The first series will be hitting stores this Wednesday, with several more series already in the works. You can expect to see most of your favorite Marvel characters in this format, including Spider-Man and Wolverine. It's also worth noting that there will be a Gold Spider-Man minimate given away at the San Diego Comic Con and Wizard World Chicago shows. Here's the press release from Diamond Select on the offer:

"Hopefully you've seen the ad that ran in the newest issue of ToyFare that came out this week, issue #72. I just wanted to give you a heads up as to how the gold Spider- Man MiniMate give away from DST is going to work. This contest will take place at both the San Diego Comic-Con and the Wizard World Chicago go shows.

“Every day of each show between 12:00 - 1:00 DST will give out 250 Blank MiniMates in the Diamond Comics section of the booth . Each day will be a different color figure . One of those 250 will have a special sticker on it telling the lucky finder that they just won . That person brings the MiniMate with the sticker to the DST section booth for a RARE gold Spider-Man Marvel Minimate . Only 50 of these will ever be made!

“There's another way convention attendants can win this rare MiniMate. Every Peter/MJ Minimate Convention exclusive we sell we will contain one of our response cards. Consumers who fill out the response card and bring it to DST booth will be entered in a drawing to win one of the RARE gold MiniMates. This drawing will take place at the end of the show each day. “And then there's one final way to get your hands on the gold Spider-Man. Any DST product bought at the show will have one of the consumer response cards in it. So buying a DST statue, bust or action figure from any dealer at the show will give you another chance to enter the contest. Retailers even have a chance to get in on the action . If they stamp their store name on a DST response card from a product sold and it's their card drawn, that retailer gets a gold MiniMate just like the person whose name was on the card.”

I suspect those Gold Spider-Man figures -- and even the blank ones for the contest -- will be mighty hot items. Suffice to say that the Diamond Comics booth is going to be awfully popular at lunch time each day! There's also a Mary Jane/Peter Parker two pack available at the Diamond Comics booth, and the “Ultimate” Hulk/Spider-Man set at the Art Asylum booth. And other exclusives already announced for the line include a Silver Surfer exclusive to Tower Records and a Professor X/Magneto two-pack to Action Figure Express.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"Marvel Minimates"

Today's review covers five of the upcoming series 1 figures -- Hulk, Bruce Banner, Daredevil (red), Elektra (red), and Kingpin. There's also a variant yellow Daredevil, and a variant black Elektra. The black Electra two-pack (with a yellow Daredevil) is the short pack of the bunch.

Packaging - ***

The figures come two to a package, with a standard backer card and bubble. The graphics are decent, and use the Minimates style to show the characters. On the back you can see the rest of series 1 and the upcoming planned series, and my favorite aspect -- they take up very little room. I'm always happy when they don't waste a bunch of space with the packaging.

Sculpting - ***
These aren't super detailed figures -- but they aren't supposed to be. Using this format, they've done an extremely good job of bringing recognizable characters to a very small figure. When you see Elektra or Daredevil, you know immediately it's them. This is mostly due to the paint ops, though, with only a little sculpting variation between the bodies of the figures. The hair is different for each, and Kingpin and Banner are given “coats” which fit over the standard torso. Using something like a Stifka as your base, a decent customizer could do the exact same thing.

That doesn't mean they are bad, just simple. Considering that the format is intended to be simple and elegant, I'd say they hit the mark pretty well. I also wanted to mention here that these figures are easy to disassemble, if you're so inclined. Want Kingpin to wear Elektra's hair? No problem. You prefer the pinstripe pant legs on Banner? Just switch them around. That's a nifty aspect of these figures that I had a lot of fun with. Then again, I'm weird.

I'm betting that people will be surprised by their size when they see them in person. It's one thing to see them in photos, or to even see them next to other figures, but until you get them in your hands you don't realize just how tiny they are. These are really mini-minimates, only about half the size of the Star Trek and other earlier ones. I think they look great in this scale, and it will help keep the price down, but I'm betting people will still be surprised.

My major issue on this set is really with the Hulk. Rather than give him a bulky body (like they did with Kingpin by using a large coat), they went with the standard body, painted up with rippled muscles. He ends up looking pretty small compared to the other figures, and out of place scale-wise. I would have liked to see a bigger torso, perhaps done the same way as Kingpin's coat, to give him a little more bulk than Banner or Daredevil.

That major issue though is outweighed by some of the nice little touches they've added. The cigar in Kingpin's hand is part of the sculpt, but it's continues on the inside of his hand, just as if he was holding it between his fingers. There's also a ring sculpted on his left hand, another extra addition that shows their desire to add as much detail as possible in this limited style.

Paint - ***1/2
Here's where the figures get their personality. Each has fairly complex paint applications that make them unique. The lines are all very clean, and the face paint looks great. Everyone has eyes as well, even when hidden under glasses or a cowl. Since the head pieces come off, that was an important detail not to be ignored.

The expressions chosen for all the characters are great to adequate. I particularly like the expressions on Daredevil and Elektra -- serious but not constipated. Unfortunately, the poor Hulk has an expression bordering on the obstructed, but his mouth is opened in a yell, rather than having clenched teeth, and that helps a bit.

Everyone has an expression too -- just because Banner has glasses and Daredevil has a mask doesn't mean they didn't get a full face as well. On Daredevil, his eyes are even completely white, without pupils or irises, to indicate his blindness!

Articulation - ****
This is easily the category in which the minimates shine. Every figure has neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees and ankles. Considering they only stand barely over 2" high, that's pretty damn amazing! And the joints were all fairly tight, and none of the pins seemed likely to break or fall apart. I was very surprised since these guys are pretty tiny, and I found that I could put them in about a million different poses. I had no trouble getting their center of gravity over one leg for balance, and they all stand and sit with ease.

I left these guys piled on the table in my office for a day, and everyone that came by had to spend some time posing and playing with them. The excellent articulation is clearly their greatest strength.

Accessories - Daredevil ***1/2; Elektra, Kingpin ***; Banner, Hulk Bupkis
With such tiny figures, it's great to see some accessories included. Sure, they're easy to lose if you're not careful, but it's those extra details that make something like this well worth the money.

Daredevil gets the highest score, because not only does he have two batons, but he has a belt pouch that is sculpted on that they fit into perfectly. Elektra is a close second with two sai included, and Kingpin has his cane that fits perfectly in his left hand. Banner and the Hulk lose in this category, getting nothing in the accessory department. A test tube or beaker for Banner would have certainly been nice, but finding just the right accessory for Hulk might have been problematic.

Play Value - ****
I don't usually include this category, but with these figures it's extremely important. They are fun to goof around with, pose, and have a good time. That's not something you get too often with the usual “collectors” fare, and it's nice to see a company like Art Asylum and Diamond Select come together to produce something that's cool AND fun.

Value - ***
If you buy these buy the case, they come out to about $5 a pair. That's a good price, but considering how small they are, not fantastic. They are worth $2.50 each, considering that most PVC's in this size are at least a buck, and these have such terrific articulation. Going with two packs was a smart idea, and so far they are making good decisions on who is packed with who. Unfortunately, what each comic shop might charge could vary wildly.

Overall - ***1/2
When I first saw these at Toy Fair, I was put off by the size. I expected them to be as big as the Star Trek minimates, and was annoyed by the change in scale. Then I actually got my hands on these. Now, some folks aren't going to like the general style, and consider them too plain or toy-like. But there are still plenty of collectors out there who like toys rather than statues, and that's the segment these are aiming for. They're fun, they're cute, and they hit the target they're aiming for.

Where to Buy -
These will be shipping on Wednesday to most comic shops and specialty stores. Time to visit your local comic shop guy!