Making your own characters out of Megos

[HardyGirl]

OK, I'm not talking customizing like you would today. I mean when you were a kid, did you ever invent a character and then change the clothes, head, accessories, or put stuff you'd find on a Mego, and invent your very own hero? I knew a woman I used to babysit for. Her son David got a naked Captain Kirk from a garage sale once. She made a cape and a costume for it from some old scraps and he was dubbed "Adventure Man". David and his trusty sidekick could often be seen playing in the front yard across the street from my house.

So who did you make up? What was he or she called? What adventures did you have?

[SUP-Ronin]

Funny you should ask. I just made a "thug" or possibly a "Hired Goon/Arms Dealer" out of leftover parts. I painted a hulk head flesh colored with brown hair, and 5 o'clock shadow. Outfitted him with an old Fonz jacket, and a yellow jumpsuit for a shirt. As soon as I get some appropriate pants, and boots, he will be a perfect thug to go with my gun crates and pallets I made out of small popsicle sticks. Maybe will be good for a spiderman scene, or B-man and Robin bust. I have since been inspired to make some more thug cronies using an old ivanhoe and Buffalo Bill heads, along with some stuff from toy fanatic, what ever I can scavange. Individually unique to my creativity, cheap, and great practice painting.

[mitchedwards]

I used to dress Superman in Penguins outfit, to make my own Clark Kent.

[MegoMark]

I used to use my Mego's as hockey players. I would sit on the top step of the stairs and play a game of hockey using some tiny nets and a small ball. Each team had 3 players per side plus a goalie. In reality this was more like soccer as I would use the players feet to kick the ball. Spiderman and Cornelious were the goalies. For some reason Cornelious was very flexible and was fantastic in goal. I'm sure you can all relate to how each Mego fig can feel different. Some bend better than others. Most of the other playes were made up of Star Trek figs.

Unfortunately, I used stickers and colored taped to create uniforms for the players so my Mego's still have these things on them today. I remember breaking off a few Star Trek lower legs after shooting too hard. The stiff black feet of the Star Trek line allowed these players to shoot much faster than the more traditional bendy feet.

Mark

[monkey tennis]

My Mum knited me & my Action-Man wooly jumpers (sweater)...
Action-Man found his jumper just as scratchy as I did.

I should have called him Itchy Pants.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I took some Silly Putty to my Pocket Heroes Lex Luthor and made Eagle Man. He had a mask with a beak and a putty cape hanging off his back. Later on he handed down this mantle to my Mego 3 3/4 Luke Duke, who got a costume upgrade with undarm sings since he had better articulation.

When the Marvel Super Heroes toons of the 60s began airing around here in the early 80s I took my old Mego spock and put his head on a regular type 2 body, borrowed Robin's shorts and BAM! instant Namor, the Sub-Mariner!

Chris

[monkey tennis]

Oh I forgot, I cut up the sides of a Blond haired Action-Man Head and placed it over Mego Spidey's head, I also dressed him in Action-Man clothes with fashionable roll-ups, and called him Peter Parker.
He was a small man with a big, big head, red socks and red gloves. But I loved him.

[Mego Milk]

I used Starsky as Bill Bixby Banner.

[Action Martin]

I never invented my own heroes but I did "customize" as a youngster. A naked RC Batman with Robin's shorts was my Namor the Sub-Mariner. Alan Virdon in Shazam's bodysuit was Johnny Storm when he briefly wore the red FF costume in the 70s. Iron Man in Green Arrow's bodysuit with my spare Captain America shield was the Super Adaptoid. Depending on who he was fighting would determine whose boots, gloves, and gadgets he would have. For example he never fought Iron Man since that was the body that I was using so if he was battling Thor, then he would be wearing one Captain America boot and one Iron Man boot. If he was fighting Captain America, then he would be wearing one Thor boot and one Iron Man boot.

Megos and my imagination went a long way.

[fallensaviour]

I used my chips guys and trek guys as wrestlers due to there black or blue gitchies...
I also used to make up guys by crossing my megos with mantech figures.
mantechs were half men half robotic(cyborgs) figures in the eighties.
i also did my best to create star wars figures mainly luke and han with my lion rock knock offs.
good times,good times.

[Jrfjr126rock]

I always used Dorothy as a damsel in distress. I would put her in Ellen's dress and have pirtaes capture her or keep her how she was and have joker ties her up and hang her from my stairs. Then, Batman would swing across as she fell to get her.

Also, it sounds weird, but I used my figs to have a circus for my parents. I would have a tightrope, a magician, etc.

[Bionic Joe]

As a kid i was a big six millon dollar man fan so i took a Robin and painted both legs and his right arm silver and he was the six millon dollar Robin

[apes3978]

The most I ever did was change the figures names... For instance, if I wantd to play PLANET/BENEATH, then Burke and Virdon became Brent and Taylor... For BATTLE, Cornelius and Zira became Caesar and Lisa, etc...

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Once they got all mixed up I used to just make up names and stories for them. Kirk got a LOT of makeovers. The last one I recall was when he was turned into an AD&D fighter using parts from an Aurora "Gold Knight" kit. I think Spock got the helmet from the "Spartacus" kit too.

Nowadays I make a bunch of my own characters as Megos.

Don C.

[censy]

I did this a lot. I think the interchangeable nature of heads and costumes really fueled my imagination.

Growing up I made my own comic books. Then I would use my megos to turn my creastions into action figures. I don't remember all of them, but here are a few...

Captain America was given make shift wings made from the pants of the Six Million Dollar Man, I think. And turned into a character called Human Hawk.

POTA Astronaut wore Iron Man's suit and was the Warrior.

I used a Star Wars Leia figure as my version of the Wasp, called Lady Bug.

Thanks for reminding me Hardy Girl.

Chris