12" vs. 8" figures

[johnh19]

First time poster here. I was "too old" to even notice Mego's when they came out in the 70's but I did have Captain Action and Major Matt Mason in the 60's. Anyway, I saw Benjamin's book at my local bookstore and, despite the fact that I knew next to nothing about the WGSH figures, I was smitten with the quantity and quality of the photographs. I immediately googled Mego when I got home, found this website, signed up and ordered the book online to save almost $20 from the store price. I have enjoyed it very much since I received it a couple of weeks ago.

Okay, so then I search on eBay to see what Mego superhero figures are available and how much they go for when I see a 12" Batman still in the package for a Buy It Now price of $74.95. I'm thinking that sounds like a good deal but I don't know enough about Mego collecting to pull the trigger. Also, I've been spending a ton on the Bay lately, but that's beside the point.

My question is; what is the relative value of the 12" figures compared to the 8" and, if there is a big difference, why?

Thanks a lot.

John

[toys2cool]

Hi John and welcome!

well the 8" line is definitely more popular and more expensive.But $75 for a mib Batman sounds like a pretty good deal,they usually go from $75-$110

[palitoy]

Hi John,

Welcome aboard!

With regards to the 12" figures, their value is lower for a couple of reasons:

1) The initial order of these were made entirely for foreign markets, Canada taking the brunt. A warehouse find of Spider-man and Batman in the 80's provided collectors with thousands of MIB examples. Still $75 is a decent price for MIB Batman.

2) The 8" line is just way more popular. Mego didn't release their own 12' figures (which are differ to the foreign versions) until 1979 when Superheroes were waning in popularity.

There are many 12" Mego figures that are rare and expensive though, the Foreign issue Superman can set you back 200-300 and the foreign 9" Robin 400-500. A purple boxed Magnetic Batman is probably the rarest, I'd put him in the 2k area.

[Dave Mc]

Glad you found Mego John. Welcome to the boards. For a excellent education on what was available from Mego, make sure you check out the Museum proper, the gallerys and such. There is a wealth of information.

[rchatlin]

The 8" figures also offered a much greater variety of characters,
across all the lines.

r
o
b

[palitoy]

The 8" figures also offered a much greater variety of characters,
across all the lines.

This is true, the 12" line only released 8 heroes all told and only one villain kids would have recognized.

[samurainoir]

I love the 8", but nostalgically, as a Canadian who was playing with Megos in the late seventies, the 12" line was what I mostly owned and desired.

Little did I know the "skinny body" Canadian release Superman and 9" Robin that I owned as a kid would be so expensive to try and reaquire as an adult! Mine were played with until there were only a handful of body parts left to them.

[johnh19]

Thanks for the responses, guys! I should have mentioned that the Batman was indeed a Canadian issue.

John

[ScottA]

Welcome aboard John. The only 12" figure I'm really still after is Cap America. He seems to be tough to find at a good price.

[Meule]

Welcome aboard, John.
Benjamin will be pleased to hear that his book is what brought you here and sparked a love for Mego