Minimate Headquarters

WE’VE MOVED!

2006-03-27T06:28:00.000-08:00

Thank you for enjoying Minimate Headquarters at jattapake.blogspot.com. We have moved to a brand new location.

Please update your links with our new address:

www.minimateheadquarters.com

MINIMATE HEADQUARTERS

I will keep the old gallery up for a short time, but then it will all come crashing down. Try out the new gallery.

NEW WEBSITE

2006-03-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

After Magneto fled Minimate Headquarters, the Board of Directors was forced to make a tough decision regarding their future at that location.

Professor X explains the situation:

“Magneto trashed the place. While we were locked up in prison, he partied non-stop. Keggers, frat parties, Barry Manilow concerts - you name it. Magneto did it all and completely destroyed this place. Our liquor is gone and our home is wrecked.

“We could clean the place up. We could rebuild. We could restore the glory that was once Minimate Headquarters. But seriously, have we ever done anything like that ourselves? Sadly, no.

“Because we are unable to hire engineer Minimates or janitor Minimates, the Board has decided to just pick up and move to a new place. Now gather your things and head over to:

THE NEW MINIMATE HEADQUARTERS

Thank you, and see you soon at the new place!”

Minimate Headquarters Saved!

2006-03-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

JP1000, Fake Gold Spidey, and Prototype 401K Man were stunned to discover today that Minimate Headquarters had already been saved.

“What the?!?!” exclaimed JP1000 as he held up the spring he’d been carrying. “I just traveled thousands of miles to find this spring and free these heroes. What is going on here?!?!”

“Ryu saved us,” cooed Batgirl. “Isn’t he dreamy?”

“He’s soooo handsome,” said Black Cat in a seductive voice. “I wonder if he has a girlfriend?”

“Look at his powerful biceps,” gushed Storm. “He was able to free us with one little Hadouken to the lock!”

“This isn’t fair!” screamed JP1000. “That stupid monkey knew Ryu was going to show up and free everyone. That’s why he did this!”

“Now how am I going to get any friends?” exclaimed Fake Gold Spidey with sadness. “I thought finding the spring would make me popular …”

“Ah, there you are my lovely little creation,” beamed Dr. Richards as he approached JP1000. “Bruce and I were wondering when we’d be able to get back to our science work. We lost a lot of good research time while stuck in prison. We will have to double our efforts to make up for it!”

Lego Monkey Surrenders

2006-03-24T06:55:00.000-08:00

After an exhausting months-long chase, JP1000 and his friends finally caught up with the Lego Monkey. The Lego Monkey had been pursued relentlessly for his metal spring, which could open the cage holding the heroes from Minimate Headquarters.

“He’s finally given up!” exclaimed an excited JP1000. “The spring is ours!”

“I’ll finally have loads of friends!” announced friend Fake Gold Spidey. “Everyone will love me now that I’m a hero!”

“I’ll finally get my wish and I’ll be painted as an official Minimate!” cried the gray Prototype 401K Man. “Hurrah!”

“I knew he would eventually give up,” sneered JP1000. “That monkey’s nothing more than a Surrender Frenchman.”

Evil Ryu!

2006-03-22T22:37:00.000-08:00

Exclusives for sale! I managed to get my hands on a few extra.
If you want them, send me an email at jatta.pake@yahoo.com. Or send me a PM (email is easier/faster to reach me).

The price will be $15.99 each plus shipping. Proceeds are going to pay the monthlies for MMHQ version 2.

I have a very very limited number, so first pay, first serve. Contact me with your address and I will respond with a total and payment instructions.

SideBar Moved?

2006-03-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning and noticed the Sidebars on most Blogger websites have moved to the bottom of the web pages. I don't know if this is a display problem on my PC, or if something happened globally to Blogspot. If you have display problems, post a comment here.

I am researching ...

Stay Tuned!

2006-03-21T17:36:00.000-08:00

Minimate Headquarters will return this Friday, March 24th! Stay tuned!

Darth Vader For Sale

2006-03-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

I'm putting up Darth Vader for sale. He will list at 7:00 p.m. PST today, Friday March 10th. You will be able to search for "custom minimates".

This little guy is up for sale on Ebay. You can bid on him here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6042931490&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

Happy bidding! All monies from this sale will go to paying for the new, upgraded Minimate Headquarters. Please give this evil one a great home!

News Flash: Second Annual Custom Design Contest

2006-03-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

I'll take a break from my Spring Break and post a link to this year's second annual Custom Design Contest. Fujis is hard at work again bringing us another cool contest. Check it out here.

Admin Update: Spring Break

2006-03-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

Minimate Headquarters will be going on Spring Break for the next two weeks. I know this might seem like a drag, but I am working on many exciting new projects for Minimate Headquarters. I have a lot of content to add, but I need a break from the blog updates to get everything organized. Here are some highlights:

Minimate Headquarters version 2.0 - I'm graduating myself to more advanced web design. The new version will be vastly improved. And when I'm finished, I will be able to call myself a real webdesigner!
Improved image galleries - My current gallery update method does not work. I am implementing a solution with all of the muscle I need to make this a top rate gallery. The current gallery is a far cry from my dream of a really powerful gallery system.
Content - JP1000 and crew will be back. I have already developed the storyline far past where we are today. I don't want to spoil anything but the gang at MMHQ are in for some surprises! I have plans to offer a lot more content in some surprising ways.
Services - I don't want to spoil any surprises here but I'm still working on custom community services.
Ebay - I will be selling some of my customs on Ebay over the next few weeks. I've never sold anything on Ebay before so this will be my practice for future offerings. Don't worry if you see my stuff on ebay and the blog is silent! I'm not giving up my addiction. This is just the quiet before the storm.

While I am on break, feel free to add comments below for JP1000's improvements. I may put these together into some type of contest for the future. I'll be back soon!

ECCC Minimate Prototype Pictures

2006-03-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Jaycen from SillyGooserTC released some great pictures of the new Exclusive Emerald City Comic Convention Minimates! Head over to the forums here to see more pictures.

Also, don't forget to give JP1000 your comments below. He needs some type of customization to help him defeat his enemies.

Help Customize JP1000!

2006-03-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

JP1000 has been pondering some type of customized enhancement to help him defeat his enemies. Here is your chance to give JP1000 some great advice!

In the comments section below, tell JP1000 what type of custom enhancement he should acquire. He can only get one. For example, maybe JP1000 would have better luck with Wolverine claws. Or Superman's cape. Or Blade's gun. Or something completely new! Tell him what you think!

Eight Questions With Minijeff

2006-03-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column appears regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with Minijeff, maker of the custom Greenarrow pictured here.

1. Of all the Minimates released in 2005, which one is your favorite?
Just one? I was overall impressed with the releases of 2005, even with re-used parts for some, I can understand the $ aspect of that.....if I had to pick one I would fight it down between Thanos, Dark Phoenix and the Ben Rielly Spidey....I would say Ben Rielly because he looks sooo nice for such a simple design.

2. What is your best trick or secret for customizing Minimates?
Find parts that are close to what your making, its easier then having to paint/sharpie them

3. Which two Minimates from the Custom Gallery would be the most fun to watch fight each other?
The Giant foam Sentinel vs the X-men

4. If you could add anything to Minimate Headquarters, what would it be?
I honestly would change anything, frequent news, awsome webcomic, these questions, spotlight on missing mates, great links...its all there

5. If a toy company in a Third World country started manufacturing bootleg Star Wars Minimates and selling them online, would you buy any?
If they looked like the characters they were supossed to be I would have a hard time not buying them....2 inch scale?

6. Which custom or custom design would be the most challenging for anyone to do?
I dont think there is such a thing with all the awsome customizers out there, seriously if one cant there are several that can and will make it....I would like to see the cast of the Starman comic with Jack Knight...I gave Jack a spin but I would like to see some of the big customizers take on those characters...the hawaiian shirt has me stumped

7. Do you own a C3 Batcopter?
Oh I sure do!! I ordered all of that new C3 stuff as soon as Previews had it offered...I love that set, reminds me of the old Super Powers Batcopter...ahh the memories

8. Ryu or Apollo?
Ryu all the way!

ECCC

2006-03-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

The Emerald City Comic Con is the best thing that ever happened to Seattle

'nuff said.

Minimates Gathering Press

2006-02-28T06:19:00.000-08:00

Minimates and Art Asylum are getting press all over the place. First off, check out Adam Unger's interview in the trade magazine The Licensing Book here. (The group shot of the Minimates looks cool!)

Next, the Washington Times covers Art Asylum's work at the recent New York Toy Fair. Read the article here. (I think some of the facts are a little shaky - 3.5 inch minimates?)

The March issue of Previews Magazine describes the collection feature of Toyfare Issue #107. Yes, they will be none other than the Marvel Minimates! Read about it here.

Finally, a recent article in ICv2 suggests that Marvel Minimates Series 12 and 13 will be on the shelves in November and December respectively. Argh! Read about it here. (Luckily, the article also says that we won't see the Dartide DVD until May - and I got mine three days ago. Hopefully they are three months off on Series 12 and 13 too!)

When I started this website, I took some flak from people who told me the Minimates line was dead and dying. I was "a day late and a dollar short". I think we can gather from all the recent news that Minimates are far from being dead.

As Rob at RavingToyManiac explains, "From my Diamond Select tour, they have big plans for more minimates and hopefully we'll have a much better idea of them by SDCC and for the fall. But the line ain't going away..."

Eight Questions With TENIME_art

2006-02-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column appears regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with TENIME_art, maker of the custom Superboy pictured here.

1. Of all the Minimates released in 2005, which one is your favorite?
Torch (w/Mr. Fantastic).

2. What is your best trick or secret for customizing Minimates?
Reusing parts maintains joint articulation & a more authentic-looking paint job.

3. Which two Minimates from the Custom Gallery would be the most fun to watch fight each other?
ThatBlokeTimbo's (gra007's designed) Anakin Skywalker vs. Luke314pi's Onsalught! Throw Mini-Myte's Taskmaster in there for extra chaos!

4. If you could add anything to Minimate Headquarters, what would it be?
I'll have to check it out first...

5. If a toy company in a Third World country started manufacturing bootleg Star Wars Minimates and selling them online, would you buy any?
If they looked & were produced just as good as DST's? I'm afraid I'd have to say yes!

6. Which custom or custom design would be the most challenging for anyone to do?
An anatomically-accurate four-armed General Grievous. Although, if Luke314pi can pull of The Brood...

7. Do you own a C3 Batcopter?
No, unfortunately. I'm caught up on Marvel (except Black Elektra), but I'm so far behind on DC/C3...

8. Ryu or Apollo?
Ryu from Street Fighter or Apollo from Battlestar Galactica? Ryu, hands down.

Darktide Arrives

2006-02-26T08:12:00.000-08:00

The Darktide DVD and Minimates arrived yesterday in the mail. I felt like a little kid running over to the DVD player to pop in the video. The minimates look good and the box art is great. I will probably review the video and minimates over the course of the coming week.

The biggest question people have about this set is "how good is the movie, really?" Because there are few movies like Darktide doing a review can be difficult. It is a student production, as the video notes in more than one place, and the movie is very short. Other student productions exist out there, and at that level Darktide rates as top notch. But Darktide is commercially produced and mass marketed, so it's placed in a bit different category.

Some collectors leveled a lot of criticism about the fact that these minimates were essentially re-releases with different facial expressions. I think this criticism had more to do with the lag time between releases of Series 11 and 12 than anything else. Darktide is a great box set for kids at the mass market level, and the re-releases are appropriate to tap that market. I'm glad new face designs were included as a bonus for some of us collectors.

I will go into more detail about the movie and minimates later in the week. Stay tuned!

March 1st!

2006-02-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

Jaycen at SillyGooseToys announced that the very limited addition ECCC minimates will go on sale March 1st. To figure out what you need to do to get these four bad boys, you have to read the thread here.

Street Fighter Reviews: Minimates Central has thrown down the gauntlet and started reviewing the new Street Fighter 2 Minimates. Read them here.

X3 in the Fall?: Playthings reported a few weeks ago that we can expect Juggernaut, Wolverine, Beast, Storm and Jean Grey Minimates this fall. Based upon the announced lineups for Waves 12 and 13, these sound like possible X3 Minimates. Read the entire Toy Fair report here.

Buffy Minimates?: A question came up recently from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans about the possibility of more PALZ. Read the excerpt below and the full question and answer list here.

Question: If Palisades Toys truly decides to discontinue their Buffy PALZ and long awaited Angel PALZ lines, would DST pursue the license to manufacture "mini-figures" of the BTVS universe? If so, would DST make an effort to continue the Palisades PALZ line (starting with Series 3 and continue the same design) or would the company start over with a Mini-Mates style line?

DST Chuck: Palisades is no longer in business and DST has no interest in doing any mini-figure that are not Minimates, so if we were to consider ANY license, it would be to release it as Minimates.

Situation Worsens For Imprisoned Heroes

2006-02-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

The situation worsened today for the imprisoned heroes of Minimate Headquarters. Captured by Magneto, all of the heroes from Minimate Headquarters have been jailed inside a dark cage for two months.

Some heroes have faired better than others during the captivity. Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, is himself an ex-con.

“I did some hard time,” acknowledged The Punisher. “So I know how to handle being in the joint. You need to make allies fast and watch your back even faster.” Turning to face a shaking Peter Parker, who stood at attention nearby, Punisher yelled, “Now clean my boots you filthy maggot. With your tongue.”

“Yes, sir!” answered a submissive Parker as he dropped to the floor.

Some heroes found themselves having to cope with the pain of isolation. “Hey man,” asked a visibly shaking Nightwing to a passing Human Torch. “You got any rock? Don’t be holding out on me, man.”

Fights have broken out with increasing frequency. The last fight pitted Superman against Professor Xavier and Daredevil. The fight finally ended when Batgirl implored Superman to “stop picking on those poor cripples.”

“What am I doing?” exclaimed a shocked Superman. “I am so ashamed!”

Eight Questions With Jcastick

2006-02-23T06:18:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column appears regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with Jcastick, maker of the custom Iron Lantern and Glacticus pictured here.

1. Of all the Minimates released in 2005, which one is your favorite?
I would have to say the Clear version Iceman, I'm really into the clear figures.

2. What is your best trick or secret for customizing Minimates?
Patience is one of the best tools in a customizers toolbox. There is no sense in rushing to get a custom done. The more time and effort you put into the mate, the better it will turn out.

3. Which two Minimates from the Custom Gallery would be the most fun to watch fight each other?
This was a tough one, alot of characters to choose from but I would like to see Goliath by Boyd go up against Goliath by you (Jattapake).

4. If you could add anything to Minimate Headquarters, what would it be?
Well, it isn't complete yet, but I Can't wait to check out the custom resources section of the site, I think that will be a great section for those who are just starting out.

5. If a toy company in a Third World country started manufacturing bootleg Star Wars Minimates and selling them online, would you buy any?
Just for the fact that I no longer collect Star Wars figures, I probably wouldn't order them. Although, if I was at a convention and saw someone selling them, I may pick up a couple just for the heck of it.

6. Which custom or custom design would be the most challenging for anyone to do?
This would have to be something like M.O.D.O.K., a character that wouldn't fit onto a regular Minimate base figure.

7. Do you own a C3 Batcopter?
Nope, never saw any of those sets in this area. Also, I really didn't need that many Batman minimates....lol

8. Ryu or Apollo?
I would have to saw Ryu (assuing this is the Ryu from Street Fighter) cause I am a huge Street Fighter fan.

Kubricks vs. Minimates #2

2006-02-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

Back in November I fired the first salvo in what I hoped would become recurring matchups between Minimates and other toys. I reviewed the Kubrick Juggernaught and gave him props for looking cool. I didn’t own one yet so I based my initial review on the pictures from the TNI website.

My recent trip to San Francisco gave me the opportunity to buy a Juggernaught Kubrick. Now I could really put him to the test and continue the contest between Minimates and Kubricks!

Articulation - As you can see from the top picture, I had a problem with my new Kubrick immediately. Never having owned one before I assumed they were as articulated and movable as my beloved Minimates. Oops! I broke the arm off just minutes after leaving the store. I tried to lift his arm out so it would be parallel to the ground like a wing. Hmmm … score one for Minimate Juggernaught! Minimates can pose in so many more creative positions than Kubricks.

Custom Potential – The Kubrick Juggernaught doesn’t offer the custom potential that I had originally hoped for. The Kubrick helmet looks funny on a regular Minimate, and it is too small to fit a LOTR sized Minimate head. I will still explore other options for turning the Kubrick Juggernaught into a custom Minimate, but my hopes have dimmed for a truly easy custom.

Coolness – I still like the Kubrick Juggernaught despite the letdowns of an easily broken arm and reduced custom potential. He just looks cool. Way better then any other Kubricks I’ve seen.

Conclusion – While the Kubrick Juggernaught let me down in many areas, I still feel he was worth the $6.95 I paid for him. He'll look nice around my Minimates. But the real winner is the Minimate Juggernaught, who not only offers a lot of custom potential in his own right, but also can be posed in thousands of more positions than a chunky Kubrick. And more importantly - his arms don’t break as easily!

San Francisco’s Minimates and the Cartoon Art Museum

2006-02-21T06:35:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my wife and I went to romantic San Francisco. We met there so we return regularly to visit our favorite places. I was able to talk my wife into going to the Cartoon Art Museum on Saturday, and I snuck into some stores selling Minimates along the way.

Cartoon Art Museum – I thought this was much better than the MOCA Comic Art exhibition in Los Angeles. The cartoons at the Cartoon Art Museum ranged from comic art to political cartoons to animated movie cells. The art was framed and lined the white walls of square rooms in the same manner museums typically exhibit paintings. In two rooms, groups of cartoon and comic-based toys were featured under glass. No minimates were there (but I say give it 40 years. Minimates will be in museum some day.)

The biggest disappointment of the museum was the gift shop. Usually these are filled with interesting goodies about the types of art being displayed. And while there were some comic graphic novels for sale, about half of the small store was filled with edgey, weird art and photography books. The topics had nothing to do with cartoon art and most of the themes revolved around sex. I’m not a prude and I’m not offended by other people’s unusual sexual practices (remember I lived in SF), but I draw the line at mixing G rated and XXX rated material. At least put up a sign! I kept thinking about the gift shop, “Gee wiz, what if a family brought their little kids to see some original Disney art, and afterwards went into the gift shop for a little toy?” The toys displayed in those big photography books wouldn’t be what they expected! If you go to the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, which I recommend, keep in mind the gift shop will disappoint.

Metreon Minimates – Near the Cartoon Museum is the Sony Metreon. The Metreon is a geek paradise housing a huge movie theatre, IMAX, arcade, bookstore, restaurants, video game Walk of Fame, a huge Sony Store, a Games Workshop, and a store with Minimates called Things From Another World. Actually, the store had only three 2-packs of Unmasked Spiderman/Doc Ock, but only because they were mostly sold out. The store had tons of cool goodies and toy collectibles but I can only torture my wife so much. I grabbed a Juggernaught Kubrick for a Headquarters review and we left. (Incidentally, the biggest attraction this weekend for the geeks at the Metreon was not found in any of the stores. A large group of young women were camped out on the second floor awaiting entrance to auditions for the next season of America’s Next Top Model.)

JapanTown – We walked up and down Filmore and then headed over to the shops in The Japan Center. An action figure toy store there carried some Minimates, but they were mostly sold out. They had a Daredevil/Bullseye two pack that I haven’t seen in awhile.

Genki Crepes – On Clement street in the Richmond neighborhood is our favorite Crepe shop called Genki Crepes. As we enjoyed some delicious crepes I noticed two shelf end-caps filled with small Japanese toys. This was new. The store had always had Japanese food products (shrimp flavored rice chips anyone?) but never any toys.

The toys were the size of Minimate boxes and they were all blind-packed. One end-cap had toys for boys, the other end-cap for girls. I wasn’t interested in the toys for boys – they were mostly Robotech type miniatures or figures for fighting video games. But the girls’ toys – Wow! They had dozens of different types of small Minimate sized accessories. The various tiny items fit Minimates perfectly. I bought some boxes and I’ll feature some of the items in the web comics. I don’t want to spoil the surprise but I’ll cover these in more detail later. They are simply awesome. And they each came with a piece of pear-flavored gum!

Bananas!

2006-02-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

Three would-be-saviors of Minimate Headquarters were smashed Friday by a giant yellow banana dropped from a remote controlled machine. The saviors – JP1000, Fake Gold Spidey, and Prototype 401k Man – had cornered a monkey who held the key to their success. The saviors approached to retrieve the spring that would unlock the cage holding the heroes of Minimate Headquarters when the banana came crashing down on their heads.

“Why can’t I catch a break?” moaned JP1000 as he struggled to free himself from the large fruit. “When I get my hands on that little monkey …”

“I guess we figured out what the monkey’s remote was for,” commented Prototype 401k.

Somewhere in the distance, a radio played, “Your [bleep] is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s …”

More Fun Than A Barrel Of ...

2006-02-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

"We got him!" shouted Fake Gold Spidey. "There is nowhere for him to run now!"

"Careful," whispered JP1000. "Approach slowly. Very ... slowly." JP1000 crouched carefully as he approached the monkey. "Nice monkey ... nice monkey ..."

"Wait, what's that in his hand?" said Fake Gold Spidey. "It looks like some type of remote control ..."

[I'll be vacationing in San Francisco without 'net access this weekend so you will have to wait until Monday to find out what happens with our little monkey friend! Enjoy the weekend! -JP]

What A Tangled Web We Weave ...

2006-02-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

"Watch what your doing!" screamed JP1000 as he was covered with webbing.

"I'm trying," shouted Fake Gold Spidey as his webbing missed its target. "He's a fast little bugger."

The monkey screeched as it lept from side to side. The spring remained firmly within his monkey paws. It seemed as though he was laughing at his attackers.

JP1000 groaned, "We've got to try something else. We will never get that spring back this way. Stupid monkey! Just wait until I get my hands on you ..."

[Note: Peek around the website. New stuff added! -JP]

Reloaded!

2006-02-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

From the DST website:

Fans of DST’s Marvel Minimate universe will be pleased to know that the long-awaited Series 12 and 13 are heading to fans this year! Both waves will feature masterful Art Asylum designs as well as tie in to the hottest Marvel comics; New Avengers and Astonishing X-Men!
Series 12 will contain several twopacks featuring characters taken from the ongoing New Avengers series currently tearing up the best-seller charts. Riot-Attack Spider-Man will be paired with Ronin, Captain America will team up with Nick Fury and the Sentry will take on Luke Cage in this all-star New Avengers lineup. An Imprisoned Sentry will also be available as the limited chase figure.

With the ongoing success of Asonishing X-Men, it was only a matter of time before they got their due as Minimates! Series 13 will create the entire Astonishing X-Men team in their current costumes and will feature twopacks consisting of Cyclops and Emma Frost, Wolverine and Colossus and the all-new Kitty Pryde and Beast set! A limited Days of Future Past Wolverine will round out this wave, sure to strike a chord with collectors.

With fans clamoring for more characters and plans ramping up to continue the Minimate line well into the future, be sure to stick around for more updates as the spring and summer trade shows approach!

The Harder They Fall

2006-02-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

[Here is a little something to take the edge off. Excitement and anticipation has been running too high with all of the recent Minimate news! -JP]

“Wow. Not only did you fall off the candle, but you bounced off the table and fell to the floor!” laughed Fake Gold Spidey as he looked down upon the crumpled body of JP1000.

Prototype 401k Man, who stood beside him, asked, “Did something cause you to fall, JP1000?”

“Shut up, both of you,” mumbled JP1000. He had attempted to retrieve a special spring from the top of a giant blue candle, but instead fell hundreds of mini-feet after the spring was grapped by a monkey. The spring would open the metal cage trapping all of the heroes from Minimate Headquarters. “We need to capture that stupid monkey.”

“Well, this shouldn’t be to hard. After all, it’s just an innocent little monkey. How hard could this be?” Fake Gold Spidey asked rhetorically.

[Just wait until tomorrow, Fakerman! -JP]

Speed Racer Pics and More Marvel Musings

2006-02-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

The above picture is from Action-Figure.com. The entire gallery of Speed Racer Minimates can be seen here.

Today at 4:38am Evenflow wrote:

Alright guys i am going to help out to the best i can. There were new figures on display at toyfair. Not much but there were a few. I will try to describe them the best i can becuase i have no idea who they are. On that top shelf that everyone is wondering about is a long haired Sentry, Nich Fury, a girl in black and orange with brown hair (x-men related), there was a character all in black that looked something like Black Panther but i am pretty sure wasnt him. He had green highlights, kind of looked like a ninja. The other character was an African American man, looked a little older and had grey hair. There were also some X-men movie mates, or at least thats what it seems. I am pretty sure it was Beast. I hope this helps. None on display, but i believe there will be Ghost Rider movie mates as well. Let me also say that those 2 characters that i am unsure of who they are may not be in 12 or 13, not exactly sure where they may turn up.

Sounds good to me!

Figures.com Comments on Picture Removal

2006-02-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

From: Jeff Saylor [mailto:editor@figures.com]
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2006 5:56 AM
To: Jatta Pake
Subject: Re: Marvel Minimates Images

Series 11 and 12 was on display and there was no photography. Pretty
sure we didnt shoot them, but wasnt sure, and we are quite busy.
Sooooo, we just emptied the entire folder. When I get some time, Ill
look thru the images and put back what is cool to repost.
-Jeff

At 11:46 AM 2/12/2006, you wrote:
>Just wondered if Figures.com would like to comment on why the images of the
>Marvel Minimates were pulled from the New York Toy Fair 2006 Gallery.
>Multiple images were published for several hours and then later pulled. Any
>reason? Thanks.
>
>Jatta Pake
>Minimate Headquarters
>http://jattapake.blogspot.com/

Magneto says: "I need little minion heads like those pictured above."

Hollywood Video Package and Updates to Summary

2006-02-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

Start keeping your eyes open for the above package of Street Fighter Minimates at your local Hollywood Video. This appears to be a change from the advertisement inside the front cover of ToyFare (#101) which says the Street Fighter Minimates will be available at Blockbuster Video (and in stores December 2005). It could also mean Minimates will appear at both stores with perhaps the regular series being at Blockbuster.

Updates to Yesterday's Summary

Divebomb does it best with his News link and overview of the Minimates here. (Don't tell Magneto I wrote that).

Item #4: New Professor X or black clad Cyclops without yellow wristbands? MiniFiend UK and AdyCarter make persuasive arguments that the AFX photo is indeed Cyclops. My own examination of the photo under Photoshop seems to confirm MiniFiend UKs analysis. I suspect the glare from the flash distorted the image of the Cyclops figure's face based upon the color of the pixel. And the wristband is probably a prototype variance as AdyCarter suggested.

Item #8: Blind packaging seems to be the route being developed as suggested in the audio review (podcast) from Raving Toy Maniac located here. Please note: I still need to review the podcast to confirm the details. AdyCarter and Samwise Gamgee get the thanks for this info.

Item #9: Yes, I'm at fault for spreading this rumor. The $42.50 price seems to be the price for retailers, not the new retail price as indicated. Thanks to AdyCarter for correcting this rumor 200,000,000 times.

New stuff:

11. Yes, you can find the Street Fighter Minimates fighting it out on a warehouse dock here.

12. Kirby's apparent pact with the devil paid off because he landed the first package of Street Fighter Minimates here. (Great pics btw).

13. The photo from found here shows a top shelf with new Marvel Minimates. The shelf below is the previously discussed Kitty Pride shelf. Any speculation on what that top shelf contains?

14. The euphoria is starting to wear off so let me be the first to complain about not having a Thor Minimate, more DC Minimates, and new Star Trek 2" Minimates. (Just kidding!!!!)

A Wealth of Information

2006-02-11T19:08:00.000-08:00

As you can see from the images below, a wealth of information has been released about new and upcoming minimates. The biggest shock concerns the plans for the newest release of Marvel Minimates. Earlier this morning, the website Figures.com release a gallery of new Art Asylum products which have debuted at the United States Toy Fair in New York. The US Toy Fair is an annual trade show in which companies advertise products and the big retailers decide which toy lines they want to release over the course of the coming year. Along with the retailers avid toy collectors await announcements for news about their favorite line. And as one of those collectors, Minimate Headquarters has been eagerly awaiting news about Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys line of Minimates.

As I mentioned, Figures.com released a gallery of upcoming Marvel Minimates this morning. The shock comes because it appears hours later the gallery was pulled from their website. What happened? And where are the images? The second question is easier to answer than the first.

I happened to view each image when they were released, so each image was saved into my temporary internet memory. I share those images with you below. (Don't want to keep you in suspense). The first question, "Why were the images pulled?" remains a mystery, but if I get an official answer, I will share it.

Ok, now on to the wealth of info from the photos. By the way, CLICK ON THE PHOTO to zoom. It helps with the analysis.

1. These appear to be grouped into 4 packs hinted at in the latest issue of Toy Fair (#103).

2. Marvel Knights = New ink-splotched Daredevil, new suit Ghost Rider, and the previously release Blade and Punisher.

3. New Avengers = Previously released SpiderWoman, Spiderman with a messed up face, a brand new Sentry, and a new suit Captain America.

4. Astonishing X-Men = Black leather suited Cyclops, tiger stripped Wolverine without mask, long haired Emma Frost, Colossus without the big boots, a new Kitty Pride, and possibly a new Professor X.

Yes, I'll say it again, a new Professor X. If you examine the picture below with Kitty Pride, you will notice a black clad figure in the front. You may assume it is Cyclops. But examine the black leather Cyclops again. See the yellow wrist bands. Those do not appear on the image with Kitty Pride. And the face looks weird. The image isn't good but I'm betting this is a new character. And another safe bet could be a black clad Cyclops with Red Glasses.

5. Multiple 4 Packs. Look at the boxes behind the boxes of New Avengers and Astonishing X-Men. One shows a glimpse of a long haired Sentry. Several versions? I'm going to say yes.

6. Ulitimate Colossus. A big giant Ultimate Colossus is illustrated on the display background. A hint that we may still see the big guy? I'm going to say next wave.

7. The boxes are huge. Why such a big box? The previous four packs were half the size. I'm going to say that something else will be added to the box. I doubt a DVD, but a reprinted comic book seems to be a good guess. Marvel did this with the Marvel Legends line.

8. Blind packaging? I'm willing to bet DST is willing to experiment with them. Why? A good reason would be to get previously released characters back out into the market. New collectors would be frustrated with not being able to get their hands on a Nightcrawler for instance. If they re-released Nightcrawler at a 1 to 500 ratio, it would keep him rare but attainable. I personally don't mind the re-release of rares or variants. I think people should be able to get their hands on their favorite character. Spread the Minimate love I say!

9. The Maximate resin statues are being listed with a drop in price (not pictured). The images are listing the Maximates at being priced around $42.50 retail. Hmmm.... Starting to talk my language. Package it with a rare 2" minimate and I'll buy them.

10. New parts? Sadly, it appears all parts are re-used. Daredevil seems to be the cheapest re-use. They took some extra red Daredevils and threw some ink on him. Wow. That is a really bad piece. The only one I don't like. Looks like he fell face first into a puddle of oil.

Ok, I think I've blabbed enough. Join the conversation here.

Blind Packaging Rumors

2006-02-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

This is the picture that has sparked rumors of the blind packaging of Minimates.

New Avengers Spiderman

2006-02-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

This is a close up of the Spiderman without the mask.

Astonishing X-Men

2006-02-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

This is the picture of the Astonishing X-Men. Check out the cover here.

New Avengers

2006-02-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

Check out the New Avengers. It looks like Sentry behind SpiderWoman. Captain America has new detailing and Spiderman is missing his mask. Check out the cover here.

Marvel Knights

2006-02-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

Marvel Knights picture. New Ghost Rider and Daredevil. Check out the cover here.

Picture with Kitty Pride.

2006-02-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

Look in the upper left corner. Speculation is that it's her.

Speed Racer Designs!

2006-02-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

When it rains it pours! Check out these minimate designs for the cool new Speed Racer design here. They look great!

Gold Cylons?

2006-02-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

Do I see a rare or variant cylon among the displayed Battlestar Galactica prototypes? Wow! I am drooling over Art Asylums new offerings. Check out the BG stuff here.

New Marvel Minimates!

2006-02-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

Nothing cures me of the flu faster than new Minimates!!!! Check out all of the new packages ... here?!?!?!

[Edited later Saturday evening. It seems Figures.com pulled all of the pictures. Rumor has it they were pulled because they haven't received final licensor approval.]

Blog R and R

2006-02-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

The blog will be on sick leave for one week as I fight the flu. See you soon.

New Battlestar Pics

2006-02-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

They look great! Check out the full details here.

The Cruel Designs of LEGO Monkey!

2006-02-03T06:06:00.000-08:00

"Almost ... got ... it ..." said JP1000 as he reached for the spring. His outstretched hand nearly grasped the spring that could free the trapped heroes from Minimate Headquarters. He had climbed a giant blue candle to retreive this spring, and he was about to claim his prize.

Suddenly, a small figure darted up from behind the other side of the candle. It was a monkey! The monkey grabbed the spring and laughed an evil monkey laugh, "hu hu hu, hee-ah!"

"Give me that spring you stupid little monkey!" yelled JP1000. "Give it to ... oh no ... I'm slipping ..."

Behold the Spring!

2006-02-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

"We found it," exclaimed JP1000. "I'll climb up there and get it."

The trio of would be heroes approached the Blue Candle and looked up. Placed atop the candle was a small spring that could unlock the metal cage holding the heroes from Minimate Headquarters.

Prototype 401k Man scratched his head and said, "Again, tell me why is the spring on top of a giant blue candle?"

"We don't know," said JP1000. "And I don't care. I just want to get this spring and get this over with."

JP1000 approached the candle and began to climb.

THE HEROES FACE THEIR MOST DANGEROUS ENEMY TOMORROW! YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT! STAY TUNED!

Eight Questions With Webhead75

2006-02-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column appears regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with Webhead75, maker of the custom Sentry minimate pictured here.

1. When you first started collecting Minimates, which one was your early favorite?
I’m a huge Spidey fan so it’s got to be Spider-Man. My brother bought me my first minimates for Christmas; it was the TRU Spider-Man 4 pack. I was intantly hooked. I got a black Spider-Man a couple months later and he’s my favorite! Spidey rocks!

2. Of all the custom Minimates you’ve ever seen (or made), which one do you like the best?
I’d have to say Nervous Rex’s Devils Due Storm Shadow. Awesome decals, it was very detailed. Of my own I would say the Sentry. He is a simple custom, but I really liked the way he turned out. When I heard he was going to be in New Avengers I read the miniseries from 1995 and had to make him.

3. Do you own a Santa Spidey?
Nope. Someday maybe I’ll get my hands on one. He looks very festive in that hat.

4. Which was the most difficult custom or custom design you’ve ever made?
The Scarlet Spider logo was the toughest design I had to do. I had barely used Illustrator back then and it took me forever. The sculpey webshooters were tough as well, I had a hard time getting them both uniform. I’m working on a some commissions that are very challenging. I don’t want to say what characters they are, but they are X-related.

5. If all of the Custom Minimates in the gallery fought all of the official Minimates, who would win and why?
The Customs would win! My Sentry custom would turn the tide. He has the power of a million suns. That’s pretty tough to beat.

6. If you could have one new character made into Minimate form, which would you choose?
Kraven. Any guy who drugs Spider-Man and buries him alive deserves to have a minimate!

7. What is the most you would pay to get an official Minimate 3 pack containing WonderWoman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman?
I’d throw down $25 for that. But replace Aquaman with Hawkman. That guy is a badass. I wouldn’t pay too much cause I plan on making them someday.

8. Batman or Wolverine?
Wolverine. Game over man, game over.

Admin Update: Comments

2006-01-31T07:36:00.000-08:00

Yikes, all. My comments notification was tied to my old email and I only got them today! Everything should be fixed now and I've removed comment moderation. You should be able to post comments freely. So sorry everyone!

Magneto’s Review of the Missing: Toad

2006-01-31T07:24:00.000-08:00

I, Magneto, supreme ruler of Minimate Headquarters and almighty Homo Superior, command you to heed my Review of the Missing. In this review I will demand the creators make my loyal henchman, Toad!

Why Toad has not been created in Minimate form remains beyond my comprehension, and it angers me greatly. I demand minions!

Was I not promised a Toad toady long ago? How dare the creators spurn me with their wicked lies! These aspersions will be punished…

Although it remains obvious, I announce my desire for a Toad Minimate because he remains a quality lackey. When a master says jump, a slave should jump. And my Toad jumps very high.

I grow tired of this witless banter! Make a Toad Minimate, or face the awesome wrath of the Master of Magnetism!

Off Topic: Museum of Contemporary Art

2006-01-30T06:32:00.000-08:00

Occasionally I veer off topic to cover something arguably related to Minimates. In this Off Topic I talk about the current exhibit at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.

Yesterday I went to see the current exhibit at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) called Masters of American Comics. I was very excited because the advertisements featured the work of Jack Kirby who co-created with Stan Lee such Marvel mainstays as The Hulk, The Avengers, and The Fantastic Four. The exhibit runs through March 12th, so it ends about a week before the Wizard World Los Angeles convention kicks off.

I had a lot of high hopes for this exhibit. Imagine comic book artists finally getting the respected art treatment in a contemporary museum! I couldn't wait to go.

Unfortunately, the exhibit turned out to be a bust. While it did feature a lot of work by Jack Kirby and other early comic book artists, I found the entire exhibit to be very boring. The work displayed was primarily ink or pencil panels. Some were lettered, and none were colored save for an occasional reproduction of a Fantastic Four cover.

After viewing the exhibit I left thinking about the comic book art which inspires many of the Minimates I collect. The art form has grown and morphed so significantly (movies, merchandise, appareal) over the years that a sterile museum really doesn't give it justice. Comic book art is so alive and vibrant, a boring museum just isn't the proper place for it.

So if you find yourself in Los Angeles in March, I recommend skipping the MOCA exhbit and instead going to the Wizard World Los Angeles convention. Leave the sterile elitist museums to the Michelangelos of the world.

Eight Questions With Slipperyduckie

2006-01-29T11:12:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column appears regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with Slipperyduckie, maker of the custom Archangel pictured here.

1. When you first started collecting Minimates, which one was your early favorite?
Spider-man. No question because it looked spot on and perfect, and it still does.

2. Of all the custom Minimates you’ve ever seen (or made), which one do you like the best?
I really like my New X-men Archangel I made. I was totally inspired by the poster for the new Darktide movie coming out. Plus hes always been one of my favorite characters.

3. Do you own a Santa Spidey?
Yep. I was lucky enough to buy one off Toywiz along time ago.

4. Which was the most difficult custom or custom design you’ve ever made?
My New X-men Archangel was pretty hard to make since I had to do the sanding and super glueing for the Pocket Superhero Hawkgirl wings he has. Then I had to make the silver parts on the chest really precise since it was using a really fat sharpie for it.

5. If all of the Custom Minimates in the gallery fought all of the official Minimates, who would win and why?
The customs probably since they would outnumber all of them. Plus they're are like two different versions of each custom character.

6. If you could have one new character made into Minimate form, which would you choose?
I would say Archangel, I love mine but I would like an official one made.

7. What is the most you would pay to get an official Minimate 3 pack containing WonderWoman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman?
Maybe $20 because I love all those characters. Besides, it would be a miracle to see anymore DC minimates made.

8. Batman or Wolverine?
Batman, I loved the character ever since I saw him in the old cartoon. He has all the gadgets and skill, and he would probably find a way to outsmart Wolverine anyday.

Saved By The Prototype!

2006-01-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday our heroes, JP1000 and Fake Gold Spidey, were trapped in Karaoke hell by the terrible sound of a singing Gorn. Thankfully, our heroes were rescued today by series of lucky events.

After a hundred and twelve grueling sets, Gorn was forced to give up the microphone to the next singer at Open Mic Night. But the next singer turned out to be no singer at all, but instead a superhero-to-be: Prototype 401k Man!

Prototype felt the urge, as he often does, to tell the crowd about the benefits of saving for retirement. As it often happens in office conference rooms across the country, everyone in attendance fell into a deep sleep.

Fake Gold Spidey was the first to awaken. "JP1000," he said groggily to his sleeping friend, "wake up."

Seeing him awaken, Protype approached. "What a beautiful paint job you have," Prototype said. "Please tell me how you got to be painted so colorfully!"

Fake Gold Spidey looked at him. "I'll tell you on two conditions. First, you help me get my friend, JP1000, out of here. And two, you never, ever tell me about my retirement options again."

Prototype beamed, "That's a deal!"

The Suffering Sound of Karaoke Gorn!

2006-01-27T06:52:00.000-08:00

The daring duo of JP1000 and Fake Gold Spidey faced a terrible enemy today in the form of a singing Gorn. Lured into the nightclub by the offer of free beer and buffalo wings, the two heroes decided to take a short break from their quest to find the spring.

Little did they know, it was open mike night at The Big Sound, and a ruthless enemy planned to sing. After a few moments Gorn approached the stage. He tapped the microphone three times and said, “I’m gonna sing this one at my audition next week. I really think Simon, Paula, and Randy will send me to Hollywood after they hear this.”

The sound was excruciating. Never before in the world has such an awful sound been heard. JP1000 and Fake Gold Spidey grabbed their ears in pain. “For the love of all that’s holy and good, make it stop!” cried JP1000.

“Oh my God,” yelled Fake Gold Spidey, “I think he’s going to beat box now!”

Will our two heroes survive? Can anyone stop Gorn?

Street Fighter Packaging?

2006-01-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

Action Figure Express is offering pre-ordering of another Street Fighter variant set. With so many variants, I'm losing track of my 'mates!

The above picture is from their website. It looks like our Street Fighter minimates will be packaged as above. Something to watch for in the stores!

Iron-Cow Prototypes Battlestar Minimates

2006-01-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

The secret got out yesterday, as Iron-Cow Productions announced their involvement in the creation of Battlestar Galactica Minimate and vehicle prototypes for the new line. We should soon see more pictures and updates on their website and at the New York ToyFair. Way to go Matt, the figures look great!

Check out the announcement here!

X-Men 3 Minimates?

2006-01-25T06:29:00.000-08:00

Diamond Select Toys announced yesterday the acquisition of the X-Men 3 movie license. This allows DST to produce Minimates based upon the characters of the upcoming movie. Speculation has these figures being the next wave of Minimates. Sounds like great news to me. Read all about it here.

More Darktide Minimate pictures are now available courtesy of the United Kingdom Toy Fair. View them here.

Oh, yea. And the Battlestar Galactica Minimates are pictured here!

Bootleg Minimates?

2006-01-24T06:38:00.000-08:00

Issue #103 of Toyfare featured a funny article about bootleg Spiderman toys made in China called Spader-man. The article got me thinking about whether any bootleg Minimates have been made. I haven't seen any, but some collectors believed that the infamous Clear Spiderman Minimates were bootlegged.

However, the Clear Spiderman Minimates seemed to have been some production tests run by AA. You can read about them in Google's cache here. Unfortunately the picture was pulled so newbies like me are left to wonder what they looked like.

The Terror of Frosty

2006-01-23T05:28:00.000-08:00

JP1000 and Fake Gold Spidey faced their most ruthless foe today when they encountered the dreaded Frosty the Christmas Decoration.

“Eeeeyaaaa,” screamed Fake Gold Spidey. “Who still has Christmas decorations out this late. For the love of humanity, it’s almost February!”

“Escape while you can,” yelled JP1000. “There’s no telling what he’s capable of doing at this point.”

Fake Gold Spidey cried in pain, “His eyes, his terrible eyes. They burn with hatred and loathing. We must leave this place and never return.”

Eight Questions With Fujis

2006-01-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column appears regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with Fujis, maker of the custom Ash pictured here.

1. When you first started collecting Minimates, which one was your early favorite?
Spider-Man.

2. Of all the custom Minimates you’ve ever seen (or made), which one do you like the best?
Of the ones that I've made I like Ash the best. As for other customizers work FormerlyGnomeAs' INVINCIBLE is my current favorite. It's dead on.

3. Do you own a Santa Spidey?
No.

4. Which was the most difficult custom or custom design you’ve ever made?
CAPTAIN ULTRA was the most difficult design - working with that color scheme was not pleasant! Ash was the most difficult of the customs because of the painted chest detail and sculpted accessories.

5. If all of the Custom Minimates in the gallery fought all of the official Minimates, who would win and why?
I'd say the custom Minimates - the official Minimates are severely outnumbered.

6. If you could have one new character made into Minimate form, which would you choose?
Longshot. He was my favorite X-Men character when I was a kid.

7. What is the most you would pay to get an official Minimate 3 pack containing WonderWoman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman?
I'm not much of a DC fan but I do suffer from mild Completionist Syndrome so I'd probably pick one up. $15 maybe?

8. Batman or Wolverine?
Darkclaw!

The Quest Continues

2006-01-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

Searching for the spring, the green JP1000 and the splotched Fake Gold Spidey struggle to avoid the many pitfalls of their quest. And as they travel, their friendship grows deeper.

The daring duo need the spring to unlock the metal cage that holds all of the heroes of Minimate Headquarters. Without the heroes to stop them, the notorious Magneto and his villianous henchman plot to conquer the world.

“Who falls into a giant frying pan?” badgered Fake Gold Spidey. “You are the most unluckiest dude in the world.”

“Well, I met you didn’t I,” answered JP1000. “I guess that confirms I’m the most unluckiest dude in the world.”

Fake Gold Spidey strutted, “I saved your life. Without me, you’d have been fried sunny side up.”

“Without you,” answered JP1000, “I wouldn’t have walked off a cliff to avoid hearing you yap.”

Admin Update: Custom Gallery

2006-01-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

The February Update to the Custom Gallery has been completed. I have made changes based upon viewer's comments, and I've added additional custom images.

The next update will occur late Spring or early Summer. Enjoy the gallery!

Off Topic: 40 Years of Comic Books

2006-01-19T06:21:00.000-08:00

Occasionally I veer off topic to cover something arguably related to Minimates. In this Off Topic I talk about the 40 Years of X-Men DVD-Rom.

The 40 Years of X-Men DVD-Rom was found by accident yesterday when I visited a comic book shop to purchase Toy Fare #103. I am relatively new to the toy-collecting world, and I recently learned that issues of Toy Fare appear at comic shops a couple weeks before the newsstands. As I was paying for the magazine, I casually asked the store clerk if he was aware of any upcoming comics on DVD-Roms. I had received a DVD with all of the Fantastic Four comic books for Christmas, and I loved it. As it turned out, he had the X-Men version.

What is the 40 Years of X-Men DVD-Rom? Basically, it is a DVD containing Adobe PDF versions of every Uncanny X-Men comic book through August 2005. This works out to be 485 regular issues plus all of the annuals. Wow!

These DVDs are so much fun, I highly recommend them to even non-comic book enthusiasts. So what other comic books are available on DVD-Rom? Right now, only the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. Spiderman was released on CDs, but it lacked the annual issues. A Spiderman DVD-Rom is expected in February, and it will include the annuals.

We should see the 40 Years of the Avengers in March. The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, and Captain America will follow later in 2006. Sometime this year we should also see 50 Years of Mad Magazine.

Now, if I could just get 50 years of free time to read these things!

Eight Questions With Cloneme

2006-01-18T06:55:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column appears regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with Cloneme, maker of the custom Scarlet Spider pictured here.

1. When you first started collecting Minimates, which one was your early favorite?
As much as I love Spider-Man My Favorite was actually Daredevil. He had his billy clubs and it was so small and awesome. To tell you the truth I think I carried it around in my pocket for like a week...until I almost lost it at a bar.

2. Of all the custom Minimates you’ve ever seen (or made), which one do you like the best?
It's kind of like picking a favorite child.....I really like my Scarlet Spider customs. It keeps true to minimate form, simpleness and detail. As you'll soon see, it keeps getting better and better.

3. Do you own a Santa Spidey?
Who wants to know?....Yes.

4. Which was the most difficult custom or custom design you’ve ever made?
My 8" Maximate was the most difficult. trying to make sure everything moved and fit together like it's 2" counterpart. Challenging. Just the way I like it.

5. If all of the Custom Minimates in the gallery fought all of the official Minimates, who would win and why?
Custom minimates. Hands down. DST doesn't have the balls to make some of the oddball characters or fan favorites that we[customizers] have.

6. If you could have one new character made into Minimate form, which would you choose?
ooooooh. Scarlet Spider. But one I haven't done yet: Task Master or Apocalypse.

7. What is the most you would pay to get an official Minimate 3 pack containing WonderWoman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman?
Retail? $25

8. Batman or Wolverine?
Dark Claw.

The Quest Begins

2006-01-17T21:42:00.000-08:00

“The Blue Candle,” explained JP1000, “holds the key to our salvation. There we will find the spring that will free the heroes from Magneto’s evil trap.”

Fake Gold Spidey leaned forward. “And the heroes would forever be in our debt if we saved them!”

“I couldn’t care less,” said JP1000. “They just need to take care of the guys who keep beating me up.”

“Lead on my friend,” motioned Fake Gold Spidey. “Let us find the spring and free the heroes.”

And so the unlikely duo marched forward, on their quest to save the entire Minimate Headquarter’s universe.

Most Wanted Contest

2006-01-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

If you haven't done so yet, you should head over to Minimates Central and enter into the Most Wanted Competition. It is easy and open to everyone in the world.

For a chance to win free Minimates, what's not to love?

Dirty Little Secret

2006-01-15T09:53:00.000-08:00

A mysterious guest named Good Clean Fun announced on Friday a new custom exclusive to be distributed to select members of the Minimate forums. The exclusives will address a long taboo subject among Minimate collectors. Specifically, it will address the fact that Minimate collectors do not bathe.

The new exclusives are Minimates that have been completely encased within a bar of soap. The mysterious guest explained he wanted to “give something back to a big group of people that give so much to everyone including myself”. No other gift can better address the dirty little secret of Minimate collectors. At a minimum, it is speculated that collectors will clean their hands as they attempt to remove the soap from the entombed Minimate.

It should be noted that this is not the first attempt to get Minimate collectors to address their hygiene problems. In 2003 ADV Films released the Otaku Bar, which contained a 3” Minimate inside a bar of clear soap.

Eight Questions With Lurch77

2006-01-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column appears regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with Lurch77, maker of the custom Samus Aran concept design pictured here.

1. When you first started collecting Minimates, which one was your early favorite?
The set that caught my eye and got me started collecting Minimates was the Grey Hulk / Ultimate Spider-Man set. But my early favorite and still one of my tops is Symbiote Spider-Man.

2. Of all the custom Minimates you’ve ever seen (or made), which one do you like the best?
My favorite has to be Antacost's Apocalypse, best custom ever!

3. Do you own a Santa Spidey?
Yep

4. Which was the most difficult custom or custom design you’ve ever made?
Most of the customs I make are Quick Customs, so those aren't that difficult. But the design that I've spent the most time on is Samus Aran, hopefully one day I'll be able to bring her to life.

5. If all of the Custom Minimates in the gallery fought all of the official Minimates, who would win and why?
The Custom Minimates would win easily, there's just too many of them. And who's going to take down Vader, seriously. No contest

6. If you could have one new character made into Minimate form, which would you choose?
Apocalypse

7. What is the most you would pay to get an official Minimate 3 pack containing WonderWoman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman?
$20

8. Batman or Wolverine?
Batman

A Friendship Is Born

2006-01-13T06:33:00.000-08:00

The evil Magneto has captured Minimate Headquarters, and all of the heroes remain trapped inside a metal cage. With the heroes gone, the supervillains have run wild, terrorizing anyone in their path.

The primary victim of this terror has been JP1000, the Minimate built by Dr. Richards and Dr. Banner to test scientific theories. He has been bullied and beaten for days at the amusement of Rhino, Juggernaught, and Sandman. Fortunately, the evil-doers recently became bored with torturing JP1000, and decided to take a break to get some ice cream.

The other Minimates have shunned Fake Gold Spidey, a Minimate created for the purpose of deception, since his arrival at Minimate Headquarters. He was not invited to the Holiday Party and avoided being captured along with the other heroes.

As fate would have it, Fake Gold Spidey stumbled upon JP1000 at the perfect moment.

"Whoa! What happened to you," said Fake Gold Spidey as he looked down on JP1000's broken body.

"What's it look like, Einstein? I've been beaten savagely," groaned JP1000. "You need to help me get out of here before they come back."

"Do you want to be friends?" asked Fake Gold Spidey.

JP1000 moaned. "What?"

"I don't have any friends," explained Fake Gold Spidey. "And I was wondering if you wanted to be my friend."

"Look buddy," explained JP1000, "I don't have many options here. You get me out of here before those villains get back and I'll be your friend, your best buddy, your pal, your sidekick, or whatever you want. I'll be your wife if that's what your into. BUT GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"Wahoo! I just made a friend!" exclaimed Fake Gold Spidey as he picked up the broken body of JP1000.

Admin Update: Email Lives Again!

2006-01-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

My email lives again!

jatta.pake@yahoo.com

Nostalgic Properties

2006-01-12T06:34:00.000-08:00

The newest issue of Toyfare (#103) features an interview with Art Asylum's Vice Presidents Adam Unger and Robert Yee. The article contains numerous tidbits of interesting information, including: identifying new upcoming Battlestar Galactica and Speed Racer Minimates; hinting that comic 4-packs may be coming our way; and signaling a desire by Art Asylum to minimate other classic toy licenses such as G.I.Joe and Transformers. Read the entire article here (and be sure to buy a copy when it hits newstands).

My initial reaction to this article is great excitement. The answers to the questions indicate a desire by Art Asylum to expand the Minimate line into other new and exciting areas. I especially liked the question about customization. Minimates are inherently customizable, and that property makes them unique.

I hope this article brings new collectors into the Minimate addiction. They are such fun little guys.

Admin Update: Email Dead!

2006-01-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

I got a nasty surprise while trying to check email tonight. Apparently SBC cancelled by email account. I don't have any details, but my helpful customer service representative from India told me, "You wife is breaking up!"

With this cancellation, I've also lost my jatta.pake@sbcglobal.net sub-account. So if you've sent me mail today, or tried to post a comment, you will need to re-try when my new email is up and running again.

Since SBC changed to lowercase at&t, I'm guessing this cancellation was some sort of result.

I have a billion online accounts tied to my email, so this nightmare is only beginning for me. (My work email is thankfully not affected). But I will let you know my new account as soon as possible. I apologize for the interruption, but you can post comments to me in the AA forum. Any reliable email suggestions are welcome! I'm going to look at Yahoo and Gmail.

Eight Questions With ThatBlokeTimbo

2006-01-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column appears regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with ThatBlokeTimbo, maker of the custom Vision pictured here.

1. When you first started collecting Minimates, which one was your early favorite?
About a year and a half ago, my early fave was Ironman from the first pack I ever picked up.

2. Of all the custom Minimates you’ve ever seen (or made), which one do you like the best?
Hmm difficult to say as there are so many guys out there making great stuff, If I had to narrow it down to one or two it would be Antacosts Huntress, a fig I've been thinking about doing for ages but never quiet worked up the nerve to do.

3. Do you own a Santa Spidey?
Yes, I actually traded him for a pair of prologue elves way back when he first came out. So I kind of lucked out!

4. Which was the most difficult custom or custom design you’ve ever made?
Probably the first one I made, Vision... Everything was new to me and I was still trying to work out how to do things, If you look you can see my inexperience he's kinda of a bit messy. I must remake him sometime in a clear version.

5. If all of the Custom Minimates in the gallery fought all of the official Minimates, who would win and why?
Customs would win... They have everyone form Anakin Skywalker to optimus Prime... the comic mini's would get serious whippin.

6. If you could have one new character made into Minimate form, which would you choose?
The sensible answer would be Thor...It's a complete mystery that they havent made him yet... But I'm going to prompt for Capt Britain.... he'd look so awesome in genuine mini form.

7. What is the most you would pay to get an official Minimate 3 pack containing WonderWoman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman?
My Grandma...actually both Grandma's... Both Grandma's, my uncle and a goat...

8. Batman or Wolverine?
Batman... Everytime.

Minimate Headquarters Declares War on Minimates Central!

2006-01-10T06:46:00.000-08:00

With Minimate Headquarters firmly within the grasp of Magneto, the supervillain announced a bold plan today to conquer Minimates Central.

“Minimates Central will be crushed by my onslaught,” vowed Magneto. “I will teach those fools at Minimates Central to give me a 10 out of 10 review, when I clearly deserve an 11 out of 10 rating.”

Magneto also vowed to make Divebomb pay for pointing out his “arrogantly smirking mouth.”

“I’ll teach that puny human to show respect to his ruling mutant masters,” promised Magneto, “as soon as I figure out how to get inside this computer.”

Supervillains Beat JP1000 Mercilessly

2006-01-09T06:29:00.000-08:00

Without the heroes from Minimate Headquarters to keep them in check, the supervillains ran wild today attacking anyone in their path. Their lone victim appeared to be JP1000, who was beaten without mercy for several hours.

Despite his agonizing shrieks of pain, the supervillains appeared to enjoy the assault on JP1000.

“I’m not certain what it is about him,” mused Juggernaught, “but he has such a satisfying crunch when you pound on him. Kicking, stomping, headbutting – it’s all really enjoyable. You just don’t want to stop.”

Added Rhino, “I figured he wouldn’t be much fun to bite, but it turns out that’s a lot of fun too. Later this afternoon Sandman is going to come over, and we’re gonna to burn him and stab him. I’m really looking forward to it.”

With the heroes of Minimate Headquarters trapped by Magneto in a metal cage, JP1000’s gut wrenching moans go unanswered.

Gandalf Asks JP1000 to Retrieve Spring

2006-01-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

Appearing as a ghostly specter, Gandalf today asked JP1000 for assistance to free Minimate Headquarters. With the heroes locked inside a metal cage by the evil Magneto, Gandalf explained that only a unique spring could pop open the lock.

"You have got to be kidding," exclaimed the shocked JP1000. "You want me to free everyone so your sicko scientists can do more torture experiments on me? Forget it!"

"You must go to the Blue Candle," commanded Gandalf. "There you will find the spring. The one spring to free us all!"

JP1000 laughed. "Forget it buddy. As far as I'm concerned, you guys belong behind bars."

"You are our only hope," Gandalf said with desperation. "We won't last much longer in here. Wolverine has terrible BO, and the Silver Surfer just lost a contact lens. Please get that spring and free us."

"Nope. No way. Not a chance," said JP1000. "I've been drowned, electrocuted, chopped, eaten, digested, and frozen by your crazy scientists. And I don't have to put up with it anymore."

The Fellowship of the Spring

2005-12-19T06:27:00.000-08:00

Magneto has captured Minimate Headquarters, but three are left behind. Can JP1000, Fake Gold Spidey, and Prototype 401k Man find the spring and save Minimate Headquarters? Find out in January!

The blog portion of Minimate Headquarters will be on vacation until after the New Year. Enjoy the holidays everyone! See you in 2006!

Minimate Headquarters Captured By Magneto!

2005-12-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

A festive holiday party turned terrifying this evening when all of the heroes from Minimate Headquarters were captured in a daring and brilliant scheme by the evil Magneto.

“Bow to me and behold my awesome power,” commanded Magneto. “No one remains to oppose me. I shall rule Earth with a mutant fist of iron controlling flesh.”

The heroes, helplessly contained within a metal cage, had few comments. Most were dispirited by what they called the “dark tidings” being brought by this fake Santa.

“Everyone stay calm,” warned Superman. “Especially you Banner. We don’t need any additional headaches because you’re freaking out.”

“Fools!” bellowed Magneto. “I have tricked you with my tricky memo, and lured you to your ultimate destruction. No one can escape now. The only thing that can pop open this cage is a small spring, and I have hidden it far away.”

Who will save Minimate Headquarters? Who remains to save Earth?

Holiday Party Announced

2005-12-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

STAFF MEMO

TO: All Minimate Headquarters Heroes
FROM: Secret Mystery Santa
RE: Holiday Party Location

Get ready for an exciting Holiday Party! All minimate heroes are invited! This year’s party will be at 666 Murder Ave.

Directions - Go to the abandoned building in the bad part of town. Enter through the alley and go down six flights of stairs to the dark basement. Enter the metal cage on your left.Note – Don’t be late! All who attend will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win an iPod Mini!

Eight Questions with Boyd

2005-12-16T06:38:00.000-08:00

This “Eight Questions” column will be the last at Minimate Headquarters until 2006. Check back in January for a whole new list of questions and all new interviews! This interview is with Boyd, maker of the custom Batroc the Leaper minimate pictured here.

1. Which was the first Minimate you ever purchased?
I think the first Minimates I bought was the Black Costume Spider-Man 2-pack that I found in a Suncoast. The next day I went and bought the rest of the Spider-Man Minimates. But I admitted I was hooked when I made a special trip to Tower Records to get the exclusive Silver Surfer.

2. What is the average length of time in hours does it take for you to make a custom minimate?
It takes me about 3 - 6 hours for me to do an average Minimate.

3. Of the minimates you’ve made, which custom is your absolute favorite?
I don't know if I have a favorite - usually it's the most recent one I've finished. But I really do like how my Batroc the Leaper custom turned out.

4. How much money do you think the average custom minimate is worth?
The average Minimate custom is worth whatever people are willing to pay for it. Though I think there's a good market for well-done customs.

5. Do you own a Gold Spidey?
I do not have a Gold Spidey. By my wife won a Silver Spidey this year.

6. If all of the Marvel Minimates fought all of the DC Minimates, who would win and why?
The Marvel Minimates would win because there are more of them - the Wolverine & Spider-Man variants alone outnumber all the DC Minimates made.

7. What is your best trick or secret for customizing minimates?
Customizing becomes easier with practice and confidence. I'm doing figures now that I wouldn't have tried last year. Which means someday I'll figure out how to do that Plastic Man Minimate that I want.

8. White Queen or Catwoman?
Catwoman.

Review of the Missing: Marvel’s Havok

2005-12-15T06:31:00.000-08:00

This week’s Review of the Missing comes from a promotional minimate poster that was displayed with the launch of the Marvel Minimate line. The poster featured illustrations of what appeared to be upcoming Marvel Minimates. The attached poster identifies the minimate to be reviewed today, the black clad Havok from the X-Men.

The Havok character began as a B-Lister within the Marvel universe, but he gained increased prominence during the 1990’s. Havok is the troubled brother of the X-Men’s Cyclops, and consequently has a similar “blast” power.

The illustrated design for a Havok minimate does a great job capturing his classic black costumed look. The hair piece appears to be Havok’s focus helmet and would presumably be removable. Simple and understated, Havok’s original costume was never flashy. His “flash” occurred when he used his power to focus a blast at an enemy.

I am hopeful this minimate will be made. The Marvel Minimate series continues, and Havok has been featured in enough cartoons and comics to be recognizable to casual fans. I expect we will see a Havok Minimate before the series is done.

Lowest Temperature Threshold To Be Tested

2005-12-14T08:08:00.000-08:00

Dr. Bruce Banner, one of the lead scientists for the Minimate Institute of Research (M.I.R.), announced plans today to test the lowest possible threshold of temperature that a minimate can withstand. “Dr. Reed Richards and I have modified our cooling unit to drop the temperature to absolute zero. As the temperature drops to its lowest possible point, we will observe JP1000, who will be locked inside. We will be measuring how long it takes to freeze him solid.”

Dr. Richards added, “Bruce and I have a gentleman’s wager on this one. Bruce is certain JP1000’s extremities will shatter before freezing entirely solid. I’ve calculated that he will freeze solid, then immediately shatter. Either way, we are certain to have our answer sometime tomorrow afternoon.”

Admin Update: Comments

2005-12-13T19:53:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for the Comments! Please feel free to post comments anytime, I like the feedback. I may not be able to answer everyone, but I do read them all. I also appreciate corrections, so if you see me make a mistake, let me know! I like to keep the record straight and make sure due credit is given.

I am frustrated that I have to monitor comments though. If you submit a comment, please have patience. Although I can get them during the day at work, often times I can't publish until I get home in the evening.

I would turn off moderating comments, but there are these highly annoying spam bots running around spamming blogs. I want to spare the readers of Minimate Headquarters from these terrible ads. Most are just nonsensical gibberish, probably designed to flag crawlers.

Stay tuned this week. More Minimate Institute of Research, Reviews, and Questions are coming your way.

Oh yeah. And the Minimate Headquarters Holiday Party is coming.

401K-Man Prototype Minimate Purchased On Accident

2005-12-13T05:34:00.000-08:00

An unfinished prototype for the ill conceived 401K-Man was purchased by accident today on Ebay. “I bought a bunch of loose action figures on Ebay,” explained billionaire Bruce Wayne. “Mostly Marvel Legends Series 9. I guess the Prototype 401K-Man minimate was just thrown in.”

The fantastically wealthy Bruce Wayne was initially unsure of what a 401K even was. “I’m like, a four-oh-one-what? But then the Prototype starts telling me about 401Ks. As it turns out, it is some kind of savings program for poor people.”

Bruce Wayne paused for a moment. “But that’s when the trouble started. You see he doesn’t shut up about it. He keeps going and going and going about ‘flex spending-this’ and ‘savings account-that’ until you finally go crazy. I had to pretend I got a call on my cell-phone to get away from the guy. A few more minutes with him and I would have slit my own wrists.”

Eight Questions with Luke314pi

2005-12-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column will appear regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with Luke314pi, maker of the custom Ultron pictured here.

1. Which was the first Minimate you ever purchased?
The Spider-Man / Carnage set. I told myself I would ONLY be buying this set, and no more. I still laugh about that one.

2. What is the average length of time in hours does it take for you to make a custom minimate?
It usually takes 2 hours total, but it can take more depending on the complexity of the custom.

3. Of the minimates you’ve made, which custom is your absolute favorite?
That is a hard question! I am the most proud of my Brood custom, because it changes the shape of the standard minimate, while still keeping the same style and parts. But my favorite custom is probably my Ultron minimate, since it was my first one.

4. How much money do you think the average custom minimate is worth?
I think most custom minimates are worth around $25. There are exceptions, of course, as eBay has proven over and over again.

5. Do you own a Gold Spidey?
Nope.

6. If all of the Marvel Minimates fought all of the DC Minimates, who would win and why?
Marvel would win through sheer force of numbers. Batman could take Spider-Man, but could he take 6 Spider-Mans at once? I don't think so!

7. What is your best trick or secret for customizing minimates?
Sharpie makes a silver permanent marker that is very helpful for customizing minimates, especially for metal parts or highlights.

8. White Queen or Catwoman?
White Queen. I am sweating just thinking about her!

Admin Update: Site Navigation Now Working

2005-12-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Site Navigation links should now be working. A special thanks to Ady Carter for hosting my site.

You will notice a lot of "coming soon" pages. I am still working on the second level of the website. This level will contain the upcoming customs gallery.

Tragedy at the Minimate Institute of Research!

2005-12-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Tragedy struck the Minimate Institute of Research (M.I.R.) today. Dr. Reed Richards, one of the lead scientists at the Institute, breathlessly explained, “Dr. Banner and I were testing a new theory regarding Minimate-ivity. It all happened so fast! Our test subject, JP1000, was slowly basting in a tasty hickory meat sauce when it happened.”

Dr. Banner continued, “All of a sudden, JP1000 was snatched out of the pan by what appears to be a giant Canis Lupus Familiaris. It ran off, and we have no idea where it went.”

“Fear not,” assured Dr. Richards. “If JP1000 survives the chewing and gnashing, he will certainly return to us in twenty-four hours with a tale about a truly fantastic voyage.”

Special Edition "Sixteen Questions" with Customizer of the Year 2005

2005-12-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

The following is a Special Edition "Sixteen Questions" with the winner of the 2005 Customizer of the Year Contest. I had originally submitted eight questions to a random group of cusotmizers and the winner happened to be part of the group! The Customizer of the Year contest has been sponsored by Fujis and the online store stuckakid. They also put together a number of prizes for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, including this cool trophy you see here. I've been pleased with my purchases at stuckakid so check them out if you haven't already. Also don't forget to thank Fujis when you see him around on the boards for his hard work on the contest. It takes a lot of work to put together a contest like that.

And now, without further delay, I present Sixteen Questions with the winner of the 2005 Customizer of the Year contest - antacost.

1. Which was the first Minimate you ever purchased?
Rob Zombie

2. What is the average length of time in hours does it take for you to make a custom minimate?
Depending on complexity, it takes anywhere from five to fifteen hours... Apocalypse took probably twenty to twenty-five hours over two weeks...

3. Of the minimates you’ve made, which custom is your absolute favorite?
I'd say that it's a pretty close tie between Vigilante and Psylocke... Vigilante's probably in the lead, though...

4. How much money do you think the average custom minimate is worth?
Like anything, "worth" is what someone is willing to pay for something... I've seen customs go for less the price of the materials it takes to make them, and that makes me sad. I try to charge out complexity. If I've got to make every piece for a figure, of course that one is going to cost more than a simple repaint. But I'm not going to sell a figure for less than I've got in it...

5. Do you own a Gold Spidey?
Nope... Probably never will... I can't bring myself to spend that kind of money on a 2" piece of plastic... I'd love to have one, but that's a lot of money...

6. If all of the Marvel Minimates fought all of the DC Minimates, who would win and why?
D.C. because they have Superman... Marvel has no one close to his power levels...

7. What is your best trick or secret for customizing minimates?
Spend a little more money on your paints and brushes... They do make a difference...

8. White Queen or Catwoman?
Catwoman

9. Where does your handle, antacost, come from?
- I made the word up back in high school... I've been using it online ever since. I just like the sound of it...

10. How many long have you been customizing figures (minimates or other)? What got you started?
- I've been customizing figures for probably 10 years. What got me started? I dunno... I've always liked messing with things and making them unique, one-of-a-kind kinda things. I've been customizing Minimates for a little over a year.?. I really like the block figure style, and the Mini's are the best of the bunch...

11. Do you use decals on your creations? If so, any tips for using/making/applying them?
- I do use decals. I really only use them for logos, and blacks. For instance, I'll just print out the black lines for a face, and then paint the color in... Same thing for chests. As for tips, I really don't have any. Where I work, I've access to a vinyl printer... It's usually used for making decals, labels and bumper sticker and the like. It's a pretty pricy printer, and it takes foils that run about $65 a color... I use it to make toys... I tried Testors water-slide decal paper, and hated it... The blacks looked horrible, and the colors were even worse... I've never tried any other brands.

12. How long have you been a fan of comics, and what was your first comic book?
- I've read comics as long as I can remember. My first comic? Amythest #4 and a Captain Carrot were my firsts... I'm still waiting for that Amythest re-launch...

13. Who is your absolute favorite comic book character?
- That's a tough question... There are many. Big Blue's probably at the top of the list... Superman! You just can't get a better character. I'm also a huge Deadpool fan. Blue Devil, Zatanna, Hellboy... The list goes on and on... The Goon!...

14. You said earlier that your first minimate purchase was a Rob Zombie minimate. Why did you purchase that minimate?
- I like Rob Zombie. Simple as that. I saw the figure at Sam Goody, and thought that it was pretty cool. Took him home, opened it up, and the rest is history...

15. Your profile picture lists a website, TheFMH.com. Did you create the FMH?
- One of my college buddies actually created the FMH. Over the years, I've had a hand in many aspects of the characters, but lately, I've been in the lab making Minis...

16. Your minimate customs are spectacular. Can you tell us about any new ones we can look forward to in the coming months?
Why, thank you... I've got two finished that nobody's seen yet. On the table, are four other figures that I just started working on... Three of those are ready for paint. I've got like ten figures that I've gotta get finished up for commisions, and a lot of those are underway, so I'm pretty busy... I try to sneak in a figure for my collection here and there, but right now, most of my customs are re-dos for other people...

Review of the Missing: Grommet Tony Hawk Minimate

2005-12-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

Somewhere, somehow, someone in the universe is broken hearted that a 3” Red Tony Hawk Minimate was never produced. That someone, however, is not me.

There were at least three planned Tony Hawk minimates. I’ve decided to review this red one first because I liked it the best. It is named “Grommet”, which either means, “metal ring” or “young skater”. I will let you decide which definition is appropriate.

I don’t have anything against Tony Hawk, and I even enjoyed playing his first Playstation games years ago. I’m just glad that Tony Hawk minimates were passed over in favor of the 2” Marvel minimates. I don’t think the Rock n’ Roll minimates were very successful, and I doubt a series of Tony Hawk minimates would have been very commercially successful either.

I really like the red color on this figure. It stands out and grabs your attention. The accessories include kneepads and, appropriately enough, a skateboard. A giant white “hawk” is emblazoned across the chest. This minimate really jumps out and grabs your attention.

The minimate’s articulation lends itself to wonderful skater posses. You can pose Tony Hawk doing an Olie, setting a hand plant, or rolling a Chocolate Thunder Daddy. I made that last one up, but if it were real, Tony Hawk would have done it. This minimate could probably do it too.

All in all, this is a fine minimate. I’m not sad because he was never made, but I’d pick him up if he were made into 2” form. But I hope to see many other types of minimates produced before 2” Tony Hawks are ever released.

The EBMLMMD Disbands

2005-12-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

Less than twenty four hours after announcing the formation of the Evil Brotherhood Masters Legion of Mordor Mafioso Doom (EBMLMMD), the group disbanded citing irreconcilable differences.

Witnesses say the backbiting and treachery began as soon as the first participants joined the meeting.

“Frankly, I couldn’t take anymore of the Riddler’s mindless puzzles. Riddle me this, riddle me that. Honestly, who talks like that? I guess I just snapped,” admitted Sabertooth.

“It’s the fault of those comic villains,” hissed Wormtongue. “They all have these Napoleon complexes because they’re so small. It’s short villain complex.”

“I got a few good licks in,” smiled Juggernaught. “Too bad we wasted ourselves fighting each other instead of those cursed do-gooders.”

“In retrospect,” pondered Venom, “forming a team of untrustworthy, villainous, murderous, backstabbing cheats was not a good idea. I think most agreed to stick with using teams of unintelligent henchmen for future jobs.”

Evil Brotherhood Masters Legion of Mordor Mafioso Doom

2005-12-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

Minimate villains today announced the creation of the ultimate super villain group. Called the Evil Brotherhood Masters Legion of Mordor Mafioso Doom (or EBMLMMD for short), the group represents the largest gathering of evil-doers ever assembled.

Dr. Doom commented, “Minimate Headquarters will be crushed by the awesome force of the Evil Brotherhood Masters Legion of Mordor Mafioso Doom! The universe will fall to me and it will finally be ruled by my iron fist!”

The Joker added, “The Evil Brotherhood Masters Legion of Mordor Mafioso Doom will crush its enemies. And once that Bat-fool is out of the way, all will be mine!”

“The Ring. I shall soon have the Ring,” intoned Sauron. “I shall rule them all.”

“What are you idiots saying?” growled the Green Goblin. “I thought I was in charge here?”

“You? You’re no leader. I’m the leader,” shouted the Leader.

“Stop bickering you fools,” admonished Magneto. “You have a mission to do.”

“Stop trying to tell us what to do, you old goat,” warned Rhino. “I’m sick and tired of taking orders from you.”

At this point, the presentation devolved into a mindless shouting and shoving match.

Fake Gold Spidey Shunned by Other Minimates

2005-12-06T06:55:00.000-08:00

Sources reported today that Fake Gold Spidey, purchased by Captain America in an Internet scam, has been shunned by the other minimates. One anonymous source said, “How can we trust a fake guy like that? I mean, it’s bad enough they’ve never made a Gold Cyclops while they have a million Wolverines running around. Now we have to put up with another Spiderman? Someone should give that Fake Gold Spidey an optic blast upside the head.”

Another secret source meowed, “Normally, I find Spiderman to be prrrrr-fect company. But this terrible forgery makes my hair stand up on end.”

Finally, an unnamed source shook his giant rock fist and exclaimed, “I don’t like the looks of that Fake Gold Spidey. He better stay away from me, or IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME!”

Eight Questions with Logan

2005-12-05T06:27:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column will appear regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with Logan from Canada.

1. Which was the first Minimate you ever purchased?
The first one was an Ultimate Wolverine/Ultimate Cyclops CDN 2-Pk.

2. What is the average length of time in hours does it take for you to make a custom minimate?
It depends on how much painting etc. is required.

3. Of the minimates you’ve made, which custom is your absolute favorite?
I would have to say the one that I'm working on right now. Can't tell though. You'll just have to wait and see!

4. How much money do you think the average custom minimate is worth?
Same answer as #2. It all depends on that. But on average, I'd say anywherebetween $15 to $45.

5. Do you own a Gold Spidey?
No, and I don't want one. I want a Silver Spidey!

6. If all of the Marvel Minimates fought all of the DC Minimates, who would win and why?
I would say Marvel. Strength in numbers.... and there is way more Marvel than DC.

7. What is your best trick or secret for customizing minimates?
Finding source art to base it off of.

8. White Queen or Catwoman?
Catwoman. Why? Ever read the "Hush" storyline hehehe

Something New Every Day?

2005-12-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

I’ve sort of committed myself to putting up new content each day. This will be one heck of a challenge. New content is difficult to come up with on its own, and something new each day will be extra challenging. I’ve devised a strategy to make this successful so only time will tell.

I like websites that put up new content, stay interesting, are well written, and entertain me without clogging my life with unnecessary information. I hope I’ve created that type of website.

If you like my website and want to say thank you, you can check out the Google vendors on the lower right side. They are my current “sponsors” if you will. Checking them out every now and then helps me justify this little hobby to my wife (they apparently track how often a link is clicked). If a certain amount of traffic is recorded, they will send me some money. This is the theory anyway. My wife thinks this is just my excuse to play with my toys. (Do I really need an excuse?)

M.I.R. Discovery – Minimates Fit Inside “Dark Holes”

2005-12-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

Among the din of motorized choppers, Dr. Reed Richards of the Minimate Institute of Research (M.I.R.), announced success today while studying the property of what he called ‘dark holes.’ Dr. Richards shouted, “I postulated that based upon my calculations of the curvature of time-space, minimates could enter an unknown dimension of reality by passing through a dark hole. I had to modify my instruments, but I was able to send JP1000 through.” At times the interview was interrupted by loud grinding noises and gut wrenching shrieks of pain. “To be honest,” Dr. Richards yelled, “I wasn’t sure I would be able to jam him down the hole. He struggled quite a bit before he went in.”

Eight Questions with Slythe

2005-12-03T09:21:00.000-08:00

The “Eight Questions” column will appear regularly at Minimate Headquarters. In it I interview minimate customizers and other fans of minimates. This interview is with Slythe, maker of this Donkey Kong minimate.

1. Which was the first Minimate you ever purchased?
The first miniMate I ever purchased was the Bark at the Moon Ozzy from the Rock miniMates line. (shameful secret: I so impressed with his design, I used to carry him around in my pocket for months)

2. What is the average length of time in hours does it take for you to make a custom minimate?
Well, I guess on average, 2-3 hours when I'm being lazy.

3. Of the minimates you’ve made, which custom is your absolute favorite?
My fav custom is probably Scorpion with the articulated tail.

4. How much money do you think the average custom minimate is worth?
I have no idea how much the average custom 'Mate is worth, the most I've ever sold one for is $45.

5. Do you own a Gold Spidey?
I do not own a Gold Spidey

6. If all of the Marvel Minimates fought all of the DC Minimates, who would win and why?
Although Batman would kick major ass in the DC vs. Marvel fight, I'd have to give it to Marvel for sheer numbers.

7. What is your best trick or secret for customizing minimates?
Especially when doing new paint apps, try to pick a body/face type that is similar to what you're trying to acheive.

8. White Queen or Catwoman?
Oh, White Queen my friend. White Queen.

Review of the Missing: Batman Begins Batman

2005-12-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Review of the Missing, where I review Minimates that were never made. This week I review the Batman minimate based upon the movie Batman Begins.

But before I begin, I need to make two admissions. The first is that I am a novice when it comes to DC comics and characters. For whatever reason, I grew up almost exclusively on Marvel comic books. I never read any DC comics (and I’m old). However, I read my first Batman comic this year, when I picked up the Hush series. Now I’m trying to make up for lost time.

My second admission is that while I hated the original Batman movies, I absolutely loved Batman Begins. It ranks up there with some of my all time favorite movies. It was the best action/adventure this summer hands down. If you haven’t seen it, you need to buy the DVD immediately.

All right, I’ll give you a third admission for free. Collecting minimates sparked my interest in Batman. I know most people collected Batman minimates because they liked Batman. I liked Batman after collecting his multitudes of minimates. Did you hear that DC? Yes, DC minimates made me purchase more DC products.

All of these admissions mean that I am absolutely heartbroken that Batman Begins minimates have not been made. I’m such a Johnny-come-lately to the entire Dark Knight phenomena, and I’m sad I can’t even buy the penultimate Batman minimate.

And a Batman Begins Batman (BBB) minimate would be the penultimate minimate. I say that based upon the only evidence in existance - the Batman Begins designs from a recent Toy Fair. Art Asylum pitched the Batman Begins minimates to the big retailers as part of their C3 block construction system. Presumbably the minimates would have been released along with cool C3 vehicles like the black Tumbler Batmobile. Unfortunately, the big retailers baulked at more C3 this past Spring and instead put all of their eggs in the Lucas film turd basket. Smooth move.

This was such an utter shame. The designs for the BBB minimate are utterly fantastic. The mask head piece evokes the same hard, angular look as movie’s version. The Bat-a-rangs were to be painted a metallic black/orange just like they were in the movie. Other details were planned such as the glossy black suit color.

They even got the facial expression right. I can almost hear the design saying in the deep Christian Bale Batman voice, “Make me. Make me right now.”

Can the world ever have too many Batman minimates? No, not if they look like this dark beauty.

--------Watch This Weekend for a New Minimate Institute of Research! ------

401K-Man Cut from Minimate Line

2005-12-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

Citing a complete lack of interest, Art Asylum announced today that it was permanently cutting 401k-Man from its line-up of possible mini-figures. “While contributing to a 401K may be a good idea for United States citizens, we see absolutely no market for a 401K-Man minimate,” explained one of the many Art Asylum spokespersons. “I’m not even certain our foreign collectors even know what a 401K is.”

Although many collectors were unaware 401K-Man was even a contender for a minimate release, many were pleased with the news none-the-less. “Who the hell wants a 401K-Man minimate?” laughed one collector. “What’s next, Waiting-In-Line-Man minimate?”

Vote Now!

2005-11-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

The deadline for the Customizer of the Year Award contest has been extended to December 7th but you should vote right now. Voting is simple. Send a Personal Message to Fujis at the Art Asylum Forum with the name of the person you are voting for. What could be easier?

Deciding whom to vote for, that’s what! There are so many great customizers out there that deciding for whom to vote is proving hard indeed. Take a look at the wonderful galleries of customs and you will see so many great works. I will feature many of these over the next few months.

Stay tuned for an interview with the winner at Minimate Headquarters after the votes are counted.

But did I say you needed to vote right now?

Wood You Mind Making Me One?

2005-11-30T20:43:00.000-08:00

Someone posted a message on one of the toy collector’s board awhile back saying the Minimate craze was over. Done. Finished. Kaput. That a new website devoted to Minimates was a day late and a dollar short.

I don’t know about that. But if this picture says anything, I know the Minimate crazies are far from over.

This fully articulated wooden 8” statue has been constructed to the exact dimensions of a 2” Minimate body. Absolutely amazing. The time and skill it took to create this simply blows me away.

Who made this monstrosity? None other than customizer Cloneme. Read more about this beast here.

New Marvel Minimates Coming!!!!

2005-11-30T12:32:00.000-08:00

Diamond Select Toys announced a new Marvel Minimates box set today which will contain a DVD animated X-Men adventure. Archangel and Beast are two characters to be introduced with the block style mini-movie.

The animated style closely resembles that of the free Internet movie titled Batman: New Times. New Times was produced by Dave's School as a student project, and it featured Batman, Joker, and Catwoman minimates. It won praise by collectors and enthusiasts for its humor, storyline, and special effects when it debuted earlier this year.

No word yet who will be producing the X-Men: Darktide animated movie.

Captain America Scammed On Ebay

2005-11-30T06:32:00.000-08:00

Captain America was scammed today after attempting to purchase a rare Gold Spiderman Minimate on the popular auction website Ebay. “He looked so real,” sobbed a broken-hearted Captain America, “All I wanted was a good loyal side-kick.”

Friends were on hand to console the grief stricken Captain America. “He has been lonely ever since Bucky died. Now he lost fifteen hundred bucks on this fake Gold Spidey,” explained Batman. “It just isn’t right.”

“Never, ever, ever trust the ebayer named redskull,” cried Captain America.

Custom Tip #2: Basic Painting

2005-11-29T19:16:00.000-08:00

Many people have no desire to paint, much less paint a minimate. The small size is intimidating and it seems difficult. Thankfully, it isn’t as hard as it seems. If you do decide to take the plunge with painting minimates, I suggest these basic techniques.

Start small – Don’t begin by repainting an entire minimate. Making a Quick Custom and then repainting only a small part can create brand new characters quickly and easily.

Use good paints – When I started, I used some cheap acrylic paints I purchased at a craft store. I didn’t like how the paint tended to dry thickly. I later started using higher quality acrylic paints called Citadel paints, and I noticed the difference immediately. The coats of paint went on more evenly. They also didn’t flake off as easily.

Use a small brush – This may seem like a no-brainer to most people, but when I started I just grabbed the first brush I could find. It didn’t work out too well. The detailing on a small minimate should be done with a small brush.

Have patience – I’ve gotten better with every minimate I’ve painted. It gets easier each time I do it.