Wizard World Philadelphia watched the research assistants shove Zit out the door with a rattle of chains. JP1000 followed loudly and when the door banged shut a calm settled over the MMHQ executive boardroom.

“I dunno, I didn’t say he was a traitor,” WW Philly murmured. “He just seemed a bit…off.”

Prof. Xavier rolled up to WW Philly. “These are dangerous times,” he said, “Evil JP rules the miniverse and intends to destroy us all. Any possible breach, any link to the Overlord, must be watched closely.”

“Of course,” WW Philly agreed. The MinMate Registration armband on his biceps seemed to burn.

The professor smiled, but he continued to inspect WW Philly. “Have a donut. The glazed ones are still quite fresh,” he offered.

Further down the conference table, playboy Bruce Wayne was telling Admiral Adama, “Nearly everything is in place, we just need to select the infiltration team.”

“None of the established heroes can be missing from the main assault,” Adama insisted, “or Evil JP will suspect our true plan. We need a force of unknowns.”

WW Philly cleared donut from his throat. “Excuse me, Admiral,” he stepped away from Prof. Xavier’s scrutiny, “did I hear that you need an invisible army?”

“Essentially, yes,” Adama agreed.

WW Philly smiled. “Then I know just the guys you want.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The burly aids pushed an unresisting Zit along the hallway towards his cell. “Move along, you traitorous fake,” one of them growled and smacked Zit upside the head, almost knocking his helmet off.

“Hey!” JP1000 yelled, trailing along behind them. “Ease up, he’s not guilty of anything.”

Six marched closely to JP1000, matching his hurried steps. “You have to do something, JP,” she said, “you can’t let them cage Zit,”

“I’m trying,” JP1000 shot back, “thanks for your concern.”

“He’s like us,” Six exclaimed, “artificial life. They’re judging his soul’s humanity, not any evidence of his intentions.”

“I am not like you,” JP1000 snarled, “and this isn’t about your crusade, it’s about friendship!”

“JP…” Six reached out to him.

A hand settled on his shoulder, whirling JP1000 around and slamming him against the wall.

Dr. Baltar leaned in against JP1000. “You have her,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “You have her and I want her back.”

“Get off of me, you loon! I don’t know what you’re talking about.” JP1000 tried to push away, but Baltar clutched at him.

“I’ve been watching you and I know you’re talking to her. I see all the signs.” Sweat glistened on the doctor’s face. “She was in my head, then she was gone. Now she’s in your head. And I want her back.”

“Okay, you’re psycho,” JP1000 snapped. “There are no women in my head, just you in my face.” This time JP1000 escaped Baltar’s grasp.

“You can’t hide her,” Baltar called after him, “you have her and I will get her back. I’ll do whatever I must.”

By Dragon

Since first taking up the challenge of reviewing all things Minimates, the scoring system at Minimate Headquarters has undergone a few changes. So, it seemed fitting to take a moment to explain the way the scoring system works and perhaps delve into the changes that have brought us here.

The old system

When we first launched Minimate Review, the scoring was more mathematical, with each aspect of a Minimate receiving a score, with the final score being averaged from the accumulated points. As the series of reviews progressed, the categories grew, which worked well for some ‘mates to come out, but only served to pad the scores of others. The flaws in this system really began to appear when perfectly fine Minimates began to suffer massive hits to their final score for a single flaw, best shown by the review of Doctor Strange. It became apparent that a Minimate cannot be judged on technical aspects alone, but must also be judged on visual appeal. So, as time progressed, the scoring system began to evolve to reflect this, eventually dropping off decimal places entirely to give the final score on a scale of 0-5.

The current system

5 out of 5

This score is reserved for the best of the best, a Minimate that does not possess any flaws, offering the best representation of the source material that it can provide. A good example for this category would be DCD’s Batman from Series 1, who had no flaws, a good accessory, and was very appealing to the eye.
4 out of 5

This score is for Minimates that are still visually appealing and well thought out, but lack some key component to make it truly the best. Figures with minor paint flaws or lacking key accessories would fall into this category. A good example of this category is the aforementioned Doctor Strange, who was well designed, but lacked any accessories to really show off his talents.
3 out of 5

This score is for your average Minimate. Though the design may be spot on, the figure lacks much appeal. Figures that fail to stand out from the crowd would fall into this category. A good example of this category is George McFly, who was a spot on likeness of the source material, but was rather dull to look at.
2 out of 5

This is for a below average Minimate. This category is reserved for Minimates that just are not visually appealing while at the same time possessing paint flaws or really hurt from lack of accessories. Luke Cage from the New Avengers assortment (series 12) would probably fall into this category, being a visually average character while also hurting from the painted on hat.
1 out of 5

This is where the Minimates really start to look bad. Figures suffering from major design problems would fall into this category. Not many would drop this low, though Riot-Attacked Spider-Man from the New Avengers assortment would likely make it to this level, with major coloring problems, missing paint applications, and a poorly implemented take on his broken arm.

0 out of 5

This is by far the worst example of a Minimate. Every aspect of the design process has failed, presenting a visual abomination. Nothing thus far comes to mind when seeking an example, though DCD’s Clayface from Series 7 is pretty tempting to put here with its massive attempts to distance itself from the basic Minimate image.

Feedback is welcome

Obviously, all of this scoring is subjective, since it is only limited to the opinion of the reviewer. User feedback is always welcome, to help counterbalance any biases or provide a more well rounded take on the figure.

As our scoring system evolves to meet the demands of our readers, there may come a time when an older review is no longer relevant. If you would like to see a figure from the past receive another go through the review process, or if you yourself would like to submit a review, feel free to contact us with your request.

By Dragon

Since the response to the announcement that the HQ staff was going to see the Iron Man movie was bigger than the response to any of the Minimate news we’ve posted….ever, I’d say, I thought we’d milk it for all its worth and write a review.

Iron Man

The premise is of billionaire industrialist and weapons manufacturer Tony Stark having a sudden case of conscience and deciding to build something to protect the people he has unintentionally put in harm’s way. And, as is usually the case in these type movies, another party has taken Tony’s idea and bastardized it to meet their own personal agenda.

The casting was phenomenal, particularly in the case of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. There really was no better choice to play the cocky, womanizing, alcoholic Stark, yet still be able to convincingly play up the more conscientious side of our hero. Jeff Bridges in the role of Obediah Stane was also brilliant, adding far more depth to the character than the source material ever really has. Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard round out the main cast, with excellent performances as Pepper Pots and James Rhodes, respectively.

The story itself was really well done. It did well to remain faithful to the source material, modernizing some areas at times, such as moving the location of Tony’s ambush to Afghanistan. The story also did well to remain entertaining from beginning to end, mixing in action, drama, humor, and even a bit of romantic tension. The technology portrayed in the movie was fantastic, with the visual effects really adding a touch of realism.

Finally, being based on a comic book, with Marvel itself producing the film, there are numerous allusions to the comic book world. To list a few:

• Tony Stark’s computer system being named Jarvis.
• Rhodey seriously considering donning a suit of armor himself.
• Tony’s driver? Mr. Hogan
• The various armor color schemes tossed around in the production stage.
• Stan Lee makes a cameo appearance.
• The Asian terrorist cell that captures Tony at the beginning of the movie is called the Ten Rings.

All of that acts as faithful winks to the fans who come into the movie with a knowledge of the background to the story. On top of that, Marvel Studios do a good job hinting that this movie takes place as part of a larger picture, with SHIELD making a fairly prominent appearance. Also, a scene that plays after the credits really helps drive the point home.

Overall, this movie is great! There’s something here for most movie fans, so those with little background in the comic book source material need not hesitate. As far as comic book movies go, this is definitely one of the best, and if this acts as an indication of how Marvel Studios future work will go, then the future is bright indeed.

The HQ crew is camped out to see the new Iron Man movie, so sadly, we have no new updates ready to run.

By Dragon

In the first half of our two-part review of the Civil War box set, we look at Nitro and Spider-Man.

Nitro

Nitro’s actions in Stamford sparked the start of the Civil War, so his inclusion here makes sense. From a design standpoint, Nitro is simply done. He sports his most common duds, decked out in red and black. The gold arm bands on his arms have been done really well, carrying a shine with them and sporting an ample amount of detail. The chest is equally done, with a solid separation between the red and black, with his gold emblem shining much like his armbands. The facial detail really captures the villainous sneer of Nitro, seen mere moments before he wiped out Stamford. The hairpiece is a throwback to Ultimate Sabretooth, though it suits Nitro quite nicely. For accessories, Nitro comes equipped with a small fireball, a reuse of Iron Fist’s chi accessory. While the representation is accurate, in that Nitro can project his explosive powers through his fists, the inclusion is rather odd in that he never used the power in the Civil War story. Given that no part is in existence that could accurately portray the massive explosions seen at the start of Civil War or in Wolverine’s tie-in to the story, settling for a fireball is no huge crime.
One could argue that Nitro’s inclusion in this set is nonsensical, in that while he did start the Civil War with his actions, he never encountered any of these heroes throughout the story. If the Civil War theme was carried on throughout an entire wave or two of standard release Minimates, this argument might carry merit when he could be paired with Wolverine or Namor, or perhaps with the New Warriors in a 5-pack. But since the Civil War story is likely to be done in one, this would really be his only chance to hit the 2 inch scale.
Overall, Nitro’s design is quite simple, but really well done, matching the source material perfectly. My only reservation is about his accessory, but considering that the only alternative would be no accessory at all, I’m happy to accept what was given to me.

Civil War Spider-Man

Building up to Civil War, Spider-Man partnered up with Tony Stark, becoming his makeshift protégé, and in turn receiving his own Iron Man armor, themed after his Spider-Man persona. Dubbed the Iron-Spidey by fans, this particular suit has been dangled in front of Minimate fans for some time. Initially planned for a Target wave of figures, those plans fell through leaving it floating in limbo until the Civil War box set came around. The design is fairly well done. Sporting a heavy amount of gold detail to match Iron Man’s colors, the Iron Spidey is quite eye-catching. The gold detailing is done well on his arms, chest, and legs, though some more effort could have been done in differencing it from the red of the costume in some areas. Also, some of the gold paint is missing from the front of the chest, bringing flashbacks to paint application problems with the Riot Attack Spider-Man and Sentry figures to come out in Wave 12. Still, since the area that the paint is missing from is small, it isn’t overly noticeable. In something of a first for Spider-Man Minimates, Spidey comes with a removable mask (yes, one of the Spider-Man 3 figures came with a similar feature, but his did not cover his entire face, so stop writing the angry letters). It should be noted that the mask is a snug fit and you’ll likely have trouble pulling it back off. Another thing to note is that something seems slightly off about the mask. The eye placement seems a little off and the mask itself does not seem to perfectly conform to the Minimate head shape. Both of these are quite noticeable when you stand Civil War Spider-Man next to another Spider-Man mate. Unmasked, Spidey looks much better, with a nicely done face and a reuse of Tony Almeida’s hairpiece (from 24). For accessories, Spider-Man comes with the before mentioned mask. The inclusion of the three telescoping “waldos” would have been a nice touch to really flesh out this figure, but the budget most likely didn’t allow for the new sculpting nor the mechanics involved in attaching them. Still, the inclusion of a webline would have made up for the lack of the additional arms, but with that too denied, it looks like Civil War Spidey will be taking the bus.
Overall, Civil War Spider-Man is a fairly strong Minimate. The detailing done on him, particularly the chest, really capture the look and feel of the character from this story arc. The face is also well done, capturing his mood from a happier time before he had to sell his wife to the devil for some magic beans to make his aunt well, or something like that. The only real problem with this figure is in the accessories. The mask, while a nice touch, is slightly off and might have worked better as an alternate head. In addition, the lack of any Spider-paraphernalia, while not critical, does hurt the overall impact of this figure.

JP1000 slipped quietly into the MiniMate Headquarters executive boardroom with Zit trailing along, as he often did, on his own agenda. The assembled Board of Directors and SMIRK researchers carried such an aura of power that JP1000’s skin tingled.

“Wonder Woman’s been taken down,” Bruce Wayne said, “and now the Human Torch — that’s family. Evil JP is cutting deep and twisting the knife.”

“So we take the battle to him. Now,” Admiral Adama growled.

“We’ve tried that before,” Prof. Xavier reminded them.

“Darkness begets more defeat,” Gandalf mumbled, then gestured at JP1000. “Our key has perhaps arrived.”

Suddenly the executive board focused on JP1000. “You wanted to see me, Admiral,” he said carefully.

Adama looked hard at JP1000. “I don’t like your kind,” he stated. “Artificial life, pretending to hold true MiniMate souls.”

JP1000 was stunned. “But aren’t we all manufact — ”

“You will not question our humanity!” Adama ordered.

The admiral approached JP1000, his gaze weighing judgment. “We need intel on the Overlord’s dungeons,” he said. “Prototype 401k’s memories are suspect. The fake Spidey’s information is hazy, like he wasn’t paying attention. But Dr. Banner tells me you carry an invulnerable data cache in your head. The Resistance needs to download your NVRAM.”

JP1000 looked at the assembled men of power, then shook his head once and stated, “No.”

The only sound was Six slowly applauding in his mind, which JP1000 tried to ignore. Zit shifted protectively towards him.

Peter Parker burst into the room. “Admiral Adama, your secret agent is here!” He announced.

“Parker!” Adama barked, “Must you loudly announce classified information?”

The apprentice nerd winced. “Sorry, sir, but Wizard World Philly is carrying a calendar of attacks drafted by the Overlord’s advisor!” Then he winced again.

“Plus an eyes-only roster of the next targets, and their assigned hit squads,” WW Philly added.

“Thank you, Philadelphia,” Prof. Xavier said, “we know the risk you take by bringing us this information.”

“Mr. Parker, get copies of these into the underground distribution,” Adama directed as he and Bruce Wayne scanned the case’s contents.

WW Philly stepped away and looked around the room. He saw Zit, smiled and said, “Morning, Bomber.”

The fake Da Bomb #90 did not recognize WW Philly and no response protocols were triggered, so Zit simply waited.

WW Philly watched Zit suspiciously. “I said, ‘Morning, Bomber’.” Still no response. “This is no Bomber Mate!” WW Philly shouted. “He’s an imposter!”

“Aids!” Adama called out, “Arrest that MiniMate as a traitor to the Resistance.”

“Hey, wait!” JP1000 protested, “Zit helped me when — ,” but he was knocked aside by two burly research assistants who roughly cuffed the fake Bomber Mate. Zit’s only resistance was an cold, unbroken stare at Admiral Adama.

maxim, this one’s for you!

Ever since the unfortunate incident involving hickory meat sauce and an attack dog, JP1000 carries an irrational flight response towards canines. We finally found his hidey hole after this chance encounter and dragged him back into production. JP1000 & Friends returns tomorrow, back on track and counting down weekly to the ultimate confrontation with Evil JP.

By Dragon

Rolling out of the weekend, it’s been a slow week for news so far. So, rather than focus on one minuscule tidbit of news, we here at the HQ thought we’d scrape them all together for a new segment we appropriately call Slow News Day.

Charitymates are Go

Charitymates II logo, created by Luke314pi
The May 5th deadline for the Charitymates II project is fast approaching. Dubbed “Manimals for the Animals”, this year’s event is raising money for the World Wildlife Fund by auctioning off customs of man/animal hybrids. It’s a regular who’s who at this crazy zoo, so be on the lookout for these auctions on eBay in the upcoming weeks. Check out the Multiverse for more information about this project.

Free Minimate Day in the UK

In something of a first, UK Minimate collectors will be subject to some exclusive goodies come Free Comic Book Day this year, thanks largely in part to Limited Edition. Visitors of the store will receive individually bagged Minimates from the Marvel Zombies and Spider-Man 3 assorted sets. In addition, visitors and UK fans will be entered for a chance at one of the recent Civil War boxsets. An assortment of the individually bagged mates are expected to be given away at the Minimate Multiverse as part of this promotion. Free Comic Book Day is on May 3rd. Check out the Multiverse for more details on this special event.

You Dropped Minimates for What?!

In an odd bit of news, it seems that PopBox Collectibles, best remembered for fumbling the I, Robot Minimate license, has scored the license to the upcoming Dark Knight movie and is launching its own brand of block figures. Labeled Q-Blox, these figures are set for an Asia only release. Early images have fans calling them “horrible”. It does make you wonder why DC would prefer a figure that looks like this:

when they could have had one that looks like this:

JP1000 returns

Finally, tune in tomorrow when JP1000 makes a triumphant return from his mini-hiatus. What does the future hold in store for our misfit heroes? Can they overcome the evil tyranny of the Overlord? Will Marvel finally slap us with the cease and desist order for using Fake Gold Spidey? Tune in tomorrow to find out.