FROM: Vinylmation 360 Published Mondays

Oddities of Vinylmation

The notion of a 'well-oiled machine' appeals to most of us, and manufacturers certainly strive for such precision with their products. Disney is no different with its Vinylmations. Consistency! Uniformity! Perfection? Ha! Kelly Firth ogles some oddities.

- by Kelly Firth, May 15, 2011

Reminder: The May Q&A column will be appearing next Sunday, May 22nd. Submit your questions in the comments section below or via email no later than Tuesday, May 16th.

In every collecting hobby there are quirks that can make even the most diehard collector raise an eyebrow, laugh in bewilderment, or feel their blood pressure rise.

Vinylmation is no different.

There are several oddities I have come across over the last couple of years while collecting. I discussed the issue of bizarre painting flubs in last week's column. Here is my take on a few of the other Vinylmation oddities.

Pricing Discrepancies Between the Parks and Disney Stores

Have you ever bought a Nightmare Before Christmas vinyl directly from Disney? If so, did you buy it in the parks or from the Disney Store website? Or maybe from your local Disney Store? Well, if you bought it in the parks or online, consider yourself out two dollars. Since the series was released, these values have been $11.95 online and (as far as I know) in the parks. But stop by your local Disney Store, and you will find them priced at $9.95.

Why the difference? I have no earthly clue, and Disney isn't explaining why, either. When something is priced incorrectly, collectors usually hear about it, such as the recent $1.00 overcharge on the Muppets 2 Series blind boxes in the national Disney Stores. Yet I have never heard or read an explanation for the NBC price discrepancy.

Typically, whenever Disney is questioned about prices, a stock answer is given about how they can vary by location. Is that an explanation? Yes. Is that an explanation that makes sense? Not so much.

You would think, since the Disney Company owns all of the stores selling a particular series, that an item made by Disney would be the same price everywhere, unless a store (or stores) discounted them to reduce or eliminate excess stock.

Regardless of the reasoning, be aware of this phenomenon. You never know when it might come into play again, so doing some advance price checking online might save you a few bucks. Every penny helps, especially these days!

DisneyStore.com: Land of the Doubles

In an earlier column, I discussed some of the drawbacks of ordering Vinylmation products from the Disney Store website, such as high shipping costs, not being able to see your purchase ahead of time, and order mix-ups. One other problem I mentioned was the increased likelihood that you will get doubles if you buy blind boxes. Since blind box orders are not filled from a single case, you could technically get four of the same thing if you ordered four blind boxes from the same series.

Some people have great luck buying blind boxes from the website. I am not one of those people! Every single time I have ordered two or more vinyls from one series, I always end up with at least one set of doubles. The first time I ordered blind boxes online, I wound up with these:

That was the start of a trend that continues for me to this day. The last time I ordered any blind boxes was when Park 3 blind boxes were available at a discount, and I naturally got two of the Big Al vinyl.

I am at the point where I try not to buy blind boxes online anymore and instead only buy them in person. At least then, if I get doubles, I had some control over it!

All in all, though, I don't get upset by this oddity. It is a running joke to me now: "Which set of twin vinyls will I get in this order?" If you can't laugh, what can you do, right?

The Trouble with Foil Is...

The inner foil packaging found in every Vinylmation blind box is important for a couple of reasons. For starters, it keeps buyers from taking a peek at what is inside the box without buying it first. It also helps keep the figure itself from hitting the cardboard directly and potentially causing paint issues.

As long as the blind box you purchased isn't sealed like Fort Knox due to overuse of a glue gun somewhere in the production factory, you can easily check out whatever you bought right after you bought it. Well, usually.

Not too many series into Vinylmation's production, the foil pouches began coming with helpful notches on each side of the top end. They allow the foil to be easily torn, which in turn allows the buyer to quickly see what vinyl is inside. Before these notches existed, you either had to have really strong hands to rip the foil apart, or you needed scissors to cut it open. Not really ideal for the eager person who just wants to find out what they bought.

After spending a good 15 minutes on a Magic Kingdom bench last year trying to rip a Muppets Series 1 foil open, I was very happy when the easy-to-open foil became the standard. Or so I thought...

I don't buy Urban blind boxes anymore, but I received a couple as gifts last month. I opened them on the way home (no, I was not driving!), and I discovered that one had the 'near impossible to open on your own' foil, and the other had the notched foil.

That was an oddity I hadn't run across before! You would think the foil type would be consistent within a series, and that they would consistently use the notched foil so folks in the parks could easily open their box(es) and trade.

Chalk it up to another unexplained mystery of Vinylmation! (For those of you wondering what I got in my blind boxes: If you guessed one was a Gears Bear, you would be correct.)

What other Vinylmation oddities have you come across since you started collecting? Share your stories below!

Mark Your Calendars

Friday, May 20
Urban Series 6 Light Meter, Love, Viking, and Stars 9" vinyls scheduled for release at D-Street WDW and D-Street DLR. Light Meter: LE 800. Love: LE 800. Viking: LE 800. Stars: LE 600. Retail price: Unknown.

Friday, May 20
WDW Trading Night. 6pm-9pm. Located in the Contemporary Resort's Ballroom of the Americas. Be aware that this is a general Disney Trading event, and is not solely focused on Vinylmation.

On the last Sunday of every month, I'll devote this column to your questions and my answers. You can leave questions here as comments or else send them directly to me.

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