Batman Retro Series 1 production samples from Figures Toy

[GAFan]

Well said and the pictures on their site do say "prototype pictured" right on the image. When you've been collecting as long as we have you do generally have the idea by now that toys don't often exactly match their mock ups and protos.

I was thinking the same thing. Look at the prototype picture of the secret identities in the gallery. Following the logic of some people (who I normally respect and agree with), they wouldn't have bought the secret identity figures because the outfits were different. I see these as an homage to the megos of my youth. Will I pick them up? I don't know yet, but I applaud them for the attempt and thank them for making them available.

[PNGwynne]

The colors are wrong. The textures and materials are wrong. The graphics are hideous.

Can you think of another industry where such broad, general interpretations of the original are acceptable as "reproduction" items? ... it seems that dead-on accuracy is the objective. Not some loose composite of every version of the product ever manufactured.

Imagine someone wanting a reproduction silver part for their antique watch, and coming across one made of tin that looks only mostly like the original sculpt. No sale.

These are being touted as "reproductions" of the original Mego WGSH -- right down to the minutiae of offering painted- versus removable-masks. Yet from what I've seen thus far, FTC toys are a far cry from the accuracy or detail such claims suggest.

-b

Er...ok. If you say so--but you know that your analogy about watch parts is inaccurate. We are not discussing silver versus tin. A typical vintage Mego Batman features a vinyl head, plastic body with rubber & metal rigging, plastic belt & boots, knit polyester bodysuit with sewn-in trunks & metal snaps, a nylon cape, vinyl "oven-mitt" gloves, & a printed paper or cloth emblem.

By all appearances, the FTC Batman features just these components. You personally don't like the darker blue--I do, but I concede that periwinkle would have been more accurate. FTC is using poly single-knit ("Jet-Set"), which is the closest contemporary fabric to vintage Mego knit. They did not use lycra/spandex, cotton jersey, or milliskin as other remegoes sometimes have.

The proof will be in the details once we handle the figures. How is the body? FTC paint apps are typically good, & they have improved their head castings--less squishy. The gloves appear to be matte/textured now, which was a concern of mine. FTC boots have typically been thinner & closer to vintage boots than some others. The cape is sewn poorly--that is a drawback.

FTC erred in calling these "exact" reproductions & using saturated "Benbarb" photos of vintage Mego in its ads. These should have been solicited as "modern reproductions" or even "detailed reproductions of original" (as Emce Trek was). CTVT/FTC packaging has always been poor, and most here knew that the ads were disingenuous. So they have set themselves up a little.

But crappy knock-off?--I don't think so yet, either in relation to their earlier product or remegoes in general.

[megoscott]

It's close, they look a lot closer than they might have, they haven't embarrassed themselves or totally disgraced the Mego legacy, which was a real fear based on past performance. I need to see one up close and hold it in my hand to render a final judgement, but it seems like they didn't stick the landing.

I absolutely agree they shot themselves in the foot by using gorgeous original Megos as their "prototype" pictures, which they are doing again today with the Teen Titans. That, and promising "exact reproductions".

That is to say, they may have shot themselves in the foot with us hardcore Mego fans. Casual fans will not be so disturbed by the differences if they notice them at all.

Promising fans an exact duplicate of a toy that they have had a very close and somewhat emotional relationship with for 40 years is a recipe for a let-down. We have a lot of very discerning people here and the details really matter. To paraphrase Gil from Breaking Bad, 93% pure vs 99% pure may not seem like a lot, but it's a world of difference.

In the end, what here say and feel has no bearing on their final success. Making hardcore Mego fans happy is somewhat important in this business but getting the rest of the world on board is what counts for sales. You should expect the fans at the Mego Museum to pick apart your product, but it doesn't matter if they love it or not if you can't sell casual fans on it.

For that reason I think they would have been much better served with a better mix of characters and new figures. The rest of the world doesn't care about copies of the Montgomery Wards Secret Identities. Most of us don't either. The Secret IDs are special only because they are rare and legendary. Otherwise they are just dumb dolls in bad suits.

I hope they make it through these initial waves so they can start making new characters that don't have to suffer in comparison to the original. If the new ones are designed properly so they look as close to original Megos as these look it will be really exciting. This Batman will not look perfect standing next to an original Batman, but a Flash made in the same style might really fit in well.

And it really is a shame they didn't come to some of us for graphic design help.

[exoduschj]

I saw these pics yesterday and was very pleasantly surprised with the darker and more consistent coloring. I'm loving these so far and can't wait to get them. Great job Figures Toy Company! I can't wait to see Superman with darker blue and red! Overall these are bypassing my expectations!

[CrimsonGhost]

As far as the color goes, DC has model sheets that have the approved Pantone colors already worked out on it. I'm sure they had to follow the guidelines.

[PNGwynne]

Well said, Scott.

And CG, you make a good point about the DC-approved copy-art & colors. I personally don't care for it (Mattel did better), but it is still more polished than typical CTVT stuff.

[rchatlin]

I was thinking the same thing. Look at the prototype picture of the secret identities in the gallery. Following the logic of some people (who I normally respect and agree with), they wouldn't have bought the secret identity figures because the outfits were different. I see these as an homage to the megos of my youth. Will I pick them up? I don't know yet, but I applaud them for the attempt and thank them for making them available.

I feel the difference is that they weren't showing prototypes for a "new" product,
but rather a stated promise of "exact reproductions" of something we all obsess over.

So yes, we will notice that they're not exact - they're close, but then again so are a lot of the custom figures made by the talented folks here.

r
o
b

[sprytel]

I'm curious... Was there this kind of backlash when EMCE put out the Trek figures? Because they weren't 100% exact reproductions?

The colors/fabrics were a bit off on the Trek figures, too. The stripes on the blue shirts were silver instead of gold. And yet, I gladly purchased them. They were the "gateway drug" that got me back into my childhood Megos... and that got me onto this site.

I suspect this line could do the same for a lot of other people who loved the WGSH line. People who aren't currently obsessively searching eBay for vintage Megos. People who don't even remember the original color because by their original figure was faded, stained, and well-loved. Those people seem more the target demographic for these figures.

[MegoMark71]

So for us that are a bit late....Where are these going to be sold?

[PNGwynne]

I'm curious... Was there this kind of backlash when EMCE put out the Trek figures? Because they weren't 100% exact reproductions?

The colors/fabrics were a bit off on the Trek figures, too. The stripes on the blue shirts were silver instead of gold. And yet, I gladly purchased them. They were the "gateway drug" that got me back into my childhood Megos... and that got me onto this site.

Finally, someone puts this into perspective--thank you.

I have vintage & Emce Trek & enjoy them both; this might be the case with WGSH, too. I certainly couldn't say that about knights, monsters, pirates, or even merry men.

[UnderdogDJLSW]

I'm curious... Was there this kind of backlash when EMCE put out the Trek figures?

I think there were comments about Scotty's red head and the silver bands on the light blue for the new Treks, but as I alluded to before, everyone has the right to voice their concerns. (as long as it doesn't turn into any sort of rage, and I do believe anyone who has posted so far has been unreasonable.

Again, looking at this from a Collector's perspective - not 100%, but looking at it from my son's 8 year old perspective the idea of having figure he doesn't have, yet is awesome. (And that includes Bruce and Dick - as he wants to have the alter egos for his adventures). I have been waiting to see what comes out before the holidays before I promise him anything, but hopefully at least Riddler will. I personally am excited to see my son excited about these.

[HardyGirl]

Again, looking at this from a Collector's perspective - not 100%, but looking at it from my son's 8 year old perspective the idea of having figure he doesn't have, yet is awesome. (And that includes Bruce and Dick - as he wants to have the alter egos for his adventures). I have been waiting to see what comes out before the holidays before I promise him anything, but hopefully at least Riddler will. I personally am excited to see my son excited about these.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; that's what it's all about. The passing of the torch, sharing the Mego love. Getting the kids into these as much as we once were. I hope we get to see some snaps of your son enjoying these. (even if they're only back of his head!)

[hedrap]

I understand the concern at feeling conned by the protos, but as pointed out by PNG, Scott and CG, the materials and dyes are no longer the same, along with the WB Quality Control, which we sure as hell know didn't exist for WGSH!

Also take into consideration how Mego prototypes differentiated from final product. SI Parker is the poster boy for "one of these things is not like the other..."

Scott, though, makes the best point. If they're banking on the diehards to buy all of these, they have a sad day ahead of them. My kids would rather kitbash their own and it saves me 10-15 a figure. I keep thinking they're releasing these waves because they already have most of the master parts, so the investment isn't as deep.

IMO, they should have waited and started with Batman '66. Pre-order sell out.

[MIB41]

It's close, they look a lot closer than they might have, they haven't embarrassed themselves or totally disgraced the Mego legacy, which was a real fear based on past performance. I need to see one up close and hold it in my hand to render a final judgement, but it seems like they didn't stick the landing.

I absolutely agree they shot themselves in the foot by using gorgeous original Megos as their "prototype" pictures, which they are doing again today with the Teen Titans. That, and promising "exact reproductions".

That is to say, they may have shot themselves in the foot with us hardcore Mego fans. Casual fans will not be so disturbed by the differences if they notice them at all.

Promising fans an exact duplicate of a toy that they have had a very close and somewhat emotional relationship with for 40 years is a recipe for a let-down. We have a lot of very discerning people here and the details really matter. To paraphrase Gil from Breaking Bad, 93% pure vs 99% pure may not seem like a lot, but it's a world of difference.

In the end, what here say and feel has no bearing on their final success. Making hardcore Mego fans happy is somewhat important in this business but getting the rest of the world on board is what counts for sales. You should expect the fans at the Mego Museum to pick apart your product, but it doesn't matter if they love it or not if you can't sell casual fans on it.

For that reason I think they would have been much better served with a better mix of characters and new figures. The rest of the world doesn't care about copies of the Montgomery Wards Secret Identities. Most of us don't either. The Secret IDs are special only because they are rare and legendary. Otherwise they are just dumb dolls in bad suits.

I hope they make it through these initial waves so they can start making new characters that don't have to suffer in comparison to the original. If the new ones are designed properly so they look as close to original Megos as these look it will be really exciting. This Batman will not look perfect standing next to an original Batman, but a Flash made in the same style might really fit in well.

And it really is a shame they didn't come to some of us for graphic design help.

BINGO! From my perspective, Scott's statement puts this to bed.

[Scousebadger]

I have to say I agree with a lot of what MegoScott has to say.

The line is going to make or break on what the general public think? Who is really going to be interested in buying their kids figures/dolls dressed in 1970s clothing?

Especially when you have the likes of Fisher-Price and their Imaginext DC range doing fantastic looking figures as well as amazing playsets and vehicles.

The only people who would consider buying the FTC figures are either people who remember the WGSH from the first time around, or those who collect them anyway.

So it seems a bit mad to start off by releasing a whole slew of figures that Mego did so well 40 years ago and that are still available to those who want them on the secondary market. Unless FTC are not confident in their ability to come up with new product that would match or complement the original WGSH range. If so, then the line won't last beyond reproductions of the original range.