World's Greatest Heroes! New "Series 2" Full-Page Ad

[MIB41]

I think it's one of the best toy related books ever written. I truly mean that. Regardless of how many copies it sold, it was and is an amazing acheivement, and you should be very proud.

I couldn't agree more! I prize this book so much I don't even keep it with my other printed material. I keep it next to my most prized collectibles. So in the event of a flood, fire, or other disaster, these go with ME. And there isn't another Mego book out there that touches this. Not even in the same zip code. No... Strike that. Not even in the same universe. It's a stand alone piece of historical retrospect that gives these figures the love they so richly deserve. Without question I can say this to Ben - THANK YOU. Your efforts did NOT go unnoticed and are immensely appreciated by many people who did drop the dollars and have never regretted it for a moment. Anyone who reads it or even just glances through it, can immediately see the love you have for this craft. No one will ever do it more justice. I hope one day to get my copy signed by you. That's all that is missing. You are an invaluable part of the Mego legacy. Long after we're gone, this book will live on for future generations to enjoy. Now THAT'S a legacy to be proud of.

[EMCE Hammer]

Well, I don't like being lumped-in with a bunch of cheapskates. I bought two copies of the book; one for myself and one for my son who was illiterate at the time:-) In my mind the connection between sales of your bar-setting book and FTC figures is a bit tenuous. Certainly there's overlap in the audience, but a meticulous book about collectible action figures from the 70s vs. remakes of figures from the 70s isn't exactly an apples to apples comparison in my mind.

[PNGwynne]

I try to keep in mind that there is a broad range of 1/9-scale "Mego" enthusiasts here: some want packaged, others loose; some minty origiinal, some refurbished with repro parts. Some can spend a lot; many cannot. Some love all aspects of the "Mego" format--some only want to recapture bits of childhood memories.

It's all good! But it's a challenge to tap into these varied interests to support a line, a book, even a sculpt.

Regarding Wave 2, I relish the idea of them in the same manner I did Emce's Trek: I can play, display, & customize them in a way I would not, with my vintage stuff. But I stand by my reservations expressed earlier about the marketablility of this wave in support of a "long haul." And that's from someone who likes each of the figures.

[MIB41]

I try to keep in mind that there is a broad range of 1/9-scale "Mego" enthusiasts here: some want packaged, others loose; some minty origiinal, some refurbished with repro parts. Some can spend a lot; many cannot. Some love all aspects of the "Mego" format--some only want to recapture bits of childhood memories.

It's all good! But it's a challenge to tap into these varied interests to support a line, a book, even a sculpt.

Regarding Wave 2, I relish the idea of them in the same manner I did Emce's Trek: I can play, display, & customize them in a way I would not, with my vintage stuff. But I stand by my reservations expressed earlier about the marketablility of this wave in support of a "long haul." And that's from someone who likes each of the figures.

Well said!

[imp]

You guys are very generous and complimentary and sweet and I REALLY DO know the book was (and remains) appreciated by those who got it. I only brought up the book in response to enyawd72 questioning the validity of my assessment that this community is actually soooo much smaller than many of us realize and/or wish it were. I wasn't kudos-fishing, and I don't wish to derail the topic at hand -- FTC's Series 2 Assortment.

I feel like I have learned a LOT from this thread, and so many great points have come up. I feel pretty confident that:

1. The Series 2 Assortment kinda stinks. Not totally stinks. Just kinda stinks.
2. Not a whole lot of people will buy all of Series 2 or Series 3, but…
3. Some people assert they will COLLECT 'EM ALL.
4. Neither 1 or 2 above matters. Given low tooling costs and their investment and commitment, FTC will manufacture Series 3 and beyond.
5. After the Batman-related waves wrap up, we will get (at least some) other DC characters, perhaps even some that Mego never produced.
6. You guys are a lot of fun to 'talk shop' with.

I hope this line is top-quality and enjoys a long and healthy life. I hope the line is so good, FTC is able to procure the MARVEL COMICS license.

As Stan Lee might say, BRING ON THE BAD GUYS!

[PNGwynne]

I couldn't agree more! I prize this book so much I don't even keep it with my other printed material... I hope one day to get my copy signed by you. That's all that is missing. You are an invaluable part of the Mego legacy. Long after we're gone, this book will live on for future generations to enjoy. Now THAT'S a legacy to be proud of.

That's exactly what I did! My worn copy is for reference reading, my signed one is next to my DC Archives.

[hedrap]

1. The Series 2 Assortment kinda stinks. Not totally stinks. Just kinda stinks.
2. Not a whole lot of people will buy all of Series 2 or Series 3, but…
3. Some people assert they will COLLECT 'EM ALL.
4. Neither 1 or 2 above matters. Given low tooling costs and their investment and commitment, FTC will manufacture Series 3 and beyond.
5. After the Batman-related waves wrap up, we will get (at least some) other DC characters, perhaps even some that Mego never produced.
6. You guys are a lot of fun to 'talk shop' with.

What hurts Mego now, is what hurt it back in '78. Rate of inflation erupted during stagflation. From '72-'78, the price went from 2.00-5.00 USD. In 2013 dollars, that would be a figure line you started buying in 2007 for 11.00 is now selling at 18.00. When Star Wars came out, they were 1.50 USD, which is about 5.00 USD today. So a parents choice? Three figures for one.

If I was FTC, I would price to accept a loss on the replicas peg to inflation and mailed 'em in a poly just like how in 1982, I used to find a bin of Falcons in Christmas Tree Shops for seventy cents. If you want the carded figure, it's extra. That puts the price in the 15 and under range, and the only way to truly find out what is the real barrier.

Cut the frills. Cut the collector's nostalgia and treating these as works of art. Custom work is art, manufactured are supposed to be playable. Get back to the Rack Toys mentality and make it competitive.

...and I don't see how they get the Marvel license. The opportunity for DC was created by Matty dropping the ball. If FTC DC shows life, I would think Hasbro would be more inclined to do their version of Retro Action.

[imp]

Cut the frills. Cut the collector's nostalgia and treating these as works of art. Custom work is art, manufactured are supposed to be playable. Get back to the Rack Toys mentality and make it competitive.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but FTC only courts the Adult Collector market. To my awareness, they have never marketed their products to kids, and they don't try to make "playable" toys, so there is no "Rack Toys mentality" for them to "get back to."

Or are you merely suggesting how you would do it if you were a toy manufacturer?

...and I don't see how they get the Marvel license. The opportunity for DC was created by Matty dropping the ball. If FTC DC shows life, I would think Hasbro would be more inclined to do their version of Retro Action.

I don't know that Hasbro has done much better in this space (i.e. 1/6th scale) than the other BIG toy companies. Toy Biz Famous Covers had a long run, but do you remember those "DC Super Heroes" figures Hasbro came out with about ten years ago? Aquaman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and then a couple of Target exclusives, Batman and Superman? The latter were tricky to find since they were store exclusives, but man the former three? Those were some mad peg-warmers! Hasbro may not be in any hurry to go back to that well.

[PNGwynne]

I think you mean 1/9 scale? (Because Hasbro invented the action figure when it introduced 1/6-scale GI Joe in the '60s.)


Regarding their recent endeavors, Hasbro's Marvel Signature 9" line ran several waves in 2007/2008.

[garfoot]

I liked the Famous Covers series,especially the artwork on the boxes. The Target exclusives were not too bad either. I agree with you that Hasbro might not be in much of a hurry to let loose the 8" retro Marvels anytime soon. But if FTC does well with the REMEGOS who knows?

[Mego-Amigo]

40 year old figure...Brand new figure
Mego...FTC
BMW...Volkswagon

There's also alot of freshly packed merchandise in the dollar store thats never been touched too. Hopefully your definition of "quality" is measured by more than the adhesive on a backer card.

I'll decide whether the FTC WGSH figures are quality or not when I get them. Having original 40 year old perfect figures is not that important to me. Just want the same figures in nice packaging.

[madmarva]

With Diamond carrying Figures.com products, it will be interesting to see if they show off anything to retailers at Diamond's booth at the San Diego Comic Com.

It would be a great place to debut the protos of the 66 figures and some of their other lines.

[imp]

I think you mean 1/9 scale? (Because Hasbro invented the action figure when it introduced 1/6-scale GI Joe in the '60s.)

Yes. 1/9th scale. Thank you.

Regarding their recent endeavors, Hasbro's Marvel Signature 9" line ran several waves in 2007/2008.

I somehow completely missed this line. Never heard of them. A quick Google search later…They appear a whole lot nicer than the ToyBiz Famous Cover series. Is that fair to say? How many characters did Hasbro produce in those two years? Are they popular among collectors?

[MIB41]

Cut the frills. Cut the collector's nostalgia and treating these as works of art. Custom work is art, manufactured are supposed to be playable. Get back to the Rack Toys mentality and make it competitive.

...and I don't see how they get the Marvel license. The opportunity for DC was created by Matty dropping the ball. If FTC DC shows life, I would think Hasbro would be more inclined to do their version of Retro Action.

I think the 1/9th scale has the biggest translation problem because of the generation gap created after Mego closed it's doors in 1982. When this occurred, there was no one left to make this scale. And actually Mego had already quit that scale before they ever went under. And if you're really looking at the 1/9th scale as a viable product sharing space in the boy toy isle, that actually ceased in the late 70's after Star Wars took over everything. So by the time Famous Covers got here, 20 years had elapsed, which covers basically two generations of kids who grew up seeing only 3 and 6 inch figures. And even after this reentry, the 1/9th scale figure looked more like an oddity on the shelves than a game changer the way Mego broke out with Action Jackson. But unlike the days when Mego was breaking new ground, there was no pent up need for this scale when Famous Covers came out. The only ones who seem to want them were those original kids, now grown up with money to buy them. Then Hasbro took a shot at it and tried their own "updates" to that concept. They did both DC and Marvel licenses but didn't tip the scales with their offerings either. Now enter an underground movement led by our beloved Dr. Mego. He begins manufacturing reproduction parts online for those original Megos. And that's a story that could take pages all by itself to properly document. But long story short, Paul jumps through many hoops of fire to make this a viable resource for collectors.

But it's through this underground movement that Paul's example spurs others to start their own companies. And if you think about it, that's where it remains to this day. Mego style figures have never regained that once glorious space on the shelves where they were once the dominant figure. Those days seem just as elusive today as when Famous Covers tried it 15 years ago. The greatest difference is our market has built inroads with EMCE, BBP, FTC, ZICA, and what should have been a prosperous Castaway Toys (no thanks to a scrupulous factory in China). So while I think that original idea of having a cheap and easily affordable figure for anyone should exist, unfortunately we don't enjoy the kind of market share that will ever allow that kind of price point to exist. What's more we, as customers, need to quit courting companies that enjoy pushing the envelope on driving that price point even higher. We have good companies that are selling good product at good prices. Take care of those companies and we take care of the market we do have.

[hedrap]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but FTC only courts the Adult Collector market. To my awareness, they have never marketed their products to kids, and they don't try to make "playable" toys, so there is no "Rack Toys mentality" for them to "get back to."

Or are you merely suggesting how you would do it if you were a toy manufacturer?

Yeah, it's my suggestion for anyone attempting a license launch. As much as we fawn over Kresge cards, colors, carded vs boxed, Abrams and company really didn't give that big a crap. I mean, they didn't even care to get an accurate character guide for the figures. We're the ones caught up in the intricacy, and it doesn't translate.

FTC is the closest to "get it" right now, because they're reappropriating the crap out of everything, which is what every company in the 8" market did at that time to cut costs. So you either go that route, hard, to cut costs, or you go with ZICA and redesign So it can sit next to any hard plastic figure and not seem out of place.

I don't know that Hasbro has done much better in this space (i.e. 1/6th scale) than the other BIG toy companies. Toy Biz Famous Covers had a long run, but do you remember those "DC Super Heroes" figures Hasbro came out with about ten years ago? Aquaman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and then a couple of Target exclusives, Batman and Superman? The latter were tricky to find since they were store exclusives, but man the former three? Those were some mad peg-warmers! Hasbro may not be in any hurry to go back to that well.

I loved the Hasbro DC Silver Age figures, but the scale was terrible. I got all the FC figures for my kids because they've come to like them over most Mego figures due to their blank stare.

With Hasbro, I see what you're getting at and you could very well be right, but I was working from the idea FTC makes a go of this and piques their interest as to "how".

What Toy Biz and then Hasbro have repeatedly botched is the design. The Hasbro Signatures are fantastic, but the scale fits nothing but FC. Who made that decision? Why? I know it has something to do with it being easier to shrink molds by equal ratios, but then you have to package them as a way to inform people what you're trying to update. The Signature packaging was a mess, just as it was for their DC Silver Age.

If FTC works, I could see Hasbro talking to them or Doc even moreso since he was trusted by Matty. Maybe then they listen to "scale down the Signature figure to 8-inch and simplify the packaging and you're in business".

...on a side note, the Target/JLA push has me wondering if FTC is working that deal to try and secure peg space before they release new DC figures, and they're using these early waves as bait that the figures will sell. Unless WB has a license uniformity code in work, and doesn't want retro to mingle with New 52,