Iron Man Belt Clarification

[AJ Collector]

We all know AusTex has some great figures so if he or others here can shed some light on this for me I would appreciate it.

I recently checked the Museums accessory section before shopping for an Iron Man belt in order to complete a figure I recently purchased, according to the site the belt was never reproduced yet benbarbs listing indicates his belt is repo.
Can anyone give me a definitive answer and if so explain (if any) the differences between the two?


Mego 8" MINT T1 Iron Man Tony Stark COMPLETE ORIGINAL! - eBay (item 150399300310 end time Dec-27-09 17:30:47 PST)

[piecemaker]

You cant buy a repro ironman belt,but you can buy a "firefighters" belt.

[Robin NY]

could someone point out how to spot one

[kryptosmaster]

I've noticed this on quite a FEW listings in the accessory check section but haven't taken the time to make a comprehensive note to take to the authorities to basically ask the same question you are asking.
I'm not sure if the information is old (before such reproductions existed) or worded in a way that precludes certain items from being included in the accessory check list? The words "not factory reproduced" appear quite often and to me I always read that as "there's no repro piece made" yet I have seen pieces on the drmego site (for example) and no mention of this in the accessory check.
Do we need an all-out editing of the accessory check sections to reflect this? Perhaps we could all re-read them and report our findings (with proof) so these items can be addressed. It's kind of important, especially with your example. Wouldn't you hate to buy a belt and then later find out it was a repro when you checked the accessory check and it said no repro exists?
Granted, Brian and Dave are only human and mistakes & omissions are a part of reality but I'm sure they'd like the information to be as current and correct as do any one of us.
Rich

[AJ Collector]

I've noticed this on quite a FEW listings in the accessory check section but haven't taken the time to make a comprehensive note to take to the authorities to basically ask the same question you are asking.
I'm not sure if the information is old (before such reproductions existed) or worded in a way that precludes certain items from being included in the accessory check list? The words "not factory reproduced" appear quite often and to me I always read that as "there's no repro piece made" yet I have seen pieces on the drmego site (for example) and no mention of this in the accessory check.
Do we need an all-out editing of the accessory check sections to reflect this? Perhaps we could all re-read them and report our findings (with proof) so these items can be addressed. It's kind of important, especially with your example. Wouldn't you hate to buy a belt and then later find out it was a repro when you checked the accessory check and it said no repro exists?
Granted, Brian and Dave are only human and mistakes & omissions are a part of reality but I'm sure they'd like the information to be as current and correct as do any one of us.
Rich

My point exactly.....

And I really appreciate the job they do but would hate to pay $22.00 (which I did) for a $1.00 repo item. I for one will start documenting any and all findings that need to be updated and pass them on to the proper parties…..

[Remco Monster]

I noticed the same thing recently in the Accessory Check for Speedy. Says that there has been no reproduction of his hat, yet Benbarb recently sold a Speedy figure with repro hat

[supercrazy]

There were some repro ones made before as I have bought one in the past. They are way different than the original one. They look the same but the repro ones are rubbery and they are hand made. The belt was never factory reproduced. Hope this helps

[AJ Collector]

Thanks both Rick and Drmego for helping to clear this up.

It really has me wondering how many other mego items out there are reproduced either by hand or on a larger scale in a factory that we are unaware of. I think some serious attention needs to be taken when it comes to the accessory section; I for one rely on this site for that info as to not make a poor choice when making a purchase…..

[MegoGeek]

I'm not sure where the tone of this thread is going but it seems a bit out of line to level thinly veiled criticism towards Brian, Scott and Dave because every single item or accessory Mego ever produced hasn't been exhaustivly dissected yet.

[AJ Collector]

I'm not sure where the tone of this thread is going but it seems a bit out of line to level thinly veiled criticism towards Brian, Scott and Dave because every single item or accessory Mego ever produced hasn't been exhaustivly dissected yet.

Let me make this as clear as crystal! That was never my intention nor would it ever be, I could not begin to imagine all they do to keep this site running as well as they do!

All I am saying is maybe an update to this area is needed!

[kryptosmaster]

I'm not sure where the tone of this thread is going but it seems a bit out of line to level thinly veiled criticism towards Brian, Scott and Dave because every single item or accessory Mego ever produced hasn't been exhaustivly dissected yet.

I don't know where you got that interpretation?
I assume you are referring to my post?
My intention is to have the information here as correct as possible because (like Anthony said) I also rely on the information here whilst doing my collecting. It's a HUGE resource for us to have this and let's get this PERFECTLY CLEAR:
IN NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM
was I criticizing Brian, Dave, etc. I was OFFERING HELP in correcting any PERCEIVED lack of or incorrect or outdated information that POTENTIALLY could cost ANY OF US to pay a lot of money for an assumedly VINTAGE item because when we checked the available information it stated there was NO reproduction part made.
The value of this resource is nearly priceless but it must also be as correct as possible at the same time. Would you want to look up information from an encyclopedia dated 1977?
I don't think any of us expect perfection and I don't take this info for granted and I think Dave & Brian are smart enough to know when someone is criticizing them rather than offering to help correct or update the information garnered here on these pages. I personally emailed Dave a bunch of pics to update the CTVT section he's working on so that those sections can be comprehensive in the future.
I also (with many others) constructively "proofread" Dave's recent AJ revamp and he was grateful for the corrective input.
Rich

[Meule]

Doc Mego has reproduced a couple of accessories, but did the work himself, they weren't made in a factory. Hand made items should be easy to spot, hence they weren't included in the accessory check. The list would be endless if you had to include every single item that was reproduced by a customizer

[stabilio]

No updates are needed. If you are as familiar with the accessory check as stated, then I'm sure you have read the intro innumerable times.

"This guide attempts to describe the original accessories and track known reproduction parts. The focus is on accessories, variations of accessories and FACTORY made reproductions of accessories. There are many hand casted and home made reproduction parts out there. They are too numerous to catalog and address, but most are easy to identify. Clothes and heads are addressed in this section only if factory made substitutions are available."

Unless there is a new item recently factory reproduced or a section that has not been created yet, then 99.9% of all factory made reproduction items are in the accessory check. There will never be hand cast items included as they never come out the same every time in regards to color air bubbles etc. You may not be able to spot them in a photo but unfortunately nothing can prevent that. However unless you are a bit slow, you will be able to identify these hand cast repros when they are in your hand immediately. Anyone can get their hand on resin and silicon and reproduce any item by hand with a few hours of reading through the tutorials in custom mego. Hand cast items (Iron Man belts and Speedy hats, et al) are not and will not be included in the check, as it would be essentially pointless.

[AJ Collector]

Doc Mego has reproduced a couple of accessories, but did the work himself, they weren't made in a factory. Hand made items should be easy to spot, hence they weren't included in the accessory check. The list would be endless if you had to include every single item that was reproduced by a customizer

The doc passed that info on to me and Rick pointed out the differences in the hand made repo and the original. Thanks guys as usual the info found here is apreciated by all….

[kryptosmaster]

Doc Mego has reproduced a couple of accessories, but did the work himself, they weren't made in a factory. Hand made items should be easy to spot, hence they weren't included in the accessory check. The list would be endless if you had to include every single item that was reproduced by a customizer

I don't think that was Anthony's point really. Yeah, you could never catalog all the home made stuff but if it's available on the DM website then I think those parts should be included (hand cast or not) since that is probably the most well-known and utilized source for most mego restorers/sellers/collectors. I'm sure he sells a lot of parts to ebay sellers too. Aren't his hand cast items made as close as possible to the originals? Or am I confusing things? Also anything that CTVT sells should be included.
I think the part that confuses me the most is the "factory" labeling.
What is considered "factory made"?
I can have a "factory" in my basement (if I had a basement, LOL) and call stuff "factory made". Why isn't the DM stuff called factory made?

Rich