Vintage Mego: The Lost Continent (Action Jackson or Planet of the Apes?)

[RSS]

Vintage Mego takes a look this week at the 1974 Mego Playset “The Lost Continent” which is available in both Action Jackson branded packaging and one that states it’s for the Mego Planet of the Apes figures. Which one is it? We reveal our theory as to why this may have happened. Discuss…

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[PNGwynne]

I love the format of this playset and you showcase it well. It's one of my favorites--largely due to the extras--and I bought a MIB one from a kind member here so my OMBC Cro-Magnons would have a play environment.

I'll bet Aurora's articulated dino models would work well in it.

[Werewolf]

I'm surprised they didn't re-release that for the One Million BC line.

[PNGwynne]

No, they should have made that unique OMBC tree-house I now dream of. But mainly because it would look so very cool with my Merry Men.

I have playset "issues."

[Treadwell]

I thought there was a trace of lettering behind "POTA" on the box, so I played with it in Photoshop. Look at what I made black in the second picture. It seems they printed white (I guess) over the existing AJ letters before printing the black POTA letters!

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[monitor_ep]

Again I do not remember this set. I will keep thinking that if Mego had released this under the Marvel with Kazar it could have sold better. I am surprised I didn't get one, since DC Comics had Dinosaur Island and Marvel had Savage Land this would have been a great playset to include them. Then again back in those days we were strapped for money and did good to get a new action figure once a week.

[alex]

Still my grail aquire after 15 years ;(

[palitoy]

I'll bet Aurora's articulated dino models would work well in it.

When I owned the One Million BC Dinosaurs, I set them up in this for a while, it looked great.

I'm surprised they didn't re-release that for the One Million BC line.

I'm not, they got three uses out of that pattern and probably felt it wise to retire it.

I thought there was a trace of lettering behind "POTA" on the box, so I played with it in Photoshop. Look at what I made black in the second picture. It seems they printed white (I guess) over the existing AJ letters before printing the black POTA letters!

That's interesting, I would have largely assumed that they would have just done a plate switch.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Watching this tonight! I was always a bit flummoxed this preceded my beloved Batcave.

Chris

[Mr.Marion]

Watching this tonight! I was always a bit flummoxed this preceded my beloved Batcave.

Chris

Yeah the Batcave was the best utilized one. It looks like a real Batcave and the mat is a perfect parking spot for the Batmobile. The Batcomputer is the lame but you could swap it out for the recent 1966 Mattel one .

[Confessional]

Brilliant toy crossover fun!

I'm also thinking this also appealed to the still-popular dinosaur/cavemen/exploitation/stop motion craze in the pop culture of the era, with a little push on the cross-marketing for good measure.

[palitoy]

Brilliant toy crossover fun!

I'm also thinking this also appealed to the still-popular dinosaur/cavemen/exploitation/stop motion craze in the pop culture of the era, with a little push on the cross-marketing for good measure.

I think Action Jackson could have stood to have a little more of this. With his size, giant spiders would have been more menacing, Sharks bigger, etc.

[Confessional]

^^ Exactly! Many of AJ's persona were unappealing (to me at the time) outside of the soldier theme, but adding danger, enemies, and monsters?… well that would have entirely reinvented the line and added more play-time mash-ups me thinks.

[Wee67]

I'm not, they got three uses out of that pattern and probably felt it wise to retire it.

I think Mego should've taken on the creative challenge to re-purpose this for every one of their 8" lines. I would have loved to see what they came up with for WOZ or S&H or even Dinah.

[PNGwynne]

Again I do not remember this set. I will keep thinking that if Mego had released this under the Marvel with Kazar it could have sold better. I am surprised I didn't get one, since DC Comics had Dinosaur Island and Marvel had Savage Land this would have been a great playset to include them. Then again back in those days we were strapped for money and did good to get a new action figure once a week.

One a week! My average was quarterly: October birthday, Christmas, Easter basket. Summer allowance. I always did very well at Christmas, though.

Others have echoed your good Savage Land idea. Could be Skartaris, too.