Mego's original Dr. Strange headsculpt?

[Seriousin]

This may have been discussed previously - but I had read or heard somewhere that Mego had originally planned to release a Dr. Strange figure, that a headsculpt was created before the idea was shelved and that this sculpt was later used as part of Mego's Jordache figure line.

Now, I mean, come on - this guy has got to be him! Right?!

What do you guys think? Or was this all some weird dream I had?

[Tothiro]

I know that's been kicked back and forth a few times - but I don't recall if there was ever any direct evidence... I'd really love it if there were though.
This may be one of those things like the Iron Man/Dr Doom alleged connection (which I've thought was bunk, and if memory serves came about as an explanation for IM's nose due to confusion from people over not knowing that he actually did have a nose briefly in the comic at that time).
Or it could be a legit reuse of a sculpt... I'd love it if it were, because I'm after a shrink of this for a Dr Strange myself. It'd be a good likeness though the hairline is a bit wrong, but it's hard to say if the mego WGSH similarity is from WGSH origin or just because it's from a Mego staff sculptor without background - because it's just a head with some hair (the mold doesn't have a mustache - that's a paint app).

Any staff researchers got this info? Do we know which sculptor was on that job from interviews?

[Seriousin]

Guess it was the eyebrows and 'stache that kept bringing me back to this. Was beginning to think I had dreamt the entire concept after seeing this guy.

[palitoy]

It's 12" Superman with a moustache.

I imagine if CBS had given Doctor Strange a series, Mego would have made a Strange figure but this is not a "long lost head sculpt".

[Type Two]

Several pages were devoted to this topic in Bonavita's book:


http://www.amazon.com/Mego-Action-Fi...4196610&sr=1-4

If I remember correctly, he was of the opinion that it looked something like the TV Doc, Peter Hooten. Bonavita even included pics of a custom Strange/Jordache Man wearing a TV inspired costume.

[Tothiro]

Aaah that's right, the comic version! I'd forgotten about that completely since I'm not a 12" collector...

Thanks, B!

I'm personally filing this in the "Is Captain Zantor a Kirk sculpt?" folder of nokey dokes. (I do still need to find a shrink though, or just use it as a Dr Strange sculpt visual ref. )

I imagine if CBS had given Doctor Strange a series, Mego would have made a Strange figure ...

I've got the TV pilot movie... I totally could see it having worked if it had time to find it's legs.

[Mikey]

Kinda looks like Carter Pewterschmidt


m

[Type Two]

Did...you...read...my reply? Bonavita's suggests that Mego DID make a Doc head and the 'stashed sculpt ended up on Jordache Dude.

Who knows? It's not like Mego doesn't have an established track record of re-using the same head sculpts over and over again.

[Tothiro]

Did...you...read...my reply?

well I did.
I also have John's book, but a previous edition. John was also carrying the "Iron Man was Dr Doom" torch, and wrote about it. While I have no doubt that Mego might have considered retooling the IM as a Doom, I haven't yet seen any evidence that the reverse is true, so our opinions on that one differ. To be sure he's done tons of research and basically all I have gathered on behind the scenes Mego has been from someone else's hard work - but I haven't seen the info if it's out there.

Supes/Jordache man does not have a sculpted mustache - which is not a deal-breaker but would have meant the sculpt was modified if it was indeed a Doc, along with the hairline, and would have required fresh tooling... though it's possible the stache would have been intended to be Zorro style, I think the hair would have been more widow's peaked.
Most damning to the idea for me though is the fact that the Supes/Jordache head doesn't have any signs of being enlarged. If this was a sculpt for an 8" line, you'd see the same deformations from enlargement that the Laverne & Shirley figures suffer from (which is a confirmed example of a Mego sculpt intended for 8" being blown up in size)

[cjefferys]

Yep, the Jordache figure definitely uses the same sculpt as the 12" "comic" headed Supes. I'd recognize that sculpt anywhere. It's not some rejected Dr. Strange sculpt.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I think this is a case of pre-internet days when it wasn't as easy to check things with fellow collectors. If Bonavita posted his Iron Man/Doom theory here today, it would have been quickly squashed by folks who knew Iron Man had a nose in the comics in the 70s. Same for the Superman/Jordache head.

Chris

[palitoy]

Did...you...read...my reply? Bonavita's suggests that Mego DID make a Doc head and the 'stashed sculpt ended up on Jordache Dude.

Who knows? It's not like Mego doesn't have an established track record of re-using the same head sculpts over and over again.

Merely conjecture on John's part, not proven fact in any way shape or form.

What John knew for certain was Mego planned a Doctor Strange figure if it went to series, this is very credible. I know Mego pitched a 12" Plastic Man figure based on his TV deal.

However, he was more or less making a leap with the Jordache doll, which is just a recycled Superman sculpt that was never used in the US.

John got way more right than he did wrong and was a huge pioneer of mego collecting but this particular theory I tend to discount.

[ctc]

>which is just a recycled Superman sculpt that was never used in the US

But would Mego have recycled the recycled head for yet another character?

Don C>

[GUYx1]

The Gorn was just a Brown Lizard in a Klingon suit.
And still it was cool enough to buy.
I certainly drooled over it in the 1970's.

the 70's were a different time, before a company could get away with churning out dozens of new figures per year.

Seriously, anything is possible.

[megojim]

not sure about all of this but after looking at our Jordache boy I think Brick may have a rival to contend with . . . .