Posted on Sunday 31 December 2006
New Year’s Festivities at the HQ (Click to enlarge). Photo by Cappy.
Happy New Year! And here’s to 2007 which is shaping up to be an incredible year full of Minimates!
Posted on Friday 29 December 2006
Mephistopheles from the Ghost Rider movie and presumably wave 15 of the Marvel Minimates line.
By Fujis
My faith in superhero movies is waning since the Fantastic Four and X3 debuted, both of which I didn’t see in theatres (thankfully) and both of which I think are easily two of the worst films ever made - and I’ve seen all of Van Damme’s films…
I’m not a Ghost Rider fan so this movie might be okay, although (and maybe a GR fan can give me their opinion on this) Nicholas Cage is just too damn old to play Johnny Blaze. As I said, I’m not a fan but I don’t think ol’ Johnny was 43 in the comics.
Coupled with my lack of interest in the property is the licensing restrictions which will most likely prevent AA and DST from making a motorcycle to accompany the flaming-faced hero. I wonder if they were able to skirt the issue somehow. Basing a whole wave around GR and not having at least one motorcycle seems like a bad idea to me.
Or maybe he just needs a name change. Ghost Walker has a nice ring to it.
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Click here to see the announcement over at TNI (thanks for the heads-up Samwise!) and click here to join the discussion on GR Minimates at the Minimate Multiverse forum.
Posted on Thursday 28 December 2006
The Tick, Arthur, Die Fledermaus, and American Maid by Basement #24. Click for a larger image.
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Episode #7 of It Came From the Basement features character from Ben Edlund’s underground smash-hit: The Tick! - Fujis
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By Barry
When looking at the designs for the Tick, there’s one thing that has to go without saying: The Tick should be in the 2.5″ (or 3″) scale. He needs to tower over the other characters by far. To help with his size, a larger muscle torso cover would be needed. A fairly big hole has been left for the head and neck, as to not restrict his ball-joint head movement completely. Because of his unique chin and mask, the blue portion of his head along with his eyes would be realized as a newly sculpted cowl to be pulled over the standard minimate head. The smile would be printed on the standard head, but I would say there are no eyes with it. The Tick has never been unmasked (live-action not counting with his constantly visible eyes) so there should be no face other than what we can see when his mask is on. Also, as a final point since I have been known to point out when noses are in use, I believe the standard is no printed noses, but noses are allowed on cowls and masks as is shown in figures like Batman. Here we have the Tick’s mask’s nose, but no printing underneath to finish the design, as it should be on a ‘mate.
For Arthur and Die Fledermaus, their cowls would follow the same idea as the Tick. Slip it on over a standard head, but no printing beyond the mouth and chin. Arthur sports a new heavy torso with his backpack sculpted in. Die Fledermaus utilizes the Batman cape theory that his right arm is removed to allow the cape to hang over his arm. American Maid is fairly standard, but because of her female torso shape printing, the American flag colours are extended out beyond her form to continue it on the side of her torso and along to the back where it falls onto the female torso printing again.
With the vast amount of characters available for a “The Tick” line, it was hard to choose characters, but beyond Tick and Arthur, American Maid and Die Fledermaus stood out amongst the rest in the cartoon’s cast, and lend themselves to great designs.
Posted on Monday 25 December 2006
Christmas at the HQ! Click for a larger version. -Thanks, Cappy!
Merry Christmas to you and yours from your friends at Minimate Headquarters!
Posted on Sunday 24 December 2006
By Fujis
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and in Doomstadt castle,
I was watching Baywatch, with David ‘Hoff plus a hassle,
My stocking was hung by the chimney with care,
In the hopes that a Cylon Elf soon would be there!
The minions were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of WMDs danced in their heads,
And I sans my tri-corn just taking it easy,
Watching Pam and David acting so painfully cheesy.
When up on the turret there arose such a clatter,
I said to myself, “What the heck is the matter?”,
I turned off the tv and jumped out of bed,
Whatever had disturbed me was about to be dead!
I opened the window and turned on the light,
Casting away the shadows, almost banishing night,
When what to my faceless eyes should appear,
But a sleigh drawn by Minimates with a Cylon in the rear.
The sleigh and its driver, a loud rollercoaster,
I knew in a moment that it must be the toaster,
More rapid than Raiders his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
“Now Ryu! now, Batman! now Merry and Pippen!
On, Logan! Green Lantern! on Brave Little Dragon!
To the top of the castle! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the shingles,
Sleigh runners ‘n’ fourteen feet as they shuffled and mingled,
As I drew in my head, my skin the color of blood,
Down the chimney the Cylon came with a thud.
He was dressed all in metal save the top of his head,
Where sat a green cap above his eye roving and red,
A bundle of toys he had flung on his armor,
and oh when he walked it made such a clamor!
He was deadly and lithe, like all modern toasters,
but this one was different, and I ain’t no boaster,
He scared me to the core, this tank come alive,
I was frozen in place not sure I’d survive!
It spoke not a word, but went straight to work,
And filled up my stocking, then turned with a jerk.
And laying a deadly finger where there should be a nose,
And with a hydraulic nod up the chimney he rose!
He clanked to his sleigh, to the Minimates gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, before he flew out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all humans, to all humans - good night!”
Posted on Friday 22 December 2006
Minimate Cyclops by Chris Haley.
By Fujis
I found this cool Minimate-inspired Cyclops on Chris Haley’s deviantArt page. If you’ve never browsed the deviantArt site you should check it out, there are thousands of artists, amateur and professional, posting their work there. Definitely an easy place to kill a few hours, especially when the annoying in-laws are over for eggnog!
Posted on Thursday 21 December 2006
By Fujis
It certainly didn’t take long for the first Cylon Elf to surface on eBay. From the first picture posted by Ken Lilly on the Creatus Maximus message board to the eBay auction it was less than 24 hours. It will be interesting to see how much this one goes for as it might set the standard in price, at least for the next little while.
Is anyone else curious as to why this elf is covered in blood?
Posted on Wednesday 20 December 2006
But only one Santa Cylon*…
Santa Cylon by Diamond Select Toys.
By Fujis
There is a Cylon Minimate even more rare than the 1:12 classic and modern Cylon variants and he knows if you’ve been bad or good…
The Santa Cylon is a promotional figure that DST is sending to retailers and other VIP’s in the industry which means that it should be surfacing on eBay shortly.
Thanks to Ady Carter for posting this on the Minimate Multiverse forum and click here to check out the thread which will continue to have up-to-date info on this new exclusive!
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*Edit 11:00 am MST: Apparantly the “Santa Cylon” is wearing a green hat and is therefore an “Elf Cylon”. Thanks to Ady for the correction. And click here to win your very own Elf Cylon in a draw courtesy of Diamond Select Toys and the Minimate Multiverse!
Posted on Monday 18 December 2006
C3 Batcopter with Tactical Batman. Photo from Minimates Central -Thanks, Danny!
By Fujis
Of the now defunct C3 line two sets have become coveted by collectors: the Mini-Javelin set with Flash and Martian Manhunter and the Batcopter with Tactical Batman pictured above. Thanks to the help of She-Thing (a fellow Minimate Multiverse forum member) I was able to finally add one to my collection!
Here’s what happened: I was performing a very rigid search for a Batcopter online convinced that one must still be available for sale at a reasonable price somewhere and hopefully not on eBay where the price for this set always seems to climb out of my range. I stumbled upon a Batcopter product page from Planetacomic (a Barcelona, Spain based comic/collectibles retailer) and they had one Batcopter in stock! I quickly fired them an email in Spanish thanks to the BabelFish Translator and waited for their reply. A few days later they got back to me and said that they could not communicate with me in English (as per a question in my email) and, more importantly, that they don’t ship outside of Europe! My hopes were dashed!
Before I had a full scale meltdown, I remembered that She-Thing lived in Spain. I wasn’t sure where she lived exactly but I was hoping it was at least close to Barcelona. I was able to track down her email address with the help of another forum member (since it seemed impossible to find on her blog) and I asked for her help. She got back to me and said that she lived in Barcelona and that the Planetacomic store was within walking distance from her house!
We communicated sporadically over the next few weeks trying to hammer out payment details, shipping cost, etc. I was nervous that someone would snag it out from under me while we were putting things together so it probably seemed more infrequent than it actually was - that and She-Thing is busy with art school (I think she might have even been in the middle of exams) so I’m glad she was even able to respond to my emails at all! In the end we settled on Western Union and 3 weeks and 47 Euro later the packaged was shipped to my apartment where it’s waiting to be unwrapped once I get home from the holidays.
Thanks for your help, She-Thing!
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Click here to check out She-Thing’s Blog and don’t forget to swing by the Minimate Multiverse where help is only an email away!
Posted on Monday 4 December 2006
When Superhero Costumes Go Bad! 
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I know JP mentioned that we’ll be away for the next few months but I’ve still got a few articles that I’m going to publish before Christmas hits and then it’s all airports and turkey dinners for me! -Fujis
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Now let me start out by saying that I love the colors yellow and blue. IKEA, the collegiate word synonymous with ‘decor’, uses it unabashedly and with great success. And sports teams like the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and the NHL’s St. Louis Blues have also coupled them. But yellow and blue, two thirds of the primary colors of pigment, should never be combined when making superhero costumes! Two prime examples are Wolverine, Marvel’s favorite Canadian son, and The Sentry, an unanpologetic Superman rip-off.
I was first introduced to Wolverine in the 80’s in The Uncanny X-Men where then penciller John Byrne introduced the brown and tan costume. It wasn’t until later that I realized that he first appeared in yellow and blue thanks to John Romita, Sr., who is credited with designing the original costume.
Now I feel that Wolverine as a former soldier in the Canadian army, a trained Samurai and assassin, a former S.H.E.I.L.D. agent and member of Alpha Flight, not to mention now being both an X-Man and Avenger, wouldn’t be caught dead in yellow and blue. Seriously, Logan claims that he is the best there is at what he does, which if you were unsure is killing people. I’m not positive about this, since I failed my entrance exam to ninjitsu school and I have yet to find occasion to participate in a clandestine mission, but yellow and blue in my humble opinion are the last thing that anyone needing stealth on their side would wear.
Also, in the world of superheroes, costumes must help the reader to interpret and understand the character. Wolverine has killed hundreds, if not thousands of people, not to mention the fact that he’s had he skeleton replaced with adamantium (twice!) and only recently learned of his true origins, which has plagued him mentally for decades! Doesn’t sound like a guy who would have a “glass is half full” view of the world if you know what I mean. In fact, of all of the superheroes he’s one that I could believe wouldn’t wear a costume at all let alone one made from sunshine yellow spandex!
The Sentry is a different story altogether. I first learned of him in The New Avengers: Breakout graphic novel and I remember reading somewhere that he was created back in the day by Stan Lee and was “forgotten” until
recently. The truth of the matter is that The Sentry was created by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee in 2000 and was revived a few years later by, you guessed it, Brian Michael Bendis for The New Avengers and the pre-Fantastic Four history was a hoax intended to generate interest in the character. Confused? Me too. Here’s the Wikipedia entry on The Sentry - good luck making sense of his storyline!
Again, I don’t think the colors of the costume are doing the character justice. As a Silver Age superhero there’s no problem with the costume but “reintroducing” the character in the same bright duds into a new storyline makes a potentially popular character almost laughable. I understand that they are trying to make him iconic but he looks a little too much like The Whizzer for my taste!
