2017 Year In Review

Another year has passed and despite the hobby being on the brink of extinction, I am still collecting. This may be the year that I've added the least to my collection but there have been new pieces I've picked up, both from releases this year and in previous years. I also began collecting Funko Pop figures this year, which I swore I would never do but I guess I needed it to fill the void. I'm not quitting Vinylmation and selling off my collection, it's precious to me and I'll treasure it forever, even if there comes a time when I no longer add to it.

There have been Vinylmation releases this year, but for the first time there were not any Vinylmation Jr. series released in 2017. The year started off strong with several releases each month for the first quarter of the year, but after that we saw a total of 4 months without any releases at all, and in the months where a new figure or set was released, there was only one in a whole month. Remember way back when there would be something new release once a week? Following that recap, here's 2017 in Review!

Number of Vinylmation in my collection as of this post:
3" - 186
9" - 11
Jr. - 16
Park Starz - 9

My favorite Disney artist right now is:
This is really hard to say this year. I think Thomas Scott did a fantastic job with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and I love his Park Starz #5 designs, Maria Clapsis-Stuckey blew me away with how much her Luke Skywalker figure looks like Mark Hamill, I adore Caley Hicks's Minnie Eachez figures, and cute doesn't even begin to describe Jerrod Maruyama's Kingdom of Cute series! If I can only pick one I would go with Maria because of how on point her Luke figure is.

Holy grail that I wish I owned is currently:
Despite people quitting the hobby and selling off their collections, I still do not have the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater 9" from Park #4!!! I'll keep looking I guess. I also still want the Br'er Fox and Congo Queen variant figures. It's not a grail exactly because it's still being sold and I could pick it up for retail price, however that's not cheap so I haven't yet, but I would like to own the 9" Wonderground Gallery Haunted Mansion Bride.

My favorite purchase this year was:

Well I only purchased 5 Vinylmation figures this year if you can believe it. I focused more on Funko Pop figures. The shame. However I did pull the variant from my Holiday Goofy Eachez blind box which was impressive, in all these years of collecting that's only my second variant from a blind box. I absolutely adore the Disney Store 30th Anniversary set I purchased this year! So pretty!

The artist whose work I added most to my collection this year was:

Marvin Lao. This is kind of cheating because I only bought 5 figures this year, and out of those five, two were in a combo set designed by Marvin Lao. I also added a figure by Ron Cohee, Thomas Scott, and R. Bristol.

Something new I did this year was:

I didn't really do anything new this year in terms of Vinylmation. However I did do something I said I wouldn't, and I started collected Funko Pop and Dorbz figures. Not all of those are Disney, but the majority are. Having asked you guys if you'd be interested in me expanding this blog to cover the Funko line, I have made the decision that Funko posts will appear on this blog in 2018. This won't become an exclusively Funko blog, but in order to keep posting new content, sometimes Funko will be the topic - if it's Disney. 

My highlights for 2017 are:

I may be in the minority, but I loved the two 9" figures that were released this year! I hope to one day own the Wonderground Gallery Haunted Mansion Bride and I did like Hipster Minnie even though I don't intend to purchase her. She would look fantastic next to last year's Hipster Mickey! I like the artsy turn that some sets have taken this year, not just the Bride 9" but also the Haunted Mansion Designer Eachez and the Kingdom of Cute set. They appeal to theme park fans, Vinylmation fans, and art fans which I think helps keep the hobby going if casual collectors can enjoy and purchase sets and figures. 

To accompany the artsy sets, I'm glad that known and loved franchises have also been represented in their true form, meaning they were designed to look like the characters they're based on, not an artsy version of. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Last Jedi were expertly designed and very appealing to movie fans and Vinylmation collectors. Overall I think there's been a great mix of movie, TV, comic and artsy releases this year - something for everyone. The only drawback has been no Park figures :(

I am nervous to see what 2018 will bring!

2016 Year In Review

This year has been another year of ups and downs. Vinylmation is forever changed and I miss what it once was. I may post about this more in future, but I miss staying up late with other collectors anticipating a release, I miss trading, I miss talking with collectors in forums, I miss blind boxing, and I miss the excitement of releases. There have been times again this year when I've questioned continuing this blog, because sometimes I feel like collectors don't care anymore, there's no where near as much to talk about, and it's not as exciting to me as it once was.

Having said all that, I WILL be continuing this blog! I still love Vinylmation so I enjoy sharing releases, my mail days, my thoughts and my Vinylmation photography. There have still been plenty of positives in the Vinylmation world this year. I've been really pleased to see at least two Vinylmation releases every month, and on top of that there have been so many incredible sets and good Eachez figures. Less have proven to definitely be more and this has continued to give me hope that Vinylmation isn't dying out, as some collectors still maintain. So, here's my 2016 In Review!

Number of Vinylmation in my collection as of this post:
3" - 181
9" - 11
Jr. - 15
Park Starz - 9

My favorite Disney artist right now is:
This is a tie between Ron Cohee and Jeff Granito this year. I love Ron Cohee's Mickey Mouse Club set and I think his Attractions Eachez figures (Br'er Fox, Jungle Cruise Skipper and Congo Queen) have absolutely perfect designs! Jeff Granito's Designer #2 series completely blew me away and I had to have several of those figures immediately! An honorable mention here is Thomas Scott. I've been super impressed with his work on Iron Man and Doctor Strange this year. It's so incredibly difficult to portray human likeness on the Vinylmation platform and Thomas Scott nailed it with getting those figures to look like Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch.

The upcoming set I'm most looking forward to is: 
This one is moot this year since right now we don't know any sets that are coming out ahead of time. I wouldn't panic. We knew very little of what would be released this year and we've still had a release almost every week, or every other week. I do however hope that we get more Park figures, preferably in a Park series, but I'll take more Attractions Eachez if they continue to be strong designs. I'd also like to see more combo sets.

Holy grail that I wish I owned is currently:
I still REALLY want the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater 9" from Park #4, which I have now seen on eBay (but can't pay $200 for). But for something more specific to this year, I wish I owned the variant figures from the two Attractions Eachez: Br'er Fox and the Congo Queen. 

My favorite purchase this year was:
So many I can't narrow it down! I was really happy to complete my Marvel collection at a reasonable price. I also got a great price on the Animal Kingdom Nice Kitty set that I had wanted for a while. I was thrilled to get the Designer #2 Sorcerer Mickey chaser without breaking the bank, and I was so happy that there's finally a Br'er Rabbit Vinylmation! So I was pleased to pick that one up too.

The artist whose work I added most to my collection this year was:
This is another tie, this time between Thomas Scott and Caley Hicks. I added 7 figures from each artist to my collection this year. In second place is Maria Clapsis, who designed 5 figures that I added to my collection in 2016.

Something new I did this year was:
Expand my Jr. collection. Initially, I wasn't a huge Jr. fan. The series released at that the time didn't really appeal to me and I didn't know how to display them. More recently, I have loved several series: Adventureland, Toy Story, and It's A Small World #2. I added 5 Jr. figures to my collection this year, which is the most I've ever bought in a year. There are still several more I'd like to collect. I still don't know how to display them, but I do have cute boxes that I keep them in. 

My highlights for 2016 are:
I was really pleased to see three 9" figures get released this year. Hipster Mickey was different in a good way, I think the 9" Olaf is appealing to Frozen fans and I think the 9" Wicket was adorable, had incredible detail and looked just like him. I've been saying for a while how I hope 9" figures don't die out and that I'd like to see more. I'm glad that happened this year without being overdone, and I hope it continues. 

I also think the Attractions Eachez have been a great highlight of this year. I had been lamenting the absence of Park figures and then all of a sudden we get hit with two park themed Attractions Eachez within a month of each other. They are incredible! Never have I wanted the variant in an Eachez so bad and I'm glad to see more Park figures even if they're not part of a Park series. (Why is Park #15 still MIA?) I hope we see more of them!

2015 Year In Review

There has been a lot of change in the Vinylmation World this year. To me it's seemed like a whirlwind of negativity and confusion. I'll admit that at times it's gotten me down and I apologize that I haven't kept up with the blog this year as well as I have in previous years for that reason. The changes have definitely affected and influenced my collecting habits, but this year hasn't been all bad. After almost 5 years of collecting... here's my 2015 In Review!

Number of Vinylmation in my collection as of this post:
3" - 150
9" - 11
Jr. - 10
Park Starz - 9

My favorite Disney artist right now is:
I think I have to say it's a tie between Thomas Scott and Casey Jones this year. I still love the work of several other artists like Ron Cohee, Caley Hicks, and Maria Clapsis, but I'm going to have to say it's a tie because Thomas Scott and Casey Jones have both produced an equal number of figures that I've fallen in love with this year. Thomas Scott's Marvel, Avengers and Star Wars: The Force Awakens figures have been absolutely fantastic, and Casey Jones has done several incredible series such as The Haunted Mansion, Star Wars #5, Park #16.

The upcoming set I'm most looking forward to is: 
For the third year in a row, we really don't have much information at this point on upcoming releases for 2016. Thankfully though, we do have some information at least. Therefore I can't really say what I'm most looking forward to for my collection personally, but I will say that I'm very happy that a 9" figure will be released and I think the Mickey Mouse Club 3" series looks awesome too. 

Holy grail that I wish I owned is currently:
The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater 9" from Park #4. I have never seen this for sale or trade anywhere! I would love to get my hands on it and finally own it!

My favorite purchase this year was:
Probably the Mine Mine Mine 9" from Park #2. This is a Vinylmation that I have ALWAYS wanted but never in a million years thought I would own. Coming from the second Vinylmation series ever produced, and having a low Limited Edition size, this figure is consistently listed at around $500 on eBay. Luckily, I somehow stumbled on a listing one day that had a much more reasonable price and I snagged it without a second thought.

The artist whose work I added most to my collection this year was:
Ron Cohee. This year I added 10 figures that were designed by Ron Cohee to my collection. He has always been one of my top favorite artists. I love the work of probably every Disney Design Group artist, but Ron has an amazing ability to make his work look like it's popped right out of a Disney movie. In second place was Maria Clapsis, with 8 of her figures added to my collection, and in third place was Caley Hicks with 4 figures. This year I added the work of 11 different artists to my collection.

Something new I did this year was:
Expand my 9" collection. This time last year I only owned one 9" figure. I had said since the day I started collecting that I didn't have the room for a 9" collection, and the price was too high even if I did have the space. Well this year I did a 180 and decided that there were too many figures out there that I wanted. I got several for great prices, and I also splurged a little on the Up 9" which was my holy grail I wished I owned last year. I bought the Death Star 9" at retail because I absolutely had to have it from the second I saw it! But I'll be honest and say that the issue of not having space hasn't changed. Right now I have to keep my 9" figures boxed in a closet. 

I'm looking forward to another year of Vinylmation collecting in 2016!

2014 In Review

Last year I decided to start reviewing my year in Vinylmation collecting here on my blog. It's a once a year review where I can look back and remember my journey during that past year to keep collecting what I love. (I've been collecting for almost 4 years now). I feel like 2014 was a pretty uneventful year for me in terms of vinyl collecting. But without further ado... here's my 2014 In Review!

Number of Vinylmation in my collection as of this post:
3" - 122
9" - 1
Jr. - 6
Park Starz - 9

My favorite Disney artist right now is:
This is really difficult because I love everyone's work! I want to give a big honorable mention to Enrique Pita who has done a lot of amazing work this year and I don't think he's been recognized enough. I have been super impressed with Caley Hicks this year! Topiaries, her Park Starz #3 figures, Holiday Gingerbread Duffy the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover figure, and Tiki Mickey have been fantastic. I have wanted to add a lot of Caley's work to my collection this year. I also loved Ron Cohee's work on the Haunted Mansion Mickey & Friends series. So it's a tie between Caley and Ron.

The upcoming set I'm most looking forward to is:
Again I'm having the same problem as last year in that we really haven't been told a whole lot about upcoming releases yet. The Lilo & Scrump set that was announced at the Imagination Gala, did not release in November as announced. I am looking forward to whenever that set is released. I'm also looking forward to Pirates of the Caribbean Mickey & Friends and the next Haunted Mansion set. 

Holy grail that I wish I owned is currently:
Park #6 UP 9" just like last year. I still love the 9" UP figure but I still haven't found it an affordable price, nor have I had the money to bite the bullet and buy it at an extortionate price.

My favorite purchase this year was:
My focus on purchases this year was filling in gaps. I kinda got annoyed at how many vinyls had dramatically dropped in price last year after I bought them. I wanted quite a few so much that I got them very soon after release. Seeing the price a couple months later made me kick myself. So this year I filled in gaps to bide time while I waited for what I wanted to drop in price. But my favorite purchase was the Animal Kingdom Tigger Is That You? set. I love my Cranium Command set too but that was a gift not a purchase so I can't count that.

The artist whose work I added most to my collection this year was:
I added a surprisingly low number of vinyls to my collection this year. The artist whose work I added most was Maria Clapsis with 4 figures, followed second by Thomas Scott with 3 figures. Overall I added only 14 figures to my collection this year.

Something new I did this year was:
Add Park Starz to my collection. I bought one and traded for the others. I had always liked them but couldn't get over how to display them with their shapes being different. I know that's kind of the point but I'm a little OCD and I like that although my vinyls are all different, they're uniform enough that I can line them up and display them neatly. I can't do that with Park Starz. I decided to collect them anyway because I like them but they're not currently displayed. I still haven't figured out how. 

I'm hoping 2015 will bring some more great Vinylmaion to my collection!

2013 In Review

I don't know about you, but now that I've been collecting for almost 3 years, I'm interested to keep track of my progress in the Vinylmation hobby. How much has my collection grown? What are some of my best blind box pulls? My favorite trades? So I've decided to start reviewing my year in Vinylmation collecting here on my blog. This will be an annual event that I can look back on and remember my journey to collect what I love. Presenting... 2013 In Review! 

Number of Vinylmation in my collection as of this post:
3" - 98
9" - 1
Jr. - 3

My favorite Disney artist right now is:
Ron Cohee! I don't I dislike the work of any of the Disney Store or Disney Design Group artists and I love the work of several artists. But this year Ron Cohee is my runaway favorite because I have been continually amazed and impressed with Ron's work. The way he uses the Mickey canvas, the level of detail he includes, how his Disney characters in vinyl form look exactly like their animated counterparts - Ron has some incredible talent!

The upcoming set I'm most looking forward to is:
This is difficult to decide. Several series were announced at the 13 Reflections of Evil event in September, but we don't know much about most of those series at present. It's hard for me to say what I'm most looking forward to with such a lack of information on what will actually be released and what the figures those series will look like. But Haunted Mansion Mickey and Friends, Park #14, Park Starz #3, D-Tour #2 and Marvel #2 all sound very exciting. I have high hopes for those series. I'm also surprisingly liking the look of Cutesters Snow Day, I might pick up some blind boxes if they make it to my local Disney Store.

9" UP from Park #6

Holy grail that I wish I owned is currently:
Park #6 UP 9". I don't love very many 9" figures, although I like a fair number, their higher prices and bigger size isn't enough for me to buy them if I don't love them. I love the 9" UP so much that I really hope the trade or price will be right for me to add that to my collection soon. At this point in time that would complete my desired 9" collection and go perfectly with the 3" Carl and Ellie that I already own.

The vinyl that cost me the most this year was:
The individual vinyl that cost me the most was The Land 9" from Park #9. I bought this at retail price plus shipping only to find it at the outlet on my October Disney World trip. That's the way it goes with Vinylmation, you're always taking a risk on what will sell out if you wait and what will go to outlet if you don't. The set that cost me the most this year (but still a fair price) was the Tower of Terror Park #13 set, I hope it arrives soon!

9" The Land from Park #9

My favorite purchase this year was:
This is a tie between several vinyls! So many amazing figures were released this year and I was also able to fill some gaps in my collection. So my favorites are: Pixar #1 Carl and Ellie, Park #9 The Land, Park #13 Haunted Mansion Portraits, Park #13 Tower of Terror Elevator Ghosts and Elvis Stitch. But of course I love everything I've purchased this year!

The artist whose work I added most to my collection this year was:
Ron Cohee. As of this post I added 16 figures designed by Ron to my collection this year. In second place is Maria Clapsis, I added 15 of her figures to my collection, and third is Thomas Scott. I added 8 of Thomas' figures to my collection in 2013.

Blue Monorail variant from Park #12

Most proud accomplishment(s) this year was:
Pulling a Park #12 Blue Monorail variant! First time I'd ever pulled a variant and it definitely took away the disappointment of also pulling 2 figures I didn't want plus 2 doubles. I'm usually fairly unlucky with blind box pulls.

Something new I did this year was:
Trade in person with another collector at Walt Disney World - which was awesome! So great to meet other fans of Vinylmation and to see first hand the happiness and excitement they get from a trade you made with them. I also traded for fun at trade box locations around Walt Disney World for the first time which was more fun and excited than I had anticipated, a great experience!

I wonder what 2014 will bring!