Mego’s Last Splash at ToyFair

[palitoy]

If Mego had a lasting mark on the toy fair, it was their showmanship.

Marty Abrams brought a splash of colour to Toy Fair and with it, record sales year after year, his escapades would be copied in events and toy launches, that occur to this day.

When Action Jackson launched, he brought in Milton Berle, for the Superheroes Adam West and Linda Carter suited up for a special film for buyers (which has now sadly been lost), giant names like Muhammad Ali, Sonny and Cher and of course, KISS showed up in the Mego booth but perhaps most famously, he held a special Wizard of Oz Reunion in 1975 which resulted in record pre-orders for the toy line.

1982 would be the last hurrah for Mego, plagued with rising debt and a lukewarm reception to theirhandheld electronic games in the marketplace, the World’s Greatest Toy Company pinned their hopes on licenses, Dominoes and their newest creation, Eagle Force.

http://www.megomuseum.com/megos-last-splash-at-toyfair/

[kissrules78]

I can't get over the push these got, I mean it was incredible. Eaton's was just full of these toys. And sadly I loved them, I really did. But having to choose these over GI Joe (who were the exact scale of 99% of the toys I owned at that point anyways), it just wasn't going to fly. I still don't understand how the R & D people at Mego would have thought this smaller scale would prove to be successful. Perhaps there was no R & D at this point because they'd laid so many people off by then? To me that's the only explanation. But what a last harrah by Mego, they did all they could. I just still can't get over where someone thought the scale of these toys was fine?
Jay

[EmergencyIan]

I remember seeing a lot of Eagle Force in stores, but it didn't really appeal to me. If I recall correctly, the figures were smaller than 3 3/4 inch, as well. It was just a miss, for me. Until recent years, I did not realize these were a Mego product.

- Ian

[Starroid Raiders Dagon]

I remember seeing a lot of Eagle Force in stores, but it didn't really appeal to me. If I recall correctly, the figures were smaller than 3 3/4 inch, as well. It was just a miss, for me. Until recent years, I did not realize these were a Mego product.

- Ian

I dont think I knew they were smaller that 3.75" until I had asked for them and got them from my Mom. I still liked them but had hoped they would go with my GI Joes

[monitor_ep]

The fact that did not match G.I. Joe is the main reason I never got them.At least the Sgt. Rock figures were close.

[SKotK]

Yep, the smaller size was definitely a big problem for this line. When I was getting into the "new" G.I. Joe, I saw Eagle Force as some kind of cheap knock-off that couldn't even get the scale right.

--SKot

[palitoy]

The size was Abram's idea, he was inspired by the popular Britains toy soldiers.

[TrekStar]

I wonder if Mego did take a chance on Star Wars, (obviously it would have saved them from going under)
what new toy lines would they have come up with and would they still be around today?

Some people say things happen for a reason, so maybe all this was meant to be.

[sprytel]

While the size never caught on, it did trickle down to other toy lines like MASK, STARCOM, and Air Raiders. It is a good scale for vehicles and playsets.

And I always liked the "feel" of metal figures, and Eagle Force and Zee Toys Metal Man were just awesome in that regard.

[EmergencyIan]

It looks like I wasn't the only one bothered by their scale. I suppose that explains why they were able to be found, at retail stores, into the latter half of the 1980s. Also, GI Joe RAH came out around the same time and were so well executed. And, GI Joe already had name recognition. How do you compete with that?...

- Ian

[Mikey]

Don't think I remember these

[jimbutsu]

My memory of Eagle Force is how plentiful they were in the "red pen" clearance at Kay-Bee...