MOTD: Planet of the Apes Astronaut

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Mego of the Day for Friday is the mutton chopped Taylor replacement, the Astronaut from the Planet of the Apes. He was no Heston but as a kid, who gave a crap? My God, that wonderful hair..... Did you have the Astronaut as a kid? Is this the first time you've heard mention of it? Is it on your wantlist? Does it even interest you?
Monday's MOTD: I'll have to get back to you

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[Dave Mc]

Now this one I DID have as I did all the first series Apes. I remember wondering what was up with this guy since he didn't look like any of the Astronauts in the movies, but I didn't linger too long with worry.

He wasn't as cool as the Apes themselves, but he was a great victim for the Apes adventures. Funny how those adventures were twisted since really I had made the Apes into the "good guys" and the astronaut was more the bad guy.

He was one of my early Mego purchases as a collector. My 2nd or 3rd auction win if I recall.

[censy]

Ah, the Astronaut. Had him as a little kid and now have him again as a big kid.

He's pretty generic, but charming nonetheless. I just love the sideburns. As a kid, I never even questioned that he wasn't based on a specific character, I totally accepted that there were astronauts dropping in on the Planet of the Apes all the time.

I would often re-purpose him as a superhero character, by putting him in various outfits I had from broken figures.

Chris

[ScottA]

This guy I actually had a kid, along with Zaius and a Soilder Ape. Had many hours of fun with them. I know I never questioned that he didn't look like anyone from the movies. I'm guessing he also substituted as a bad guy for the heroes I had a well from time to time.

I have no idea when or where I got him from.

All 3 survived intact and are now part of my collection. They stand proudly in my display.

[Raydeen1]

YES!
Easter morning I come downstairs and up on the mantle, the Astronaut, Zaius, Soldier Ape and Cornelius in those beautiful boxes. The Astronaut was awesome. I loved his blue uniform eventhough it should have been white. I swapped boots with Zaius because I thought they were much better. Poor fellow got tortured by the Apes until that horrible day just a few months later when my cousin snatched them out of my hands and buried them out in the lake (Story was told in the No Reason Contest). I loved this guy. I loved them all really.

I remember seeing him as an adult for the first time and wondering about the helmet. I clearly remember mine not having one. I believe I finally replaced him at a flea market when I was 22 or 23. My wife (GF at the time) and I went to a flea market and a guy there had a bunch of Megos and assorted other 70s toys and figures. I think I got his helmet in a trade online a few years later. I still want a vintage belt for him but I ordered a repro from CTVT just last week as a placeholder.

One of my all time favorite figures. His goofy headsclupt and weird, sunk in eyes add to the mutton chops to make him one of the most charming figures Mego made. Awesome MOTD.

[SUP-Ronin]

I like that giant scaled zipper. Where did that helmet come from? AJ?? It sure isn't very space like.
I still need to pick up one of these. I just lost an auction last weekend on a MOC one for like 22.00 dollars. Oh well. I need a loose one that can be tortured by the apes.

[palitoy]

The one in that picture is my first real flea market score. It was around 1987 and I would take the bus to the flea market every Sunday, bugging people for old toys. One old beatnik looking guy, who sold vintage cameras said he had a Planet of the Apes horse and he'd bring it the next week.

Sure enough, he brought it but he wanted $80. I opened it up and found Astronaut, Zaius and solider ape inside. He sold me the Astronaut for $20, which was high but this was the first time I'd ever seen a human figure anywhere. He then told me, the rest would be $60, for some reason I never went back and bought the horse or the figures.

I raced home and put the proper holster and gun on him, as the only reference I had was a Warren ad.

I still see this guy, now well into his seventies at flea markets in the area.

[Raydeen1]

A MOC for 22???? DAMN! I want one! Helmet is AJ and no it isn't very space like. Another Mego cost cutting scheme. "We'll throw an AJ Pilot uniform on him and call him done".

[Raydeen1]

Wow. In '87 I would have gladly paid 20 for him. If I'd had the money, I'd have bought everything from beatnik guy. lol. I think I paid 2 bucks for mine. Had his uniform and boots but nothing else. I don't recall ever seeing an AJ or Apes horse in all my years of Flea Marketing. It's possible I have and didn't realize what it was though.

The one in that picture is my first real flea market score. It was around 1987 and I would take the bus to the flea market every Sunday, bugging people for old toys. One old beatnik looking guy, who sold vintage cameras said he had a Planet of the Apes horse and he'd bring it the next week.

Sure enough, he brought it but he wanted $80. I opened it up and found Astronaut, Zaius and solider ape inside. He sold me the Astronaut for $20, which was high but this was the first time I'd ever seen a human figure anywhere. He then told me, the rest would be $60, for some reason I never went back and bought the horse or the figures.

I raced home and put the proper holster and gun on him, as the only reference I had was a Warren ad.

I still see this guy, now well into his seventies at flea markets in the area.

[Mikey]

The only Apes I had back in the day were (all type ones)
Corny
Dr Zaius
Zira

I don't even remember even seeing or knowing about an Astronaut back then.
Were they less common than the regular Apes ?

[Raydeen1]

Good question. I would think if there were some shor packed figues, Astro and Zira would be the least packed.

[Wee67]

I did not own this guy until I was 34 years old!

I remember seeing him as a kid and thinking he just looked like a cheap GI Joe. Its funny how I loved Megos and had a few Joes, but never really made the comparison. After all, Joe was an army guy. That had nothing to do with the Megos I owned

[HardyGirl]

I got one of these for one of my kids years ago for $10 at a toy show. I don't own one myself, but I just acquired 2 Astronaut heads from CTVT for some customs I plan on doing. Stay tuned...

[English Paul]

It is one figure I never even knew existed until I came here. The 2nd issue Palitoy cards in the UK never had him as part of the set as Burke and Virdon were the new humans on the block.
Because of this is is probably the one that I was most excited to finally own in the POTA line (and the first and only time my Mrs ever bought me a Mego).

[Bionic Joe]

I got him, Dr zaius,Solider ape and Corny for christmas all type1's, I rember arming him with an Action Jackson 45 and i used a bearded AJ as another Astronaut and they fought the apes but never won just escaped to fight another day. Today i have a nice minty loose type2 awaiting to be reboxed. I always liked this figure back as a kid and even today