DSTChuck has released a new Diamond Select Toys Q&A over on their
Art Asylum website for your viewing pleasure.
In this weeks edition focuses on Minimates questions. Check out the entire Q&A below:
Zeb Stock
At the C2E2 minimate panel, it was mentioned of a possibility of 2 SDCC Exclusives with one being a TRU exclusive. Also a Disney exclusive that may roll into a SDCC Exclusive. When can we expect to hear more about these boxsets, lineups? Oh and please make a minimate of Strong Guy sometime in 2011.
DSTChuck: It is still too early to say, we’ve pretty much locked down the SDCC ideas but need approval and based on how that does it will determine the sets we do at the end of this year. No plans for Strong Guy, sorry.
Justin Huffman
Hi Chuck, I recently got some of the Thor Army Builders, they are great! However, some of the weapons were missing from 2 of the Asgardian Guards, I emailed DST Customer Service to see about replacements for these. Also, none of the Frost Giants come with weapons, why is that? Did DST not get any reference material for weapons from Marvel when you were designing the Minimates? The Hasbro series Frost Giants come with clubs and axes that have a nice ice-effect, and the weapons are surprisingly compatible with the Minimates. Unfortunately, the price point for the Hasbro figures prohibits equipping my entire Frost Giant army with those weapons. Now that the Collector Cases have shipped, can you say what the response was like? Does DST consider these a success? I’m hoping that we might see a future release with a different graphic and different Minimate included. The X-Men First Class (comic, not movie) boxset that was announced doesn’t include Beast in that costume, can you please tell us how he will be made available to complete that set? DST has released boxsets with 5 Minimates in the past, what is the reasoning for releasing the boxsets with just 4 of the 5 characters? With the Silver Age Angel and X-Factor Angel being more difficult to come by (and expensive in the secondary market) to complete those respective sets, wouldn’t it make sense just to release a boxset of 5 characters at a slightly higher price point? Thanks for taking my questions. I’m really looking forward to the Captain America movie Minimates!!!
DSTChuck: Justin, I do think we have some spare parts for Thor and I am sure customer service will be getting back to you either way. Sorry about that. If I recall I do not think we did get reference for any weapons at the time we did the masters. The limited nature of the singled packed cases means they will never be a financial success but for the other purposes they serve yes we’re happy that they keep selling out. Someone always seems to get left out of the box sets due to the fact that every fan has their own favorite, as often as possible we mix the “missing” characters in two packs later.
Ken Raining
Can you give us an idea of how the Classic Heroic Age box set did for the Disney Store? I’m not talking specific numbers, obviously, but can you tell us if Disney was happy with the performance? Can we expect to see more Marvel Minimates at the Disney Store in the future, either in the form of exclusives or (hopefully, since my LCBS isn’t carrying them any more) Diamond-solicited waves?
DSTChuck: Ken, they do seem happy with the sales. We have talked to them about more sets so hopefully they like what our sales person presented. I am sorry about your LCS but there are LOTS of great places to get MM online – even our website.
Charlie Phillips
The announcement of Sony minimates has me very excited and curious. My question is if this Sony minimate deal is a one line thing or if it will expand into other properties perhaps God of War or Infamous? Thank you for your time!
DSTChuck: For now what you have seen is what we have the rights to. If they do well it would make sense that we would talk to Sony about more properties but we’ll have to see.
Brian Felgar
I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure we’re coming up on the tenth anniversary of Minimates either this year or next. Do you have anything special in the works for the big one-oh?
DSTChuck: Brian – I have no idea about that, what would we use for the MM birthday?
Ivan Gumbercules
Metaphysically speaking, when you take a Minimate apart at what point does it lose its soul? I mean, a disassembled Minimate really isn’t a Minimate any more. It’s just a pile of pieces, right? But a Minimate with a missing foot is still a Minimate. Where is the line, when does a Minimate cease being a Minimate? When it’s missing a leg? An arm? A torso? Maybe it’s a percentage thing? Is it by mass or volume? And furthermore, when you take a Minimate apart is its soul lost forever? Perhaps it will return when the Minimate is reassembled? If that happens, where did the soul go in the meantime? Does it hang around the Minimate pieces in some other interworldly dimension? Or does it return to the Maryland Minimate Soul Repository for some rest and relaxation? Forgive me, each question I ask seems to raise another in my mind. Are Minimate customizers somehow “playing God”? They indiscriminately disassemble existing Minimates that have their own unique identities. Then reassemble the parts to make their own deviant chimeras. Do these creations have Minimate souls? Or are the customizers creating mere automatons? Should they not have the same rights as all Minimates? Many thanks, -Ivan
DSTChuck: When is a person not a person, how does one measure a soul, does a soul have weight? I would propose that your theory is flawed. If a person does in fact possess a soul they still have that soul even if they lose their arms or legs. They still have that soul if they are in a coma SO if a MM does in fact possess a soul it would retain it no matter what condition you leave it in. If you put a different coat or shirt on yourself in the morning are you playing God? Seems silly to suggest something like that doesn’t it? And it’s equally arrogant to assume you are not in fact playing God will when you re-arange a MM isn’t it?
N Essex
Hey Chuck, Hope this finds you well. I’ve been a collector of Minimates for a while now, and i have to say they have become my favourite toy line. I mostly collect the Marvel series. The character diversity has out-shone every other line i’ve ever collected & i can’t thank you guys enough for it. Having said that, there are still a lot of characters i’d love to see made into Minimates. I realise you get a lot of ‘will you guys please make . . . . . .’ type questions, but my question to you is: What is the best way for fans influence the choice of characters that AA/DST make into Minimates? I realise that a lot of your choices are guided by current events in the comic world such as the upcoming Thor, Captain America & X-Men films - but a lot of the waves seem to be made up of random characters that don’t have a specific tie to what’s happening currently in the comics/movies (The Nimrod wave springs to mind). Is there something the fans can do to sway AA/DST to include certain characters in the upcoming releases for these less themed waves? Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this. Keep up the great work guys. Ness.
DSTChuck: I have to be honest. I can’t think of a way a single collector can have a big influence on what gets made and doesn’t get made. Much of the year is planned out very far ahead. For example, we’re done now with 2011 and have to start pretty soon on 2012. In general you have influence. We do read the emails, watch sales results, read comics and talk to fans at shows and that does all factor into what we are thinking about making.
Ivan Toldmeto
Good day sir. Would you be at liberty to discuss the presence of Minimates at the upcoming royal wedding? And if you could be so kind, could you also explain the role Minimates played in the initial romance that blossomed between the happy couple? I would greatly appreciate it.
DSTChuck: Mr. Told me to; I am very sorry, but we cannot confirm or deny plans for the presence of a Minimate in the prince’s trousers at the wedding nor can we confirm Spider-Man is his favorite. As for how romance works, one simply needs to watch Star Wars Episodes 1&2 to see how the romance between Padme and Anakin works to see a truly realistic portrayal.
