Diamond Select Toys Announces Panels, Party and Promos For Comic-Con International 2015

From Diamond Select

It’s that time of year again, the time when San Diego explodes into a ball of white-hot fire, and Diamond Select Toys is planning to be at the center of that fire! Once again, DST will set up shop at Comic-Con International, at the San Diego Convention Center, from July 8th through the 12th. They’ll be showing off new products and selling exclusive toys at booth #2607, as well as hosting panels, throwing parties and giving away cool swag!

On Preview Night, July 8, be sure to stop by Booth #2607 first, to check out Diamond Select’s new setup, with larger display cases and a more navigable floor space. Exclusive toy products will be on sale (see a complete list here: http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/diamond-select-toys-offers-an-array-of-exclusives-at-comic-con-2015), as well as plenty of regular releases, and many, many upcoming items will be on display! And if you’re looking for an in-stock, non-exclusive item that we don’t have at the booth, you’ll be able to order it from the DST website, right there on the show floor, and get free shipping!

On Thursday, July 9, Diamond Select Toys will kick off Comic-Con with a late-night fan party at the DST Lounge, hosted by Taste and Thirst on Fourth, at 715 4th Avenue. Starting at 10:00 PM, the venue will be open to the public following a private event, and visitors can enjoy food and drinks while surrounded by images from the world of Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse, including a life-size backdrop of the Quick Stop from Clerks! If you can’t make it that night, come back for food, drinks and photo ops all weekend!

Continuing the View Askew theme, each morning at 9:30, from Thursday July 9 through Sunday July 12, DST will give away a limited number of Mallrats promotional Minimates at booth #2607 – their first Mallrats product! Simply ask a DST team member, and they’ll let you know where in the booth they are being given out, but stop by early – they go fast!

Additionally, free full-size posters will be available at the DST booth throughout the weekend, featuring artwork of Jay and Silent Bob, Back to the Future and Aliens by the actual Minimates designers! A different design will be put out each day, so keep checking back to get them all. The front table at the DST booth will also be where you can pick up information cards about DST’s two panel presentations.

Speaking of panels, here’s where you can get more info about what’s on the horizon for DST, and ask your most burning questions:

Minimates Mini-Figures: From Ant-Man to Zombies, Saturday, July 11, 1:30p.m. - 2:30p.m., Room 8
Chuck Terceira (President, Diamond Select Toys), Jason Wires (Prototype Painter) and Brian Felgar (Prototype Painter and Customizer) discuss what's coming up for the toy line, including new series based on Marvel Comics, movies and animation, plus The Walking Dead, Gotham, Jay and Silent Bob, Back to the Future, Muppets and more! Zach Oat (Marketing Supervisor, DST) will moderate a Q&A, reveal new artwork, and award prizes!

Diamond Select Toys Round-Up, Sunday, July 12, 3:00p.m. - 4:00p.m., Room 24ABC
Chuck Terceira (President, Diamond Select Toys), Adam Van Wickler (Gentle Giant Studios) and Jason Wires (Prototype Painter) discuss DST’s diverse product lines, from 7-inch Select action figures to electronic vehicles to role-play items to vinyl banks. Topics include Marvel Comics, The Walking Dead, PVZ, Jay and Silent Bob, Muppets, Ghostbusters, Gotham, DC Animated and more! Zach Oat (Marketing Supervisor, DST) will moderate a Q&A, reveal new products and award prizes!

Have a question but can’t make it to the panels? Ask a DST staffer at the booth!

See you on the show floor!

Exclusive Marvel Minimates Animated Line to Launch at Walgreen’s Stores this Fall!

From Diamond Select

In the long history of the Marvel Minimates line, there have been waves dedicated to both Marvel comics and Marvel movies, but never the world of Marvel animation. Now, Diamond Select Toys is launching an all-new series of Marvel Minimates, exclusively at Walgreen’s, and it’s all about the Marvel Animated Universe!

Starting September 4, Marvel Minimates Animated Series 1 will be available at Walgreen’s stores nationwide, and will feature Diamond Select’s first cartoon-based Marvel Minimates. The first Minimates ever to be offered at the Walgreen’s chain of stores, this new line will include characters from Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy!

Marvel Minimates Animated Series 1 will feature four different two-packs, each with show-specific packaging design:
· From Avengers Assemble, that show’s two-pack will pair Hulk and Captain America, with alternate faces for each, plus a shield and an unmasked hairpiece for Steve Rogers.
· From Guardians of the Galaxy, a two-pack of Star-Lord and Groot will come with a 1-inch micro-figure of Rocket Raccoon, as well as a blaster and a mask for Star-Lord.
· From Ultimate Spider-Man; a two-pack matching up Spider-Man with Electro will come with an alternate Spidey head, a webline, lightning blasts and an energy base. Plus, Electro glows in the dark!
· Also from Ultimate Spider-Man, a second two-pack will include Spider-Man 2099 and Agent Venom, with a webline.

Minimates mini-figures stand approximately 2 inches tall, and each features 14 points of articulation. Body parts and accessories are fully interchangeable, so you can trade gear, helmets and even body parts between characters.

Look for the assortment in stores starting on September 4. This is only the first series of the new Marvel Minimates Animated line, so expect to hear more about future assortments as the year progresses!

Clayburn Moore Joins Diamond Select Toys as Art Director and Sculptor

From Diamond Select

The name Clayburn Moore is well-known in toy and statue collector circles, and rightfully so. As a sculptor, his mastery of the human form is evident in every piece he creates, and as the founder of his own company, he oversaw the release of numerous toys and statues beloved by collectors. After a long freelance relationship with Mr. Moore, Diamond Select Toys is proud to announce that they will retain his tremendous talent on a full-time basis, as Moore takes lead sculpting duties on several new statue lines for the company, as well as Art Director duties on other lines.

Moore’s deft hands will relaunch Diamond Select’s Premier Collection 12” resin statue line, beginning with his sculpts of Batgirl and Catwoman from the Batman Classic TV Series. Moore will also revive the Marvel Premier Collection, sculpting all-new statues of Marvel’s greatest heroes and heroines in a 12” scale, marking DST’s grand return to comic-based Marvel statues. (Moore himself kicked off the Marvel Premier line in 2002, with his sculptures of the Black Cat, the White Queen and Spider-Man.) A third Premier Collection line, based on Batman: The Animated Series, will follow.

Additionally, Moore will take up the Art Director reins on the new Marvel Femme Fatales PVC statue line, featuring 9” renditions of Marvel’s heroines by a variety of sculptors. He will also oversee future Femme Fatales releases based on other licenses.

"Working with the terrific folks at DST is as natural as working with family,” says Moore. “I've known them a long time, and we've always had a great time working together on some projects that have turned out to be some of my favorite pieces. I've really enjoyed working on the Batman Classic TV Show sculptures, and I can't wait to get started on the Marvel characters."

“We work with many artists and sculptors at DST, and Clay has always been one of the greats,” says Diamond Select Toys President Chuck Terceira. “He’s not only a prodigious talent, he’s also a genuine pleasure to work with – he already felt like family, so it’s very fitting that he is now with us full-time. We’ve created great pieces with him in the past, and his new work surpasses those previous creations. The response to Batgirl has been phenomenal, and Clay’s just getting started.”

After refining his sculptural training in Italy, Moore quickly made a name for himself as a freelance sculptor, creating pieces for several manufacturers before setting off on his own in the 1990s, signing his own licenses under the Moore Creations and Moore Action Collectibles banners. Praised for his rendition of the female form, Moore has sculpted statues for all of the top comic publishers, and released fan-favorite toy lines based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Futurama, Witchblade, Chaos, Vampirella, Fathom, and Beavis and Butthead.

Check Out the Star Trek Select Kirk and Spock Figures in Action!

From Diamond Select

The ultimate Star Trek action figures are almost here! Arriving next month, the first two figures in Diamond Select Toys new, deluxe Star Trek line will be a classically-styled Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, each with interchangeable parts and a diorama base. We got in a couple of packaged samples, and couldn't wait to bust them open and send them on an away mission! Check out the pics of Kirk and Spock in action on an alien planet – and in the Enterprise's engineering section – demonstrating their various interchangeable parts, including hands, legs, heads, accessories and more! Pre-order both today at your favorite online retailer or your local comic shop!

Find These Figures Here!



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The Munsters Select Action Figures Are Hotroddin' in Series 3

Source: Diamond Select Toys

The Munsters are back! Following up on two successful series of 7-inch action figures based on the classic TV show, Diamond Select Toys has created a third offering of America's favorite monster family! In the "Hotrod" series, Herman, Grandpa and Lily are back in all-new, episode-specific outfits, with a new family member (Uncle Gilbert) and a new build-an-accessory (the family staircase with Spot)! Collect all four to build another part of 1313 Mockingbird Lane! Sculpted by Jean St. Jean!

The Munsters Select: Hotrod Herman

Clocking in at 350 pounds and 7 feet 3 inches tall, Herman Munster was built in 1850 by Dr. Victor Frankenstein, but is nothing like Frankenstein's monster of legend. A good-natured, soft-spoken funeral home employee, Herman is a World War II veteran, a good husband to his vampire wife Lily and a loving father to his werewolf son Eddie. This 7-inch scale figure depicts actor Fred Gwynne as he appeared in the 1965 TV episode "Hot Rod Herman," when he got mixed up in drag racing and lost the family Koach. The Select version of Herman includes parts to build the family staircase diorama; the basic figure will also be available at Toys "R" Us.

The Munsters Select: Raceway Lily

Born Lily Dracula of Transylvania, the matriarch of the Munster family is the daughter of a vampire, but werewolf blood also runs in her family, as both her brother and her son bear the curse. Loving dust and decay, she keeps the Munster household nice and messy, and is also an adoptive mother and confidante to her niece Marilyn. This 7-inch scale figure depicts actress Yvonne DeCarlo as she appeared in the 1965 TV episode "Hot Rod Herman," complete with parasol. The Select version of Lily includes parts to build the family staircase diorama; the basic figure will also be available at Toys "R" Us.

The Munsters Select: Hotrod Grandpa

Sam Dracula, the famous Count Dracula of legend, was married 166 times, and even though his wives are all dead, he still keeps in touch. Over 600 years old, he personally knew King Arthur and Jack the Ripper, can still turn into a wolf or a bat (if he takes his pills) and is also a persistent inventor. This 7-inch scale figure depicts actor Al Lewis as he appeared in the 1965 TV episode "Hot Rod Herman," when he modified his own coffin into a race car in order to win back the family Koach. The Select version of Grandpa includes parts to build the family staircase diorama; the basic figure will also be available at Toys "R" Us.

The Munsters Select: Uncle Gilbert

The Munster family has many branches, and one branch is inhabited by Uncle Gilbert, a strange, dapperly dressed undersea creature. A resident of the Black Lagoon, he once asked the family to hold onto 180,000 in Spanish doubloons he had salvaged from various shipwrecks. This 7-inch scale figure depicts Gilbert (played by Richard Hale) as he appeared in the 1965 TV episode "Love Comes to Mockingbird Heights." Uncle Gilbert will only be available as a Previews-exclusive Select figure, and includes parts to build the family staircase diorama.

Tribbles Have Taken Over a New Star Trek Minimates Enterprise Exclusive!

Source: Diamond Select Toys

The original Star Trek television series lasted 79 episodes, but few were as memorable – or hilarious – as "The Trouble with Tribbles." Introducing the Tribble species to the Star Trek universe, the classic 1967 episode remains one of the most referenced and revisited of the original series, which is why Diamond Select Toys decided to pay tribute to the episode with their newest Star Trek Minimates exclusive!

Only available through Action Figure Xpress, this Minimates-compatible U.S.S. Enterprise has been given a new exclusive Kirk figure, featuring the famous green tunic he wore in the episode (and throughout the series), plus an assortment of mini-sized Tribbles to clutter the ship's bridge! The bridge also features a removable command chair, the engineering section opens up to reveal a Jefferies Tube, and the ship sits atop an adjustable display base.

Pre-order the "Trouble With Tribbles" Enterprise today from ShopAFX.com! Coming in May!

Two Generations of the U.S.S. Enterprise are Headed Home in New Packaging!

Diamond Select Toys is moving two more Star Trek ships out of drydock, and this time their packaging is getting the refit! The U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-B (from Star Trek: Generations) and NCC-1701-D (from Star Trek: The Next Generation) are headed to stores in the next month, with lights and sounds from their screen appearances, and DST has revealed their new packaging design. Check out both new ships in their boxes below, and pre-order them from your local comic shop or your favorite online retailer!

Visit comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest comic shop, and get regular DST updates on Facebook and Twitter!



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G-FAN: 2 Reasons To Subscribe

Above, the cover of the current issue of G-FAN.

G-FAN: 2 Reasons To Subscribe

by Armand Vaquer

The recent policy changes involving Diamond Comic Distributors have many small-press publishers reeling as the company now has a new minimum order requirement before they will continue distributing those publications. In view of this article from Publisher's Weekly about Diamond's owner, Stephen Geppi, it would be wise to subscribe to G-FAN. Diamond distributes G-FAN.

G-FAN is not in any danger of being dropped by Diamond as it consistently far exceeds the minimum requirements of Diamond. But, should Diamond go under due to Geppi's legal troubles, that would put a major crimp of getting G-FAN out to dealers. G-FAN is currently investigating other distributors in case the need arises.

Besides the above matter, subscribing will also save you some money. A one-year scription to G-FAN is only $20.00 (U.S. and Canada) for four quarterly issues. The cover price is $5.95. By buying at a dealer, you would have to pay that ($5.95 x 4 = $23.80) and sales tax. Minus sales tax, you are already saving $.95 per issue or $3.80 per year. I know that isn't a huge chunk of money, but in these economic times, saving here and there does add up with more money left in your wallet.

You can subscribe to G-FAN through the official website at G-FAN.com or you can send a check or money order for $20.00 (U.S. and Canada) and payable to:

Daikaiju Enterprises, Ltd.
530 Willow Cres
Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada R5G 2A3

Small Press Screwed By Diamond Distribution?

Above, Little Shoppe of Horrors had their legs cut off by Diamond Distribution.

Small Press Screwed By Diamond Distribution?

by Armand Vaquer

Diamond Distribution, the biggest and who also practically monopolizes the distribution of large & small press comic books and periodicals has announced a new policy, one that could spell the end to small press publications.

According to Publishers Weekly.com:

Diamond Distribution, the largest and practically only North America distributor of periodical comics, is in the process of rolling out a few new business processes, and the results could be a very different landscape for comics publishing.

In a change that will have a far greater impact, according to numerous reports, Diamond is raising its benchmark for products it will carry from $1500 to $2500. (Simon) Jones (of Icarus Comics) has the clearest explanation of this change, (although he later amends perhaps the most key point of all) but the short version is that unless orders to Diamond on a product are consistently greater than $2500 at wholesale, Diamond will no longer carry the product.

From the New York Times:

Is this the end of independent comic books?

That was the fear around the comics blogosphere last week when word spread of a policy change from Diamond Comic Distributors, the world’s dominant distributor of English-language comic books. The company has decided to raise the minimum advance order it needs from comic-book stores before it will agree to distribute a title. The figure, called the purchase order benchmark, has increased to $2,500 from $1,500.

It may seem like a minor matter, but this is life or death for many small, struggling comic book companies.

Diamond is the distributor of G-FAN magazine, the magazine I contribute to, and it was noticed by David, one of the owners of Classic Horror Film Board, that G-FAN wasn't listed in Diamond's current Previews magazine (of upcoming new product). He is concerned that G-FAN, like Little Shoppe of Horrors magazine, may fall victim of this new policy. G-FAN publisher J. D. Lees says, "I'm nowhere close to being under their profitability cut-off."


Above, G-FAN is in 'safe' territory.

Unless Diamond relents (and goes back to its $1,500 former threshold) or another distributor steps in to pick up the small press publications, it appears that the "little guy" is getting screwed.

Go here to read the full article.

ADDENDUM: Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter has this to say about the policy change at Diamond:

I think Diamond's decision was wrong.

I think there are a lot of complications.

I agree with many of you that Diamond has the right to make the best business decisions they can. I remain unconvinced, however, that this is a good decision. The numbers are too vague, the policy implications are too vast and undependable. I hate to say it, but I'm not even sure the logic presented as the basis for the necessity of these actions holds up. A four percent loss following years with significant gains doesn't particularly sound to me like it's totally freaking time to cut staff and change policy. I assume there are other factors involved. I mean, does anyone out there really believe that we're in a recession that somehow forces industry behemoths like Diamond and DC to fire people and change policies while mid-sized publishers pick up projects and tiny boutique publishing houses hold pat? That's one remarkably capricious, Robin Hood-like recession. It's also difficult to argue convincingly, as I think Diamond has been if I'm understanding what's out there, that you're losing money per a certain kind of item and yet you've somehow lost more money recently during a time of selling fewer items. When I was a teenager, that was the kind of two-pronged logic that got me grounded a lot.