RIP Berto aka Blue Meanie

[palitoy]

I am really sorry to announce that Roberto Ligotti has passed suddenly.

We hadn't spoken in some time but I always imagined we would again sometime.

Roberto was a fixture here and always contributed. He was generous with his knowledge and a true part of this community. At MegoMeet, he was always jovial and brought cool stuff, including his brother Tom, into the Museum family.

I'll have more to say on this but I'd rather hear your recollections of him.

[Type3Toys]

Roberto was literally a part of Mego history. He and Tom were one of my favorite parts of megomeet. This just sucks.

[Nostalgiabuff]

oh man, I am so sorry to hear this. One of our own. RIP Berto. Condolences to his family

[noelani72]

Saddened I'll never see him again. Heartbreaking.

[SeattleEd]

Oh no!!! My Beatles buddy. I was wondering why I havent heard from him. Any one what happened?
Man, this just sucks.
RIP Berto. Thank you for everything.

[boss]

Tremendously saddened to hear this news. He, and Tom, always made me feel welcome at Mego Meet. Nearly all of the rare/cool Mego items in my collection came from Berto. My deepest condolences to Tom and the rest of his family.

[palitoy]

Tremendously saddened to hear this news. He, and Tom, always made me feel welcome at Mego Meet. Nearly all of the rare/cool Mego items in my collection came from Berto.

I agree on both things. The table was usually my first destination, and well, this room I am in now has several favourite pieces I got from him for an absolutely fair price. He was an incredibly convivial man in person; he always looked very happy at the Meets.

[darklord1967]

Oh no.

Roberto Ligotti? Gone?

No. Just… No!

In so many ways, I owe my induction into the MEGO Museum community to ‘Berto:

Back in the late 1990’s ,(like many of us), I was completely bowled over by the custom MEGO action figure work of Charlee Flatt, published in the now-famous cover article of Tomart’s Action Figure Digest.

i decided to try my hand at fabricating an entire line of custom Gotham City 8-inch characters (my favorite mythology).

in those early days, the internet was pretty much still in its infancy. So, buying necessary MEGO body parts and clothing etc was still done either by mail order OR by visiting a brick-and-mortar collectibles store and pouring through parts bins.

i got a line on a vintage toy collectibles store in my area called “THE LAND OF OOZE AND OZ”. I decided to make a trip over to the shop to see if any useful stuff for my work could be found.

i packed the three custom figures I had made up to that point, got on a train, and headed out to Farmingdale, NY.

The store was big, colorful, and exciting, and I was anxious to see what I could find. I walked right up to the friendly proprietor behind the counter and introduced myself. I told him I was there to look for parts for some custom 8” MEGO action figures that I wanted to make.

i showed him the three nearly-finished custom figures i had with me, and his eyes lit up. “Wow! These are really cool! You’re really talented! You should show these on the MEGO Museum website! The guys there will love them!”

Then he came out from behind the counter and walked me over to an obscure spot at the back of the store. He showed me a large bin filled with HUNDREDS of MEGO parts and invited me to sift through it to look for anything I might find useful.

”Take your time. There’s a lot of good stuff there. Just give me a shout if you have any questions or need any help. My name’s Roberto.”

“Wow! Really? My name’s Roberto too!”

”Well alright! We should start a Roberto MEGO Fab Club!”

He walked off with an amused chuckle. And I went about digging for treasure in the toy parts bin.

After that visit, (remembering Roberto’s recommendation) I signed up to become a member of the MEGO MUSEUM. I made many many friends in the ensuing years.

FAST FORWARD TO 2015

I finally gave in to curiosity and attended my first MEGO MEET weekend convention. I met so many friends who I had previously only known as online personalities.

During my enjoyable weekend, a friendly young chap approached me with a friendly greeting. “Hey you’re Roberto “Darklord1967”, right? I remember you from from years ago. You came to the toy show where I worked years ago. Remember? Roberto MEGO Fan Club??”

I laughed, suddenly remembering who I was talking to while glancing at the name tag on his shirt: “ Blue Meanie!! Of course!! Roberto Ligotti!!! So good seeing you again buddy!!”

We hung out together for a good part of that weekend, having lots of MEGO fun. And the chance to see Roberto at subsequent MEETS was one of the major motivating factors for me on future trips. Over the years, Roberto was always there , so generously and kindly offering his encouragement and enthusiastic support anytime I unveiled a new custom creation. Despite my expressions of gratitude, I’m not altogether sure Roberto ever knew the degree to which I was deeply grateful for his support of my work.

Today, I am terribly saddened as I have lost not only a MEGO brother… but a dear, dear friend.

[palitoy]

https://chapeyfamily.com/tribute/details/6060/Roberto-Ligotti/condolences.html#content-start

[VintageMike]

Devastating news. Tom, Berto and Paul Clare were the first to welcome me with open arms at my first meet in 2007. I bought many figure from Berto. Despite a trimming down of my collection the past couple of years, I will never part with the boxed portion as I got most of them from him and have too many great memories attached. He was never anything but kind to me and l big reason I only missed one meet since 2007.

Might have more to say later, but this cuts deep. He was (like many here) an online friend who became not only a real friend but a member of my extended family.

[rche]

Oh no! My condolences to Tom and all his family. Berto's table was definitely on the first stop list and a highlight for me at the Mego Meets I attended. RIP Berto. Thanks for the always exuberant discussions on Mego; both here and in person.

[pmwasson]

Very sad. He was always so nice to me.

[apes3978]

R.I.P. to him.

[palitoy]

This was a good day.

[PNGwynne]

Thank you for posting. I've fond memories of his enthusiasm and generosity here and at the meets I've attended. This is sad news, my condolences to his family.