Marvel & DC Mego Reissues?

[websbestcomics]

My first post! Go easy on the newbie, please.

My question, does anyone know whether we'll see reissues from the WGSH line, now that apparently the Trek reissues are a success? The Kirk/Klingon reissues were awesome and I'm really impressed with the detail and accuracy.

[dumbldor]

Bring them on. Repros of the World's Greatest Super Heroes can only help me pick up more of the originals cheaper. The more card variations I can find cheap, the better. I'm really glad I collect carded WGSH and not loose or boxed. I really would feel sorry for the loose and boxed collectors.

[batmanmc]

welcome aboard but with marvel and dc licenses i would dubt they would be re-issued. but anything is possible look at the trek and now the planet of the apes. mike

[mitchedwards]

Welcome aboard. Don't hold your breath waiting for Marvel and DC to let go of their licenses

[Meule]

Welcome aboard. You never know of course, but I wouldn't count on it

[The Bat]

Welcome!:smile: It's a long shot...but I do know that it's Doc Mego's goal, to some Day get WGSH back on the Toy Shelve's.:yes:

[rikitikitavi]

Welcome aboard. Chain-mail required for some posts. Personally, I think it will happen. The license can be limited to reproducing Megos, the first action figure incarnation of DC and Marvel's characters. Therefore it would not bite into any of their other license holders.

[LadyZod]

An important thing to remember... the Doc, or better still EMCE toys does not hold ANY of the licenses of the figures currently in production for Diamond Select. Diamond Select Toys holds all the licenses. They kind of subcontract to EMCE to PRODUCE the items.

That is why DST controls what gets made in terms of characters for the licenses (Star Trek or POTA).

Now that being said... DST also subcontracts to Art Asylum for some of their licenses, like Battlestar Galactica, Buffy, and even Trek... AND MINIMATES!

DST has the Marvel and DC licenses for minimates. Minimates for BOTH companies are being produced for DST. Think about that.

It's wouldn't be too far a reach to believe or hope for a possible limited DST run of Mego Superheroes, seeing as though DST has done the seemingly impossible in terms of contracting both comic giants for one line of compatible figures... and that DST has subcontracted to two different companies (art asylum and EMCE) on one license (Star Trek.)

Don't let hope die. Keep supporting the effort by buying POTA and Trek EMCE figures, and show DST that there IS a demand for "retro clothing style" figures.

[huedell]

DST has the Marvel and DC licenses for minimates. Minimates for BOTH companies are being produced for DST. Think about that.


That's it in a nutshell----

DC and MARVEL characters have an advantage that TREK and POTA don't have
which is MANY recognixable characters that weren't in the original lines

I mean, like, icons that a lotta "civilians" know

and if it was up to me-----once EMCE does (hopefully) get that far----I'd opt for
straight out "non-vintage" charcter line picks if only after a couplea key remakes
(i.e. Supes/Spidey)

I'd go right to DOC OCK, LEX LUTHOR, FLASH, CAPT. COLD, GREEN LANTERN & SINESTRO
-------those characters are popular enough on their own (I think) to warrant
satiating both the old AND new collectors DR. DOOM wouldn't be a bad idea either,
but I was trying to pair heroes with their respective enemies

[AAAAA]

Not going to happen!

[huedell]

Why not!

[The Bat]

Not going to happen!


Why not? Mattel has DC....yet DC Direct makes all kinds of DC Figure's for Diamond Select.

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

Welcome aboard. Okay, I will go easy on you this one special time :silly:

Cat

[jds1911a1]

Welcome aboard. Chain-mail required for some posts. Personally, I think it will happen. The license can be limited to reproducing Megos, the first action figure incarnation of DC and Marvel's characters. Therefore it would not bite into any of their other license holders.

Sorry to say but CAPT action made Action figures of dc and marvel super hero characters about 10 years before the WGSH line (yes they were costumes for the capt and action boy but they count). mego does have the disctinction of first binging these characters to the 3inch scale which made SUPER POWERS possible though

[jds1911a1]

Why not? Mattel has DC....yet DC Direct makes all kinds of DC Figure's for Diamond Select.

I think Dc direct is a subisduary of WB so I would guess they can leverage a better deal from Mattel as the "master liscence holder" for DC's characters. also DC direct produces to a niche market. Sure If someone ponys up the huge $ and we all want to spend 50-80 on a figure we could probably get EMCE styled toys for DC or marvel character but if that was the case I think that DC direct would do it themselves. Anything is possible but I am not holding my breath waiting for it

[rikitikitavi]

When Captain Action was reproduced by PM they also reproduced some of the DC and Marvel outfits under licence and PM could not afford huge bucks. It is entirely possible that DST can get the right to reproduce 25 year old figures. I would say they are probably talking back and forth about it.

[dumbldor]

I think it will happen and can't wait for it. I will be able to find the figures I need for my carded variation set much cheaper. Plus, I can pick up some of the fakes for my son.

I can't wait to see the look on the face of that short, two-faced, hypocritical, Napoleon-complexed, egotistical owner of that joke of a Mego website when the fake Mego WGSH come out.

[huedell]

And Dan....I'm just happy to read that YOU'RE happy about this possibility---

I think its a good chance of happening too---

Seems like a little risk project---I mean, now that the wheels are already turning with EMCE----

Godspeed

[dumbldor]

I think it will happen and can't wait for it. I will be able to find the figures I need for my carded variation set much cheaper. Plus, I can pick up some of the fakes for my son.

I can't wait to see the look on the face of that short, two-faced, hypocritical, Napoleon-complexed, egotistical owner of that joke of a Mego website when the fake Mego WGSH come out.

Oh, I forgot one thing:

:yuk:

Actually, I don't give a crap what the little loser thinks about these figures or anything else, and he shouldn't care what I think. It is so pathetic for this loser to continue to obsess with me, my collecting habits, and what I think. What a creepy, pathetic, little existence. Stop the man-crush now and get a life.

[The Sentry]

*throws 2 cents in*

If you would have asked me this about 6 months ago I would have laughed at you, and 6 months ago of you would have told me about Megomuseum I once again would have laughed, "No one has interrest in old toys fromthe 70's anymore!" I would have said. However since June of this year, I've had so many wake-up calls to business proper in the Mego dept. I doubt I'll ever go back to sleep!:yes:

Personally, I think the Doc has crossed some serious leaps and bounds with the Star Trek licence, and even more with POTA (This one makes me happiest, I only needed a small few things to complete my POTA collection and obtaining that licence only makes it easier to complete what I need!)
I think if Marvel got their heads outta their @$$es they would see that this is ground that NEEDS to be covered, thanks to the success of ROBOT CHICKEN and the fact that there's a forum about this particular line of toys that's growing in popularity everyday (just google "MEGO" and see newcomers!) this was a franchise that was very popular and still would have been if Mego would have taken the Star Wars licence. Imagine what Mego figures would be like today? WOW! I personally think DC will be a shoo-in they seem to welcome different styles of the superheroes, and have spread themselves out very nicely, so I don't worry about DC, and since Marvel has those 9" figures they think that those are Megos, NOPE! I don't like them at all! I want the old-school and I think alot more share my feelings, plus one other thing, I think that this generation needs to see what rang our bells as a kid and show the kids of this era what a great action figure is all about!

So my fingers are crossed, and I think it just may happen IMO. It's just gunna take some time to secure the fact that there is a demand for these!

God, I hope it happens!

Welcome to the forum!

[thunderbolt]

Oh, I forgot one thing:

:yuk:

Actually, I don't give a crap what the little loser thinks about these figures or anything else, and he shouldn't care what I think. It is so pathetic for this loser to continue to obsess with me, my collecting habits, and what I think. What a creepy, pathetic, little existence. Stop the man-crush now and get a life.

I'm just glad that i am not the only one the cretin obsesses over. Thanks for being there, Dan!! :)

[Captain]

Normally, I would say this was a dead subject....just never EVER going to happen.
The Diamond Select/EMCE connection however totally throws that opinion out with the trash.
I can easily see a pact between Marvel and or DC with Diamond Select to have re-issues made. In fact, I would almost bet that some kind of discussions are taking place on this very type of project as we speak...err...read!
Diamond has done DC and Marvel related stuff in the past that seemed to contradict with the "established" DC/Marvel licensed products. I'm sure they could do so again.

Outside of a Diamond project....I refer back to my original opinion.

[LadyZod]

That's the thing.

As long as it's done as a "reissue" for the collector, direct market, I can see a small line of WGSH thru Diamond Select and Marvel and DC giving the go ahead.

Just like the reissues of GI Joe, Carebears, Transformers and everything else recently put out to take advantage of people my age reaching the point in life where we have disposable income to blow of fragmented pieces of our childhood.

Remove Diamond Select and their bargaining power from the equation and it falls apart. The end.

Consider this for the moment, as well. NO ONE thought Lucas would or could legally give a license to any other company to produce figures while Hasbro had them nailed down for YEARS. Yet, they managed to use the between the lines legal small print to allow Sideshow to produce 1:4 scale figures/statues exclusively for the "collector" non-mass market. Of course that led to them finally getting the rights to 1:6, but that's another story.

So multiple licenses for different markets? Ya, big companies can and will do that, if money's involved.

[Hulk]

The economics of it all could sideline any deal. DC and or Marvel would need to see significant potential for income from any licensing deal, especially if the figures might upset their current licensees. Then the real question becomes can EMCE's China supplier handle that kind of volume, and if not, then either it doesn't happen, or someone gets squeezed out of the deal. Just speculation of course, but I wouldn't want to be the low man on that totem pole.

[thunderbolt]

^^^ Since Hasbro nor Mattel produce 8 inch costumed dolls currently, would it be upsetting either?

[jds1911a1]

That's the thing.

As long as it's done as a "reissue" for the collector, direct market, I can see a small line of WGSH thru Diamond Select and Marvel and DC giving the go ahead.

Just like the reissues of GI Joe, Carebears, Transformers and everything else recently put out to take advantage of people my age reaching the point in life where we have disposable income to blow of fragmented pieces of our childhood.

Remove Diamond Select and their bargaining power from the equation and it falls apart. The end.

Consider this for the moment, as well. NO ONE thought Lucas would or could legally give a license to any other company to produce figures while Hasbro had them nailed down for YEARS. Yet, they managed to use the between the lines legal small print to allow Sideshow to produce 1:4 scale figures/statues exclusively for the "collector" non-mass market. Of course that led to them finally getting the rights to 1:6, but that's another story.

So multiple licenses for different markets? Ya, big companies can and will do that, if money's involved.

Actually i think sideshow buys the right to produce the 12" figs from hasbro as the master license holder with lucasfilm having approval rigths on product (i am a star wars collector too) i rememeber rebelscum website has addressed this with hasbro and that was the explanation I recall. Similiary EMCE has bought the right to produce the st reptros from Diamond as the license holder (or diamond contracted with EMCE Doc would have to confirm which)
Now if we all want to spend the kind of dollars a sideshow figure or a kotoboya from japan costs the chances go up. but disposable income or not without a lower price point for casual nostalgia purchases I can't forsee it happening unless doc went right for "rare" wgsh and aimed the line just at real mego heads and had a high price point

[websbestcomics]

This is all pretty fascinating. I know very little about the ins and outs of the toy industry, but it does seem promising. I'll definitely be onboard to buy any WGSH they decide to produce.

[AAAAA]

^^^ Since Hasbro nor Mattel produce 8 inch costumed dolls currently, would it be upsetting either?

Yeah, they hold the master toy Licence,and the "1,000" page agreements
lay out in Fine detail what can be and can not be made in the form of action figures and toys, to inculde that Marvel and DC have the finale say what gets produced.
and Both sides beat each other over the head with the contract.
Things that are manufactured outside the licence holder, are items not cover in the agreements.
as for the Tonner, there not action figures persay but high end collectible dolls.

It not going to happen.

[jemboy2004]

well If they do dc and marvel reissues my godson will be very happy! He loves to look at my megos in their cases so if they re-issued them he would get them all.

I have to think that this could happen but still wonder if they would do many. One reason is Mattel and hasbro sell toys all over but emce only though select places. Is there really a market for dc and marvel to be satisfied with the sales volume? They might give it a try but after selling a few hundred or even a few thousand they might drop the project. Unless they are really high priced which would leave me out of buying them as I would only have interest in them if I could get them at a decent price for my gifts to my godson.

[Count Creepyhead]

I think is inevitable. It's going to happen. Might be another year or so but I guarantee we'll see Re-issues of at least Supes, Batman+Robin, and Aquaman. Then we'll see Pengy, Joker, and Riddler.

If Trek happened then Dc and possibly Marvel WGSH are gonna happen. I think that was Emcee's plan anyway. Test the waters with Trek so we can Re-issue WGSH.

Don't worry Dubldor, the Re-issues aren't going to affect prices on WGSH. most of the good carded stuff is in the hands of collectors who spent a pretty penny on them so no matter how much the Re-issues affect Ebay sales of loose figures, vintage carded stuff will always be steep. Re-issues don't affect package variations.

[thunderbolt]

Yeah, they hold the master toy Licence,and the "1,000" page agreements
lay out in Fine detail what can be and can not be made in the form of action figures and toys, to inculde that Marvel and DC have the finale say what gets produced.
and Both sides beat each other over the head with the contract.
Things that are manufactured outside the licence holder, are items not cover in the agreements.
as for the Tonner, there not action figures persay but high end collectible dolls.

It not going to happen.

DCDirect and Marvel Select can and do operate even with the contracts with Hasbro and Mattel. So, it could easily happen thru Diamond, EMCE and Direct and or Select.

[mego boy CA]

welcome and yes it would be awsome to see some dc and marvel mego repos!:yes:

[The Bat]

Here's a quote from the Man Himself...Doc Mego!

"There will be more Treks, and I will not rest until the super-heroes are hanging on store pegs. "

[dumbldor]

Don't worry Dubldor, the Re-issues aren't going to affect prices on WGSH. most of the good carded stuff is in the hands of collectors who spent a pretty penny on them so no matter how much the Re-issues affect Ebay sales of loose figures, vintage carded stuff will always be steep. Re-issues don't affect package variations.

I agree completely. I thought I shared my thoughts on this subject here, but it must have been another thread. The rare carded WGSH are, for the most part, in the hands of very few collectors and are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them on the infrequent chance they ever go up for sale. Repros will not change that one bit.

Even if the rare carded WGSH would plummet in price, it does not matter. Toy collecting is not an investment. I am way ahead in this game, anyway. It's all monopoly money to me. When I can sell something for big bucks, it is a bonus.

[argent007]

I collect WGSH and I prefer loose figures. I'll definitely finish up my collection whether or not the figures are released. A couple years ago, I purchased a boxed Batgirl because I couldn't find a better condition loose figure. About a decade ago and before I knew how much they were worth, I opened a Batman (US Card, probably cost about $50), Hulk (US card, I used to buy these any time for $20 or less), Thing (Chose card, probably $20 or $30) and Human Torch (French card, probably cost the same as the Thing). I don't really regret doing it, but I regret not saving the packaging. Though I would like to still have that nice Batman on the card...

When/if the WGSH line comes out, I will buy one of each (at a minimum) just to have them, but I still plan to finish my original loose WGSH collection. I would do this even if a rerelease is available for the same figures that I don't yet have.

In part, it is because I like that they are old. Same reason I like old comic books, Big Little books, movie posters, etc. It is a piece of history that one can't just replicate. This isn't to take away from EMCE toys and Dr. Mego. I think it is great that these are being made. I guess my point is that I don't think this will hurt the market for loose or boxed figures very much. People will still want them. Think of all the different reprints of key comic books. This hasn't been a negative for the market for orginals. I think it will increase demand for the original figures b/c more people will be exposed to Megos.

For some reason there is something special about this toy company. I'm 30 and didn't have any megos as a kid. I played with Star Wars, GI Joe, Transformers and He-Man. And a bit later Secret Wars and Super Powers. I first saw Mego WGSHs when a friend in my neighborhood showed me the boxes of his older brother's toys in their basement. I remember being transfixed by the cloth costumes and the "Silver Age look" to the figures. (As a kid, I usually preferred beat up silver age or golden age comics to recent issues too.)

I bought my first mego (a beat up spiderman) at my first comic book show when I was in junior high. Through the years since, I've collected Megos and put them away, usually depending on the living space that I had available.

I bought a condo with enough room to display them and then chanced upon the Mego Museum online. Since then I've had the chance to buy Megos and trade with a number of you. I've been offline for a while as I lost my extra room that I used to house my toy and comic collection b/c a friend dating back from elementary school needed cheap rent while looking for a job in Madison. So the Megos went back in the boxes...

For the last couple months, I've been working in Afghanistan. I don't spend any money over here, so I'm tempted to splurge on a few more figures in the WGSH line, but I know I won't see them for a while...

Anyway, that's my Mego story. I'm really glad that Dr. Mego is so passionate about the re-releases. I think it is especially great for those that aren't aware of these classic toys.

As for me, I've never liked Star Trek. But I'm debating about picking up the re-releases anyway...

[WilRadcliffe]

Here's a quote from the Man Himself...Doc Mego!

"There will be more Treks, and I will not rest until the super-heroes are hanging on store pegs. "

Whoo hoo! Maybe while they're waiting for the Marvel/DC licenses, Doc & Diamond can secure the licenses for some other publishers. Valiant/Gold Key would be nice. Or, my personal preference, Atlas/Seaboard! I'd love to see Grim Ghost, the Brute, Tarantula, and Destructor get the Mego treatment! :D

[jds1911a1]

Whoo hoo! Maybe while they're waiting for the Marvel/DC licenses, Doc & Diamond can secure the licenses for some other publishers. Valiant/Gold Key would be nice. Or, my personal preference, Atlas/Seaboard! I'd love to see Grim Ghost, the Brute, Tarantula, and Destructor get the Mego treatment! :D

didn't DC buy the atlas characters??

[WilRadcliffe]

didn't DC buy the atlas characters??

I don't believe so. Last I heard, these characters were in the public domain. Beau Smith says when he worked for Eclipse they worked up an ashcan demo for a planned relaunch of the Atlas characters. For some reason it fell apart, unfortunately.

I've also heard that some individual out there is claiming ownership of the characters. And I've heard that Seaboard still maintains ownership.

Probably wouldn't take too much to sort it all out if anyone was really serious about relaunching the characters. The comics should probably be launched first, with the Megos following shortly there after.

Least that's how I'd do it if I had deeper pockets. :)

[rikitikitavi]

Here's a quote from the Man Himself...Doc Mego!

"There will be more Treks, and I will not rest until the super-heroes are hanging on store pegs. "

Where is this quote from? Did I miss it?

[jds1911a1]

I don't believe so. Last I heard, these characters were in the public domain. Beau Smith says when he worked for Eclipse they worked up an ashcan demo for a planned relaunch of the Atlas characters. For some reason it fell apart, unfortunately.

I've also heard that some individual out there is claiming ownership of the characters. And I've heard that Seaboard still maintains ownership.

Probably wouldn't take too much to sort it all out if anyone was really serious about relaunching the characters. The comics should probably be launched first, with the Megos following shortly there after.

Least that's how I'd do it if I had deeper pockets. :)

I stand corrected thanks

[palitoy]

Whoo hoo! Maybe while they're waiting for the Marvel/DC licenses, Doc & Diamond can secure the licenses for some other publishers. Valiant/Gold Key would be nice. Or, my personal preference, Atlas/Seaboard! I'd love to see Grim Ghost, the Brute, Tarantula, and Destructor get the Mego treatment! :D

Ha! Yeah EMce would make a fortune from the two guys that would buy those. ;)

By two guys, I mean you and me BTW. I'm fascinated with that line of comics.

[WilRadcliffe]

Ha! Yeah EMce would make a fortune from the two guys that would buy those. ;)

By two guys, I mean you and me BTW. I'm fascinated with that line of comics.

Hey! You might be surprised! There's even a web site dedicated to Atlas/Seaboard (http://www.atlasarchives.com). I bet they'd get more than a few orders. Especially if someone relaunched the line with some new comics!

[palitoy]

Hey! You might be surprised! There's even a web site dedicated to Atlas/Seaboard (http://www.atlasarchives.com). I bet they'd get more than a few orders. Especially if someone relaunched the line with some new comics!

That's an incredible site, I visit there often. If Atlas got relaunched (and much of their content makes more sense now than then), I could see it being pretty popular.

[MegoGeek]

I have a big stack of the old 70's Atlas books.

They were an amazing contrast to the Marvel and DC books that were dominating at the time.

Fun stuff.

[Count Creepyhead]

Atlas comics make me think of 70's Doctor offices and chewable orange aspirin.

[saildog]

Atlas comics make me think of 70's Doctor offices and chewable orange aspirin.

:smiley1:

[thunderbolt]

Atlas comics make me think of 70's Doctor offices and chewable orange aspirin.

All my doctor had was Highlights. :(

[Sandlantern]

Actually, I had made some inquiries a while back regarding the Atlas characters, and they are NOT public domain. Apparantely someone in the Goodman family still owns them, and is asking for (purportedly) RIDICULOUS sums of money for the rights.

[WilRadcliffe]

Actually, I had made some inquiries a while back regarding the Atlas characters, and they are NOT public domain. Apparantely someone in the Goodman family still owns them, and is asking for (purportedly) RIDICULOUS sums of money for the rights.

I wouldn't doubt that Sandlantern. But according to Beau Smith several years ago Eclipse worked up an ashcan promo with the Atlas characters under the assumption that the characters were public domain. They did offer the Goodman's some money, but as you said, the price was too high.

But I would imagine that the copyrights still hold. It hasn't been that many years since they were first published. I have no idea how Eclipse came to the conclusion that the properties were in the public domain.