This just rolled across my desk:

Our 4th annual Charitymates customizing event has begun! Charitymates is an annual charity event held at the Minimate Multiverse. During this event, Minimate customizers (veteran and novice alike) create and donate a Minimate custom based on a theme chosen by the community. These one-of-a-kind creations are then auctioned off on eBay with 75% of the proceeds going to a specific charity (also chosen by the community) and the remaining 25% helping with the operation costs of the Minimate Multiverse.

This year’s theme is A Convoy of Robots Supporting Convoy of Hope. Customizers will create unique robot Minimates limited only by their imagination. If you are interested in participating, head on over to the Charitymates 4 thread at MMV. We already have 21 customizers who have pledged to make a custom, and we are hoping we can get even more participants before the June 1st deadline. Most of the artists who have participated in the past are returning again this year, providing an all-star line-up of talented customizers. And our charity of choice, Convoy of Hope, needs donations now more than ever. They are currently providing food, clean water, and supplies to victims of the earthquake in Chile. You can read more about Convoy of Hope on their web site here.

The finished customs will be posted on our brand new web site at Charitymates.com. This site will also feature information on the upcoming auctions for this annual event, where you will have a chance to own an amazing custom and help a worthy cause at the same time. And while the annual Charitymates event will be our main focus, our web site will also auction off one custom Minimate each month for charity. The first of these smaller auctions will be coming in April. We hope that you will stop by our site from time to time and check out the cool customs the Minimate customizing community is creating for a good cause.

For more information, please visit Charitymates.com.

Luke is having his own version of Toy Fair today, by releasing five new custom figure 2-packs! These packs contain a variety of civilians, criminals, and robots to expand your Minimates collection. There is a limited quantity of these sets in-stock and available to order now. The sets include:

Assassin Robots
Mob Goon & Mob Boss
Reporter & Camera Man
Security Guards
Underwear Model & Photographer

Read more about these custom figure 2-packs at Luke’s Toy Store here: http://lukestoystore.com/customfigures.html

After a bit of a hiatus, we’re back with another edition of Fan Mail Friday.

Digging through the mailbag (what, your email doesn’t come in bags?), it looks like we’ve got a fair amount of questions, so let’s do another Q&A.

Our first question comes from Gonzalo, who asks:

Hi! I´m Gonzalo, from Spain. I´m a big fan of your website.
I have a question about the Toys R´ Us Marvel Minimates… I want to buy it but I can´t because of in the spanish Toys R´ Us they dont sell this kind of things. Do you know about some website to buy this minimates?
Thank You.

Thanks for writing. To answer your question, the only website that sells Toys R Us exclusives, unfortunately, is the Toys R Us website itself, which suffers from the same regional blocks as the brick and mortar stores. There are a few work arounds though. Any message board that is committed to Minimates will likely have members willing to do the legwork for you. If you aren’t already a member, I’d recommend checking out Minimate Multiverse. They have a flea market section that usually offers trades and sale of Minimates, so you might be able to find some help there. Then, there is always eBay. When new exclusives hit, they usually run for around double the retail price on the auction site, but the prices usually stabilize after time.

Our next question comes from Steve, who has written in before:

Hey, I have another question for you. I heard that Halo minimates were on display at Toy Fair, but I can’t find any pictures of them on the web. Do you know anything about this?

Thanks,
Steve

Welcome back, Steve. Yes, its been reported that the Halo Minimates were on display at Toy Fair, but unfortunately, DST had a no pictures policy for this particular license. This most likely would stem from the figures pending final approval by the license owner. I’m sure we’ll see some images surface on the road to San Diego Comic Con this year, but we’ll have to be patient for now.

Our next one comes from Benjamin, who writes:

You know that news you posted not to long ago about the Minimate Battle Beast Alligator figure being handed out at this years 2010 Toy Fair? Well someone just put one up for sell on eBay, and the auction has a very good, detail pic of the figure.

(link omitted)

As you can see from the pic, the figure does not come with a classic Rub Symbol that the classic 1980’s figures had. So either they did not have the time to put one on the figures in time for Toy Fair, or the new figures will not come with them. I just thought that you might like to know about this.

Sincerely,
Benjamin

Thanks for the heads up. Regarding the symbol, or the lack thereof, its important to remember that DST still hasn’t really announced their intentions for the line. So, it could be that they’re still working out whether or not to even include the symbol, or working out just how to do it properly.

Benjamin also submitted a link to New Toy Smell’s review of the Battle Beast exclusive from Toy Fair, for those interested.

Our final submission comes from The Lashers, who writes:

I work at Toys R Us and am a huge Minimates fan. (From way back series 1)

I read your site daily to keep up on the news, and felt I should send some your way.

When looking around on our server at work to see when Ghostbusters Series 3 way coming (Warehouse over here on the California, Oregon, Washington side of the country just got 1200+ pieces, 12 pieces in a box so our store might get 2 cases, we are a small Toys R Us) I found a SKN for a series 4! That is in addition to the best of series that is in most stores now.

Marvel wave 6 is on order, but not at the warehouse yet.

One Fan to another……….

Thanks for that. A little potential insider information regarding the upcoming Toys R Us stock. We know about the third Ghost Busters series, but it’ll be interesting to see what the fourth one might bring. There’s rumor of another “best of” series, so that could be a possibility, or it could be some of what was shown at Toy Fair. Only time will tell.

That’s it for this time. Remember, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, ideas, funny photos, soup recipes, or anything else pertaining to the wide world of Minimates, feel free to send them in to drgnrbrn316@minimateheadquarters.com and you just might see it posted.

On a regular basis, the gang over at Art Asylum compile questions from their fans and present them to DSTChuck in a segment they call Ask DST.

In the 75th installment, the topic of conversation is, of course, Minimates. Below are the highlights:

• Sales weren’t great with the BSG vehicles, so that line is pretty much done.
• Caprica is a separate entity from BSG, and DST does not have the license.
• No current plans for the Dark X-Men.
• No current plans to sell flight stands separately, though they may develop more as the need arises.
• The Minimates.com website was rushed for SDCC in order to secure the website, though it is far from complete. They’re working on it.
• Still working on the Minimate Lab playset.
• Halo and Universal Monsters are pretty much it for new licenses this year, though something else may pop up later.
• No current plans for X-Force Angel or Warpath.
• No current plans for Marvel single pack figures.
• The redo for Louis and Clear Slimer popped up when TRU gave DST a chance to rerelease some figures for the best of sets. Another best of series might come later this year.
• DST wants to see how far they can take the line before doing a bunch of second versions (in response to GB1 Janine’s chances of being made).
• No current plans for another Nightcrawler.
• No current plans for X-Factor, Young Avengers, or Marvel Monsters.
• Lots of stuff is planned for those inserts in the various boxes, though the massive Marvel poster will likely stick around.
• No room in the license for the firehouse or the Ecto-1.
• Nothing set in stone, but BttF will likely see new sets in 2010.
• Still new stuff planned for Ghost Busters in 2010, but will likely take a rest in 2011 in preparation for the new movie.
• No plans for Real Ghost Busters, but might be in consideration for 2011.
• Minimates are doing fine, despite the economy, whereas other lines are suffering.
• Size limit keeps build-a-figures from being possible, as does the self imposed 2″ rule.
• License probably doesn’t allow for the 90s animated Spider-Man or Spider-Man Unlimited, though Chuck isn’t sure.
• In regards to Spider-Hulk, every Spider-Man variation is possible.
• No plans for Kick Ass.
• No plans for more music figures.
• Robocop could be a possibility, but they’re waiting to see how the new movie pans out.
• She-Hulk variations are possible, maybe even planned at one point.

So, way back at the start of January, we asked you, humble reader, what you thought of the Iron Man 2 explosion of Minimates. Here’s what you had to say:

Iron Man 2 Minimates: What’s Your Take?

• I’m game. I loved the first series, so I’m sure these will be epic as well. (47%, 146 Votes)
• Pass. I’m not big on the movie properties. Give me Iron Man comic Minimates and I’ll be set. (19%, 60 Votes)
• Sure, why not? I’m not big on the movie stuff, but these look interesting. (14%, 42 Votes)
• I have my doubts. Sure, they look okay, but do we really need so many of them? (12%, 38 Votes)
• I buy everything they release. Why stop now? (7%, 22 Votes)
• I don’t buy Minimates. Why start now? (1%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 309

Overall, reaction was pretty positive. In fact, nearly half of the votes we received were geared up and ready for the second coming of shell head’s movie counterpart. Given the level of detail shown in the first series, and the detail shown in the prototypes for the second series, its not hard to see why people would like them.

But, then there were almost 20% of you who were opting to pass. Why? Because you want comic book characters, not movie ones. Not an unfair argument at all. It could be said that the Marvel comics license is what made Minimates as big as they are in the eyes of collectors. The Marvel universe is full of colorful characters, and interrupting a stream of new comic characters to do retreads for movie versions of characters we already have can cause people to feel put off in favor of cash grabbing in the wake of a new hit movie. Thankfully, it was announced at Toy Fair that Marvel series 36 would feature comic book Iron Man characters, including the much requested Mandarin.

Close to 15% were willing to get these, not for the movie license that they were, but because they looked cool.

12% had their reservations. Again, understandable. While the Iron Man 2 Minimates look awesome, look at just how many of them we’re getting. So far, we have Marvel series 35 (7 figures), the accompanying Toys R Us series (8 figures), an army building series (6 figures), an exclusive box set (4 figures), and an exclusive set from DST (2 figures). That’s at least 27 announced figures off the bat, though you could shave it down to 23 if you ignore the retreads in the TRU series. Many people think the Spider-Man 3 series was overkilled with 14 figures, so we might be over-saturating the market with Iron Men.

Then, there’s the completists. They’ll buy anything (including a turd Minimate, in one extreme case), so their dollars are already assured for these sets.

And finally, one poor soul who stumbled onto this website by mistake, indicated that they’ve never bought a Minimate and likely won’t start with these.

Rolling onto our next poll question, with Toy Fair fresh in mind, we ask you just what was the best thing to come from Toy Fair. We’ll be back next week to look at the opinions.

The 2010 edition of Toy Fair kicked off this weekend, and to say that Diamond Select had a few surprises up their sleeves would be a bit of an understatement. Before we kick things off, I’d like to thank ASM, Cool Toy Review, and Marvelous News for the extensive photo work they’ve collected. Special thanks to the gang over at Minimate Multiverse for helping keep us all informed as news broke. Onto the round-up!

Universal Monsters

The big news going into this year’s show was the Universal Monsters license, which DST unveiled before the show even began. The plan as it stands now is to unleash a couple of new box sets each year in time for Halloween, with an accompanying assortment hitting Toys R Us store shelves. This year’s sets will feature the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Wolfman (not to be confused with the remake that is currently hitting theaters). Sets featuring the Mummy, Frankenstein, and the Invisible Man are expected for release in 2011, with Dracula expected in 2012! This is probably the furthest ahead we’ve ever seen Minimates planned. Look for the first of these in specialty shops and participating Toys R Us locations in September.

Marvel

DST’s biggest license was on display, showing off some of the new Iron Man 2 products, as well as the Spider-Man Friends and Foes box set. Also on display was Marvel series 36, which seems to be a comic-based Iron Man series, which will include two versions of the Iron Man armor (including a remake of the Silver Centurion armor), two versions of Iron Man villain the Mandarin, the Crimson Dynamo, a Dreadnought army builder, and Stilt Man. It’s unclear just how tall we’ll be able to make Stilt Man, but if its anything like what was on display, he should be the tallest Minimate in existence. Minimates based on Iron Man 2 are expected to start hitting shelves in March, with the Spider-Man box set not far behind. Series 36 is expected to hit shelves in July.

Minimate Vehicles

Some of the previously announced vehicles were on display, including the Back to the Future time machine, featuring radiation suit Marty, and the Hunter Killer tank, featuring a human resistance soldier. In a surprise move, also on display was a Star Trek shuttle craft, featuring a battle damaged Spock. The Galileo features a flip up top and four seats for your Star Trek crew. The Star Trek shuttle craft is expected to hit shelves in December.

Elite Heroes and Minimates M.A.X.

By now, we’re all aware of DST’s experiment into the exciting world of unlicensed figures with the Minimates M.A.X. line. That experiment has been furthered with the unveiling of the Elite Heroes line. With Elite Heroes, we’ll be finally seeing the civilian ‘mates we’ve been calling for, with firefighters and police figures, as well as a few vehicles for them. The M.A.X. line also shows off a few new vehicles in the form of mech suits. Elite Heroes are expected to hit shelves in December.

Pirates

In another surprising unlicensed venture, DST will be bring Pirates to the Minimate world, and not of the Caribbean or Penzance variety. This colorful cast of swashbuckling characters will even have their own ship to sail. Pirates are expected to hit shelves in December.

Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose

It was hinted at beforehand, but the Tarot Minimates were confirmed with a showing at Toy Fair this year. The Broadsword Comics property will feature the titular Tarot, with Raven Hex, John Webb, and Crypt Chick. The Tarot box set is expected to hit in July.

Ghost Busters

Some Ghost Busters figures were on display, featuring most of the gang in their civies, including a non-demon-dog-thing possessed Dana. However, it is unclear if these are part of an upcoming assortment of figures, a series of box sets, or something else entirely.

Father’s Day

In what was probably the oddest unveiling, a series of Father’s Day related Minimates were on display (and no, not based on that Robin Williams movie). The assortment looks to feature four dads with their kids in a series of father-child activities. It’s worth noting that the children appear to be of a smaller scale than the now standard 2″ scale. The jury is still out on whether or not they’ll feature articulation. No real word on just how, when, or where these will be available, but I’d assume they’d be on shelves somewhere in time for Father’s Day (June 20th in the US, UK, and Canada; September 5th down under).

Battle Beasts

The previously announced Battle Beasts line had a presence at Toy Fair this year as well, in the form of the promotional giveaway. People attending the event were given a free crocodile/alligator Battle Beast in silver armor, though there’s no name given for the figure. Thanks to ASMDaniel for sharing this info.

HALO

And finally, the elephant in the room. The big announcement that DST made as Toy Fair was kicking into gear was the unveiling of the HALO license, based on the popular game series by Bungie. Unfortunately, there are no pictures to go with the announcement (though I’m told they were on display at Toy Fair), but we do know that the line-up for the first box set will feature Master Chief, a UNSC Marine, a Spartan in Scout Armor, and an Elite in Assault Armor. Other products were hinted at in the announcement, including a variety of colors and armor types. HALO is expected to reach store shelves in the Fall.

Just a quick post, letting our faithful readers know that we aren’t dead.

Minimate news has always been slow unless one of the big trade shows was in town, and a hectic home/work schedule is keeping me from doing the side stuff that keeps this place updated when there isn’t news to report. On top of that, we’re a bit short staffed.

But, we’re getting there. I’ll be going over the results of probably one of the longest running polls on our website on Monday, with a new poll to keep you thinking. Fan Mail Friday will be back, so send in those questions, complaints, or ideas ( drgnrbrn316@minimateheadquarters.com ). I’m working on a write-up for Luke’s latest decal kit, the dreaded Zombie Kit, so that will be on the books in the near future as well. All that, plus we’ve got a few conventions coming up, so some new news may crop up. And there’s always some other features and ideas that have fallen by the wayside that may come back.

So thanks for bearing with us, folks. We’ll try not to keep you waiting much longer.

Industrious Multiverse member LDroome has found what might be the next license that goes the Minimate route.

In a YouTube video, four Minimates based on characters from the Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose comic are showcased, with a message suggesting these will come in time for the holidays this year.

I’m inclined to label this as rumor for the time being, but the quality of the Minimates that are shown do seem to be pretty good, suggesting that these are official to some capacity. On top of that, we know that Art Asylum has done a Tarot statue, so they have a license for the character.

I suspect we’ll have more news regarding this with Toy Fair and C2E2 coming up.

The much speculated series of Toys R Us exclusive Iron Man 2 Minimates has been debuted on the Art Asylum website.

The line-up, which seems to follow the newly established 4 sets rule, will be:

• Mark V Iron Man & War Machine
• Mark IV Iron Man & Whiplash
• James Rhodes in Mark II Armor & Black Widow
• Senate Hearing Tony Stark & Mark I Iron Man

I find it rather interesting that they insist on not showing the Mark V armor, yet they feature the real version of it on the packaging.

Also of interest is the apparent rerelease of the Mark II armor, which was the variant from series 21. Still, I suspect that this armor will differ in more ways than just a different face underneath the helmet. We shall see soon, I suppose.

No word on when these will hit exactly, but odds are they will follow the same time frame that past TRU reveals have, so if you’ve worked out the math for your area, go ahead and start counting the days.

Diamond Select Toys has announced their own exclusive for the upcoming C2E2 event: the Stark Expo 2-pack.

DST’s exclusive delivers two of the stars of this spring’s upcoming blockbuster Iron Man 2 in Minimate form!  The Iron Man 2 Stark Expo Minimates Two-Pack will only be available at this show and features Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark and Scarlett Johannson’s Natalie Romanova as they appear during the fictional Stark Expo event.  Each Minimate two-pack will retail at the show for $8.00.

DST also confirms the Action Figure Xpress box set slated for the show, though they’re playing it safe by only confirming Fury, Stark, and a damaged War Machine in the line-up, with the damaged Iron Man armor remaining a mystery.

A second convention exclusive will also be available through Action Figure Xpress in the form of the Iron Man 2 Battle Tactics Minimates Box Set.  This con-only set includes battle damaged versions of both Iron Man and War Machine plus Racecar Tony Stark and the first-ever Iron Man 2 Nick Fury!

DST goes on to say that there will be a few surprises at the show, as well as a daily Minimate giveaway, so anyone in the Chicago area might want to stop by for the event.