Does anyone collect MIB/MOC vintage Mego anymore?

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Nostalgia works on a roughly 20 year cycle.... compensating for the economy and stuff like that. So the heyday of Mego nostalgia has passed.... which is why you don’t see any real big waves of new collectors coming in. You might, in 20 years when the time is right for ReMego nostalgia. For everyone else, they’re probably pretty close to completing their collections: there’s only a finite number of figures in each set after all. That’s why prices on all but a few genuinely rare pieces has stabilized or dipped.

Don C.

[megomania]

Most everything I have is vintage Mego, but it's also loose. I just can't play in the MIB/MOC game with a 1 year old, a mortgage, car payment, etc etc plus be able to do other things like vacation. I enjoy keeping an eye out for good deals on loose stuff as well as hoping like hell to be the first to catch a good deal on boxed/carded stuff. Knowing those rarely come up - or if they do I am always late to the party - I stick to the loose stuff. Not into making or buying customs but I have bought some of the new RA Heroes and 8" KISS, mostly for my son to enjoy now until he can appreciate the vintage stuff later.

-Chris

[Tothiro]

Another thing is that the newer generation doesn't take the time to educate themselves on anything anymore. Their education is eBay.

personally I buy reference books, catelogs, etc to know what is out there and help me become more knowledgeable as a collector, buyer, and reseller.

Reference books are a thing of the past for a lot of folks anymore.

You know this is not the simple subject I think some may believe it is...
When I started, Toy Shop was the only quasi reliable "reference book" around, unless you were collecting Mego catalogs, and they were not only fairly uncommon but featured prototype pictures...

With one deliciously notable exception, most guides/price books are really horrible in terms of photo documentation. you really can, visually, learn more about a vintage toy's production by looking at one well photographed eBay auction than most half dozen price guides.
Look at the Dr Zorro Who thread in auctions right now - unless you were in the good fortune of swapping pics with a network of private collectors who already owned everything and wanted to show off, you'd never see what an actual Zorro hat looked like with that degree of exposure.

Books are fine, except in a lot of ways they're just not.

And sure, a lot of auctions are plain stupid in their hucksterism, but really were the other sources of collector gossip any different back in the day? I don't think so. How many "Looking for..." ads were placed for items that never existed?

As far as actual collecting - I myself have never been a packaged collector. I'm still here. I just bought my first OMBC dinosaur (Woot!) so it's not like I'm done. Seems to my eye actually there are a lot more packaged examples up for sale than most times I recall. 1998/99 was really dry ... but I can think anecdotally of lots of times in which eBay was sparse. Prices might be whack, but the stuff is on offer - which it wasn't always. I remember trying to broaden searches and still only getting 198 listings back.

I've had at one point all the first waves of tomland star raiders carded, and I only have one carded now (sold the others), and one carded trek (*thanks Bry!) though I'd been known to open moc crew at shows in front of dealers after buying. It's not just Mego, I don't collect anything in the package. So I don't shop for or buy them unless the card is really damaged and I've been looking a while out of respect for the people who are searching for moc. Anything other than Uhura or Our Gang usually gives me collector guilt to open because I know someone else would have wanted it that way.

I've gotten and still get great deals on loose stuff, (and thanks to 80stoyman and others for that too! ) but to my mind I could just as easily start a "Where have all the pirate pistol and dagger traders gone? Have they left the hobby?" thread, you know? I been looking to finish my pirates and merry men for a while!

PS
Just thought about something observational re: state of the hobby -
In 1999 I bought a loose WOZ Witch's Castle for $55. I sold it a year or two later for $75 when I had to move. Sometime last year I rebought a Witch's Castle for my Knights/Mad Monsters, and it was $50 off eBay plus shipping. I'm pretty sure if I flipped it I could get $75 for it.

[dumbldor]

but to my mind I could just as easily start a "Where have all the pirate pistol and dagger traders gone? Have they left the hobby?" thread, you know? I been looking to finish my pirates and merry men for a while!

Good point. I could have left MIB/MOC out of the title of this thread, and it would have been just as relevant.

The reasons I added MIB/MOC are:

1) In my opinion, it has become more affordable again to collect MIB/MOC. Prices have come down some.

2) I was inspired (dismayed?) by anarocker's lack of success selling some packaged vintage WGSH

3) I am primarily a MIB/MOC collector

[Tothiro]

Good point. I could have left MIB/MOC out of the title of this thread, and it would have been just as relevant.
...
3) I am primarily a MIB/MOC collector

No listen - I totally hear you. when you're a everything is a nail.
I'm so far down my own rabbit hole that my collector worldview goes something like "Where are all the Maddie Mod/Jordache/Dizzy Girl offerings? I need to make Shaft some new plaid pants and that $10 skirt is a little pricey!" ...and, "where is that wind-up squishy head Cashern rocket car so I can custom myself one?"

I just wanted to offer that I'm a 20 year loose-only collector still in the game, maybe more active than ever, and the possible perspective that on that side of the pool things have not changed all that much. There does seem to be more at hand though, even with goofy pricing.

[k2]

another point for me in relation to said carded wgsh's, i really want a '79 carded batman, but i really want a lot of other megos too

so for less than one carded figure i got a really nice loose r/c batman
and a nice mib falcon, and still have some money left to get something else i may want, like a carded spock if one pops up at a reasonable price

so in a way, it is quantity over quality, but starting slow and building a foundation is the way i decided to go with my collection

[Blue Meanie]

another point for me in relation to said carded wgsh's, i really want a '79 carded batman, but i really want a lot of other megos too

so for less than one carded figure i got a really nice loose r/c batman
and a nice mib falcon, and still have some money left to get something else i may want, like a carded spock if one pops up at a reasonable price

so in a way, it is quantity over quality, but starting slow and building a foundation is the way i decided to go with my collection

Very well said. When I started collecting Megos back in '98/'99 the collectors were probably split 75% Loose collectors and about 25% MIB/Carded Collectors. A lot of collectors basically wanted what they had when they were a kid...What I had when I was a kid was a Captain America that I would throw down a few landings of stairs in my cousin's apartment building in Brooklyn. Or my Aquaman that I took into my swimming pool with me. They could care less about packaged toys. I started out as a loose collector building my collection piece by piece and that's what has kept it fun for close to 14 years. After completing my loose collection back in '05 (Thanks Greg/Luey for the trade that completed my last figure Speedy) I dabbled in Boxed figures and had everything except for Riddler, Batgirl, Supergirl, Conan, Isis, and Wonder Woman. But in the last 2 years I've widdled my boxed collection down to what I am bringing with me to the Meet this year. There's a boxed Riddler that I acquired this year that I wish I would have had during the time I was collecting boxed figures...cause I probably would have kept going with the boxed figures until I finished them. The problem is twofold...Space and tastes change over time. I am really liking the customs that are being done here on the museum and would rather have a a great custom figure from one of the customisers here then a boxed or packaged figure. And it would probably be cheaper then buying a boxed or packaged figure. I know I'm going to come home from the meet with more customs this year...but it's what I've gotten into. My core collection is still in tact...just priorities and tastes have changed in collecting.

[Nostalgiabuff]

i am still here and still collecting vintage toys. i pick up some of the reMego stuff if I dig it...like the 6 MDM and Battlestar G. but i primarilty collect loose vintage. Mego for me really was always WGSH, Trek and Apes, i picked up some loose and carded/boxed stuff here and there if it was a good deal but really it is only those 3 lines and I have all but the most valuable figures which generally are out of my price range so I concentrate on other vintage toys i collect such as Cpt. Action or GI Joe AT. i don't care if it is dead mint or not, my requirement is that it be displayable and I actually like a little play wear as it shows that the toy was loved and played with.

[mikeMc6]

Once a year I will rent a table at the local vintage toy show to see what's up and the vast majority are people out to negotiate a cutthroat deal and flip what they bought, so I think there is a general trend of less vintage collectors in general.

Also, my wife is a second grade teacher and I often volunteer in the classroom and for good or bad most kids (boys and girls) playtime is spent with their video game systems. Lego mini figs are still strong but that's about it for play figures in my observation in elementary schools. So enjoy your collecting for the here and now and dumbledore has inspired me to rummage and create a serious trade and want list.
Now I'm really pumped to hit the garage sales hard this week!

[BENDY]

I Am Still An Old Fart, And Only Collect Vintage Stuff.

[clemso]

I love all the vintage talk and the excitement when someone scores something rare etc, but there just aren't as many active vintage collectors on these board anymore.

[Wasimhosen]

I just bought my first Mego in 35 or so years.

Mego 8" * T2 Superman * ORIGINAL * 100% COMPLETE * NO RESERVE * | eBay

[sauce]

It's all about the MIBMOC, baby!

But for me I mostly want Mexican and Peruvian MEGOs, so I only have eight boxed examples and consider myself blessed.....and exhausted from hunting! EDIT: add CIPSA and my total goes up to thirteen if I include non-figure items.

Of course, I do have a weakness for carded FrankenAquaman and boxed Willers and bagged Dinah Health Spa and mailer anything and MOC blank back Trek and upside down MOC Trek and rare Dinah outfits MIB and 9.5" Robin MIB and MEGOLIKE up the MIBMOC-Wazoooooo, so basically I'm screwed.....in a good way.

Vintage all the time over here in Nayrbgo-VILLE.

Shouldn't MEGOLIKE be MEGOLOVE?

[toys2cool]

It's all about the MIBMOC, baby!

But for me I mostly want Mexican and Peruvian MEGOs, so I only have eight boxed examples and consider myself blessed.....and exhausted from hunting! EDIT: add CIPSA and my total goes up to thirteen if I include non-figure items.

Of course, I do have a weakness for carded FrankenAquaman and boxed Willers and bagged Dinah Health Spa and mailer anything and MOC blank back Trek and upside down MOC Trek and rare Dinah outfits MIB and 9.5" Robin MIB and MEGOLIKE up the MIBMOC-Wazoooooo, so basically I'm screwed.....in a good way.

Vintage all the time over here in Nayrbgo-VILLE.

Shouldn't MEGOLIKE be MEGOLOVE?

anything else?

[sauce]

Yes! !¡Ensueño!!
Now my boxed total is fifteen.