Let me apologize in advance for the long post, and for those few of you who actually read this short novel I thank you for taking the time.
Well, I’ve been kicking around the Museum for a helluva long time and ever since the first Mego Meet, I wanted to go. At first I just plum couldn’t afford it, then…..I still couldn’t afford it….then with three small kids, a mortgage, etc, it just seemed like a lot of money to spend for one weekend. Plus I’m coming from Atlantic Canada, so it wasn’t around the corner. But boy, am I glad I finally pulled the trigger.
Every year after the Meet, I always enjoyed reading those aftermath emails where folks thanked everyone and spoke of their personal highlights. You know, the ones where it sounds like someone accepting an academy award, thanking everyone (cue the music). The thing I found cool was that most folks wrote about the comradery instead of the toys. The friendships instead of the collectables. My desire to go this year was more about finally meeting you guys than buying toys. I didn’t have a list of anything specific I was hoping to snag, however I did have a list of members I wanted to meet, and I meet them all.
The first point I want to make extremely clear is this. I’ve read here and there how the Museum sometimes has a rep of having cliques that exclude people and trust me when I say that’s a load of crap! Ed was the only member at Mego Meet that I had previously met and I was literally meeting everyone else for the very first time. Not only were they friendly, but I can honestly say they ALL made me feel like part of the family. Absolutely everyone was kind and inclusive. I was invited to eat and check out local collectable shops. In the Suite, there was no “cool table” that the new guys were excluded from. It was very much reminiscent of a large family reunion with people happy to see each other again and equally happy to meet new friends.
I contemplated not naming names because I know I will leave people out, however there are some folks that I just have to acknowledge. So I apologize to those unnamed; you are ALL my new friends.
First and foremost, my new buddy Rob Turner. You may have seen his carpool thread, but I being new took him up on his kind offer and I’m glad I did. Rob took me under his wing and showed me the sort of kindness that this community truly has. He showed me around, showed me where the bank machine was, we ate together and throughout my entire first Meet, he made sure I was included in everything and knew what was going on. He showed incredible kindness and he’s just a big old fashioned gentlemen there to help anyway he can. Rob, you’ve made a friend for life. Thank you.
On Thursday night, the party at Art’s store was my first real eye-opener as to how cool this community is. Walking around meeting everyone was awesome. There was a moment I actually said to myself “I can’t believe I’m shooting the breeze with Doc Mego”. To many of us, Paul is like the God Father. After all, he gave us Trek, Apes, Retro Action and so much more. And here I was chewing the fat like two old buddies. He’s a down to earth funny guy who shoots first and asks questions later. A true pleasure meeting you sir.
Art Baltazar’s store was amazing – go see it! As a fan of his work, it was great to meet him. His customs inspired me and it was hard picking my favorite one. Art is truly a kind person with a huge heart; you can see that right away. He was fun to talk to and his wife is a sweetheart as well. Just an all-around great person I genuinely enjoyed interacting with. My kids went crazy for the signed comics. Aww Yeah, Art!!!
From that list of guys I wanted to meet, Austin was pretty much on top. I’ve been ordering stuff from him for years and it was such a pleasure to shake his hand. He was a gentlemen and a big teddy bear. Great to meet you my friend, thanks for being so cool.
David Lee went out of his way to make me feel welcome. As an AJ fan, he and I shared some fun stories and I felt more like we were old friends than new ones. Thanks for being so kind.
I was warned to check out Berto’s table because it was so awesome and wow – that’s what I’m talking about. What an incredible guy he was. I mentioned in passing that I needed loafers for my Oscar Goldman and the next day, he had put them aside for me. He’s the type of guy who would have anything mego part you ever needed and he immediately offered his friendship.
Paul (Laser Mego) was a shy humble gentlemen which is exactly what I expected. It was a true pleasure meeting him and chatting over a beer. Another fella who made me feel welcomed.
Are you guys seeing a pattern yet? Everyone was awesome.
I really enjoyed the Random Noir panel. These two great guys displayed some awesome figures. Great seeing you guys!
Toyman Chris is one funny dude. I think you and I would get along well. I enjoyed the ribbing. Chris, you’re partner in crime was a nice fella too.
Joe DeRouen, it was a pleasure meeting you. You were super nice and I enjoyed chatting with your son about the glory days of wrasslin’. He’s a cool kid.
Brian and Scott put together one helluva show and were too humble to accept any praise. Well too bad – you guys did awesome!! Great to meet you both face to face.
To the gentlemen who ate the deep dish pizza with me, I enjoyed your company! Thank you for letting me hang out with such cool guys. To the large gang that met up at Portello’s, it was a pleasure breaking bread with you.
To the countless others who I haven’t named – please know that I sincerely appreciated your kindness and friendship. And you didn’t make the list mainly because I suck at names and didn’t want to say things like “the father & son dudes with the 3d printer”. LOL
Anyone notice I didn’t talk about all the great toys for sale? The moral of the story is this……we love mego’s and the greatest thing about the Meet isn’t the mego’s. It’s the guys like you who also love the hobby. A wise man once said you should collect friends, not toys. And after my first Mego Meet in the books, I feel like I have a complete set.
Thank you to every single last person I met over the weekend. Each and everyone one of you were awesome!
- Brown Bear
Well, I’ve been kicking around the Museum for a helluva long time and ever since the first Mego Meet, I wanted to go. At first I just plum couldn’t afford it, then…..I still couldn’t afford it….then with three small kids, a mortgage, etc, it just seemed like a lot of money to spend for one weekend. Plus I’m coming from Atlantic Canada, so it wasn’t around the corner. But boy, am I glad I finally pulled the trigger.
Every year after the Meet, I always enjoyed reading those aftermath emails where folks thanked everyone and spoke of their personal highlights. You know, the ones where it sounds like someone accepting an academy award, thanking everyone (cue the music). The thing I found cool was that most folks wrote about the comradery instead of the toys. The friendships instead of the collectables. My desire to go this year was more about finally meeting you guys than buying toys. I didn’t have a list of anything specific I was hoping to snag, however I did have a list of members I wanted to meet, and I meet them all.
The first point I want to make extremely clear is this. I’ve read here and there how the Museum sometimes has a rep of having cliques that exclude people and trust me when I say that’s a load of crap! Ed was the only member at Mego Meet that I had previously met and I was literally meeting everyone else for the very first time. Not only were they friendly, but I can honestly say they ALL made me feel like part of the family. Absolutely everyone was kind and inclusive. I was invited to eat and check out local collectable shops. In the Suite, there was no “cool table” that the new guys were excluded from. It was very much reminiscent of a large family reunion with people happy to see each other again and equally happy to meet new friends.
I contemplated not naming names because I know I will leave people out, however there are some folks that I just have to acknowledge. So I apologize to those unnamed; you are ALL my new friends.
First and foremost, my new buddy Rob Turner. You may have seen his carpool thread, but I being new took him up on his kind offer and I’m glad I did. Rob took me under his wing and showed me the sort of kindness that this community truly has. He showed me around, showed me where the bank machine was, we ate together and throughout my entire first Meet, he made sure I was included in everything and knew what was going on. He showed incredible kindness and he’s just a big old fashioned gentlemen there to help anyway he can. Rob, you’ve made a friend for life. Thank you.
On Thursday night, the party at Art’s store was my first real eye-opener as to how cool this community is. Walking around meeting everyone was awesome. There was a moment I actually said to myself “I can’t believe I’m shooting the breeze with Doc Mego”. To many of us, Paul is like the God Father. After all, he gave us Trek, Apes, Retro Action and so much more. And here I was chewing the fat like two old buddies. He’s a down to earth funny guy who shoots first and asks questions later. A true pleasure meeting you sir.
Art Baltazar’s store was amazing – go see it! As a fan of his work, it was great to meet him. His customs inspired me and it was hard picking my favorite one. Art is truly a kind person with a huge heart; you can see that right away. He was fun to talk to and his wife is a sweetheart as well. Just an all-around great person I genuinely enjoyed interacting with. My kids went crazy for the signed comics. Aww Yeah, Art!!!
From that list of guys I wanted to meet, Austin was pretty much on top. I’ve been ordering stuff from him for years and it was such a pleasure to shake his hand. He was a gentlemen and a big teddy bear. Great to meet you my friend, thanks for being so cool.
David Lee went out of his way to make me feel welcome. As an AJ fan, he and I shared some fun stories and I felt more like we were old friends than new ones. Thanks for being so kind.
I was warned to check out Berto’s table because it was so awesome and wow – that’s what I’m talking about. What an incredible guy he was. I mentioned in passing that I needed loafers for my Oscar Goldman and the next day, he had put them aside for me. He’s the type of guy who would have anything mego part you ever needed and he immediately offered his friendship.
Paul (Laser Mego) was a shy humble gentlemen which is exactly what I expected. It was a true pleasure meeting him and chatting over a beer. Another fella who made me feel welcomed.
Are you guys seeing a pattern yet? Everyone was awesome.
I really enjoyed the Random Noir panel. These two great guys displayed some awesome figures. Great seeing you guys!
Toyman Chris is one funny dude. I think you and I would get along well. I enjoyed the ribbing. Chris, you’re partner in crime was a nice fella too.
Joe DeRouen, it was a pleasure meeting you. You were super nice and I enjoyed chatting with your son about the glory days of wrasslin’. He’s a cool kid.
Brian and Scott put together one helluva show and were too humble to accept any praise. Well too bad – you guys did awesome!! Great to meet you both face to face.
To the gentlemen who ate the deep dish pizza with me, I enjoyed your company! Thank you for letting me hang out with such cool guys. To the large gang that met up at Portello’s, it was a pleasure breaking bread with you.
To the countless others who I haven’t named – please know that I sincerely appreciated your kindness and friendship. And you didn’t make the list mainly because I suck at names and didn’t want to say things like “the father & son dudes with the 3d printer”. LOL
Anyone notice I didn’t talk about all the great toys for sale? The moral of the story is this……we love mego’s and the greatest thing about the Meet isn’t the mego’s. It’s the guys like you who also love the hobby. A wise man once said you should collect friends, not toys. And after my first Mego Meet in the books, I feel like I have a complete set.
Thank you to every single last person I met over the weekend. Each and everyone one of you were awesome!
- Brown Bear
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