Art Asylum Blog
 
 
 
 

January 19, 2012 : The Minimates MAX Jet has MAXimum Building Possibilities!

jetheader
Has the MAX Tech Stealth Jet flown under your radar? Well, maybe this will set off some alarms — a video showing all of the possible combinations if you were to buy two (or three) of them and take advantage of their fully interchangeable parts system! They’re the most fun vehicles we’ve ever made, and they look pretty sweet, as well. Plus, they each come with a pilot figure and plenty of sweet MAX decals for decoration purposes. The blue one shown is a specialty and comic shop exclusive, but a black version is at Toys “R” Us now. Somebody get these on the Pentagon’s line plan for 2013!

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December 2, 2011 : We Put the MAX Tech Stealth Jet Though Some Maneuvers

bluejetheader
The MAX Tech Stealth Jet has had a few different incarnations, but since there are probably a handful of people out there who still haven’t picked up one of these collectable, connectable beauties, we thought we’d put together a short music video showing how much fun the thing is. The latest version, in clear blue, is at comic shops and specialty stores now as pat of Minimates Vehicles Series 2 — look for a black variant at Toys “R” Us, and plug ‘em together to make a superjet!

Get regular Minimates updates on Facebook and Twitter! And check out the rest of our Minimates Vehicles here!


 
 
 
 

October 26, 2011 : On Sale Today: Femme Fatales Minimates Set 1 and Minimate Vehicles Wave 2!

October has been a big month for Diamond Select Toys, from the Munsters to the Universal Monsters to X-Men: Curse of the Mutants. Well, we’ve got one more specialty-market ship date left in October, and it’s a doozy! Not only will comic book shops and online retailers get the first box set of Femme Fatales Minimates (with Dawn, Darkchylde, Tarot and Lady Death), they’ll also get the long-awaited specialty assortment of Minimate Vehicles Series 2!

The blue MAX Tech Stealth Jet with Pilot, the glow-in-the-dark Pirate Raiders Ship with Cartographer and the Back to the Future II Hover-Mode TIme Machine (phasing version) with Jennifer will all arrive at stores this Wednesday, so hit up you LCS or your favorite online retailer for your set. Check out the pictures below, and check out the glowing ship’s debut in the first episode of “Calico Jack’s Pirate Raiders”!

See more pictures on Facebook and get more updates on Twitter! And find your closest comic book shop at comicshoplocator.com!


 
 
 
 

September 28, 2011 : Firefighter Spider-Man Minimates Packaging Revealed! Only at NYCC!

If you live in the comic book universe, you can count on superheroes like Spider-Man to show up and save the day. But what if you live in the real world? Who will save you then? Luckily, there are men and women out there risking their lives to keep others safe day in and day out. They’re the ones that will come rescue you when you are trapped in a burning building or stuck inside of a twisted car wreck.  In recognition of these true everyday heroes, we present this special NYCC-exclusive 2 pack that includes a brave fireman and your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, both decked out in full firefighting gear, with NYCC 2011 printed on the back of their coats and a variety of interchangeable parts! Diamond Select will have some on hand at booth #338, but visit the Diamond Comics Distributors at booth #344 for a full list of participating retailers at the con!

Get regular DST updates on Facebook and Twitter! And check out the rest of our NYCC exclusives here!


 
 
 
 

August 31, 2011 : New Minimates Vehicles Will Activate Your Turbo Boost

Super Pursuit Mode KITT with Michael Knight (Previews)

Super Pursuit Mode KITT with Michael Knight (Previews)


This Christmas, you’re getting a car. Not just any car — the Knight Industries Two Thousand, or “KITT” to his friends! That’s right, our third assortment of Minimates Vehicles will include not only a new Pirate Raiders pirate ship and a Minimates MAX Armored Personnel Carrier, but also KITT himself, star of the Knight Rider TV series in the 1980s along with some guy named Hasselhoff.

The 4-inch-long vehicle will come with a two-inch Michael Knight, with opening doors and room for a passenger, and it will only be available at Toys R Us in late November, along with Robert Deal’s pirate ship with Undercover Anne Bonny. But, since KITT needs his nemesis, we’re also releasing the evil KARR with Garthe Knight in that wave’s specialty-store and comic-shop-exclusive assortment, along with a British Navy ship with officer! Order both through your local retailer!

And if that’s not enough? A special-edition version of KITT, featuring his Super Pursuit Mode transformation, will be available a month later, just in time for the new year and only through Diamond Comics Distributors’ Previews catalog. Which means you should tell your local comic book shop to order it in! Don’t get left in the dust!

Get regular DST updates on Facebook and Twitter!


 
 
 
 

August 26, 2011 : Somebody Rescue Minimates MAX Series 2 from Their Packaging!

How do we fit all of the stuff that comes with each MAX two-pack in a tiny blister card? We have no idea, but here they are, fit to bursting, with two Minimates in every pack, but enough clothing and accessories for three. Look for them at Toys “R” Us in September!


 
 
 
 

August 22, 2011 : Minimates: Mobile Action Xtreme Series 2… in Action!

fire1header
Minimates MAX Series 2 is on its way to Toys R Us, but we thought we’d start recruitment early with a photo shoot showing the men of the Mobile Action Xtreme team on the job, responding to emergencies wherever they may be. Pick up two-packs of Urban Firefighters, Police SWAT, Undersea Operations and Search and Rescue in September, only at TRU.

Check out the gallery here! To see more of our MAX offerings, check here, then sign up for updates on Facebook and Twitter!


 
 
 
 

July 3, 2011 : In Stores July 6: Real Ghostbusters, MAX and Retro Star Trek!

It’s a big day for Diamond Select Toys this week at comic and specialty shops! Not only do the 8-inch Retro Star Trek Captain Pike and Salt Vampire come out, there’ll also be two new Minimates box sets on the pegs! One is Real Ghostbusters Series 1, with Ray Stanz, Egon Spengler, and exclusive figures of Janine Melnitz (civilian outfit) and Slimer, and the other is Mobile Action Xtreme (MAX) Series 1, with a fireman, a smoke jumper, and the set-exclusive policewoman and special ops soldier! Anyone looking to relive classic TV memories or expand their ranks of real-life mini-heroes, this week is the week to hit the local comic store!

Check out the pictures below, and check out the next wave of MAX heroes here!

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July 1, 2011 : MAX: Mobile Action Xtreme Minimates Series 2 Revealed!

By now, you’ve hopefully gotten the chance to play with the incredibly detailed real-life heroes of Mobile Action Xtreme (MAX) Minimates Series 1, and are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Elite Heroes four-pack next week. Well, get ready for more MAX! This fall, Series 2 will hit Toys “R” Us, and not only will you get a second chance to buy the Fire and Police sets, you’ll also get two new sets — Search & Rescue and Undersea Operations! The two Search & Rescue specialists come with a flashlight with strap, a medical kit, a coiled rope and a satellite phone, while the two SCUBA divers come with a scuba tank, a flashlight, a spear gun, a knife with a leg sheath and extra hair. And look for a new MAX vehicle, the APC, to appear in this fall’s third series of Minimates Vehicles!

Check out the pictures below (with a stripped-down figure on the left and the two geared-up figures on the right), and check out more MAX heroes here!

Follow DST on Facebook and Twitter! And get Minimate updates here!


 
 
 
 

June 17, 2011 : Planes, Trains and Mini-Mobiles: The Making of a Minimates Vehicle

Back to the Future II Hover Mode Time Machine

Back to the Future II Hover Mode Time Machine

With the second wave of Minimates vehicles hitting stores soon, there are a dozen different ways for Minimates to get around, and they certainly do get around in style. Each Minimate vehicle, be it an adaptation of a famous conveyance from television, movies, the newspapers or the history books, takes the original design and adapts it to accommodate the blocky little bodies of multiple Minimates. So how does Minimatization happen? It’s a multi-step process, but we talked to project manager Robert Yee and vehicle artist Mark Wong to find out how much is planned and how much is just a series of happy accidents. (Larger pictures at the end)
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