The Return of Roberto DARKLORD Williams

[darklord1967]

Hi gang! I’m back. I’ve been away from the MEGO customizing community for a few years now, and I feel like it’s a good time to return.

I’ve missed all of my old friends, and I see plenty of new friends here to meet, so can't wait to catch up with all of you!

I stepped away from MEGO customizing about 5 years ago because I was really feeling overwhelmed (emotionally and financially) and generally burned out by the Custom MEGO-Bat Project I was working on.

I took some time off, and focused my mind on other pursuits. I changed careers, started my own business, did some more work on my house, and really re-charged my batteries, so to speak.

And now, over the last month or so, I’ve been feeling the old MEGO customizing inspiration coming back. The old creative juices are flowing again, and I've decided the time is right for my return to this hobby.

There are MEGOs on my work bench once again!

I want to publically thank my new friend Chris Meimann (the incomparable Captain Mego) for his words of encouragement, and for serving as the main inspiration for my enthusiastic return to the world of MEGO through his awesome customs.

For the benefit of new friends here on the forums who are unfamiliar with me or my work, I'll post photos of my custom Bat-MEGOS from 5 years ago.

My apologies to my old friends who are sick of seeing these by now. Some fun new creations are just around the corner. I promise.

[darklord1967]

MEGO Gotham City Circa 1975

33 years ago, on Christmas morning, a fledging Action figure customizer was born!

That was the morning when I, as an 8 year old little boy, found myself terribly disappointed with my brand new Batman and Robin Mego "dolls", the off-scale Batmobile, and the carboard Batcave Playset toys!

I was grateful to have these toys, and I enjoyed playing with them of course. But I just couldn't ignore the lack of detail and innaccuracies inherent in them.

I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone on a MEGO message board what the bat- character action figures looked like back then:




Charming, cute, and more than just a little bit silly looking... especially by today's standards. Therein lies the problem. Everyone knows that in the twisted, dangerous, garish world of Gothm City that "cute" is way out of place!

30 years later, I took matters into my own hands...

[darklord1967]

The Joker is Wild!!!

I found substantial room for improvement over Mego's original 8 Inch action figure version of THE JOKER...

First off, I eliminated the silk-screened leotard that Mego provided and fashioned all-new SEPARATE garments (custom silk green shirt, flaming orange flannel vest, baggy "pleated" purple pants with fat black pinstripes and tall waistband. As for his zany purple blazer, I only added a wild orange satin lining to the tails to spruce them up. At this point, I added the decorative details to the figure like buttons, floppy black tie, bright red lapel flower, a pair of purple dress sox and, a pair of white spats draped over his standard brown Mego shoes. He also wears a dandy pair of CLOTH white dress gloves, which unfortunately did not photograph as well as I’d hoped. The recent update of this figure is the all-new terrifying head sculpt that I commissioned from Ada Chan (based on upcoming Joker bust)).

I created a custom Mego-styled window box on computer for THE JOKER to sleep in and called him finished!

Custom Action Figure and photo by Roberto Williams

[darklord1967]

Riddle Me This!!!

A Custom MEGO Bat-Project would NOT be complete without THE RIDDLER

I've always had a preference for the prince of puzzlers' classic unitard outfit, so that's the version of the characrter that I've created (just as MEGO originally did).

This customization is still in progress, so some of the details in the photo below are created via photoshop (Re:purple gauntlets). The plan here is to provide much tighter, snugger fitting lycra-spandex tights with vinyl question mark transfers all over his uniform (already provided by my buddy Charlee Flatt). The Riddler features a brand-new custom Edward Nigma head sculpt (commissioned from Ada Chan), a removable face mask, custom purple velvet gauntlets and a new larger waist band belt.

His custom-designed MEGO-styled window box has already been created.

Custom Action Figure and photo by Roberto Williams.

[darklord1967]

Ladies Night Out

Sorry, no photos yet of the custom MEGO Action Figures of the two costumed LADIES in The Batman's life. They are both getting their finishing touches on my work bench.

But here is the custom packaging I designed for Batgirl and the Catwoman

[darklord1967]

There are currently plans on my work bench for a "World's Greatest Secret Identities" line of custom MEGO action figures: Bruce Wayne , (young) Richard Grayson, and Alfred Pennyworth and Barbara Gordon.

For now, these are the custom boxes I designed...

[darklord1967]

Friid Bird

“Rounding out” this rouge's gallery of Bat-villains is my customized action figure rendition of the nefarious Oswald Cobblepot!

MEGO'S original action figure version of THE PENGUIN required a complete and total make-over.

This figure has customized shorter and thicker legs to give him a 7 inch tall body height (to actually make him SHORTER than the other 8 inch tall characters). He has an all-new (more sinister) head sculpt with a removable top hat and monocle with lens (not molded onto the head sculpt like MEGO's original.) THE PENGUIN now wears brand new custom-made SEPARATE clothing garments: white shirt, silk bow-tie, silk orange cumberbundt, purple dress pants, sox, white spats on top of wing-tip shoes, buttons (unlike MEGO's original silk-screen printed leotard).

My customized PENGUIN action figure also wears white silk dress gloves with cuffs (instead of MEGO's simple "white hands"), and he has custom-made cigarette-holder and umbrella accessories (which MEGO never included with their original action figure!)

I also created a customized MEGO-styled window-box package for this action figure on computer in Adobe Photoshop.

Custom Action Figure and photo by Roberto Williams

[darklord1967]

Calling the Caped Crusaders

Next up is my custom MEGO 8 inch action figure of Gotham City’s POLICE COMMISSIONER GORDON! The Commissioner is pictured here during a particularly dangerous night in Gotham City as he summons the Caped Crusaders with the famed Bat-Signal (toy prop created by DC Direct Products)!

This custom COMMISSIONER GORDON action figure was a lot of fun, but very difficult to create. I developed his head sculpt from an existing MEGO sculpt which I re-worked and repainted extensively with a large mustache added. I also went through a VERY difficult time creating those tiny eye glasses (with lenses included!) and incorporating them seamlessly into Gordons hairline. Legendary MEGO customizer Charlee Flatt helped me out by providing Gordon's custom-made basic black business suit, a white shirt, a pair of black sox, and a tan rain-overcoat. I made a belt for his trousers easily enough, but I had a REALLY difficult time creating that silk neck-tie of his that I had to knot (windsor-style) with tweezers! Custom-made accessories for this figure (not pictured) include a GCPD badge, a service revolver, and a smoking pipe.

He also sleeps in a custom-made MEGO-styled window box package that I created for him on computer in Adobe Photoshop.

Custom Action Figure and photo by Roberto Williams

[darklord1967]

Classic Dynamic Duo

It was "TOTAL MAKE-OVER TIME" for these two guys! There was just NO WAY around it!!

My goal was to create a "Classic Dynamic Duo" that reflected the darker tone of the comics, and accurately displayed the PHYSICAL DIFFERENCE between man and BOY wonder.

To accomplish this goal I used the (shorter) 6 inch "boy" action figure body from MEGO's 1976 "OUR GANG" collection as the basis to create ROBIN The Boy Wonder. "Alfalfa" was used (for the main body) as was "Mickey" (for the head sculpt). I re-sculpted the Mickey head with a new Richard Grayson" hair style, and a boyish smirk, and then made a 5% smaller final casting with these new sculpted changes. With the exception of the green shorts and t-shirt sleeves (which were both borrowed and tailored from Mego’s original Robin action figure), ALL of the costume items had to be created from scratch. The biggest challenge was fashioning Robin’s gauntlets (bye-bye vinyl oven mitts!!! ) and "pixie" boots out of lime green fabric. Holy fashion statement!!!!

THE BATMAN began life as a standard nude MEGO 8 inch "type II" (muscular) body. I replaced the original MEGO arms with the bulkier upper arms found on LJN’s 8 inch SWAT action figure from the ‘1970’s. These new arms also have a "swivel" joint in the biceps which allow for much more posing.

I selected an existing MEGO head sculpt to double as "Bruce Wayne" , and with a quick hair re-sculpt and re-paint, he was done.

The creation of The Batman’s costume was a challange: He needed some tighter-fitting dark grey lycra spandex tights that improved upon Mego’s original "pajama-fit" costume. Here, Charlee Flatt came to my rescue by providing the excellent sewing chores. I created everything else. I attempted to make The Batman’s removable mask using Pez Candy Dispensers that I radically re-sculpted. After no less than 15 failed attempts (!!!), I finally got one to fit on the action figure’s head!! The mask pictured in this photo is the FINAL one that I created.

Accessories for both of these action figures (not pictured) include Bat-ropes, and two different folding "Bat-a-Rangs"

BOTH action figures sleep in MEGO-styled window-box packaging that I created for them on computer in Adobe Photoshop.

Custom Action Figures and photo by Roberto Williams

[darklord1967]

Vintage MEGOs versus MODERN Customs

Questions comments?

[darklord1967]

Sprucing up a MEGO Bat Computer

It's great to be back everyone! To all new friends, please don't be shy and introduce yourselves.

[fallensaviour]

I have seen these before but never knew you were the person that made them.Great work and no matter how many times I have seen them it is never enough those are amazing!!!
Welcome back and nice to meet you.

[The Kryptonite Kid]

Welcome back Buddy Judging from how awesome those Batman figures are I can't wait to see what you cook up for us in 2008!

[Mego Milk]

Awesome customs! Great job!
Can't wait to see Batgirl and Catwoman!

[palitoy]

Wow, long time no see, welcome back. I was just looking over some old files yesterday and saw some of your work. I thought "whatever happened to that guy?", now I know...