No one else will say it. So I will. The new stuff looks bad.

[MIB41]

It's all just geek opinion, I guess, so here's mine.

The Alfred head is laughably large and looks pretty much like the prototype did, which means Commissioner Gordon is in the same boat. The Batman 66 are a little bloated, but close enough, they did a beautiful job on them for the most part. But Alfred is a different species.

Until proven otherwise think any head FTC makes that isn't a direct copy of a Mego is at high risk of being out of scale.

I'm glad that people are taking a positive attitude, even those who recognize the problem and are prepared to live with it. I too will buy them and enjoy the experience of new ReMegos coming out and the excitement and energy it brings to the community. My son wants that Alfred and I will let you know if he cares about the head.

I recognize I'm a little "touched" when it comes to this stuff.

But it IS important to me and I consider it a REAL SHAME. These new characters have been a very long time in coming and there is really only ONE chance to get it right. The Battlestar Galactica figures are physically deformed as far as I am concerned, and no one is ever going to correct that. It's likely no one will ever spend the money to license and tool that line in Mego scale again so there was one chance to get it right and add them to the Mego lineage where they properly belonged.

FTC is doing a great job is sticking to the Mego script---The goal, in my mind, is to create new WGSH that fit pleasurably next to the originals---to continue the original line and correct historical oversights. So I can live with botching Alfred and even the Commish, minor characters I didn't need in my childhood toybox----but if the same thing happens with FLASH, GREEN LANTERN, HAWKMAN, etc, then it's a real shame because it's probably the last chance to get it right.

They may sell them out regardless, they may have lots of adoring fans on Facebook as they should---but from my perspective if they do not look like the same species as the original they've failed and a great opportunity was missed.

I say that and immediately acknowledge that this FTC line represents a SECOND chance for some characters that were less than successful as Retro Action Mattels (though aside from the horrible bodies the costumes and heads were FANTASTIC). But that's gotta be the last time, right? I doubt someone is going to come along in 10 years and correct FTC's mistakes, and even if they did we'd all be too old to care!

It's not life and death. It's not curing cancer. They are just toys.

But they are important enough that we've loved and obsessed over them for 40 years. So please, get it right.

Well said Scott.

[Mego Magyar]

I noticed that it just showed conan with his axe and not his sword and belt for the sword. I hope this is a mistake. Anyone else notice?

Yea even though they are in the picture on the packaging and the Kull figure has the sword and sword belt and they aren't pictured on his packaging.

[jwyblejr]

I'm applying the prototype rule here and waiting until the production pieces hit. The heads should fix themselves in production once their sized and molded in the materials as the others.

Yeah,I'm thinking that's the case with Mxy. I'm guessing they put an original Mego head on a smaller body. Hopefully the head they make will be closer to the size it's suppose to be.

[PNGwynne]

The FTC copies of Mego heads have been slightly smaller so far, like the bodies.

On a character like Mxyzptlk (or Bat-Mite) the head is usually drawn disproportionally large to the body.

Let's hope it all meets somewhere in-between for the reissue.

[boss]

I agree totally with what Scott said above. I'd also like to mention that Dave and Jason were able to get the head scale correct on the figures they released. And from my limited time with the company, here's how they did it. First, they calculated the amount of shrinkage that would occur when the factory made molds BEFORE the factory tooled the head (BTW, they did this with bodies, too). The prototypes sent to the factory were correctly scaled. Second (and more importantly) the few times that the heads were not the correct size, they insisted the factory redo them (sometimes at their expense). I distinctly remember Jason showing me factory produced phantom heads that were too big. Then he showed me the corrected factory head next to it. It can be done correctly, somebody just has to want it to be done correctly.

I've left my 2 cents on the counter.

[hedrap]

If we do not voice what we do not like about the product to a company that has shown it does respond to to critiques and complaints (tight bodies have improved) that they find valid or that they can adjust within the production process, then we are actually doing FTC a disservice.

Exactly. That's why I have little patience for cheerleading companies. Their business model comes first and foremost, and if the buyers say nothing about quality, then they have zero incentive to change flaws. Cheerleaders disrupt that relationship because - more than often - they're trying to get in good with the company. It blurs the market to the point where you don't know whose a legit fan and whose working for the company via social media.

In my first post I originally wrote about, (then deleted because it was late), how in around a decade, FTC can produce Demonic Devil and Korak - which are fantastic - but whiff on dozens of others. I don't question the guys who run FTC are avid fans, but I also know the business has to come first. What I do know is there are costs involved with achieving scale that I'm not aware of, and those costs all effect the pricepoint. But I also know after nearly ten years, the only consistency with FTC is the inconsistency of the product.

So I can guess the argument - if Mego were producing today, they would have the same results because the methods, plants and materials are not the same as forty years ago. But that doesn't square with EMCE's work for Mattel and DST. The RA heads are fantastic, as are the Trek and Monsters. That shows the BBP output is their choice, because Doc does know the process to achieve correct scale.

With FTC, this didn't matter when they were pumping out sitcom lines or Mego knock-offs. When they grabbed DC, it all changes because the retail price has to go up to pay for license. Five years ago you could buy their knock-off lines of Robin Hood, Pirates and Mad Monsters 2 for 20 uncarded, directly from them. That was totally fair because you were bound to run into issues. At 25/figure, those issues no longer fly.

For example, I can make a better Bizarro for about 16. If the response is a flippant "then go right ahead"...then this venture is short-lived. If you look at the timeline, Alfred got a pass because the Batman '66 final products were a notch above the protos. The majority will be thrilled to buy the '66 line stays at its current quality, but the sales will steadily decline with all the other waves if they don't address a nearly ten-year old problem, once and for all. FTC has no idea how much cash they've lost from me over the years, because they can't/won't get this right.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

When we saw the pre-release shots of the Batman 66 figures, I was convinced that the baggy costumes were already made and past the point of fixing. And they did a nice job fixing those. So you never know. But I'm still not optimistic about the heads. We have seen the factory shots, and they have bins full of those heads.

On the other hand the sculpts for Ras and Scarecrow looked fine, and those have been out for a few months. I'm sure they are working to resolve the issue, and the Korak head being perfect is cause for optimism.

I will say this: If they still have this issue with Flash, Hawkman and Green Lantern the criticism will be much louder. Hopefully they get it straightened out before then.

[hedrap]

Scott - I could not agree with you more. Putting this in the perspective of a final, last shot really gets to the heart of the frustration.

Boss - thanks for the insight. I didn't want to imply the FTC correction has not been made because it's cost-prohibitive, but it's hard to deny. I should have mentioned the CAW/Zica releases since they were scale-correct, also.

Here's a simple example - the amount of sales FTC ignored simply by not producing scale-accurate female characters has always been head-shaking to me. A Kelly Bundy, Marsha Brady or Space 1999 Maya would be in everyone's collection as a custom.

[DaBillmann]

I, personally, am fine with heads that are a little too big. Probably because ,i have been told MY head is a little too big, so for me it makes them more life like. LOL.

I love that they put Myx on a teen body. Though, by the same token, a little sad, because i used to use my old fat bodied Myx as a Batman villain. (Admit it, the old Myx looks like he could be a villain from the tv show, LOL.)

My only real problem with what I have seen so far involves the new figures, lik comissioner Godron and Alfred. Those figures look more detailed, like the Batman 66 series and, in my de cidedly less than humble opinion, don't fit well with the retro figures. As Player said, not nearly enough of a problem to keep me from buying them. (The fact that I am trying to support both my wife and I on just MY paycheck is what keeps me from buying them)

And even if I never get them, even if there are problems with the line, I simply love that somebody decided to do this. Mego's were the prized action figures from my childhood and the thing i miss the most.

[megoscott]

There's no question hitting the mark on vinyl heads is a tricky process and there's a steep learning curve with 5,000 miles and several languages between you and your manufacturer. I do not know what expense and time delay incurs when you have to correct something. I know BBP did send a couple of heads back on LOST, but on BSG maybe the timing (? Delivered by SDCC?) or maybe logistics (redoing both helmets and heads) didn't allow that modification maybe. I also know they didn't work with Doc as closely back then some things like color tone and head quality were out of EMCE's hands.

Presidential Monsters and (I think) the Universal Monsters for DST abandoned vinyl for the predictabilty and detail afforded by cast plastic. There's no bigger Mego purist than Huckabone and he stayed away from vinyl on his heads (and made a taller body as well).

I prefer the vinyl. When it's right it's just SO RIGHT. The FTC Painted cowl Batman is a knock out. I can't say I'd whine any less if Alfred was a hard head in proper scale.

I'm not saying that these companies don't care, I know they are trying to create a quality product and overseas manufacturing in such small runs is really hard to do and so much money is on the line for them. If fixing a head means delaying a figure for 6 months and adding xxx$ to the cost I don't know what I would do and I don't know their circumstances.

I think as long as people advocate for improvements in reasonably respectful manner we have a duty to say our peace.

But I gotta say, when I hear people say "The originals weren't perfect" or something akin to "It's good enough for a Mego" I get mad. I have shelves full of awesome Megos that all match each other. A few late run zombies and Ponch pumpkin heads aside... Their bodies still work, they don't fall apart when I play with them, I can give them to my kid and have reasonable confidence I won't be stringing them back together or replacing arms. Some of these ReMegos have a long way to go to catch up to their grandfathers.

[hedrap]

On the other hand the sculpts for Ras and Scarecrow looked fine, and those have been out for a few months. I'm sure they are working to resolve the issue, and the Korak head being perfect is cause for optimism.

I will say this: If they still have this issue with Flash, Hawkman and Green Lantern the criticism will be much louder. Hopefully they get it straightened out before then.

But that's the point. Maybe it's because you're newer to this hobby, but FTC has never bothered to correct it in the past, and now we're looking at them doing the same shoddy approach to DC. I promise, if they screw up a major character - like Teen Titans Robin but with a standard WGSH Robin-size head - that's insult to injury and future pre-orders will drop like a rock.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

Exactly. That's why I have little patience for cheerleading companies. Their business model comes first and foremost, and if the buyers say nothing about quality, then they have zero incentive to change flaws. Cheerleaders disrupt that relationship because - more than often - they're trying to get in good with the company. It blurs the market to the point where you don't know whose a legit fan and whose working for the company via social media.

Or maybe some of us just can't find as much to complain about as some of you do? I think some of you forget that for many of us, these figures were the first we bought from FTC. So we have no idea what their quality issues were like 10 years ago, we can only go on what we see now. From my experience, the only major quality issue I've seen is Batman Wave 1 and 2 the bodies were too tight. With Wave 3, the bodies were fine. That tells me they are listening to customer complaints and addressing them as they can. Which is why I am willing to criticize less, as long as they show me they can find the problems and fix them.

I didn't buy from FTC 10 years ago or even a year ago, so whatever quality issues they did or did not have in the past can't cloud my judgement of what they are doing today. So far I am quite pleased with the figures I've bought from them, and will continue to buy more until they change for the worse. What I've seen so far suggests to me that won't be an issue.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

But that's the point. Maybe it's because you're newer to this hobby, but FTC has never bothered to correct it in the past, and now we're looking at them doing the same shoddy approach to DC. I promise, if they screw up a major character - like Teen Titans Robin but with a standard WGSH Robin-size head - that's insult to injury and future pre-orders will drop like a rock.

We heard the same thing here with their tight bodies. Then they corrected them in the newest waves, and now we've switched gears to how the heads are too big and they'll never fix them.

Just like they would never fix the tight bodies. As I said, when a company shows me that they are working to fix problems, I tend to criticize them less. Whatever happened 10 years ago is something I can't speak to, I can only address what's happening now, and I am encouraged by what I am seeing from FTC.

[megoscott]

I don't think there's any doubt that they are working to make these the best they can be. Their quality has steadily improved from the early 2000s and we've even started to see some real creativity and innovation from them, especially with the Batman 66 line. Huge credit to them for their output and enthusiasm, I can't keep up with them.

But the head size is a real big deal, no pun intended, mostly as it leads to worry over future majorly important characters. A steady drum beat of encouragement and constructive criticism is warranted. It's when we get shrill, cynical, and heavy handed that we get tuned out and dismissed. Blind cheerleaders and myopic critics are both ineffective.

[PNGwynne]

On the other hand the sculpts for Ras and Scarecrow looked fine, and those have been out for a few months. I'm sure they are working to resolve the issue, and the Korak head being perfect is cause for optimism.

I will say this: If they still have this issue with Flash, Hawkman and Green Lantern the criticism will be much louder. Hopefully they get it straightened out before then.

I agree. Scott's point about FTC standing on the shelf appropriately with vintage Mego & the best of reMego is a hope & concern for most here. And I don't think fans and fanboys alike are off base in expecting modern FTC to avoid some of vintage Mego's shortcomings.