Casshan or Jinzo Ningen Casshan as it's known in Japan, first appeared in 1973. It's the story of a young man reborn as a cybernetic hero. Casshan's main enemies are the Neroids, robots sworn to defend Earth's environment, trouble is, they think getting rid of mankind is the best way to accomplish this goal. More information and pictures of Casshan can be found at JapanHero.com and International Hero.

While not well known to North American audiences, Casshan (sometimes referred to as Casshern) did see broadcast in many European markets including Italy.

Italian toy company New Gioco had been successful with many Mego items in the past such as 2-XL and decided to collaborate with Mego on an action figure line, notabley Casshan.

According to John Bonavita this figure was obtained by his friend, longtime collector Christiano at an Italian toyshow. The dealer of the figure said it was a sample from New Gioco and was never produced. There are only two Casshan figures known to exist, this one is still tied to a partial package.

According to John, the figure itself is a hybrid, a Hong Kong produced Mego type 2 body with white hands and a vinyl head. The outfit would have been produced and manufactured in Italy, no doubt to appeal to some sort of importation law. Another known hybrid is the Ultraman Leo figure from Japan.

The packaging would have been a solid box similiar to the Doctor Who line.

This amazing figure would have been the new highlight in John's planned fourth edition of "Mego Action Figure Toys" had the publisher not made a blanket decision to scrap all books on toys. We are honoured to showcase it here at the MegoMuseum.

For more pictures please visit the New Casshan page in the Television Gallery.

This remarkable find, a previously unknown 8 inch Mego figure concludes the month of updates from Bonavita's Box of Wonder.

John Bonavita was always generous with the Mego Museum from day one when he gave permission to use pictures from his book. To have received this box of treasures was an unexpected thrill and it's been a pleasure to share it with the world.

Thanks, John, from Megoheads everywhere!

Box of Wonders brought to you by MM Curator & Editor in Chief Brian Heiler, and Scott Adams, MM Founder and Art Director.

This press proof prototype for the Pocket Heroes White Card series is a remarkable object. Finding such a proof card is more commonplace among Star Wars Collectors but for Megoheads, it's practically unheard of! The card is unique for not having a punch hole, and it was most likely the first finished card. The card itself is autographed by Megos' Director of Creative Services Tom Lavely, the late Mr Lavely was a great source of information for John while researching Mego. For larger pictures, visit the new Prototype Card page in our Pocket Heroes Gallery.

January 10, 2006: Prototype Two-Up Klingon from Star Trek: The Motion Picture animal sex video Click to Enlarge and appreciate the detail. Another astounding pic from the John Bonavita archive is a shot of the original Mego "Two Up" of the 3 3/4" Klingon Figure sculpted by Bill Lemmon. "Two-Up" means the prototype's size in relation to the actual production run; two sizes bigger or three times the size of the production size. In this case the figure looks to be 7" tall. This comparison shot goes to show how much of the original figures detail was lost back then in the conversion from 7" Sculpture to 3 3/4" figure. The Two up shows a great deal of workmanship and should give a new found respect into the quality put into this line. This item is featured in the Star Trek Gallery. Friday, January 13th, 2006: The New Avengers John Steed Bowler Hat British toy distributor Denys Fisher, working with Mego, had planned to release a series of 12" Action dolls based on the 1977 television series "The New Avengers". For whatever reason, the plug was pulled on the line save for the 12" Purdy fashion doll and her outfits, plus a board game. No figures of Steed or Gambit were known to exist. A few years ago, John Bonavita received a letter from a South African die cast collector who claimed to have owned figures from The New Avengers Denys Fisher line. To prove his point, the collector sent John the only thing left from his Steed doll, the trademark Bowler hat! With the recent South African discovery of Mego Jet Jungle it seems that now more than ever there are some missing pieces to the Mego puzzle yet to be found.... For more pictures and information, visit the new "New Avengers" page in the remodeled Television Gallery. Friday, January 20, 2006: The Discovery of the Lili Ledy Green Lantern Head. In the mid eighties, well-known collector John MacGonagle made claim to finding 8" versions of Green Lantern and Flash at a toy show. His excitement was dulled by his realization that while the figures resembled Mego, there were subtle production issues with the bodies and outfits that made him dismiss them as knockoffs. Many have theorized that John had discovered Lili Ledy versions of the characters and didn't know it. Years later, super collector John Bonavita received the surprise of his life in a box of parts: A Lili Ledy Green Lantern Head! Much like the foreign Superpowers Riddler, The Ledy Green Lantern is based on an existing figure, this time it's a retooled Ledy Superman head. The figure poses many questions. Did Lili Ledy produce a Green Lantern or is this figure a sophisiticated knock-off? (NOTE most Mego knockoffs found from Mexico are of MUCH lower quality) The head is marked Lili Ledy on the back of the neck. If Ledy did produce it, why is there no trace of Green Lantern on the Ledy box art (which like Mego's featured other characters on the sides) or other material? Many of these questions may remain unanswered as the Mexican toy collector community is small and shrouded in mystery. Find more pictures of this intriguing find on our new Lili Ledy page.