The Immortal Dragon Minimate and Bruce Lee in the costume it was based on.

By Fujis

Bruce Lee never appeared in a film in the costume pictured above. This picture was part of a proposal for a period piece that never got off the ground. From what I recall Lee was slated to play a Mongolian warrior of some kind.

An interesting choice then for Art Asylum to make a figure based on a character that Lee never played. Maybe a Minimate of Lee in a Kato costume would have been more appropriate but that probably would have involved acquiring some, if not all of the rights to The Green Hornet which might not have been feasible for them at the time.

In terms of the 3″ line this figure seems to be the most difficult to track down. Now whether they were short packed or not, I have no idea. There is a Bruce Lee lot on eBay which includes this figure that is currently going for $61.00. I have never seen Bruce Lee Minimates go for that much but then again I have never seen this figure on eBay before.

I haven’t decided whether or not I’m going to bid yet but that’s an awful lot of money to shell out considering I only need one of the three…

Just when you think you’ve seen all of the minimate art out there - another one surfaces. A pleasant surprise indeed. I’ve been on a few image collecting sessions since I began working here at the HQ and this one was definitely a good find.

Now this image might be old news to some but I’ve never seen it before. I’d hazard to say that it was created for the C3 line since it includes Darkseid and Martian Manhunter but the Batman pictured looks an awful lot like the one pictured in the DCD Minimate Control Art.

Have you found some cool Minimate-related art? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Early Rock prototypes. Photo by Action-Figure.com

By Fujis

“You wanna sign my yearbook?”

Now there’s a loaded phrase if I ever heard one. For me, signing people’s yearbooks was a bit nerve-racking since I knew that this might be my only shot at immortality. Being too “hip” my relegate my scribblings to the joke pile while being too obscure might make it seem like I either a) wasn’t interested in this person (which very well might have been the case) or b) I was too worried about sounding cool and since being self-conscious about being cool makes you automatically uncool I might have been writing in this weird state where I was writing what I was writing and simultaneously imaging reading what I was writing 10 years from now…

Or I might be a little concerned since my ten year high school reunion is this summer and like John Cusack’s character in Grosse Point Blank I don’t want to go. Maybe if I had to kill someone while I was there. No, even still.

But we’re not here to talk about my school career or even my yearbook, no we’re here to take a look back at some very early minimate prototypes.

Before Diamond Select Toy’s involvement in the Minimates line the figures were 3″ tall and not the more recognizable 2″. Most of you know that I’m sure so I won’t go any more into specifics but take a closer look at the picture. These prototypes exhibit almost none of the classic Minimate characteristics. Despite a passing resemblance to the actual produced figures these look more like Kubricks.

I found these pictures with the footer claiming that they were photographed in 2002 but looking at the Comic Cons and Toy Shows of that year it appears that Art Asylum had already solidified the now-obsolete 3″ body.

So where did these prototypes come from and what prompted Art Asylum to completely change the Minimates body? As I said, at first glance these could be mistaken for Kubricks. Was that AA’s initial idea for the Minimates? Were they going to be marketed as the North American counterpart to the Kubrick?

Well, if that was the case and the Kubricks and Minimates went to the same high school then I imagine that the Kubricks would be part of the debate and chess teams while the Minimates would comprise a large number of the sports teams and possibly “Battle of the Bands” members. And where the Kubricks might sign yearbooks with things like “Keep in touch” and “Friends Forever” I can imagine these Minimates signing only one thing…

“Rock On.”

Interested? Stayed tuned to the HQ for details…

Grab the latest issue of Toyfare to get a handy Minimates price guide on page 99.  It’s issue #108 and features the Pirates of the Caribbean toys on the cover.

I think the price estimates are low in most regards.  An opened box of the Giant Sized X-Men are listed as being worth $13.00, but I’m certain a single figure from that pack would fetch far more by itself.  And an unopened C3 Batcopter is listed at $45.00, but I’d put the price closer to $75.00.  Overall the price guide provides a nice checklist of the available Minimates out there.  I just wouldn’t rely on the prices too closely.  Ebay will provide a better up-to-date range of the prices for the Minimates you can find.  But if you are new to collecting Minimates and you’d like a list of all Minimates made so far, you should pick up Toyfare #108 today.  (Note: The price guide does not include prices for the Street Fighter 2 Minimates, the Lord of the Rings Minimates, or the older 3″ Minimates.)

Welcome to the official resolution of the first ever Minimate Headquarters Contest!  Contestants were selected from people who posted the comments to the Custom Gallery section of Minimate Headquarters.  Eleven people posted comments and ten entrants were selected to win a free custom Marvel Goliath Minimate made by yours truely!

The official contestants have been numbered one through ten based upon an alphabetical listing of the names.  The Irony Games Dice Server was choosen to provide the randomly selected winner by roll of the a single ten sided die.  To verify the winning roll, Ady Carter of the Minimate Multiverse will receive a verifiable copy of the roll via email.

The official contestants are:

1. antacost
2. Danny
3. drgnrbrn316
4. gra007
5. jcastick
6. Logan
7. Mini-Jeff
8. Mini-Myte
9. Slipperyduckie
10. theChameleon23

And now for the roll.  Good luck contestants.  The roll is …

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

#2

Congratulations Danny!

I’ve recently added a bunch of images to the Gallery portion of this website. These are images of official Minimates, which include: designs, prototypes, ads, packaging, and displays. Most of the images come from other sources, and you should note the original source names watermarked on many of those images. Comments are welcome, so if you see images that need to cited back to the original source, please feel free to note that information.

The purpose of the Official Minimates portion of the Gallery is to act as an information resource for fans who would like to research Art Asylum’s, Diamond Select Toys’, and Play Along Toys’ past and upcoming Minimates toy releases.

I intend to add my own images of each Minimate but this will be a slow process. For now, I recommend you check out the reviews at Minimates Central if you need detailed pictures of individual Minimates.

Doomstadt, Latveria. Hardly a place that one could call welcoming. But today it’s gates were thrown open and a crowd of Minimates, some of them Superheroes, some of them “normals” as well as members of the press and even some supporters of the SHMRA (Super Human Minimate Registration Act) came to hear the Overlord’s latest proclaimation. Though not confirmed it is thought that at least a few members of the resistance were in attendance as well.

A hush fell over the crowd as Evil JP appeared on a balcony high above. He let his subjects take in his new appearance before launching into an animated speech,“From this day forth, I shall no longer be known as Evil JP. I am now Jean-Pierre, the Supreme Overlord and Ruler of the World.”

The crowd below the balcony applauded weakly.

Bellowed the Overlord, “Today I have signed into law the Super-Human Minimate Registration Act. All super-human Minimates must immediately register with the government. Those who register and support registration will identify themselves with this handy red and black circle symbol. Those who don’t wear the symbol will be executed.”

As if on cue some of his Ministers and their aides appeared beneath the balcony proudly displaying their arm-bands as if they were medals of honor. The crowd gasped in shock.

“I have decided to make black, gold, and red the official Imperial colors,” boomed the Overlord. “Anyone who desecrates these colors and symbols will be executed.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the crowd.

“I do this for the good of all Minimates everywhere,” yelled the Overlord. “Long live the Empire!”

“Long live the Empire,” the crowed mumbled unenthusiastically.

The Overlord beamed with happiness. He was certain his popularity ratings would skyrocket now that he had unveiled his jazzy new “soft and friendly” image to the world. He spun on his heels, his cape billowing behind him, and he disappeared back into the castle. His ministers and their aides faded into the shadows and were gone.

The sun was just about to crest the Latverian mountains in the distance but despite the inevitable breaking of day it felt as if a shadow had fallen on the courtyard. The crowd stood silent, heads tilted up to the now empty balcony. Slowly they seemed to regain their senses and they left the courtyard in small groups until only one person remained.

He slowly removed the hood of his cloak to reveal his metal visage. “I don’t care what you’re calling yourself now,” he whispered through clenched teeth, “I will be the ruler of Latveria once again and I will see you dead!” With as great a flourish as the Overlord, Dr. Doom swept out of the castle and disappeared…

Stanley Cup Playoff Edition

Ryan Smyth from the Oilers and Rod Brind’Amour from the Hurricanes.

***************************

It Came From the Basement…is a new monthly feature here at the HQ. Each installment will showcase new minimate designs from one of the best amateur minimate designers out there: Barry Bradfield (aka Basement #24). I hope these designs interest and excite the minimate fans and the people who create them.

***************************

By Fujis

I grew up in Edmonton during the 80’s when Gretzky and the Oilers were the unquestionable kings of hockey. I witnessed the birth (and subsequent death) of a hockey legacy. Edmonton is a hockey town and Alberta is a hockey province. In the last two seasons Edmonton and Calgary have both been to the finals.

I was hoping to present the first installment of It Came From the Basement… with the title The Oilers Win the Cup! but alas, it was not to be.

No one expected the 8th seed Oilers to make it past the first round or even the second round. No one expected them to become the Western Conference Champions and I doubt there’s a person in the world that picked them to make it to game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals in their hockey pool. But they did. And in doing so they brought the whole country with them. Thank you Oilers, it was an incredible season. Here’s to next year!

And to the Carolina Hurricanes: congratulations. You out-played and out-worked the Oilers in a series that can only be described as spectacular.

Now what the heck I am going to do with myself until the new season starts?!

**************************

To check out more of Barry’s minimate designs and art click here.