FROM: Vinylmation 360 Published Mondays

Vinylmation Quality Control

Did your vinyl figure arrive with two left arms and a missing face, or some other deformity that qualifies it for a role in a really bad horror movie? Is Disney skimping on quality control these days? Kelly Firth thinks so, and she's got the photographic proof.

- by Kelly Firth, May 8, 2011

Important May Q&A note: For the upcoming May Q&A column, please have your questions sent in no later than May 16, since that column will be appearing on May 2 instead of the 29th. An exciting series of columns begins on the 29th, starting with a preview of what's to come in the month of June!

Obi Wan, What Eyes... You Don't Have!

In one of my earliest columns, I talked about the potential problems involved with vinyls mailed from the Disney Store website or the theme parks.

Some of these problems have included bad paint jobs on open window boxed vinyls, two left arms on 9" vinyls, and painted features missing from open window boxed vinyls of any size. Those of you who watch eBay listings closely may have seen a recent auction for an eyeless Obi wan Kenobi Ghost Super Chaser from the Star Wars series.

Talk about a strange sight!

In some cases, factory error collectibles can bring in greater value down the road, particularly if the collectible was sought after in the first place. (Much like the case with baseball cards.) Some of the vinyls with missing painted features, in particular, may be worth more than the correct version. But if you're like me, and don't care about an item's future value, you may not be too pleased to find yourself with a defective vinyl.

I have been fortunate with my Vinylmation purchases.

Most I buy from eBay, so I can make sure ahead of time that the vinyls are not damaged. I have also had great luck with the Disney Store website, only once receiving a 9"/3" combo set with a slight paint smudge on the 3" vinyl's nose. Overall, I have had good fortune with the theme parks' Mail Order systems back when they still accepted most Vinylmation orders. And in the Parks, I have had perfect luck with anything in an open box because, as with eBay, I could look at it myself before purchasing.

You Bought It, Now Keep It

Despite the fact that Disney has a 'no refunds, no returns' sticker on almost every Vinylmation box, you are obviously going to want an exchange if you receive a 9" vinyl in the mail with two left arms, missing features, or in a crushed box. Ditto for open window boxed vinyls. Sometimes you will run into Cast Members who do not want to approve an exchange, but in my experience, you'll get it if you're persistent.

In the worst case scenario, when the item is sold out, you should still be able to get a refund or choose a different item. Most folks, despite the potential 'rare collectible factor' with defective vinyls, simply want an exchange. Despite the potential rare collectible factor with error vinyls, I think most folks would ideally want an exchange.

Think of it this way: Animation 1's Hyacinth Hippo 9" is coming out May 13th. Now ask yourself: "Would I willingly shell out almost 50 bucks for an eyeless Hyacinth?"

I don't think so.

Blind boxes are a separate issue. If something is really wrong with a blind box 3" or a blind box Jr., you have a problem. It's not like you can just exchange it for the same thing, because you and the Cast Members have no guarantee that the new blind box will contain the same figure. This is particularly unfortunate if you finally got a vinyl you were really excited to own, only to discover it skipped a visit to quality control. So far, I've been lucky, and of all the blind boxes I have ever bought, the only issues have been minor ones with paint and/or marks on the ears.

Peter Pan, What Mouth... You Don't Have!

Which brings me to my own example of quality control run amok in Vinylmation-land.

I recently went to a Disney Store that sells Vinylmation and was excited to see they had Animation 1 blind boxes back in stock. I only own a few vinyls from that series, and I was still missing one that I really wanted: Peter Pan. The design grew on me, and I really came to love that figure. I decided to buy one last blind box in hopes of finding Pan inside.

So I bought a box and opened it later that night. Immediately, I saw a pointy green hat! I was surprised and very happy. I pulled out the artist card, wanting to refresh my memory on who created this design. (It was Monty Maldovan.) What a great, fun vinyl!

I pulled the vinyl out of the foil with a big smile on my face. That smile lasted for all of two seconds, because I was looking at this:

Unless this was some unknown super-duper rare variant of Peter Pan, I held in my hands the very definition of 'factory error'. Not only does this Peter have no mouth and no eyebrows, Tinker Bell is missing. Perhaps the sight of a creepy, mouth-less Peter made her fly away in fear. The paint job is also nothing short of horrid, particularly on the right arm and in the hair area.

So, now I am out $10, and I still don't have my (correct) Peter Pan vinyl. Which begs the question: What do I do with this vinyl?

My first thought was to go back to the store and ask if they would let me swap my vinyl with the display Peter Pan. Then I thought I really didn't want to be responsible for scaring small children with this thing, so that option was out.

My second thought was to trade it the next time I went to the theme parks. Then I thought, no, I really don't want someone to unwittingly get him in a trade and then run up against a CM who won't allow the guest to cancel the trade. So that option was out, too.

Some collectors may suggest I fix it myself. If you read the April Q&A, you'll recall that my drawing skills are non-existent. There's a better chance of ABC Commissary selling fabulous food over at Disney's Hollywood Studios than there is of me correctly drawing and painting a mouth, let alone Tinker Bell, on this vinyl.

(For those of you who have never eaten at the Commissary: Consider yourselves lucky. For those of you who have: You have my sympathies.)

In the end, I decided to keep Peter (and write a blog about him) and pursue a correct Peter on eBay.

Is Quality Slipping?

My experience sheds lights on a problem within the Vinylmation line: quality control.

With any product, quality control is critical, because customers must be kept happy and the integrity of the product maintained. This is ESPECIALLY important when you're talking about a Disney product. Walt Disney was so committed to detail and high quality that I think most of us who really 'know' the Disney brand expect more from the company and their products than from most other companies.

Factory mistakes happen with any and all products, especially mass-produced products. That is a fact of life. However, that's why we have quality control: to catch blatant errors. The problem I specifically have with Vinylmation quality control is twofold:

1. Vinylmation started as a collectibles line, and as such, I expect higher quality than something not intended to be a collectible.
2. I hear or read about more and more complaints as the line gets older. It should be the other way around. The issues seemingly get worse, as well.

I never heard of or saw quality control issues with the early series vinyls. If any of did have missing features or other defects, it must have been rare. Some paint jobs have been a bit iffy, but I never heard of or saw outright horrible paint jobs before.

Nowadays, some pictures of the UK Flags vinyls, in particular, sport the worst paint jobs I have ever seen. Yet they were still sold to the masses. As a result, I won't buy any Flag Series vinyls until I can see them in person. And that's an open window boxed series. There is no such 'check it before you buy' precaution for the blind boxes.

Obviously, since Vinylmations sell so well, Disney wants to make more and more of them. It's great for them, and it's great for collectors, because we get a good variety of things to choose from. Even if, like me, you think the market is being overloaded too quickly, the variety is still something to enjoy. That doesn't mean quality should suffer, though.

Whether it's a factory machine problem or human oversight, here's hoping all quality control issues with Vinylmation are addressed, and that we see no more faceless or otherwise inaccurate Vinylmation figures.

In the meantime, if you are buying vinyls in person, make sure you check open window boxed vinyls as best you can through the packaging. If buying on eBay, look at the pictures closely. And if you're ordering from the Disney website or Mail Order, or buying blind boxes, be aware you could run into issues.

Have you ever received an error Vinylmation? What vinyl was it? What did you do with it? Tell us about it in the comments section below!

Mark Your Calendars

Friday, May 13
Animation Series 1 Hyacinth Hippo and Willie the Whale 9" vinyls scheduled for release at D-Street WDW and D-Street DLR. Hyacinth Hippo: LE 1200. Willie the Whale: LE 1000. Retail price: Likely $44.95 (the retail price when they appeared in Disney Stores).

On the last Sunday of every month, I'll devote this column to your questions and my answers. You can leave questions here as comments or else send them directly to me.

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