Who sculpted who?

[TrueDave]

As a sculptor I would like to know if theres any record of who sculpted which heads at MEGO.

I am curious. Theres some bad sculpts, some bizare ones and some very good ones.

just curious.
* good = waltons,
* bad= Gorilla Soilder,
* ugly= Neptunian,

[starsky]

i'd have to add bo duke. hutch, jon baker = bad

[AJ-Paratrooper]

I am curious about this too. The same person appears to have done several.....action jackson and fighting yank for example, appear 'related'.

[ctc]

>action jackson and fighting yank for example

AJ, Superman, Tarzan, Aquaman.... a lot of them have a REALLY similar look.

Don C.

[david_b]

* good = waltons,
* bad= Gorilla Soilder,
* ugly= Neptunian,

Yes, totally agreed on the Neptunian..

Jeez, doesn't look anything like real 'Neptunians'...

david_b

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

Interesting topic, I look forward to answers.

[palitoy]

There isn't much data on the early seventies sculpts, Neal Kublan thought they were done in Hong Kong. Names really don't get bandied about until the mid to late 70s:

Ken Sheller- Happy Days (not Fonzie), Buck Rogers, Superman the Movie, Starsky and Hutch (not the two main characters) Farrah, Wonder Woman, CHiPs
Ron Shrewbie- 12" Black Hole,
Bill Lemon- 3" Star Trek, 3" Buck Rogers, 3" Black Hole
Dana Green- Greatest American Hero 8"

[Cmonster]

There isn't much data on the early seventies sculpts, Neal Kublan thought they were done in Hong Kong.

Back in the 90's, when I was going to Hong Kong a lot for work, visiting a lot of the factories that were making the stuff I was sculpting and art directing, there were murmurs of old mego stuff, if you knew where to look and who to talk to. There were older people who worked at some of these places, who seemed to remember the stuff and even production runs, but the language barrier was always tough. The few pieces and prototypes I was able to procure after many years of leg work, weren't really what I was looking for, except for one piece.

From what I've seen and heard over there, (15 years ago), I would think you're correct, Brian. A lot of it was sculpted in HK.

Just my 2.

SC

[TrueDave]

Neptunian: It looks like somebody gave the new guy some Wacky Tobacco and left him alone with some modeling wax.

Since they were done in Hong Kong , and Hong Kong was still a british colony I'm guessing these could have been done by the English?

I just don't see teh stylization I would suspect in native asian sculptors.

Yes, totally agreed on the Neptunian..

Jeez, doesn't look anything like real 'Neptunians'...

david_b

[mikeoz]

It's believed by some that the Neptunian was originally planned as Mego's version of the Creature from the Black Lagoon in its monster line. The theory makes sense to me. I actually really like the sculpt.

[megoscott]

Actually, what Kublan said was the less important figures were sculpted overseas--Ie: The Neptunian--and that the major characters from the major lines were sculpted here, but we don't know by whom.

When we needed real likenesses, we used guys here but when it was not for cost savings we used somebody in Hong Kong.

Museum: To actually do the sculpting?
NK: Some of the Sculpting yes, for instance, Star Trek characters were done here, Sonny and Cher, Starsky and Hutch were done here.

Museum: But if you needed something more generic looking it was done in Hong Kong?
NK: When it had a hood over it and you couldn't see the face, it was done overseas.

Unfortunately, his memory of the timing is fluid. He mentions Ken Sheller as the first guy they used, but I don't think that can be true.

[palitoy]

Yeah, Sheller didn't come on the scene until about late 1976.

[megoscott]

That "hood" comment stands out, I forgot about that. Most of our Heroes must have been Hong Kong. Blame them for the pointy ears on Aquaman.

But the good Treks and Ape figures, the Wizard of Oz, the Knights, those sculpts are a step above and predate Sheller.

[palitoy]

Yeah I'd love to know who was doing the likeness sculpts in '75. One person told me it might have been Bill Lemon, he was a master.

[johnmiic]

The Hong Kong theory for the DC & Marvel Super-Hero sculpts sounds very plausible to me. The Heroes faces all seem to share the popular`70's Anime style as they might have been sculpted at the time. Aquaman looks like Desslok from Yamato, Green Arrow's goa-tee looks like gravity defying anime hair, Batman's cowl & Captain America's mask look more like a hard-helmet from some of G-Forces enemies, Robin's goofy smile looks like Tiny from G-Force, Mr. Fantastic's stone-faced expression looks like the second Captain of the Yamato from the second series: Arrivederci Yamato. (Battle of the Planets/Gatchaman & Space Battleship Yamato was first released in Japan in the early 70's). It seems to me the signs are there.