My take on the Retro Batman line so far

[Iron Mego]

And you can't put together any of these figures for under $25 using repro parts.

[noelani72]

The lines are blurred here - paying a weekend-warrior-garage-cook $50 for a custom-hand-crafted-Mego is nothing like paying premium prices of $25 to FTC for a busted figure.
The $50 is being paid for a unique hand crafted item from an artist with attention to detail.
The $25 premium price is being paid to a corporate entity for an item being made mostly by machines in mass production. Mass produced by machines, these bodies shouldn't have any guess work left in them - it's called engineering. The PVC has a formula, that in 2013 you'd think they'd gotten it figured out by now. There is zero doubt in my mind that quality control in China has its issues, I get that. But also in that zero shadow of doubt is the notion that FTC had seen production samples - in their own hands during the course of this year for this particular run of figures. You'd have thought they'd seen the bicep connectors stretched and went "whoa", got on the phone, called China and said "hey, lets look at a different rubber band. It's not got enough stretch and is damaging the product". Or, the other side of that I reckon could be they DID see issues much worse and those got fixed but not everything. Stemming from their horrific track record of poorly made bodies going all the way back to their factories in India, you'd think the breakage rate would be much lower. Either FTC are sitting in their office FURIOUS that not only did their factories in India drop the ball, the factories in China are too.....or, from a business model, they are paying for inferior materials to make their product to save a buck.

All of these quality issues, coupled with their classic bait-and-switch photo campaign...and the CAT stolen molds we collectively flat out didn't boycott them in the first place...it all adds up.

You spend $25 on a toaster - it should work.
You spend $4 on a gallon of milk - it should not be spoiled.
You spend $500 on an iPad - it should work.
You spend $25 on a FTC action figure - it should not have such glaring manufacturing flaws such as ripped PVC bicep connectors.

It's no wonder FTC doesn't participate on the boards or attend major conventions....

I really like Megos and the retro world that has become of it.
When Doc and Marty paired up, well, I thought that was just one of the coolest things we could have had in our world.

I'm not a giddy-fan-boy.
I don't have every single thing FTC has produced..or BBP, or Neca, or CAT, or even Mattel for that matter..
I expect when I had over that hard cold cash on a mass produced item - no matter what it is - it lasts me more than five minutes. It doesn't require me to modify it out-of-the-box.
I'll go as far to suspect they are having a breakage rate right now on these batman figures in excess of 30% - no proof of that, just a number my gut tossed out based on all the word of mouth...and if complaints continue, then the license holder will save-face and kill any further bad mouthing because quality issues such as this damage a Brand....and NONE of us want that.

So if these lines and FTC are to continue, and I know we all want more lines or the issues would be moot - FTC needs to squash this **** RIGHT FREAKING NOW or at the very least make a statement, make up some bs jargin story that will pacify license shareholders and offer a promise to improve their quality standards...it's simple business.

[JediJaida]

Very well put.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[The Bat]

FIRST!I TOTALLY agree with Chad. I will in no way defend FTC for botching the quality issues with bodies a 2ND time around! There's just NO EXCUSE! That said, it won't stop me from buying the figures and replacing the bodies on the figures that need it.. I just bought my first two figures, ROBIN & The RIDDLER. My review:

The Riddler: My only issue with this figure is of course a body issue. He stands, but his right leg points inward and can not be adjusted. So I'll replace the body for $5.00 and bring the cost of the figure up to $29.99. To me that's not bad. I don't own an original Riddler...so to get a MINT condition one for $29.99 makes me very happy.

Robin: No issues at all. He stands just fine and another missing figure is added to my collection. Very happy!

So...out of two figures bought, that's a 50-50 percent chance of getting a body from FTC that isn't messed up. Not good odds.

[ubermanx]

noelani72 is right on the money ...

I would rather have the FTC Batman figures and replace the bodies then not have the figures at all. That's why I bought a case and have preordered the Titans, Batman Series 2 and 3.

My issue is that other makers of remegos are doing it better and for less. And I am not pleased about that. Just compare the craftsmanship of the Universal Monsters Phantom in both complexity of costume and quality of body and clothing vs. the FTC Batman.

Again, better than not having Batman but the 33% premium price I paid (before factoring in a replacement body) is grating. ESPECIALLY knowing that FTC has a far superior body on the Mad Clowns figures they give away for free. I put my Joker head and clothes on one of these Mad Clown bodies and he is PERFECT.

- Marty

[Wasimhosen]

What astounds me is the Kiss figures, while not perfect, don't fall apart if you touch them. I was just looking at my Paul and they used a completely different system for them. I have 3 series plus an extra Gene and none of them have the same issues as the Batman figures. Do you think they used a different factory for them? Why would they do that?

[Figuremod73]

I agree but its not a deal breaker, they look that good to me. I've pieced together vintage figures and at times it gets a little costly. I wish sometimes a deal could be made to use Docs bodies.

I feel the parts alone are worth it and hope they are able to make the whole line. I hope Conan has a release date soon.

[PNGwynne]

And you can't put together any of these figures for under $25 using repro parts.

I agree. And that was noted, too in the dark days of the seemingly endless debate on Mattel's Retro-Action poorly-designed body.

The fact is, original Megos had body problems.

Emce/BBP has had body problems.

CTVT had major body problems, and now FTC has ones similar to Mego/Emce.

I suspect that bodies in general are where cost-cutting occurs, and stringing has a big impact, too.

[PNGwynne]

Also--and let's be frank--many of us aficionados are going to buy these regardless, we just can't help ourselves.

Some complained about Famous Covers & Mattel RA, but we bought them & kit-bashed them anyway.

Some complained about Emce Trek & POTA regarding stringing & poseability, or about market impact, but we ultimately embraced them as options, along with UniMonsters.

BBP has a reMego niche, too, despite occasional scale and fabrication snafus.

***

We know we're paying for a license here with FTC's DC offerings. And, we fans want the line to succeed for varied, even selfish reasons. I know I do.

I think our concerns now are two-fold:

1. Since 2005, these problems with bodies, from CTVT or Emce or anybody, could & should be addressed & improved. Doc did, CAW did, it's not impossible.

2. Other vendor-manufacturers have a presence here, we feel involved with them to varying extents. That leads to a feeling of togetherness and we fans are thereby willing to give the benefit of the doubt when these mishaps occur. Chad is right, it's building a brand.

***

I truly advocate not buying what you don't like & letting the market prevail. But, I'm also willing with most any reMego to switch bodies, which I concede should be absolutely unnecessary.

What is FTC's strategy--if they "know" these will sell to the niche regardless, are they still willing to risk increased sales to the larger public because if breakage? Do they just assume collectors will never open them?

Considering the appeal & price-point, are sales to a larger market even a consideration? If they aren't, then why alienate the niche? It's very confusing to me... esp. since I can see how these have improved from earlier efforts.

And with no information or feedback from the manufacturer, what else can we do here but vent our frustration, share our hope, and speculate??

[Werewolf]

The fact is, original Megos had body problems.

Emce/BBP has had body problems.

CTVT had major body problems, and now FTC has ones similar to Mego/Emce.

Yep, it's the nature of the beast when it comes to stringing with rubber bands.

I've had my share of issues with Emce bodies. Like twisted bodies, cracked torsos and arms that keep popping into the torsos. The Mego style rubber band strung body design is very touchy and you are not always going to get a figure strung exactly right. It's luck of the draw and I remember fixing plenty of Megos as a child too. But I don't sweat the small stuff and if I have to restring or swap out body here and there, it's a small price to pay for such cool figures. The only thing that ever really bugs me a bit is oversized heads. That I can't fix.

Back to the FTC Batman figures.

I got a Batman and Robin as an early Christmas present. Mine are great! To me, they are the most Mego-y of the re-Megos so far. They really capture that Mego look and feel. With the subtle updates of the silk screen emblems and dark colors on Batman, the look like they could have been later run issues of the figures if Mego had kept making them into the mid to late 80s.

[jwyblejr]

Looks like they're going pretty fast on Amazon.

[noelani72]

Had a package from FTC upon arriving home yesterday.
It was a replacement body from their new shipment which was their response to my twice-broken-out-of-box Riddler.
It appears the PVC biceps are not as soft as this Batman figure run, which is a good thing - that's gonna keep them from ripping and limbs falling off.
But, in classic CTVT style, it is strung way too tight and has to pee. Right arm is pulled into the torso a bit.
Reckon I'll re-string it and it should be fine.

[Boywonder0]

Yep, it's the nature of the beast when it comes to stringing with rubber bands.

I've had my share of issues with Emce bodies. Like twisted bodies, cracked torsos and arms that keep popping into the torsos. The Mego style rubber band strung body design is very touchy and you are not always going to get a figure strung exactly right. It's luck of the draw and I remember fixing plenty of Megos as a child too. But I don't sweat the small stuff and if I have to restring or swap out body here and there, it's a small price to pay for such cool figures. The only thing that ever really bugs me a bit is oversized heads. That I can't fix.

Back to the FTC Batman figures.

I got a Batman and Robin as an early Christmas present. Mine are great! To me, they are the most Mego-y of the re-Megos so far. They really capture that Mego look and feel. With the subtle updates of the silk screen emblems and dark colors on Batman, the look like they could have been later run issues of the figures if Mego had kept making them into the mid to late 80s.

You brothers are right on! I love the new FTC WGSH figures! Body problems? All the 8" body makers have! I, myself, am very grateful for getting a minty mint head, minty mint cloth costume, minty mint gloves, minty mint boots, minty mint cape, minty mint belt, minty mint emblem, minty mint card, and a minty mint clamshell all for $25...

Years ago we were wishing that Mego styled figures were once again made... Now they are and we are promoting these as badly made so that they don't sell and their manufacturing ends... Duh!

[The Bat]

You brothers are right on! I love the new FTC WGSH figures! Body problems? All the 8" body makers have! I, myself, am very grateful for getting a minty mint head, minty mint cloth costume, minty mint gloves, minty mint boots, minty mint cape, minty mint belt, minty mint emblem, minty mint card, and a minty mint clamshell all for $25...

Years ago we were wishing that Mego styled figures were once again made... Now they are and we are promoting these as badly made so that they don't sell and their manufacturing ends... Duh!

I'm with ya on this thinking as well...hell just to have the heads "roto-cast" in rubber instead of a resin copy is a big deal to me!

First I want to give all credit to Doc Mego for keep this hobby alive. Back in the beginning he had to hand cast everything...boots, heads, etc(before the C & D's came down)...which of course he had to charge more due to time and labor, but we were happy to have replacement parts. Eventually he started getting stuff made in China, which lowered the cost to us...but meant he had to cough up quite a bit of money(China factories have a minimum amount to place an order...$2,000, 5,000????. Not sure.

Now we've got complete "repro's with some bad bodies for $24.99(not all of Em' are bad)

So just for fun, using one of Doc's catalogs( I still have), let's do the math on putting together a Doc Mego Robin using China made parts(not hand cast which would cost a lot more)

Robin Head- $5.00
Tunic- $5.00
Belt- $5.00
Boot's- $5.00
Shorts- $3.00
Gloves- $5.00
Body- $7.00(back then)

Total=$35.00

So FTC Robin is $24.99+ replacement body if needed($5.00 from Doc)= $29.99

Still a good deal in my opinion.

[Boywonder0]

I'm with ya on this thinking as well...hell just to have the heads "roto-cast" in rubber instead of a resin copy is a big deal to me!

First I want to give all credit to Doc Mego for keep this hobby alive. Back in the beginning he had to hand cast everything...boots, heads, etc(before the C & D's came down)...which of course he had to charge more due to time and labor, but we were happy to have replacement parts. Eventually he started getting stuff made in China, which lowered the cost to us...but meant he had to cough up quite a bit of money(China factories have a minimum amount to place an order...$2,000, 5,000????. Not sure.

Now we've got complete "repro's with some bad bodies for $24.99(not all of Em' are bad)

So just for fun, using one of Doc's catalogs( I still have), let's do the math on putting together a Doc Mego Robin using China made parts(not hand cast which would cost a lot more)

Robin Head- $5.00
Tunic- $5.00
Belt- $5.00
Boot's- $5.00
Shorts- $3.00
Gloves- $5.00
Body- $7.00(back then)

Total=$35.00

So FTC Robin is $24.99+ replacement body if needed($5.00 from Doc)= $29.99

Still a good deal in my opinion.

That's what I mean Bats! I'm also very grateful of the good Doc.

Also, to be honest the Robin Tunic from Dr. Mego is no match to FTC's. The sleeves & trunk don't match in color. FTC's does. Plus we get the card & Clamshell... Thank you FTC!