To repro or not to repro, that is the question. Whats your thoughts?

[Lynn TXP 0369]

As the thread title states...
What are your guy's thoughts on Megos and using repro parts?

I'm sure there must be some of you diehards that want nothing but 100% Mego and some like to mix and match.

I for one, I don't care if I have repro parts on my figures or not, if it makes my figure look complete, so be it.
Most of my Megos I got off eBay the past two months have got some repro parts on them and it dosn't bother me one bit.

I'm not that big a stickler to have to have 100% Mego stuff.

Lynn

[Meule]

I want my Megos to be 100% original. I do use repro stuff for my customs tho.

[Merlyn1976]

For kids and customs repros are great....

[megoat]

I suppose it's a personal preference thing, but i pretty much loathe repro anything. I collect vintage toys. Their sense of history-- the fact that they're old playthings that actual kids played with-- is what makes them interesting to me. Reproductions just ain't got any soul.....

but really, to each his own.....

[HardyGirl]

I don't care either. Right now, poor Scottie (from Star Trek) is stuck in a blue shirt b/c I got him cheaper that way, but one day he will be sporting one of Doc Mego's repro red shirts. (good thing Scottie isn't a security guard!:wink_y:) Eventually I'll get shoes for my Ape humans and Zira, clothes for Burke, replacement clothes for Cheron, and extras for my generic guys, (like fur shorts, extra red and gold Star Trek shirts, more jumpsuits and boots). My toys get played w/ anyway, so it really doesn't make any difference where the clothes came from, as long as they look good on my guys!:biggrin:

[z3zep]

Even if I finish off figures one piece at a time, I prefer original accessories.

Some parts, I just cannot find, or they are just out of my budget -- like thor's helmet -- I have repro parts. They don't bother me much -- but if I find an original then I will replace the repros pronto.

[MegoNinja]

I actually cannot stand repro parts, I stare at my collection getting more angry every time that some of my WGSH's arent all original (I did not have a choice on getting repro parts as it was given to me as a gift). Repro stuff just doesnt have the same 'feel', the plastic doesnt have that vintage smell either.

[Dave Mc]

I built my loose collection with restored figures, and I used tons of repro parts to complete them, because I couldn't stand a semi-complete figure. Over time, after I had most of the figures, I started hunting down the parts to make my collection all original, and that was fun.

Basically, I've been on both sides of the repro thing. I'd always rather have original, but repro's are a great placeholder until the real deal comes along. I'll always replace one eventually though.

Like Thomas, I use all repro parts for customs. I don't like making an original figure incomplete so I can make a custom.

Really though, it's whatever floats your boat.

[DCSTING]

When I first started out I didn't care about repo parts. Now it drives me nuts if I have something with a repo part on it. :juggleyes_y:

[QDOGG]

I doesn't matter to me at all cause I'm not really a collector, but I do enjoy customizing Megos. Anyone that has seen my postings knows my tastes are pretty strange to say the least! I'll mix original parts, repro, custom, throw in some Remco or Masters of the Universe parts. To me it's just fun to come up with an original character or an original take on a classic character, As Dave said what ever floats your boat:biggrin:

[RussG]

repro sticker emblems do not bother me, but everything else has to be original.

the few customs I build (or try to build) are made from repro or damaged originals parts I can't bring myself to harm a vintage toy in good shape

:biggrin:

[JDeRouen]

Real parts on real Megos, repro parts on customs and Megos for my son.

Repo parts, however, are another story. I never use repo parts, because there's always some guy sneaking into my house in the middle of the night to take them away...

Joe

[VintageMike]

I'm in the middle on this, but it's really personal preference. Most of the, I prefer and will try to get original parts, UNLESS I feel something repro makes the figure look cooler/better. Easy example, I like Green Arrow better with a GREEN bow. Which isn't what he came with. So I got a repro one.
A tougher example. I won a nice Batgirl with all original parts save the emblem. However the cape was badly faded and frayed. I made the decision to replace the original cape with a repro one because it simply made the figure look nicer.

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/8926/batgirlwc2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

On on the other side of the coin, I did get a repro belt but decided to stick with the original because I didn't think not having the bag part made it lose that much.

[The Sentry]

Me, I love to have the original, sadly, my Batman besides his head and cape are repro, my Robin is a little more original cepr for his gloves, shoes, belt and emblem, My Superman (when I get a friggin head for him) will be almost 100% cept for his emblem (hey, I was 4 when I was collecting Megos sue me!) I agree, if your gunna have the real deal then get the real deal, but damn, the original parts can be pricey for a poor boy with a comic book addiction! :smiley1: So I am half and half on the matter but I think original parts are alot better. But if you need to go the repro route then what else can you do?*shrugs*

[Goblin19]

Repro stuff really helped me begin collecting. I had to have my figures looking complete and couldn't afford all original. I have replaced some as time goes by and I acquire parts, but I still have quite a bit and it doesn't bother me.

[jwyblejr]

It really doesn't bother me either. Some of mine have repro parts and from time to time,I like to take them out and play with them and not have to worry if something goes wrong. Besides,I figure somewhere down the road,I'll be getting either carded or boxed stuff later. If I find repro stuff with that,then I'll get cheesed off.

[Lynn TXP 0369]

There are lot of good points brought up for both sides. For me it also has a little to do with affordabilty, with a house and two kids it is tough even with selling off alot of my prop and SW toy collection to get these.

Watching auctions, I noticed figures with repro parts going for less then 100% origonal, which is normal. But some of those 100% figures I couldn't afford, but I can aford the cheaper ones.

I'm picky about what condition my figures are in that I get, as long as the base suit, head, it self is in great shape, I can deal with the rest.

I can already see that my GA has a hat fitting issues,it dosn't stay on too well, so I may end up looking for a real one.


Lynn

[brineb]

I would love to have 100% original figures and some are, but I also have no problems with repro parts for customs. I tend to play with my stuff, so super-mint original in a box doesn't really matter to me.

[Mikey]

I like only original parts.

To me, having a repro part in my collection is just me trying to fool myself.

I think collecting nostalgia is collecting vintage items.

Having repro parts in ones collection is like buying and displaying a new item.

...... And, when or if it ever comes time to sell, at least I wont loose track of what's real and what's fake.

People do as they wish, and that's cool .......
But I think a lot of people get repro parts because they're just plain lazy and want an instant fix of having a "complete" LOOKING figure-- rather than possibly spend years trying to complete it.

To each their own, I guess

[huedell]

I wouldn't jump to conclusions on who may be lazy, and who may not be lazy
Mike---it seems to be a dangerous business, is all

For example,
Personally, I have repros in my collection because I really don't think about
the difference as long as the vintage vibe is there

I don't think about the repro boots on a figure when most everything
else on him is vintage. I'm just not sweating that level of meticulousness,
or awareness, or however you want to phrase it

and I'm talking about on my vintage original figures----

as far as Mego customs----that's a whole other story----repro parts
are used quite freely in my collection, a lot more than on the vintage figures
that Mego originated in those cases

[megojim]

I like only original parts.

To me,

I think collecting nostalgia is collecting vintage items.



Hmmmm, you see to me collecting nostalgia is more the memories of playing with the toy. Not saying your view is wrong Mike, as I completely understand that viewpoint.
Having a repro part it not that big a deal to me. Like Dave said I would prefer to have a repro part, even if temporary, than an incomplete figure. I too put my collection together with loose figures for quite a while had repro parts until i acquired the real deals.

There's no right or wrong here it's a personal preference thing. just know that the value of the figure is greatly decreased with the repro item.
-jim

[Mikey]

I look at repro parts on a figure like i'd look at a street rod.

a 1930's model-A done up as a "hot rod Lincoln" is not a Museum peice of historic car nostalgia...... But, some people still like it-- so whatever :)

[palitoy]

I don't use repro anything in my mego collection, although I love them for customs. However, I use a lot of repro weapons and such for my Star Wars and GI Joe figures, for some reason that doesn't bug me. It's really just boils down to personal preference.

[Marvelmania]

It's a matter of opinion when collecting and you know what they say about opinions. As many have said to each their own. I think it only comes to matter if you are selling the figure because someone else may not agree with your view.

[Mikey]

But tell me this, guys .........

The people who don't mind repro's .........

If you were recommending a Museum person to a good friend who wanted to buy an all original Mego (friend wants to buy).......

Would you recommend the Member who loves repros, has tons of them, but promises his figure is 100% vintage ?

Or would you recommend the Museum member that swears to never let a repro peice anywhere in his collection ?

[huedell]

But tell me this, guys .........

The people who don't mind repro's .........

If you were recommending a Museum person to a good friend who wanted to buy an all original Mego (friend wants to buy).......

Would you recommend the Member who loves repros, has tons of them, but promises his figure is 100% vintage ?

Or would you recommend the Museum member that swears to never let a repro peice anywhere in his collection ?

Trick question! Trick question!

:)

Seriously, tho' now you're straying from basic question "Do you like repros
in your collection?" and getting into dangerous territory once again Mike
by setting us up for weird takes on your undeniably loaded question
which makes the "totally vintage" guy APPEAR better just by default

you're talking about a dynamic of morality of collectors, or maybe more
specifically "certain types" of collectors and not exactly the topic at hand

The easy way to answer this is "it shouldn't matter"--- as an honest
person who has repros in his collection will do his best to make his
customer happy---end of story

Sure "no repros" means "no questioning if there is any repros"

but why limit yourself with your buying opitions while at the same time
shutting out a sect of the Mego community????

----you may miss a good deal---a good bargain--
--or the chance to make a good friend

[The Bat]

Old Disscussion....but REPO is Fine with Me! Besides...I have all the Original Mego's I set out to get(yes, some have Repo Part's)...so I'm more into Customzing now.

[Earth 2 Chris]

As time goes on, I want all original, no repro on my actual Megos. I'm going to have to go back and replace repro for original. The bad part is, I have trouble remembering what is repro and what isn't. Lucily I have Dave Mc's awesome accessory guide to straighten me out!

Repros are great for customs. I love 'em!

Chris

[Lora]

I would recommend any person where I know who is honest no matter if that person likes repros or not . May be that second person who swears to never let a repro part in his collection just want to sell this piece because it has a repro emblem or whatever ? That's all about honesty of that person not the personal preference...

I'm not the typical Mego-collector here I guess. I just sort of collect them, because I like them no matter if the figure is vintage or not. The vintage faces looks better (at least if they are not too mint ;)) but otherwise I couldn't care less. I never had Megos in my childhood so no personal emotions in that direction involved... The only thing, the figure must be on a Type 2 body ... only have one Type 1 Body in my "collection" and he got plastic wrists at least instead of that metal... .
I won't sell a figure as "all original" if I'm not 100% sure about that.

[ABMAC]

There are no repro parts on my stock Mego figures, and I use original Mego parts on my customs whenever possible. I rarely use repro parts on customs unless they're made in a non-Mego colour or if I plan to cut them.

[jwyblejr]

Here's something to thimk about with repros as well;which would you rather fret over if you somehow lost it? A five dollar repro part or a twenty dollar original part?

[kingdom warrior]

I like repros on my customs only not on my originals I'd rather wait it out and hunt for missing pieces that's what makes collecting Megos fun for me.

[fallensaviour]

Love original parts but have no problem having repro at all;as my kids tend to grab them and play with them.For me thats OK ,thats what their for.If I'd had all original then I may get perterbed if they mangled them.
(I do hide a couple though)I do try to get certain figures all original and do replace repro over time.I still love repros because they are easily obtained and will do just fine.

[Corellian Corvette]

Whatever makes you happy. I deal in both. And I co-mingle. Some customs use repro parts, some customs use vintage parts. I'm perfectly satisfied having nice repro Alter Egos since I can't justify the price of originals. Most of my personal Megos have all original parts and I prefer that for my collection, but some have repros (Green Arrow being the most obvious given the price of finding a mint Quiver, or the mask on my RM Robin). On top of it all I display many of my all-original Mego's on repro cards and repro boxes.

The only thing we'll all agree on is that you never pass repro parts off as originals. That breaks the cardinal rule.

So there you go. Whatever you prefer, whatever you can afford, whatever makes you happy. So long as you like Mego's you'll be welcome here.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Not only do I use repro parts, but I've customized a lot of original figures. My goal is to get the best possible representation of the character. Sometimes that means tweaking a figure. (Like fixing Captain America's uniform, or giving Conan a new torso.)

Don C.

[Wildstar]

YOU KNOW WHAT~ I kinda like what I'm reading here~ Original all the way, just a little patience and some deal hunting, and it can be done~~ you have a lifetime to collect~ SUPER-DUPER CHEERS TO ALL ORIGINAL GUYS AND GALS~

WILDSTAR~~~

[dumbldor]

I still believe that it would be better if they did not exist at all. But, they do exist (nothing I can do about that), and because they do, I can see how useful they are for customizing and for giving replicas to kids, neither of which I would consider 'Mego collecting'.

[Hulk]

While I still try to collect "original" in many cases, I am fine with having repro parts (and even complete figures) in my collection. And I understand those who draw a line in the sand as to whether that is 'Mego collecting', I repectfully disagree and will continue to call it my Mego collection, freely disclosing reproduction parts when selling or when asked about my display.

My Green Arrow is still a Mego in my eyes, whether he has a chinamade Quiver or not, he just doesn't have all OEM parts on him. If I buy classic cars, say a '57 Chevys, chances are pretty slim that I am going to get one with all original parts. It might be more valuable if they do have them, but that doesn't mean I am not a collector of '57 Chevy's. I still would feel obligated to disclose the items that aren't OEM when selling them though.

I understand the distinction (and even some of the disdain) between repro figures and originals, but then again, I consider customs and certain knockoffs to be part of my Mego Collection as well. We all have to define what our collection means to us, that is the best way to look at it. For most of us that is an evolution with shades of grey, opposed to a clear cut issue. But as the original poster has found out, this can be a touchy subject with many differing opinions.

[Lynn TXP 0369]

But as the original poster has found out, this can be a touchy subject with many differing opinions.

Boy did you hit that nail on the head!!! :smiley1:

It is a very cool and interesting discussion old or not. Keep it coming.

I got a bunch of Megos for a good price on different auctions off eBay last month from the same seller. When I got them and after doing a little more research on the MM site I discovered some had parts that where repro.

The seller didn't claim to know they had repro parts, nor did he make any claims to anything being all origonal either.

The only figure I asked about was Thor, looking at the pic I suspected the helmet and wrist bands, but he looked at the MM site and thought they were real.
When I got him, it was definatly confirmed they were repro, as well as the hammer being repro also, after doing some research on the MM site.

I couldn't claim any foul on the sellers auction because nothing was worded to warrent such.
I still got a great shape figure at a good price and I would have had to track down parts any way if they were missing.

Lynn

[mego73]

I prefer original, of course, but here is my goal, with the figures I get:

I want them to look thier idealized best, I want them to look how I imagined them when I saw them in the Sears Catalog or glimpsed them in a Department store.

I don't want them to look 30 years old, and if repro parts help out in that process, I am all for it.

My nostalga is not tied to when a particular part for a figure was made, as long as it looks the same and achieves that idealized look.

But sellers that try to pass off repro as real ought to be shot at with paint guns loaded with mego heads :)

[huedell]

And considering repro cards/boxes....

Great for packaging your Mego figures, even if you're focused
on 100% vintage figures, you can use a more affordable replica card/box

My thought is that you can mix the worlds of Mego collecting to fit
your idea of what's reasonable---such as----vintage figures in
crisp replica packaging

[Bizarro Amy]

I would prefer all-original, as most people would if their budgets allowed. Mine doesn't, so rather than have an incomplete figure, or even worse, not have that character at all, I use repro pieces when I can't get vintage. I would eventually like to replace them all with original Mego, but I know that won't necessarily happen. That's not nearly as important to me as getting other figures, or you know, silly things like paying rent :)

[VintageMike]

Even though as I've said I'm OK with some repro parts I want to add this. People often overestimate the cost of getting original parts.
Many times the cost isn't that different if not the same.
Here's an example using Ebay.

Repro Batman Boots
http://cgi.ebay.com/MEGO-PARTS-8-MALE-BLUE-BOOTS_W0QQitemZ290116995237QQihZ019QQcategoryZ1169 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Original Batman Boots

http://cgi.ebay.com/BATMAN-ORIGINAL-MEGO-BOOTS-8-FIGURE_W0QQitemZ110108781555QQihZ001QQcategoryZ116 9QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Meule]

Even though as I've said I'm OK with some repro parts I want to add this. People often overestimate the cost of getting original parts.
Many times the cost isn't that different if not the same.
Here's an example using Ebay.

Repro Batman Boots
http://cgi.ebay.com/MEGO-PARTS-8-MALE-BLUE-BOOTS_W0QQitemZ290116995237QQihZ019QQcategoryZ1169 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Original Batman Boots

http://cgi.ebay.com/BATMAN-ORIGINAL-MEGO-BOOTS-8-FIGURE_W0QQitemZ110108781555QQihZ001QQcategoryZ116 9QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Let's see you do that with a Zorro hat or a Romulan helmet ;)

[Corellian Corvette]

Or Wonder Woman boots? Or GA parts? What about a set of Teen Titans gloves or boots?

Sure, in some cases its easy. In others, you'll pay as much for a loose figure than you would for some accessories. :)

[nvmbrsdoom5]

If I can afford to get all original parts, I will get them. People are telling the truth when they say that searching and patience can often lead to finding good deals on the original parts you need. I picked up some great deals last year at Mego Meet, for example.

But other parts have been much more elusive or out of reach cost-wise, so the repro parts are a nice alternative. If I can eventually get the real deal, I will grab 'em. If this makes me not a real collector to some people, I couldn't care less. My toys make me happy, that's what matters :)

And I love the repro cards/boxes, they look great for display purposes when the real thing is unattainable. I just love seeing them on my walls or shelves, even if the carboard isn't 30 years old ;)

[Dave Mc]

I've often had to buy new figures to get that one loose part I need. Sometimes you can turn stuff around though. Went in with a friend to buy an Andorian on ebay. It was rough, but it had an original belt and boots. I needed the belt, he needed the boots. We paid $180 for it. We cleaned it up, took the parts we needed, invested in some DM repro parts to complete him and made him look sharp (about $35 worth of parts) and he ended up selling for $250. In the end I got my belt and made $20. That's not always the case, but it can be done.

[lepage]

to me, repros serve 2 pourposes

#1 To complete an aotherwise incomplete figure (until you can track down the original missing piece)

#2 For customs

The problem is with people passing off repros as originals. Nothing sucks more then winning an auction where someone has listed a figure as being "complete and original" only to get it an find it has repro parts. More often then not, when you call the person out about the repro part they just play stupid and claim to have not known.