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Minimates are a block styled miniature action figure created by Art Asylum. History The line began in 2002 with a line of 3" Minimates based on several different licenses. These included Dark Angel, Star Trek, Bruce Lee and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon along with a Rock Star line featuring KISS, Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper. The 3" Minimate Line also included several blank or promotional Minimates, these usually bore the logo of a specific company and were used as give-aways. Minimates came of age when several months later, following a partnership with Diamond Select Toys, a range of 2" Minimates based upon the Marvel Comics Universe was launched. The 2" Minimate body type began to be used for the promotional Minimates in place of the 3" body type, and it was announced that the 3" range would be discontinued. This line was soon joined by a range based upon Lord of the Rings. Soon a new series joined the line in the form of C3 construction sets, which were acommpanied by DC Comics Minimates in the 2" scale. In 2006 2" Minimates based upon the Street Fighter 2 and Darkstalkers video games were released, along with Minimates based upon the classic and new Battlestar Galactica TV series as well as the Speed Racer license. The 2006 San Diego Comic-Con saw the announcement of a line of Minimates based on the Rocky movies. Recently Kelloggs Cereal Minimates have also been announced. So far design art for Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam, Dig 'Em Frog, Snap, Crackle and Pop and Ernie the Keebler Elf have been posted on the official Art Asylum forums. Marvel The Marvel Minimates line was one of the first Minimate lines to be produced, and is now on its 12th and 13th series, or 'waves', of figures. Each series tends to follow a particular theme, i.e. Spider-Man (Series 2 and Series 10), or X-Men (Series 3 (Ultimate X-Men) and Series 11), and are released in pairs. Figures in these sets are bought in determined packs of two. Each series will also feature a 'chase' figure, which is often a variant on one of the figures in the series. Many retailer and convention exclusive figures have been produced based on the Marvel line, and there are over 100 Marvel Minimates in existence. Due to license restrictions limiting all Marvel Minimtes to the 2" scale, a range of four 8" unarticulated resin statues under the 'Minimates Max' banner were to be produced in 2006 to accompany to the line and represent larger scale characters in the Minimate style. Unfortunately because of the cost and unarticulated nature of the statues, the line was not well received and eventually cancelled, with only two of the four announced statues released, Galactus and the Sentinel. Also in 2006, a DVD movie featuring CGI animated Minimate characters was released under the name 'X-Men: Darktide.' Released as a box set containing Magneto, New X-Men Cyclops, New X-Men Wolverine and Juggernaut Minimates, the movie also features the Minimate debut of New X-Men Storm, Beast and Archangel. The primary Marvel Minimate announcement for 2006 revealed that Waves 12 and 13 would be based on ''New Avengers'' and Astonishing X-Men comics respectively, with two 4-Packs for Toys "R" Us based off each of these waves. A third Marvel Knights themed 4-Pack was also announced, with new variations of Daredevil and Ghost Rider, as well as re-issues of the existing Blade and Assault Punisher. At the start of October 2006, Diamond Select Toys revealed that the previously announced X-Men: The Last Stand movie Minimates will now form the basis of Wave 14, with Movie versions of Storm & Colossus, Beast & Juggernaut and Wolverine & Jean Grey, with the chase figure being Phoenix. Diamond Select Toys also announced at SDCC 06 their plans for Minimates based on the upcoming Ghost Rider movie. Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 Series 6 Series 7 Note: Silver Surfer was originally paired with Thanos, who was dropped due to production issues. The pairing was later revived as a retailer exclusive. Series 8 Series 9 Series 10 Series 11 Note: Clear Iceman Minimate was originally listed as the chase for Series 11, but was swapped to Frosted Iceman during production. Series 12 Series 13 2003 Wal-Mart - Canada 2-Packs 2004 Wal-Mart & Target Corporation|Target 2-Packs 2005 Target 2-Packs 2006 Target 2-Packs Note: The Professor X figure listed here is different from the original 2003 exclusive, featuring a blue suit and silver wheelchair in keeping with his look in both the X-Men: Darktide animated movie and the live-action X-Men films. Toys "R" Us 4-Packs (w/ Hidden Figures) 2003 Toys "R" Us 4-Packs (no hidden figures) 2004 Toys "R" Us 4-Packs (no hidden figures) 2006 Toys "R" Us 4-Packs ShopKo Single Packs Minimates Max (8") 2003 Exclusives 2004 Exclusives 2005 Exclusives 2006 Exclusives DC and C3 line Announced in 2003 and released by Play-Along, the DC Minimates were to come packaged along with 'C3' ('Create Construct Customize') construction sets, and focused mainly on Batman and the Justice League. The line was moderately successful, but caught between the license requirements forcing the inclusion of construction sets and fans interested in just the Minimates. The first wave was produced in 2004, with the second released in 2005 along with 'Mini-Flyer' construction sets. Serving as precursor of sorts of the X-men: Darktide DVD, DAVE School students produced as a student film in 2005. Done in the same style as Darktide, New Times features Batman versus both Catwoman and the Joker, and is notable for its all-star cast including Adam West and Mark Hamil reprising their roles as the Batman and the Joker. Never intended as a commercial release like Darktide, New Times was released as a download on the DAVE School website or orderable as a free DVD from DAVE School itself. As a promotional item the Batman minimate from the Mini-Batmobile set was released separately in a Batman: New Times bag. Although never officially announced as discontinued, Play-Along did not renew the license for the sets in 2005. DC Direct were in talks with Art Asylum about the line, but the result of such talks is not known. Because of this, many prototypes for DC Minimates were created, but never produced. This included Minimates versions of Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, and full C3 lines based on the cartoon show The Batman and the Batman Begins motion picture. On April 17, 2006, it was announced that the DC Minimate line would be revived, in the same style and scale as Marvel Minimates. Unlike the Marvel Minimates however, no chases have been announced and large characters use the 2.5" body type introduced by LOTR Minimates. *. Announced on October 6, 2006 on the Art Asylum forums that after delays over quality concerns, Series 1 was now set for an February 2007 release, Series 2 in March and Series 3 for April. Also announced was line-up for Series 4, consisting of Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) & Bane, Steel & Cyborg Superman, Golden Age Flash & Wild Cat and Deadman & Spectre due for release in July 2007 with Series 5 to follow. C3 Sets Wave 1 C3 Sets Wave 2 C3 Miniflyers Wave 1 2004 Exclusives Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 2006 Exclusives Street Fighter The first line of Street Fighter Minimates was released in March 2006. The series also includes characters from the game Darkstalkers. Unusually, the AFX exclusives were made available before the Series 1 reached retailers. The 7 characters from Series 1, along with their Player 2 costumes are available in blind single packages in Japan, the first blind-packed Minimates. Two four-packs of characters from Series 1 were also released at Toys "R" Us in September 2006. Series 1 Series 2 Toys "R" Us 4-Packs Exclusives Battlestar Galactica Battlestar Galactica Minimates based on the modern and classic series were planned to be released in the latter half of 2006, but the line has undergone numerous changes and the present line-up is up for debate. The original line-ups had a series of 2-packs, 4-packs and single character with vehicle/fighter packs, with the Modern series released first. Unlike the Speed Racer line, the Galactica fighters were to be partly constructable, with a central C3/Lego influenced block to which the rest of the vehicle attached. Various large conventions in 2006 continued to show off the prototypes, as well as a revealing more character designs from Season 2 of the Modern series. In September 2006 Art Asylum revealed on their forums that the originally announced line-ups were dropped with new line-ups to be announced, the first revised waves solicited in the November 2006 issue of Previews. These changes also coincided with the announcement of a series of single packs of both Modern and Classic Cylons, with numerous variations available. Limited to only 500 cases of Modern and Classic, 12 Minimates per case, solid information about their release date or case ratios has not been revealed. Modern Line - Series 1 Speed Racer Introduced at the 2006 American Toy Fair, the line showed various forms of packaging and set sizes, with the first series released in September 2006. The packaging revealed at the 2006 SDCC indicated that the line would seem to mimic Art Asylum's approach to Battlestar Galactica, with Minimates of both classic and modern series, though only Classic themed mates were shown. Series One - Single Pack w/ Vehicle Lord of the Rings The first series of Lord of the Rings Minimates was produced in 2004. Along with the new line came the 2.5" Minimate body, used for representing humans in the series, allowing the hobbits in the series, which used the 2" Minimate body, to appear smaller. A second line was produced in 2005, and a third was to be released around January or February 2006. However, there was much confusion about whether or not the figures would be reaching stores, retailers hesitant on ordering due to the belief that demand for movie LOTR products had ceased. Although never officially announced as discontinued, the license expired and was not renewed, ending the line. Lord of the Rings Minimates came with a small, clear plastic LEGO-esque block, which could be used to position the figures. Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 - Cancelled Toys “R” Us 3-Packs w/ Hidden Figures Exclusives Bruce Lee Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Dark Angel (TV series)|Dark Angel Intended to be released along with a larger action figure line, the sudden cancellation of the show effectively ended this line before release. A number of Minimate prototypes were designed, but only the exclusive saw release. KISS (band)|KISS Rock Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek Only a single series of 3" Star Trek Minimates was successfully released, though a second wave covering the remaning Original Series cast was announced, along with a follow-on Next Generation series reaching the design stage. The combined relationship between Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys for Star Trek makes 2" Trek Minimates a frequent requested and rumored line. Other | |||||||
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