in the picture. He has the same round face and big nose like he does in the attraction. He has icing on his head too that has also dripped down onto his nose. I think this series is very well done. All of the ghosts look fantastic, exactly like they do in the attraction. I also think the icing is perfect. It looks creepy and you can tell it represents The Haunted Mansion. 

While I didn't get any of these myself, I think they are great figures that I can still appreciate. 

Vinylmation Review - Park Starz #3

Released: June 6, 2014

Blind Box Series

Many collectors were excited to see the release of Park Starz #3 this year. It included a second hitchhiking ghost, a second country bear, another It's A Small World installment, plus new characters including a float from the Main Street Electrical Parade, and repeated characters taking the Park Starz mold for the first time. Collectors love the unique nature of the Park Starz mold and I think this is a well rounded series.

Reasons to love this series:

• It has the perfect mix of old and new - what do I mean by old? Well, we've seen a Tiki bird before, It's A Small World characters, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Country Bear Jamboree, and Hitchhiking ghosts, but the figures in this series are still new creations within those categories. Secondly, if you're a fan of those attractions, these figures will help you grow those collections. I think it would be awesome to have all 3 hitchhiking ghosts, to have a whole Country Bear Jamboree set and all of the Tiki Room birds! But, if you're looking for something fresh, this series does boast 4 brand new characters and variants
• Imagination - I think the artists really used their imagination with this series to pick some fantastic character choices. I just love the Main Street Electrical Parade turtle float, the Spaceship Earth Caveman and the Dreamfinder!
• Re-invented characters - we've seen the Matterhorn Yeti before, Dreamfinder as a 9", Ezra the hitchhiking ghost, and Sonny Eclipse on the regular Mickey mold, but they all look fantastic debuting on their own Park Starz mold. I don't think anyone is sad to see repeats of these figures in this series
• A chaser worth chasing - the Tiki figure from the Polynesian Resort logo in my opinion is a wonderful choice for a chaser. It's fun, it's new, it's expertly executed, and you can pretend it's a figure from Adventureland if you prefer. I think this vinyl appeals to a wide range of collectors and makes a worthy chaser
• Exciting variants - Maybe exciting is too strong a word, since the variants don't really appeal to me personally, but I think other collectors are fans. I think a sepia Pig Pirate figure was a good choice because it can be added to the other sepia Pirates figures to continue the set. It also sold out surprisingly quickly online. The same goes for the clear Ezra variant, I guess those are popular. I think that the red astronaut variant was a really smart idea. The blue and red astronauts do look similar and it may seem the color change was insignificant and arbitrary, but actually changing the color makes each figure a different attraction. The blue is Space Mountain and the red is Mission Space. Adding the Mission Space logo to the red variant is a perfect touch to complete the figure. I also love the Big Al and Trixie variant because I think it's a beautiful holiday set in itself, and fans of the extinct holiday version of the Country Bear Jamboree will definitely appreciate

Things that aren't so great: 

• The price - apologies, but I have to mention it. While it's not exactly related to the design and quality of the series, it is a huge drawback to Park Starz. These figures are still 3" and although the tins are pretty and attractive, does anyone blox this series and keep all the tins? Even if you do, are they worth the extra money? I have yet to pick one of these up because they're $18.95 each. I would prefer to buy them on the secondary market and make sure I get the figures I want. $12.95 is bad enough, I'm not going to fork out $18.95 and risk getting an unwanted figure
• Repetition - I guess a downside to this series if you've had enough of seeing pirates, bears, yetis and Tiki birds is that they still feature in this series. Every Park Starz series so far has had figures from Pirates of the Caribbean and It's A Small World. I wouldn't blame some collectors for getting bored

Vinylmation Review - Ink & Paint Series

Released: May 19, 2014

Blind Box Series

Ink & Paint is a wonderful retro series single-handedly designed by Enrique Pita. The 8 figure series contains some of the original favorite Disney characters, including the Fab 5, Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle and Peg-Leg Pete. All have been designed to reflect their old-school portrayals. I really like some of the more classic and retro Vinylmation designs along side more modern, new Vinylmation series. I like the progression of the look of Disney characters (in particular the Fab 5) but I think it's great to have newer looks and characters such as the Pixar series, with more traditional Disney series like the Classic Collection or Ink & Paint.

Reasons to love this series:

• As I already mentioned, the retro look - I just love it! It mixes things up, gives a series that's unique and different to most other series
• The traditional character designs - it ties into my first point, but it goes a little deeper than that. The characters look different to their modern appearances, Mickey has pie eyes again, Minnie is dressed in the outfit she used to wear back in the 50's, Donald has his old look, etc
• The accessories - I love Clarabelle's bow, Pete's hat, Goofy's hat, Donald's hat and Minnie's hat with the flower. It's really neat to have these as actual accessories now instead of being painted in the ears
• The ears - I don't think any space has been wasted here. All of the characters have had great use made out of the ears. The background colors for the ears have been chosen perfectly to correspond with the character, for example green for Pluto's ears to match his collar. This color blending works fantastically (even for Donald's blank ears) and is more appropriate for the look and feel of this series

Things that aren't so great:

• Character repeats - some collectors might be tired of all the Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto figures especially. Every character in this series is a repeat. However, I think it works well and isn't problematic or off-putting considering the radically different look of these characters from any of their previously released duplicates

Vinylmation Review - Topiaries

Released: March 28, 2014

Revealed/Concealed Blind Box

Topiaries was the first Vinylmation series to use the new "revealed/concealed" concept, where each blind box has a "revealed" figure on top, plus a "concealed" figure inside the blind box. My thoughts on that are for another post, this post will be a pure review of the 5 figures in the series.

This series was released as part of the 2014 Flower and Garden Festival celebrations at EPCOT. During this time, topiaries can be found of different Disney characters around Walt Disney World, particularly at EPCOT. The figures in this series are to reflect some of those characters in their flower form. I think this was a fantastic idea for a series! Something new that we haven't seen before, something memorable from the parks thats appeal to those who have never experienced the Flower and Garden Flower, whilst commemorating the occasion for those who have.


Reasons to love this series:

• It's something a little different - 5 characters and no chaser (unless you consider all 4 "concealed" figures as chasers) making it much easier to collect the whole series. (Let's not open the can of worms on how much that would cost you and how many Sorcerer Mickeys you'd have left over)
• The use of 3 molds - here there are technically three different molds: Sorcerer Mickey, Minnie and the regular Mickey mold. Mixes things up a little and is very appropriate for the figures included
• The use of ears - I love the bumblebee and Donald's hat in his ears, plus the butterflies in Daisy's ears, so cute!
• The accuracy - the characters look just like they do in their flower form, especially Donald, who is my favorite in this series. In my opinion they look realistically like topiaries, although I haven't seen any in person
• The character choices - there are plenty of characters to chose from that have been used for topiaries. Sticking to some of the Fab 5 I think was a good choice. They're loved by a wide audience and can instantly be connected to the Flower and Garden festival

Things that aren't so great:
I don't really have anything to say here. The only issue I have with this series is not related to the series itself, it's a criticism of the method in which the boxes are sold, the nature of the revealed/concealed concept, but I won't talk about that here because it's a marketing strategy. It doesn't reduce the quality or appeal of the figures, it's just a potential deterrent to blind box them. (You can read about my feelings toward the Revealed/Concealed concept here).

Vinylmation Review - Robots #4

Released: March 17

Blind Box Series

Robots is another series that I don't collect, again it's just because I can't collect everything! The Robots line has improved tremendously with series #3 and #4. While I don't personally collect them, I really liked most of the figures in series #3 and I was seriously impressed with series #4!

Reasons to love this series:

• Accessories! Just look at Jafar and Captain Hook's hats! Hook's looks perfect and Jafar's has been expertly transformed into a robot part while keeping the essence of his character. Syndrome's cape is a wonderful addition also
• Creativity - just look at Jafar and Scar's expressions!
• New characters - I'm not a big Incredibles fan, but many collectors were pleased to see Syndrome in this series. I was impressed that Sid was chosen as a fresh character for the chaser
• The Villains theme - I love that Robots #4 has a theme and that it's Villains, which is popular right now, giving the collectors what they want. To add to that, I love how Captain Hook, Scar, Cruella de Vil and Shan Yu look truly terrifying
• Worthy chaser - Sid was done fantastically in my opinion and that, coupled with him being a new Vinylmation character, made him a desirable chaser worth chasing

Things that aren't so great:

• Really all I can say here is that there are a lot of character repeats in this series. Great if you like to collect the same characters, but if not this could be a downside. Jafar, Cruella de Vil, Shan Yu, Captain Hook and the Big Bad Wolf have all appeared before in Villains series and Scar has appeared in the Lion King series

Vinylmation Review - Villains #4

Released: October 11, 2013

Blind Box Series

I think Villains is a great idea for a Vinylmation series! I also think that the Villains line has only improved over time. With each Villains series, there are always hits and misses for me, but overall I really think each new series brings out some fantastic figures.

Villains #4 was no exception! Villains is not a series I typically collect, although I do own Chernabog from Villains #3 (I'll get back to that in a Vinylmation story). But other series outside of my usual collecting habits are tempting me more and more these days! However, I still think Villains #4 is a great series overall. I also traded recently for Captain Gantu at my location Disney Store.

Reasons to love this series:

• I say this a lot because often it's true, but not always, there's a great selection of characters in this series. There's a villain from Lilo and Stitch, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin, Hercules, Robin Hood and The Nightmare Before Christmas to name a few. Almost all of these characters have never been seen before as Vinylmation
• So in a similar vein, but I feel it deserves its own point, we have new characters in this series. Sometimes characters get repeated across Vinylmation series and this can work if the designs are different. Other times this gets too repetitive. However the only repeat in this series is Oogie Boogie, who has completely different artwork than his previous appearance in The Nightmare Before Christmas #1 - which is awesome to see
• Great use of accessories - Razour's hat is just incredible! McLeach has a pretty great hat accessory too. The light bulb accessory on the Frankenollie variant is also a creative touch
• True to likeness - Razour, Pain and Panic, the Rhino Guard, Cyclops, the Sheriff of Nottingham and Maleficent all took exactly the same in Vinylmation form as their animated selves. Very impressive
• Great use of ears - I love the dice in Oogie Boogie's ears, the Rhino Guard's clear ears, the light bulb in Dr. Frankenollie's ears and the galactic stars in Captain Gantu's ears
• Creativity - I would never have thought of combining Pain and Panic onto one vinyl and it looks awesome!

Things that aren't so great:

• Some of the characters just aren't to my taste. I'm not familiar with Fat Cat, The Horned King, McLeach, or Dr. Frankenollie and Cyclops is not one of my favorite characters either. But that's down to personal preference