Last year was a fantastic ride for MiniMates and 2008 promises to be just as good. So here’s wishing you all a great new year, Minimates and otherwise.

by Cappy

Earlier this year, during the convention season, Diamond Select Toys released a Spider-Man 3 Debut 2-pack which contained movie versions of Spider-Man wearing his standard costume and the black, symbiote one. The recent release of Marvel Series 17 saw a re-issue of those two characters. The obvious question is: are these versions true re-issues or should they be considered variants? 

Below are some side-by-side comparison shots. The newer, Series 17 Spider-Man is on the left, and the original Debut release on the right.

Right out of the package, the newer Spider-Man is definitely brighter all around. At first, it seemed this might be a case of production run variations — a different dye lot or something like that. However, the difference is really pretty distinct and veers away from the colors that have been established for toy adaptations of the movie costume. So different, in fact, it’s likely that DST intended the Series 17 release to be easily identified. The detailing on the two versions is the same. If the grey webbing pattern on the new Spider-Man looks lighter, that’s just an illusion from being printed on a brighter base color. The big difference comes at the hands and feet: Series 17 Spider-Man has no detailing there. Nothing, zip. Some might see this as skimping on the production, but it actually follows the look DST has established for MiniMate Spideys.

The symbiote Spider-Man is obviously different — the Series 17 version has a powerhouse chest. The chest itself is a worthwhile addition, because the alien symbiote bulks up whatever host it’s riding. Underneath the chest piece is a plain black torso. There are other torsos in the 17/18 waves that duplicate the Debut black-suited Spidey, but swapping them out with the powerhouse chest still won’t get you a Preview version. It’s the hands and feet that stop this; Series 17 Spider-Man is also missing the detailing there.

In the end, I consider these to be more than a re-issue. It looks like DST took some intentional steps to make them separate, variant releases of particular characters in the Spider-Man universe.

It’s been a long, lonely time.
Where are the Friends now?

By Dragon

As 2007 draws to a close, I thought it would be appropriate to take a look back at the past year and what it brought for the Minimate community.

Company News:
The biggest company news of the year would be the merger of Diamond Select Toys and Art Asylum, which has affected the brand in nothing but a positive fashion, giving the designers at AA more time to work on making the collectibles we all know and love while shifting the business aspect onto the more experienced shoulders of DST.

Line News:

Marvel:
The flagship line of the Minimate brand saw quite a bit of action this year, with the release of the X-Men: The Last Stand Minimates (Series 14), the Classic Avengers Minimates (Series 16), and the recent release of the Spider-Man 3 Minimates (Series 17 & 18). In addition to four strong waves of Minimates, the retail market received its share of exclusives, in the form of Action Figure Express’s Defenders box set and FYE’s Scarlet Spider/Hobgoblin set, as well as the Classic Spider-Man box set, the Marvel Zombies box set, the Marvel Zombies Giant Man/Daredevil set, and the Spider-Man 3 Preview set. It was also announced that the next two waves of Marvel Minimates (Series 19 & 20) would feature a host of fan favorites, including Hawkeye, Archangel, Abomination, Mysterio, and Apocalypse. Still, news was not all good, as it was revealed that the announced Target exclusive Spider-Man wave had been canceled, though Web Armor Spider-Man was later released as an exclusive giveaway for Action Figure Express, much to the combined delight and chagrin of collectors. Finally, the Ghost Rider wave (Series 15) was indefinitely delayed, with no indication of when or how the announced figures would see the light of day.

DC:
DC Comics partnership with Art Asylum kicked off in a big way, with the release of a whole six waves of characters, including big names like Batman and Superman, as well as lesser known favorites like Blackhawk, Star Sapphire, and Blue Beetle. In addition to the six waves that were released, two more were announced for the 2008 season, including figures from the popular Red Son storyline as well as more obscure characters such as Ambush Bug.

Battlestar Galactica:
Battlestar Galactica’s modern incarnation hit the Minimate market, releasing three waves based on the popular SciFi channel show to complement the army building Cylon cases of last year. In addition, at least another wave of figures is planned, as well as at least one exclusive two-pack. Recently, it was announced that the line would be expanding to include the classic BSG series, in the form of two box sets, featuring heroes and villains from the old show.

Rocky:
The Rocky movie franchise jumped into the Minimate arena in the form of two box sets based on the first two movies in the series, as well as an exclusive two-pack featuring Rocky and main squeeze Adrian. No further plans for the line have been announced to date, but fans everywhere are hopeful that the series will continue into the later movies of the franchise.

Back to the Future:
Classic movie trilogy Back to the Future also made the transition into 2-inch block figure form, with the release of a box set based on the first movie. Expected to see release in the upcoming year, box sets based on the second and third film as well as at least two exclusive two-packs were also announced. No plans on a Minimate-scaled Delorean have been announced as of yet.

24:
Everyone’s favorite government agent joined the ever expanding Minimate universe in the form of several box sets, each based on a different season of the popular show. To date, two box sets have been released, covering the first two seasons, in addition to two exclusive two-packs tying in with each season. A third box set has been announced, as well as another exclusive two-pack tying in with the third season. No further plans are known at present.

Star Trek:
SciFi staple Star Trek made its return to the Minimate universe with two successful waves of figures and a third announced for release next year. Diamond Select Toys has announced intentions to continue the line, with the possibility of exploring the rest of the Star Trek franchise. Some fans have shown concern at the lack of aliens released thus far, believing the line is focusing more on the many faces of Kirk and Spock. With a fourth wave confirmed in the works and the whole bridge crew already being represented in 2″ form, one can only speculate what is to come.

Other lines:
Over the course of the year, the fate of the Street Fighter II line, as well as the Speed Racer and Kellogg’s lines were confirmed to be on the shelf for the foreseeable future. While nothing is truly canceled until the license expires, fans were told not to hold their breath on these. On a brighter note, Clint Eastwood classic For a Few Dollars More was announced as a future box set, with prototypes already on display. It has been said that the line may expand to include the entire Dollars/Man with No Name trilogy depending on how well the first set performs on the market. Other movie based licenses are also expected in the upcoming year, though no names have been announced or confirmed to date.

Community News:
The Minimate community was gifted with two great promotions from the combined efforts of Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys, first with a mail-in giveaway, which saw Minimate fans mailing in receipts for Minimate purchases from Target stores, only to be greeted with free items in the mail. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the first ever Minimate Hunt took place at the San Diego Comic Con. The Hunt proved to be a massive event, asking its participants to engage in a photo scavenger hunt with the exclusive Hunt mate. Positive response to the event may indicate that the Hunt could become a recurring event, though only time can tell for sure.
Web News:
The Minimate community’s web presence expanded this year with the birth of the Minimate Database, a website hosting a pictorial database of every Minimate released to date. Minimates Central has reopened its doors after a brief hiatus and continues to bring a steady stream of reviews for current and past releases. Minimate Multiverse saw some managerial reorganization in response to founder Ady Carter’s desire to take a break, but continues to act as the most active forum for all Minimate happenings. Finally, Minimate Headquarters celebrated its second anniversary.

Looking back over this years events, its safe to say that 2007 was a bright year for the Minimate community as a whole, none of which would be possible without the collectors who push these lines. So, from all of us here at Minimate Headquarters, I’d like to thank you for helping us do our part to support the brand.

As this year draws to a close, we here at the HQ will be taking a little break to prepare for what may prove to be another big year. We’ll be coming back in January with some new features and the return of some favorites. In the mean time, we’re looking for some creative input from you, our devoted readers. If you have any original material that you’d like to contribute to the Headquarters, please let us know. Be it in the form of articles, interviews, editorials, webcomics, or art, we’re open to input from you all and, while all submitted material may not see publication, we certainly want to see whats on our viewers’ minds.

Happy New Year, and here’s to 2008!

The staff at Minimate Headquarters wishes you and those you love much merriment this holiday season.

And to all, a good night.

By Dragon

It was discovered this week that the long awaited FYE exclusive Hobgoblin & Scarlet Spider set has started showing up on shelves at select stores under the FYE umbrella. This comes on top of news of the release of the Spider-Man 3 sets, as well as the unveiling of new sets in the Battlestar Galactica and Back to the Future lines. It is truly a good time to be a Minimate collector.

(Thanks to vbpanizzi and maxcarnage for the find and Shanester for the supplied image)

By Dragon

Minimate news seems to be pouring in, as a new 2-pack was discovered for the Back to the Future line. BigBadToyStore.com has unveiled a back featuring the future Biff as well as another version of Marty. Check out the link to see the images.

Thanks to MiniJeff for revealing the discovery over at Minimate Multiverse.

By Dragon

A surprising bit of news surfaced today when it was discovered that the classic Battlestar Galactica line, thought dead by Minimate fans everywhere, was available for pre-order. The classic line appears to be divided into two boxed sets: one featuring the Colonial Warriors of Commander Adama, Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer, and Muffit, and one featuring the Cylon Empire of Baltar, the Imperious Leader, Lucifer, and two Cylons. At present, the only location that these have been spotted is at BigBadToyStore.com. As these have not been officially confirmed by the good folks at Diamond Select Toys, I’ll refrain from posting pictures, so to get a look of these two classic sets, just click the link above.

Thanks to Iron-Cow for dropping the heads-up over at the Minimate Multiverse.

By Dragon

Longtime Marvel Minimate fans on the west coast were rewarded this week with the arrival of the long awaited 17th and 18th series of the Marvel line. Feast your eyes on the images below, taken by the HQ’s very own Cappy.

(click the thumbnails for a larger view)

Series 17

Series 18

By Dragon

Diamond Select Toy’s annual holiday giveaway was revealed today, via an auction on the ever popular eBay. Following the pattern of previous years, this year features one of the latest licenses sporting festive holiday headgear, in the form of an Elf Spock. Much like the Cylon Elves and the Santa Spidey before them, this item is likely to be a much sought after display piece for many Minimate collectors. Happy hunting!

Thanks to Fujis for spotting the auction, and to kidskillz13 for the image.