Diamond Select Toys has a line of little action figures called minimates. In case you didn’t know, minimates are sort of an evolution of an idea started by Lego. Minimates feature more detail than Lego characters and they have a unique and striking art style.
The Toys
DST has released a new series of Minimates to coincide with the big Marvel Comics juggernaut film The Avengers. Each pack features two minimates designed from the movie characters. We received Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Maria Hill, and a bevy of the alien villains. Yes there are several key characters still missing from the movie but they are surely on the way in future waves of releases.
The level of detail on these little guys is pretty amazing as they actually resemble their feature film counterparts. Now, their faces aren’t necessarily similar to those of the actors because the faces are part of the unique art style of these little toys. Their uniforms and accessories on the other hand are similar. Maria Hill gets a gun, Cap and Thor have their preferred weapons, Hulk has multiple heads for levels of anger, and Iron Man not only gets a fire trail to go under his boot jets but he also has a replaceable head that features Tony Starks face and he even has a hair piece to put on his head so he can go half helmet or no helmet at all. Each of the aliens feature weapons as well. Finally in each two pack there’s a clear base to slip under a character’s foot to allow for a dynamic stance when you display him.
All of these tiny accessories seem like a ton of fun and they offer a lot of variety for displaying the figures but they are also extremely tiny and really too easy to lose. If you’re a stickler for keeping all of the accessories for your action figures you’re going to have to come up with a secure place to store all of the little bits when you aren’t using them.
These guys are just too much fun. They manage to perfectly mix the super hero goodness of Marvel Comics with the humor that the creators have so expertly been able to infuse in all of their minimates. Setting these guys up in epic battles on your shelf or desk is just pure fun. I don’t see these as toys that kids would play with as much as that older fans would set up on their desk for a little levity in their day.
9/10
The Build
The figures are all also pretty highly articulated. There is movement at the knee, at the wrist, the elbow, and the head. While this articulation allows for a higher level of detail in displaying the pieces than you might expect for this kind of toy it also makes them a bit fragile. The left leg of my Iron Man for example falls off at the drop of a hat and Cap’s arm tends to slip off too easily too. Depending on where you have these displayed if one of these parts drops off you may lose that part too easily. Again, these aren’t necessarily meant as action figures to be played with though. Once you have them set up in a display you like they are pretty good at holding that position and looking really cool. The paint is well done and the faces are designed to be a lot of fun. Overall, flaws aside, good stuff.
6/10
Avengers Minimates are just perfect for the fan with limited space, in an office for example. The little details like Thor’s hammer and Cap’s shield are fantastic and the humorous design is just pure fun. These are not toys that look cool on a shelf pristine in their boxes! Take these little guys out and set them up somewhere immediately!
Overall (Not an average) 8/10
The Review
The Toys 9/10
The Build 6/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10