Review: Diamond Select Battle Beasts Minimates C2E2 Giveaway Black Alligator

 I totally missed this Battle Beasts Minimates figure when it first came out, as, well, nobody was reporting on this stuff much. The Black Alligator was distributed at Chicago's C2E2 by Diamond Select, and for a while was one of very few figures in the line. Only 4 were made prior to 2012, and they were all repaints of the same basic mold. The funny thing is that the mouths are opened at different angles, so they each are slightly different in terms of their expression. I appreciate this.
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First Look: C2E2 Battle Beasts Minimates Vorin

It's Vorin! The first named new figure in Diamond's Battle Beasts line is here, and the C2E2 exclusive gets a bunch of photos over at 16bit.com.  Want to read more?  Click here!

C2E2: How Many Battle Beasts Minimates Are In Series 1? We Ask Diamond!

Intrepid contributor Shaun Clayton went to C2E2 for the blog, and he sent along a recorded quick Q&A with your pal and mine, Zach Oat of Diamond Select Toys! Here's the choice quotes you need to know.

"This year series 1 will be coming out at Toys R Us and specialty. I do not know the assortment count for specialty, whether it will be four-packs or two-packs, and I do not know how much overlap there will be between them and the Toys R Us wave, but since there will be 8 figures in the Toys R Us wave, expect there to be anywhere from 12 to 15 different releases in series 1, in addition to the exclusive 2-pack we're doing for San Diego [Comic-Con in July]."

Shaun asked if anyone else would be getting exclusives beyond Toys R Us, and Zach replied:

"[When it comes to Minimates] Toys R Us and specialty always get exclusives, but it's a question of whether any will be shared between the two waves. It'll either be like the old Marvel movie formula, where they share 4 figures, or it'll be like the Marvel comic formula, where there are 8 in one [Toys "R" Us] wave and 7 in the other [specialty] wave, or it will be like the Ghostbusters formula where there are 8, and there is a 4-pack that has 2 new characters. Or there may be multiple 4-packs. I don't know if the specialty line has been nailed down at this point."

C2E2 Swag: Battle Beasts Poster

In addition to everything announced, it turns out there are a few more giveaways at C2E2 if you like Battle Beasts. On eBay, some guy is selling a poster! A free poster, mind you, but it's not like I'd pay for it anyway. It's basically the same artwork as the freebie ashcan (promotional) comic book.

So the tally for C2E2 so far: Red Vorin, Grey Vorin, Comic Book, and Poster. What else did you find? Let me know!

New Diamond Battle Beasts Site Leaked/Launched Early?

It would seem there is no need to wait for the countdown as this new site is up now showcasing this weekend's announcements which, unfortunately, also include an announcement of an announcement. Obviously you'll want to explore the site, but here's the highlights of what you need to make sure that you see:


1. Comic Book. Digital version of the C2E2 comic giveaway introduces 3 of the characters. Comic is being given out at the C2E2, it seems.

2. C2E2-Exclusive Clear Vorin Figure. Vorin is a ram, and he's the show's free figure. The toys page shows him (bagged) as well as the 4 previous promo figures, all of which have no specific character name.

3. Character reveals. 3 characters are named - Vorin the Ram, Gruntos the Walrus, and Merk the Edie Falco.

4. Series 1 and 2 are mentioned by name but will not be revealed until later. Series 1 is said to be coming Fall 2012, and revealed at Comic-Con in San Diego this July.

There is no obvious connection to Beast Saga. Aside from the basic concept and what appears to be a flame symbol on Vorin's outfit, there's no real connection to the old Hasbro or Takara toys either. It looks fun. I'm in.