Mego 50th Anniversary-- The Return!

[AndyFish]

I LOVED the Hulk and Thing figures-- always left Mr. Mxyzpltk on the shelf, I know we thought he was a dopey looking character. Even as a kid I was not a completist, it's what kept me from becoming a hoarder as an adult collector.

It's funny how a kid brain works-- or at least how I remember it working-- we never thought the male figures were dolls, but the female figures were so we wanted no part of them. I loved the removable mask Batman and when it switched over and I bought a replacement figure for him I obviously noticed, but I didn't seem to care. I do remember that I thought the painted on head looked a little bit fatter and a bit too happy than I thought Batman should have looked.

[SprangFan]

Batman still looked better than Captain America, with those bulging eyes. The only time I saw a real person with an expression like that was when a friend sat on his bike just as the seat fell off.

Thinking a bit more about the "short" Hulk and Thing (in the comics), it does make sense in a "conservation of mass" kind of way. If The Hulk is shorter than Bruce Banner, then some of Bruce's height could have been converted to bulk. In a similar vein, I always had less trouble with the mutant Mystique -- who could take on the appearance of any other human -- than with Beast Boy, who could change from teenager to bull elephant to hummingbird with equal ease. Where did that mass go between transformations?

[BATWINGED HORNET]

As far as that goes, there never seemed to be consensus on how tall Ben was, either. Sometimes he looked shorter than Johnny and Reed, other times not.

Yeah, eventually, both Ben and the Hulk were upscaled to be massive, along with other brute-force characters such as the Rhino and Abomination. Still, I loved the Hulk figure; he was in a sculpting class all his own with a great face that was somewhere between Herb Trimpe and John Romita's licensing art for the character.



But judging by their Captain America and Tarzan figs (and that huge Mxy), I'm not convinced Mego was slavishly devoted to comic-accuracy.

My stance was that however evenly matched they were in power, the guy with a working brain would always win.

One impossible dream is for some company to reissue Empire Toys' themed helicopters from the late 70s:







The Empire Batcopter was SO much better than Mego's kiddie-ride copter, and Empire's was really outfitted with accessories you could easily imagine Batman & Robin using.

I have to laugh at how Marvel would allow their characters to be slapped on anything--even if it did not fit the character's known traits, such as the Spider-Man helicopter, or Remco's Hulk utility belt! Sheesh!

[SprangFan]

"Attention, puny humans in control tower! Hulk request permission to land on Runway 4!"

[AndyFish]

Boy I must have been a fun kid to hang out with-- with my turtle neck and blazer saying things like "Actually, the Hulk would never have a helicopter..." -- but that's how I was-- I avoided any toy that didn't make any sense to me.

Back to the Megos, I DID have an Isis figure-- but I was a fan of the show. I think I found Batgirl on the Adam West show almost as annoying as Burt, and I didn't like the idea of toy hostage figures. It's the same reason I was never interested in the Alter Ego figures-- what was their purpose? If I'd had or wanted the Wayne Tower Playset that would have been different, but I seldom got into playsets-- I did have the Batcave and the Starship Enterprise Mego Bridge set though.

I think my all time favorite Mego toy was the exploding bridge set that came with Batman, Robin, a Batmobile and the Joker along with a buildable bridge that you could "blow up" with an air pump type of detonator-- you would race the Batmobile towards the bridge and then try to make it go off while they were driving over it.

Those smaller Comic Action figures Mego made had a lot more play value to me-- 1- you could put them in your pocket (I remember taking them on the plane with me on a cross country trip) 2- no gloves or boots or capes to lose 3- they could hold up to real aggressive play.

The 50th line is continuing and it seems like they're continuing with figures that were never made-- they've already done Flash and Green Lantern-- I have zero interest in new figures. I do wonder if the NuMego hold up to a kid playing with them?

[rsaffle]

Those smaller Comic Action figures Mego made had a lot more play value to me-- 1- you could put them in your pocket (I remember taking them on the plane with me on a cross country trip) 2- no gloves or boots or capes to lose 3- they could hold up to real aggressive play.

Figures Toy Company said they were remaking those Comic Action Figures a few years ago but I contacted them later and it had fallen through. I would have bought them all!! BTW, I like the bent knee versions the best. Make me laugh every time! I'm not sure if it was a Texas location thing but I don't have any memories of having those or even seeing them as a kid and I had almost everything including those funky Mego Bend N Flex guys. Not sure how I missed out. I do have several now but the Batmobile has been allusive...at least one at a good price has been.

[AndyFish]

A vintage toy guy not too far from me has the Batmobile in about C6 condition. Not bad but definitely played with. I think he has $20 on it-- I've been on the fence, the next time I'm down there I'll grab it and send you a pic, Randy.

[rsaffle]

A vintage toy guy not too far from me has the Batmobile in about C6 condition. Not bad but definitely played with. I think he has $20 on it-- I've been on the fence, the next time I'm down there I'll grab it and send you a pic, Randy.

That would be greatl! I'm sure I would want it in that price range. I see them go for 50 up and those are always missing the windshield. The windshield is the tough part but I would want it either way.

Thank you Andy!

[BATWINGED HORNET]

"Attention, puny humans in control tower! Hulk request permission to land on Runway 4!"

Heh! Yes, i could not imagine playing with Mego Hulk in helicopter, however, I would have loved to have him hurl large objects at a police helicopter (Empire did not make a military version, as far as I can tell) piloted by a couple of Action Jackson figures!

[SprangFan]

If I'd had or wanted the Wayne Tower Playset that would have been different, but I seldom got into playsets-- I did have the Batcave and the Starship Enterprise Mego Bridge set though.

The Enterprise bridge was conducive to play, with that brilliantly simple (simply briliant?) transporter gimmick. I had the Wayne Foundation playset and I guess the "action" part of that was the elevator, but it was pretty ho-hum compared to the transporter. The main problem with that playset was that it was so freaking huge I didn't have room for both it and my brother in our bedroom. As it turned out my parents' solution to that quandary overruled my own, so the whole thing went back in the box soon after Christmas, which (1) made it one of the few complete-in-box toys I carried over into adulthood and (2) meant it fetched a better price when I sold it off a few years ago. All's well that ends well.

Those smaller Comic Action figures Mego made had a lot more play value to me-- 1- you could put them in your pocket (I remember taking them on the plane with me on a cross country trip) 2- no gloves or boots or capes to lose 3- they could hold up to real aggressive play.

I was always disappointed with the half-hearted paint apps on those, but for the price, I guess I shouldn't have expected much more. Plus the standard "at rest" pose for those things was...well let's just say, unfortunate.

[Larry A.]

My Folks didn't have the money for the Batcave, and I was an adult, newly married and paying all my own bills when it came to the ST:TMP playset so I didn't have monies for that SOOOOOO, like the Batcave, I built and painted my own. Problems solved!

[rsaffle]

My Folks didn't have the money for the Batcave, and I was an adult, newly married and paying all my own bills when it came to the ST:TMP playset so I didn't have monies for that SOOOOOO, like the Batcave, I built and painted my own. Problems solved!

Thats the best way Larry! I made many things myself. I remember a rather large paper, cardboard tube USS Enterprise with a paper plate saucer that had a window to pretty detailed bridge. I have a photo somewhere I'll look for.

Any chance you have pics of your creations?

[Lou Szabo]

Is anyone taking their 50th Anniversary figures out of the packages? I see several FB posts and YouTube videos about legs separating from the bodies. Just be careful when handling these figures

[Larry A.]

My Folks didn't have the money for the Batcave, and I was an adult, newly married and paying all my own bills when it came to the ST:TMP playset so I didn't have monies for that SOOOOOO, like the Batcave, I built and painted my own. Problems solved!

Thats the best way Larry! I made many things myself. I remember a rather large paper, cardboard tube USS Enterprise with a paper plate saucer that had a window to pretty detailed bridge. I have a photo somewhere I'll look for.

Any chance you have pics of your creations?

Sadly, no, my Friend. It is amusing to me that You should mention the cardboard tubes and paper plate enterprise as when "Starfleet Battles" first came out, we had to make a grid on the local YMCA Basketball court floor and We built all of the different types of ships to play the game. Obviously, that was before Starfleet miniatures came about. l also made my Phasers, Laser Pistol, communicator and tricorder out of cardboard and balsa wood. I am working on a large scale 1950 Batmobile to go with my new Mego Batman and Robin. As far as pictures, my sister might have some, but She's in western Ill. and I'm in Ohio. I'll ask her the next time that we talk. Cheers!

[AndyFish]

I took one of the six (!) Batman's I got out of the box-- no problems at all, much more poseable than a regular Mego, cowl is soft like the original and a million times better fit than the FTC one from a few years ago.