Kingdom Hearts Vinimates – Series One impressions

Continuing my coverage of Kingdom Hearts related collectibles comes the series one set of Vinimates. These are larger versions of the well-known Minimates, which are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002 and now released by Diamond Select Toys. I?ve seen them in Toy stores and conventions for years, but never owned any.

As always, when something Kingdom Hearts related comes out, I?m eager to check it out. Diamond Select has been pumping out a plethora of Kingdom Hearts merchandise since last year and don?t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

There isn?t much to these Vinimates as they fit more in the line of statues or PoP Vinyl due to the limited articulation. They are nice shelf displays with a friendly price point of $9.99 based on my experience. Each Vinimate comes in a box with the clear font package so you can see the figure before you open it, which is handy if you are a picky collector.

With the ones Diamond sent to me, there are some paint imperfections that keen eyes can see on the shelf and choose between one with less flaws. Something that surprised me when opening the packages for each was that only the head can be adjusted. For the record, its noted on the package, but I simply ripped them open without a second thought.

Out of the four figures I have, King Mickey was the only one I was disappointed in. The primary reason was his legs were designed in a way that has him leaning forward in an awkward position. As I mentioned before, there are no movable joints other than the head, despite the legs looking like they can be adjusted.

Other than that, the Vinimates are neat additions to any Kingdom Hearts junkie collection, despite the lack of articulation and some paint flaws, which were also noticeable on the Diamond Select Series one figures I had impressions for here.

Now would be a good time to pick them up, because as we get closer to the release of Kingdom Hearts III, I feel many of these collectibles will become much more sought after and harder to get.