And what did you learn?

[imp]

Oh I do have a mail order Green Goblin from Heroes World, but unfortunately the figure is the only thing that survived (type one body). I do recall the mailing box looking very much like the Montgomery Ward samples you had pictured for the RC Batman, which was probably a standard shipping box for those figures back then. Gobby sits in a beautiful reproduction box these days.

Wow. I have never seen a Mailer Box Green Goblin. So cool that you had one!

Montgomery Ward, in 1976, was the only major U.S. retailer to ever offer the figure in a Christmas catalog (see below).

I imagine the standard Mego Mailer Box (i.e. what you got from Heroes World), is imprinted with the Mego Green Goblin item number, 51300/2. I suspect there are more examples of that variation than the custom Wards box, based solely on several years' worth of availability from Heroes World. Regardless, I have yet to see any example. I would absolutely love to see either version!

Here's Goblin's lovely, solitary appearance in a U.S. retail Christmas catalog:



Benjamin

[MIB41]

I do have original packaging from Heroes World but it's for the 12 inch Mego Kiss figures I ordered back in '79 or '80. It would disappoint you to know that Heroes World felt inclined to cut up the Mego boxes my Gene and Paul figures came in to accomodate the paper mailing bag. Thankfully, my Peter and Ace came complete with their boxes intact. It was amazing how much they mutilated merchandise packaging when they shipped figures. The box my Goblin came in didn't look much bigger than the box you get your checks in when you order a new set.

Want to hear something that will truly make you sick? I once had a mint Iron man, wrapped in a plastic baggy, still contained in the mailer box he came in. I liked keeping him complete like that, but not because I saw any value in the box at that stage of my life. I liked keeping everything. My mother threw him in the trash when she decided to clean out the "toys" under the stairs in our basement. Yes, I still hurt when I think about it. The nightmares have subsided though. There is no telling what that would be worth in today's marketplace...uh... and don't tell me. I don't want to know.

[Meule]

I love how Mego is showing Lincoln who's the boss

[Merlyn1976]

I'll let you know what I think when I can pry it from my daughter

[Wee67]

I actually have several comments about the book AND the new insights into the company it inspired (versus the product, specifically). Its just my left hand is in a cast and its a real pain to type anything of any any length!!! But when it heals....

[jayihdz]

The book is fantastic and what did I learn??? Where can I start??

[imp]

I actually have several comments about the book AND the new insights into the company it inspired (versus the product, specifically). Its just my left hand is in a cast and its a real pain to type anything of any any length!!! But when it heals....

Bill, please get well soon.

Jay, please feel free to post a li'l sump'n sump'n. I look forward to discussing the book, yet it remains pretty quiet on that front.

Benjamin

[johnmiic]

I never thought much about how much more human Iron Man's face looks on the figure vs. in the comics. Seeing it, you know it's different, but I never considered why. I know in the comics Iron Man's eye and mouth holes are generally black and no trace of eyes or mouth/teeth are shown except for dramatic effect.

I didn’t know you hated the Torch's head. I think it could be the only head I read in the book you disapprove of. I didn't think the Torch head was so bad, ( except for the yellow flames painted on). The way the torch is done is perhaps more a tribute to Jack Kirby's interpetation of a man who is flaming. Just the outline of the head, the eyes and mouth visible and lines drawn in the different sectors of the characters face. Like Spider-Man though Mego carved these lines into the head instead of painting it as a pattern, like Spider-Man's web pattern in the comics. I always recognized the web pattern was 3D but never realized it was not painted on like it is in the comics.

Also you had outlined at Mego Meet how you were going into great detail covering the numerous packaging variants. Yawnnnn! I thought, who the heck wants to see that??? 1 pic of a box and 1 pic of a card and you're done. Why waste time on it? The variations are catalogued nicely in a simple graphic chart at the top of the page. They are there if you want to refer to them but not so obtrusive that they take up too much space or detract from space used for the figure or packaging photos/art. I actually have been referring to the info on them. You explained that this was like archeology and once said the packaging coverage makes sense and my opinion has turned around on it.

[BendyZaius]

I got my copy of the book for Christmas. I opened it on Christmas eve and couldn't put it down. There is now picture of my sitting on the floor in front of the tree with my face buried in the book, like old times

Anyway, the book is incredible. I have shown it to people that are not into Megos and they too are amaxed at the completeness and the clarity of the photos.

I took my copy on the Plane to Orlando when I was going to FX last week. It was cool reading it when I was going on a toy hunt that weekend. Strange thing was I had read the part about the Kitchen Sink Aquaman on the plane, and then found a carded one at FX Friday morning! He has the red torso

Anyway, on the plane, I had it in the seat pocket in front of me with the title etc showing during take off. A lady across the aisle with a little kid about 5 years old, who was squirming around already, asked if she could give it to him to look at. She didn't know what it was, just saw the word TOYS on it. I had to tell her that it was not a book for kids and I didnt want it damaged. Pretty funny. If I had been willing to risk torn pages, I could have made another convert!

[English Paul]

I had never realised that carded and boxed figures were produced alongside each other. I had always just assumed that use of boxes was ceased and cards took over.

[MIB41]

You know the more I think about it, I think Mego defaulted to the nose on Iron Man because the comic character did go through a brief period where he was endowed with a nose and that image appeared on some products during that period. Remember some of the giant Marvel stick-on's you could get with Iron Man breaking the chains across his chest? I know he didn't keep it more than maybe six to eight issues (it was reviled), but it did generate some product that hung around for years. I wouldn't put it past Mego execs to have seen that product and felt justified in sculpting the face in that direction since there was existing product to support a "nosed" Iron Man. Just a thought...

[imp]

You know the more I think about it, I think Mego defaulted to the nose on Iron Man because the comic character did go through a brief period where he was endowed with a nose and that image appeared on some products during that period. Remember some of the giant Marvel stick-on's you could get with Iron Man breaking the chains across his chest? I know he didn't keep it more than maybe six to eight issues (it was reviled), but it did generate some product that hung around for years. I wouldn't put it past Mego execs to have seen that product and felt justified in sculpting the face in that direction since there was existing product to support a "nosed" Iron Man. Just a thought...

http://megomuseum.com/mmgallery/files/3/7/4/Ironman.jpg

That's very cool! I was completely unaware their were depictions of Iron Man with a nose. Thanks for the information. Could you pinpoint the month and year this occurred in the comics? In other words, if it happened during or after January 1975, we could probably rule it out as having influenced Mego's head sculptor.

Great work!

Benjamin

[MIB41]

Absolutely. Iron Man first appeared with his nose in issue #68 which was the July '74 issue (hmmmmmm).




Here was one of my favorite issues during that run (issue #72) which I still really like. Cool cover. This was the cover I thought about when I first saw the figure and why I instantly fell in love with him as a kid when my parents got him for me.



Issue # 84 represents the last issue in which Iron man has his nose. So if you count those issues, that's actually a year and half run with the infamous extension. So in many ways our Mego Iron Man was reflecting our hero as he appeared in the comics! To me that just makes him that much more unique. Truly a time piece!

[MIB41]

Correct, but his primary mask was with the nose for that run. I remember it well. Plus if you look in the upper left hand corner of those issues (the staple image of him breaking the chains), they show Shellhead with his nose. If you have some of those issues, just read the reader's forum ("Shock it to Shellhead') and you'll see that Marvel was trying to push the new image, but without success. I just thought it was worth mentioning. It could have played a role with Mego's figure at that moment in time.

[imp]

Absolutely. Iron Man first appeared with his nose in issue #68 which was the July '74 issue (hmmmmmm).

Very interesting finding! This date is pushing the time line a bit tight, to think Mego could have responded so quickly, but it is entirely plausible. At the time, Marvel didn't provide 'proper' style guides, but it's possible Marvel developed this stylistic change early enough that they were able to provide appropriate artwork to Mego.

Interestingly, the packaging (box) artwork depicts Iron Man without a nose, and I just referenced the fact that the packaging artwork is taken from Issue #60, just eight issues prior to the "Nose" cover you posted. I think you may have a solved the Mystery of Mego Iron Man and the Nefarious Nostils.

I'll let Encyclopedia Brown know: Case closed.

Well done!

Iron Man is shown without a nose on the cover of Invincible Iron Man #76 (July 1975).

Good point, Ant. And by that time, the Mego Iron Man was in full production, which supports MIB41's theory.

Benjamin