The FTC figures are making the vintage Megos less appealing to me

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

Anyone else feel the same? I just don't feel the excitement anymore about scouring eBay auctions for months and winning 5 lots to piece together a nice loose figure when I can get a near perfect replica MOC for $25.

I understand why some collectors feel the opposite but I think it will be interesting to see how prices for complete loose Megos track on eBay over the next 6-12 months.

[plaztekman]

For me, nothing compares to a vintage Mego. I do like the repros for the figures that have never been made or for ones that I choose not to spend a fortune to own.

My personal goal is quantity and uniqueness of characters, but some of them, vintage or repro, are just ugly to me and I have no desire to own them.

...anyway..that's my take on it.

[monitor_ep]

I have nearly all the vintage Megos that came out. With a future nephew on the way he will not plat with the vintage. This is why I have been buying double of the new release figures.

[Brown Bear]

I collect mego's because I love them, not because they're rare or expensive. I'd rather pay $25 for a FTC Kid Flash than $50 for a beat-up one. But that's just me. If I have an all original Green Arrow with a repro hat, I'm cool with that. I'm not selling my collection on eBay any time soon and not very anal about much.

So, I see how you feel like this. I'd prefer original mego's any day but if I can get an awesome repro for a good price then I'll go with the repro if it boils down to price.

[Timothy2251]

I collect mego's because I love them, not because they're rare or expensive. I'd rather pay $25 for a FTC Kid Flash than $50 for a beat-up one. But that's just me. If I have an all original Green Arrow with a repro hat, I'm cool with that. I'm not selling my collection on eBay any time soon and not very anal about much.

So, I see how you feel like this. I'd prefer original mego's any day but if I can get an awesome repro for a good price then I'll go with the repro if it boils down to price.

Pretty much all of this. My collection's for me, and a lot of these repros are just as good as the vintage ones to me, and in some cases, better. If I can't get an original Mego, a repro will do just fine and look just as good on my shelf!

[jayraytee]

Same. For me, I lost all my original megos as a kid when we moved to another house. Mine were accidentally thrown out. So its kind of a cathartic thing for me to re-own them, they are for me. Filling that hole. I don't care if they are original or repro as long as they seem the same as what I had as a kid. In a lot of ways I like the repro better because it looks as new as the ones I originally owned in the 70s.

[silveralex]

I can agree with the above posters. I understand that some prefer vintage and more power to them. I have a dozen vintage of the characters I like in nice condition myself.

However, there's a certain joy in having (and opening!) these new FTC that takes me back to getting them as a kid. And looking at a nice snazzy set of these characters I love are what I enjoy, no matter where they came from or how much I think they're worth.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

Same. For me, I lost all my original megos as a kid when we moved to another house. Mine were accidentally thrown out. So its kind of a cathartic thing for me to re-own them, they are for me. Filling that hole. I don't care if they are original or repro as long as they seem the same as what I had as a kid. In a lot of ways I like the repro better because it looks as new as the ones I originally owned in the 70s.

Exactly. If I still had a few vintage figures I would probably feel differently but all mine are long gone, so these FTC figures are my chance at a 'do over'. I would have to spend several hundred dollars to get an original removable cowl Batman that looks better than the one I got from FTC for $25.

I hunted down the original figures once and it was a lot of fun. I would rather get minty replicas this time than go on the same hunt again that I've already been on once.

[figureaddicted]

I'm not saying FTC has replaced my love of vintage. But i only have two surviving vintage figures from my childhood ( Bats and Supes.....both in lower grade condition) so FTC and similar companies are certainly a godsend in my eyes. Since ju,ping back on the Mego train i have hunted down a healthy vintage Star Trek collection that i plan on filling out with the retro EMCE figures. And, for Marvel, vintage is the way to go although i will probably pick up the Diamond releases as they move forward. PoTA is the other vintage line my eyes are on. But for DC,Mad Monsters, Kiss,Conan, Tarzan etc, FTC can ....and will.....take my money. To me, Mego or ReMego , they're one and the same. Its about the style and it doesnt matter who produces it. Just keep making them, I'll keep buying them.

[MIB41]

Player I completely understand where you're coming from. I have such an extensive collection of vintage ones dating back to '73 both from my childhood and recollecting, that I really thought I was done with heroes. And while I did enjoy some of the Mattel figures like Flash and Green Arrow, most of them made me relish my Megos even more. But these new ones have struck an entirely different note, because FTC is really making them pretty much note for note like the originals. What this means for me is I truly get to have the shelf experience again with really nice packaging, PLUS the added bonus of getting a new license most of us often dreamt about as kids - The '66 Batman line. It's truly been unlike any year I've ever witnessed since I was that kid back in the mid 70's. But even then it wasn't this loaded with figures like FTC is putting out. So it's a really special time and I have to really give FTC credit. They're really doing masterful job. A perfect example is Kid Flash. I posted this pic on another thread but thought I would add here since it underscores the point. Here's a side by side shot of my original next to the new one. While the features on the new one are slightly softer, it's still so very close to the original, there's no loss in charm. When it gets THAT close, you're really capturing lightening in a bottle again. And they're priced right...

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

What's really exciting to me is to think ahead 6-12 months. So far the figures we've gotten on the superhero front have been almost exclusively Batman. Once we get into the Superman waves, then Shazam, then Justice League, then Conan, each wave is going to hook a few more collectors, and the audience will grow with every wave.

MIB as you said, the price is right, and the likenesses more often than not are spot-on. I can only imagine what figures we could be looking forward to this time next year, Solomon Grundy, Toyman, Deathstroke, Ma and Pa Kent 2-packs. Seems like at this point FTC is going to give us pretty much any figure we could dare dream of.

[MIB41]

Seems like at this point FTC is going to give us pretty much any figure we could dare dream of.

Amen. And the best part is they're not gouging my wallet in the effort.

[Mego Milk]

BRING EM!
I hope they make megos for a long long time!

[dchero66]

I've got pristine mint in package examples of my original favorites - Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Robin and Aquaman, plus the Hall of Justice and the carry case. The reproductions are great for characters I might still want but don't want to spend a fortune on. Batgirl, Joker and Wonder Girl I purchased immediately and save hundreds of dollars over originals. Having a mix is fine, because the originals are just that, and reproductions are obviously repros, but still completely fit in from a visual standpoint. I don't plan on duplicating any original characters I already have except Wonder Woman. Yes - pajama Wonder Woman. At the time that's all there was, the the FTC one is just different enough I can justify it - mine is the one without the plastic boots, the new one has a slightly updated head sculpt and I love the large character card art. Ones that are completely identical I see no need to duplicate. I liked the Mattel Retro Action, and got almost all of them - again they were different enough to justify. Now, I'm just waiting on FTC to do an exact repro of the Supergirl and a Clark Kent. I do agree they're good enough they will impact pricing on originals. I'm already seeing it actually...

[melkorjunior]

One thing I won't miss about vintage Megos is ebay prices. Also, ratty capes, missing oven mitts, holes in Spider-man's socks, repro decals, and paint scuffs on Green Goblin's hat. The vintage Mego hunt was never fun for me because I insist on mint-looking figures. I own precisely one all-original Mego now: The Wolfman. And even with that I found out that the boots it came with were from the wrong figure so I had to buy Mego replacements (luckily cheap because I got them out of an Action Jackson outfit set.) Everything else I own is knockoffs and repros, but I had a sentimental attachment to the Wolfman (and the original looks better than the CTVT version.)

I pray EMCE finds a way to at least give us Green Goblin and Hulk to go with Spider-Man, Iron Man and Cap; if they manage that I'll be happy. If I have to hunt down a vintage Green Goblin it'll be a royal pain in my backside.