Looking for advice on which brand of 8" DC figures to buy - Batman, Flash, Penguin

[Sabin]

Hi, i don't currently own any 8" Mego or Mego-style figures, but they look interesting and remind me of the Super Powers characters i had as a kid. I am going to definitely purchase Mego's recently released Robin, Joker, and Riddler as i think they all look great. But i'm not so sure about Batman, Flash, and Penguin and wondering if i should get them from a different company. I would prefer to have only 1 version of each character because of money and mostly space. I plan to open all the figures i purchase.

Mego's Batman looks pretty good, but i'm more a fan of the blue and gray Batman than the black and gray. Also i've heard that sometimes he has trouble standing. So i'm considering buying Figures Toy Company's Super Friends Batman, but his head kind of looks too big for his body (https://www.figurestoycompany.com/su...es3batman.aspx)
or FTC's New Adventures of Batman figure (https://www.figurestoycompany.com/ba...1-2-2-3-1.aspx).
How does the recent Mego figure compare to these two from FTC? Or does some other 8" Batman blow them all out of the water?

Mego's Flash also looks good, but i've seen that one of the boots comes attached to the package, warping the boot a little. The FTC Flash figures don't look good to me (his outfit doesn't look like it fits right and the lightning bolts are placed too far above the waist), but the Mattel Flash from around 2010 looks like a good figure. Who has the better Flash? Mego or Mattel?

Finally, Mego's Penguin doesn't look quite as good as some of FTC's. I like the look of their World's Greatest Super Heroes Penguin (https://www.figurestoycompany.com/ba...1-2-2-1-2.aspx).
The Batman TV series Penguin also looks pretty good (https://www.figurestoycompany.com/ba...wayne-1-1.aspx).
Which is the best Penguin between Mego and the 2 FTC's?

Any advice on any of these 3 characters is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, and i apologize for any rough formatting!

[Earth 2 Chris]

Personally, I would stick with Mego. FTC quality varies so wildly from figure to figure, I have personally avoided buying them for some time. The Batman '66 figures were nice for the most part, but some of their comic and Super Friend releases have some QC problems that bother me.

I know others are more forgiving, so your mileage may vary.

Mego will undoubtedly release a Blue/Gray Batman at some point. The rest of their Bat-Output is definitely classic Style Guide/Super Powers era material.

[sprytel]

Welcome Sabin! This is a topic where folks have A LOT of opinions...

So let's start with the easy one. The Mattel figure looks great in package, but the body is prone to being very floppy.

The FTC figures and Mego figures each have their selling points and their flaws. I personally prefer Mego, but I have figures from both companies in my collection and you certainly can "mix & match"... say, an FTC Batman with a Mego Robin.

The other option that should be mentioned is customization. Mego-style figures have a long history of customizing. It is really easy to restring them, swap parts, move them to sturdier and more articulated bodies, etc. So if you like the head from one figure and the suit from another, you could easily combine the best parts of each. FTC even sells parts for most of their DC figures via their classictvtoys.com site. That option can be more expensive, but if that is something you'd like to pursue, we have a customs section here on the Mego Museum Forums full of lots of helpful folks who can answer questions.

[ODBJBG]

I think you're better to just mix and match. Mego has not done a really good classic Batman and it's not clear if they ever will.

FTC's Batman goes great with Mego's new Robin though, as an example. There's no harm in mixing and matching.

Both companies have issues with the bodies, quality, etc. Overall I think Mego tends to be a touch better and they cost less, so they have that in their favor, but FTC has much more selection and some of their stuff is vastly more detailed. Pros and cons to both.

With Penguin and Joker, both companies offer a good choice (although FTC has more options of both) so I'd just say buy what you like, assemble a collection that suits your personal interests and don't get too bogged down in what's real, what's not, what others think, etc.

Do what makes you happy.

[CrimsonGhost]

Personally, I like the figures to be able to stand up on their own, so my choice is Mego.

[Sabin]

Hi Sprytel, thanks for your feedback! I'll probably pick-up the Mego Flash then, but i think i'm gonna get some of the Mattel figures eventually, like Captain Cold and Cheetah, because the FTC ones are sold out and i doubt that Mego will ever make Super Friends style versions of them. Great idea to customize! Maybe i could put the outfits and heads for those two characters on less-floppy bodies. That would probably work well.

[Sabin]

Personally, I would stick with Mego. FTC quality varies so wildly from figure to figure, I have personally avoided buying them for some time. The Batman '66 figures were nice for the most part, but some of their comic and Super Friend releases have some QC problems that bother me.

I know others are more forgiving, so your mileage may vary.

Mego will undoubtedly release a Blue/Gray Batman at some point. The rest of their Bat-Output is definitely classic Style Guide/Super Powers era material.

Thanks Chris! I hope you're right and Mego releases a blue/gray Batman. To me, it doesn't seem like they are releasing all that many DC figures.

Some of FTC's Super Friends characters do look quite questionable to me (most of the heroes actually), but a lot of the villians released later look pretty good, notably Lex Luthor, Gorilla Grodd, and Desaad. Maybe they improved over time?

[Sabin]

I think you're better to just mix and match. Mego has not done a really good classic Batman and it's not clear if they ever will.

FTC's Batman goes great with Mego's new Robin though, as an example. There's no harm in mixing and matching.

Both companies have issues with the bodies, quality, etc. Overall I think Mego tends to be a touch better and they cost less, so they have that in their favor, but FTC has much more selection and some of their stuff is vastly more detailed. Pros and cons to both.

With Penguin and Joker, both companies offer a good choice (although FTC has more options of both) so I'd just say buy what you like, assemble a collection that suits your personal interests and don't get too bogged down in what's real, what's not, what others think, etc.

Do what makes you happy.

Thanks! FTC's selection truly amazes me. it's too bad that their bodies aren't made a little bit better. At least Mego sounds like it has better quality overall, and figures like Robin and Riddler are a sure winner.

i'm so glad that "mixing & matching" is possible as you say. One of the things that is drawing me to the 8" figures is that there are so many DC figures out there from different companies, and they all match up in scale, allowing them to be displayed together.

[KingKickass1983]

I think I only own a small number of Mego figures that I haven't customized in some way...

The rest, were so close to being perfect but needed just something extra.

I do own a Shazam from the Mattel series, bought to see how the quality was. I was not pleased with the floppy legs.

A warning though...if you start customizing your figures...it's a rabbit hole that you can easily get lost in...I started with 1! LOL

[Brown Bear]

The easy answer is "buy what you like". Opinions are like.....well, you know......everyone got one. At the end of the day, you should buy whatever version you connect with, brings you joy and will make it fun to collect. Personally, I prefer the quality and price point Mego offers but there's no doubt FTC offered some mast-have's for me. Their Filmation Batman stirred more feelings than Mego's latest modern Batman. But it's hard to argue Mego's superiority in both quality and price.

[TrekStar]

For Penguin, I would pick up the 66 Batman tv series and transfer the body to a mego type 2 Penguin body, and don’t forget to pick up an umbrella from FTC too, JMO.

[Sabin]

The easy answer is "buy what you like". Opinions are like.....well, you know......everyone got one. At the end of the day, you should buy whatever version you connect with, brings you joy and will make it fun to collect. Personally, I prefer the quality and price point Mego offers but there's no doubt FTC offered some mast-have's for me. Their Filmation Batman stirred more feelings than Mego's latest modern Batman. But it's hard to argue Mego's superiority in both quality and price.

Brown Bear - i'm glad i'm not the only one who doesn't like Mego's modern Batman all that much. But which is FTC's filmation Batman? The New Adventures of Batman one? Thanks!

[Sabin]

For Penguin, I would pick up the 66 Batman tv series and transfer the body to a mego type 2 Penguin body, and don’t forget to pick up an umbrella from FTC too, JMO.

Thanks! i know the umbrella is a must-have for Penguin. Do you prefer him with an opened or closed one?

[Brown Bear]

Brown Bear - i'm glad i'm not the only one who doesn't like Mego's modern Batman all that much. But which is FTC's filmation Batman? The New Adventures of Batman one? Thanks!

Never said I didn’t like it. The head sculpt is amazing. Just not “my” Batman

[Sabin]

I think I only own a small number of Mego figures that I haven't customized in some way...

The rest, were so close to being perfect but needed just something extra.

I do own a Shazam from the Mattel series, bought to see how the quality was. I was not pleased with the floppy legs.

A warning though...if you start customizing your figures...it's a rabbit hole that you can easily get lost in...I started with 1! LOL

That's good to know. Thanks! Have your customized any of the recent Mego DC figures, or are they generally up to snuff?