Sunday, June 30, 2013

Vinylmation Review Blog #3 - Vinylmation 3D Pins

     Today's post is not only Vinylmation related, but also pin related! This is a continuation of sorts from my previous review. These pins that I have are from also from my November 22, 2011 Disney Store.com order. Watch the video to see what I got!
Note: Recent events have discouraged me from continuing with this blog but words of encouragement from people have helped me get back up on my feet and make this post. Thank you all for the continuous support and please share with your friends so they may also enjoy the joy that I feel when participating in this hobby. This is a bit shorter than the other ones but I'll get back to making full length ones soon



    This here is a picture of the pin that I gave to my best friend since she's my "boo"!
Boo
Isn't she a cutie??
And below are pictures of the ones that I currently still have:
Minnie Dress

Pooh Bear

Epcot


Stayed tuned for more Vinylmation Review posts and videos! Let me know if I missed anything, and please subscribe to this blog and my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/cattyliu816. There is a lot more content on there!

   Also, if you are interested, I have an instagram where I bring one of my Vinylmations to different places with me and take pictures of him having fun. Enjoy! http://instagram.com/tiggeradventures

Remember to Keep Calm and Disney On~

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Vinylmation Review Blog #2 - Disney Store Order

    So here is my second review, it has more than one vinyl featured because it was from a Disney Store Order. The order came November 22, 2011 and included a Villains 2 blox, a Lion King blox, and three open series boxes. Watch the video to see what I got!




    As you saw in the video, I got the Villains 2 Honest John and the Lion King Young Nala. I really do regret trading them away because I had no idea how much they would be worth in a few years. Now every time I trade something, I wonder if I will feel the regret.

Below are some pictures of the vinyls featured in this Vinylmation Review!
Villains 2  Honest John
Lion King Young Nala
Party Time 
Right side of box
Back of box
Left side of box
40th Anniversary Hollywood Studios
Right side of box
Back of box
Left side of box
Park icons 2011
Right side of box
Back of box
Left side of box

    My next review will be of the Vinylmation 3D Pins that I also got in the same Disney Order. Stayed tuned for more Vinylmation Review posts and videos! Let me know if I missed anything, and please subscribe to this blog and my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/cattyliu816. There is a lot more content on there!

   Also, if you are interested, I have an instagram where I bring one of my Vinylmations to different places with me and take pictures of him having fun. Enjoy! http://instagram.com/tiggeradventures

Remember to Keep Calm and Disney On~

Movie Review #1 - Oz the Great and Powerful

    On March 8, 2013, the movie Oz the Great and Powerful came out in theaters. I have been waiting for the release of this movie for what seems like months! So I generally hate going to midnight premiers of movies, instead, I go in the morning of the release date, before noon so it's cheaper. Since I went to watch the movie by myself, I decided to take notes while watching the movie (no big deal, I do it all the time). Watch this video to hear my  notes

This is a half hour long video so make time to watch :) Also, it's more of a recap than a review...




    To prove just how excited I was for the film, here are some pictures of the nail design that I made for the release of the movie. I finished this design a week before the movie came out so I wasn't able to remove my nail polish for a whole week. As someone who loves painting nails, it was torture! I had so many ideas brewing in my head but I was unable to use them! Le Struggle~! Well, enjoy the pictures:

Yellow Brick Road

Emerald City
Yellow Brick Road Leading to the Emerald City



Here are the notes that I was reading off of (decided to transcribe it onto here so you guys can read my ridiculous comments to myself):
  • B&W Opening <3
  • Young Mila Kunis in wheel chair in audience during the show. (The little girl sounds like her, is naive)
  • Frank the assistant -> flying monkey
    "You're just a trained monkey"
  • Annie = Michelle Williams. She marries Dorothy's dad John Gale
    "Kansas is full of good men...I don't want to be a good man, I want to be a great one"
  • Tornado + running from bad guy (strongman) -> same as Dorothy
  • this would look so good in 3D (the stuff flying around in the tornado)
  • he says he promises to change and then everything slows down?? that was way too fast
  • oh the moment when all the colors appear <3 slowly becomes widescreen
  • this would be an awesome roller coaster -> hot air balloon ride
  • beautiful, vibrant flowers, everything so musical! My favorite scene!!
  • Mila Kunis's outfit! - Theodora the Good Witch
  • River fairies, so scary!
  • James Franco, still cute but a little creepy, he's going to break her heart!! I love her pants! You just met and you're already making out?!?
  • Yellow brick road, sunflowers! Lion??
  • Evanora. Green, evil?
  • "Thanks, sourpuss" "my name is Nuk!"
  • Theodora: fireball, temper
  • Greedy, Scrooge McDuck - treasury
  • Just because I'm a monkey, I must love bananas 
  • green horses - made out of gems
  • China Town - so pretty, there's arms and faces everywhere!
    would be a cool place to see in real life
    wheel chair girl
    helping a girl walk - so cute
    fake crying - sass, dramatic
  • Crows: "You'll die, you'll die!"
  • Creepy eyes in the forest, scary plants!! AHHHHH!! (AIW)
  • China girl has attitude and a knife lol!!
  • That's a cemetary
  • Witch of the South - Glinda the good witch (Annie)
  • Evanora so evil, breaks Theodora's heart.cool nails!!! Her tears burn her face?? Evanora: commands scary baboons
  • the king has a lion statute (looks like Aslan)
  • BABOONS!! screeamm
  • Rainbow fog, bubbles! Emerald + ruby flowers
  • "All good hearted souls get to pass throug-"
  • Wanda? Why did Oz call her Wanda? (Glinda)
  • Green APPLE (snow white) turns her green!  I thought it was going to kill her. She found out who the wicked witch is!!
    Green hand, even she screamed!
  • Farmers (quadlings): make scarecrows
    Tinkers (sounds like thinkers): make anything (tin man?)
    Glinda can see right through Oz
    Munchkins - can't fight, make pretty clothes and they sing
    OHHH He thought her name was Wanda
  • Theodora: love the black dress, scary green nose.
    LOL broom
    "my pretty"
  • China girl wishes for a family
    "I know I'm not be the wizard you were expecting, but I might just be the wizard that you need." (batman!)
  • making scarecrows
    Glinda's city looks like a disney castle
    "We have nothing to fear as long as we believe. For when you do believe, anything is possible"
    show them no mercy? is this a kids film?
    hot air balloon ;)
    does he have hair gel with him in Oz?
  • The carriage to Emerald City - sounds like star wars music?
  • LOL The baboons that fall from the sky are so funny
    is he going to escape in the hot air balloon?
    they're torturing Glinda!!
  • Finley does sound effects like always hahahaha
  • Fireworks! So beautiful! - unleashing the stars!
  • Harry potter and Voldemort's showdown (necklace: glowing, must be important)
    another transformation
  • baboons flying off with Evanora at the end
  • Ending:
    Tinker - swiss army knife
    Finley - friendship
    China girl - family
    Glinda - Love, greatness, goodness
  • Need to watch Wizard of Oz!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Vinylmation Review Blog #1 - H2 Mardi Gras

     Welcome to my first official Vinylmation Review! Today, I will be featuring the Holiday 2 Mardi Gras Vinyl. Watch the video below and then read on!



     As you saw in my video, my first ever Vinylmation on June 23rd, 2011. It was the Holiday 2 Mardi Gras. Below are some pictures that I took of the vinyl plus its card.

Front of Vinyl

Vinyl's Left Side

Back of Vinyl

Vinyl's Right Side

Front of Card

Back of Card





   I am very glad that this was my first vinyl. Stayed tuned for more Vinylmation Review posts and videos! Let me know if I missed anything, and please subscribe to this blog and my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/cattyliu816. There is a lot more content on there!

   Also, if you are interested, I have an instagram where I bring one of my Vinylmations to different places with me and take pictures of him having fun. Enjoy! http://instagram.com/tiggeradventures

Remember to Keep Calm and Disney On~

Monday, June 24, 2013

First Post

    This is just an introductory post for my blog. Since it is going to start off as reviews for Vinylmations, I should explain what Vinylmations are. When you type in the word "Vinylmation" into a text box, your browser tells you that the word does not exist and there is a red squiggly line under it telling you to fix your spelling. That is because the word is not in any dictionary.The word "Vinylmation," is a mix between the words 'vinyl' + 'animation.'
   Vinylmations are figures produced by Disney that are molds in the shape of the world renown Mickey Mouse. The figures are made out of a vinyl material because vinyl is cheap and easy to produce and have a lot of endurance. There are many different shapes and sizes of the mold. The most common one is the 3" vinyl. There is also a 1.5" one and a 9" one.
     There have been many molds released. The old mold has two pieces, the body and a detachable head. There is a protruding nose, a line where Mickey's pants go, and buttons on the front. The hands are always right hand curled and left hand normal. The new mold has three pieces; this time, the feet are also detachable and the body has been rounded out to make it fuller. There is no longer a line for the trousers and no more buttons nor nose, it is all in all, a very smooth mold. Lately, Disney has come out with different molds such as a mold with a wide skirt and a bow on the head to represent Minnie Mouse. There is also a very cute mold that shows up on some of the animal characters where the hands are brought up to the front to show the appearance of paws.
     Vinylmations come in tins, blind boxes or "bloxes," and even open series. Tins are sealed metal boxes where you can not see what is inside the box but you already know because it is either printed on the box or there are pictures circulating around. You can always open and reseal the tin if you ever wonder what is inside. Bloxes are mystery, sealed boxes that you have to open to be able to see what is inside. The 3" ones usually comes in a set of 12 where 11 of the set is printed on the box and the last one is a mystery "chaser." The 1.5" are called Jrs and they come in a set of 24 with two as chasers. 9" Vinyls are mostly open series which means instead of a box where you can't see what is inside, it has a clear front so you can decide which one you want to buy.
     Vinylmations can be bought and traded. The 3" retail for about $12.95 each; although some that are more limited editions may be higher priced, such as $14.95 and even $29.95 for a set of two of 3". The 1.5" Jrs retail for $9.95 (used to be $8.95) for each blox. The Jrs do have some open series and those come in pairs, they retailed for $16.95. The 9" on the other hand, have a much steeper price! They go from $39.95 to $99.95!! Some even come with a 1.5" Jr or a 3" vinyl companion. Prices can always vary depending on the edition size of the vinyl or even the characters depicted on the figures.
     Trading, is a very interesting concept at Disney locations, there are these big black boxes with numbers on the front. You can choose a number and the employee (called Cast Members, or CMs) shows you the vinyl from the number you have chosen and you exchange it for one that you have on hand (preferably one you don't really like, so don't pick a number if you don't want to give one up!) There are also clear boxes which are usually at Disney Stores around the States. These can hold from 3 up to 10 or 20 Vinylmations and the boxes are clear so you can see exactly what is inside. If there is one you like, you tell the CM and give them one from your collection. It is smart to keep "traders" away from your actual collection. Traders are the Vinylmations that you got that you don't really want to keep, but of course you won't be throwing them away; instead, just keep them for when the opportunity comes and you see something you would like to trade for.
     Trading with humans on the other hand, is much more complex, people may not always want what you have even though you would give an arm and a leg for what they have. There are also different values to Vinylmations. There is personal value, and there is also monetary value. To intense traders, they will not trade a retired vinyl (no longer sold in stores) with a new one that is recently released or still in stores. But some people are good with trading anything as long as they are happy. The best type of trades are when both parties are happy with what they end up with.
     Now to talk a little bit about myself:   My personal collection currently stands at 96 give or take one to two for margin of error. I have a very detailed log of all my acquisitions. The first Vinylmation I have ever gotten is the 3" Mardi Gras one from the Holiday 2 series that released in December 2010. I got it in June of 2011, I still remember exactly where I was standing and what I was thinking when I got it. My collection took a lull after that. I started with 12 at the beginning of this year, and when I started joining Facebook groups and learning about trading with other humans instead of just at Disney locations, my collection grew exponentially. And now, three and a half months later, my collection is eight times what it was at the beginning of the year with more to come!

Stayed tuned for the first official Vinylmation Review post and video! Let me know if I missed anything, and please subscribe to this blog and to my youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/cattyliu816 there is a lot more content on there!

Also, if you are interested, I have an instagram where I take one of my Vinylmations to places with me and take pictures of him having fun. Enjoy! http://instagram.com/tiggeradventures

Keep Calm and Disney On~