Why Isn't Everyone Freaking Out About The New Wave?

[Xavion2004]

My short answer, and this is obviously just my opinion, is that too many of the final production figures in this wave dilute the brand.

I have two basic criteria for the 50th Anniversary line. The first is “Does it meet the standards set by the first two waves in terms of overall quality and execution?” The second is “Does it look like a figure Mego would have released in the mid-70s, both in terms of character choice and execution?”

Red Tornado - Fails my 1st criteria due to the faded suit
Dr. Fate - Fails my 2nd criteria due to the color palette
Firestorm - Passes with flying colors
Deadman - Fails my 1st criteria
Nightwing - Fails both my 1st and 2nd criteria
Bizarro - Fails my 2nd criteria due to the sculpt and color palette
Brainiac - TBD, but looking good
Two Face - TBD, but looking good.

I don’t mean to be negative, but I’m in the middle of a massive eBay purge, and it’s making me realize that I have to be a lot more critical when it comes to my purchases.

It’s not that I think the figures aren’t good in and of themselves. It’s more that Mego set the bar very high for me with the first two waves.

[Mego-Amigo]

Your second criteria is very similar to the one I use before I will even preorder a character. It must first be a character I like. It must be based on a character and look of that character from the classic comics ( Golden Age - Bronze Age ). I bought 5 of the new 50th characters and would have bought Bizarro had the colors not been modern. The little modern touches to these are irritating. I know a lot of it is DC and not Mego though.

[Jmass]

I received my Wave 18 Megos from BBTS Monday. My thoughts - overall I'm pleased. I agree that there were some interesting choices in this batch. It was just luck for me that I was a fan of Reddy, Dr Fate, and Deadman. My vote for best of the group is Firestorm. From the suit to the head flame he just pops. Really a great figure. The villians all look good to me. I know some don't care for Bizarro's suit, I'm guessing that was a DC thing rather than a Mego thing. I personally think the dark colors look good. Deadman is sadly my least favorite of the group. I just don't care for the shadow lines on his head. I've talked Reddy to death. Better suit makes him amazing. I like Fate. After seeing Reddy's cape I wish Mego would have used the same material for Fate's cape. My Fate is having difficulty casting any spells however as he is suffering from a broken leg. I bought an extra Fate and an extra Reddy so I could get them out of the boxes. Fate came with a broken leg and Reddy needs some oil. He is so stiff that I won't even attempt to move him. Body thing is pretty amazing. Maybe it's time to dig the old molds out of the mothballs and go back to the original bodies.

[palitoy]

I don't know why you would take flack for never having broken a new Mego! I think that's great! Weird world we live in...

Dude, I get flack for telling people to be careful with the figures because they're stiff. I guess these people haven't seen other YouTubers taking heat guns to the NECA toys they paid 4 times as much for. It doesn't seem like bad advice to me to warn your fellow collector about a worry you had.

It's amazing the strange conspiracy theories I've read and heard about my relationship with Mego, but yes, never underestimate bored people.

A vocal but small minority seem to think I'm covering for Mego Corp. I have zero reason to do so. In fact, I would call our relationship disappointing but not bitter. I paid for the majority of the figures I showcased and when they were donated, I mentioned it. I just don't mix my personal feelings in my mint-off-card videos; it's about the toy and not about me. I am a fan of the format, and I try to look at things as objectively as possible. Although I admit I have certain biases, Mego gets the same treatment as any company. I did those reviews for the Museum and my own channel, not to curry favour with Mego.


If anything, my excitement was for new Apes, Hammer Monsters and other oddities I never expected to happen. That was the source of joy, and occasionally, Mego indulged my passion for it and sent an advance sample after some begging (not proud but would do it again). Those were fun, and I am grateful, but If I had broken one, I'd have mentioned it.

However, I also never get angry about action figures.

[nubee]

Not the best picture, but...

FTC - WET - LaserMego
Neck Plugs.jpg

And corrections... first, I may have imagined WET making a plug like FTC with a tab. I am soooo sure they did and I used them, but I can't find them in my junky storage containers. Plus, they don't either version for sale separately right now. And two, my Topps Green Arrow conversion used a FTC Ollie head. Only the tunic, the boots, bow and quiver/belt combo made it over from the Mego figure.

I have converted a couple of FTC heads to the new Mego body though.

A tad back on topic, I haven't seen a need to convert any 50th figures to a Type-S because, knee issues aside, the height was fixed and I converted for the articulation of the Type-S, and the new Mego bodies have the bandless articulation too.

And completely on-topic, since I never answered the original question, getting a full wave of characters that I already own from another company dampened my excitement with this wave and kept me from freaking out. To be fair, every wave had brand new characters for Mego that were already made, some even before FTC, but they were heavy hitters in Green Lantern and The Flash. But there was something about the character selections of this wave that just felt odd. I get the Super Powers blah blah reasoning behind some of the choices, but Deadman doesn't fit that narrative and is a head scratcher for sure. At least they all mostly turned out nice. And the Villain choices make sense to me.

In the end, I am enjoying them more than I expected.

Many thanks.

The WET plug DO work afterall, but it requires heat to soften the head. I soaked the head in a cup of near boiling water temperature for about 3 minutes. I then have to use brute force and shove AND twist, like a screw, the WET plug in. Use a cloth or end up with a blister on your hand.

The only problem is the WET plug is no longer available. So I need to be conservative about who goes over to a Type-S. In addition to giving us fans anuder wave with body issues, why did Mego used this new non-universal neck plug?

If I knew about the Brittle Stiff Body syndrome, I would have purchased the FTC Deadman n'stead.

No more FOMO regarding Mego heroes for me. My $$$ has better places to go than broken new toys, or limited knee articulation or semi loose sidekick body. I wonder what new surprises Mego will give us on the next wave.

[wise guy]

Braniac is the only figure that FTC did'nt do . I did order them as a collector but not because I liked the choices.

[Sideshow Spock]

FYI, Previews has changed the date for arrival in comic shops from 3/27 to 4/10.

[palitoy]

FYI, Previews has changed the date for arrival in comic shops from 3/27 to 4/10.

[palitoy]

Braniac is the only figure that FTC did'nt do . I did order them as a collector but not because I liked the choices.

I really liked the Super Friends version because I think that's how I'm familiar with the character. That or the Filmation toon.

[Xavion2004]

I guess I’m fortunate in that I’m going the MIB route with the Mego 50th Anniversary line. For some reason, that’s where the magic lies for me. I bought an extra Superman, Batman, and Robin to open, and once they’re out of the box, the magic starts to fade. So while still inexcusable, the brittle bodies haven’t really impacted me.

Character selection is tough with DC. The only DC book I was reading regularly as a kid in the mid 70s was Justice League of America, and most of my friends were the same way. Marvel was so dominant at the time which is probably why we had eleven straight Marvel Mego releases between 1975 and 1976 (although I’m not sure when Isis popped up).

Any DC characters that weren’t JLA members at the time seem unlikely candidates to have gotten a Mego release. Basically, that’s:

Superman
Batman
Aquaman
Green Arrow
Green Lantern
Flash
Red Tornado

Hawkman
Atom
Elongated Man
Black Canary
Wonder Woman (Coming in Super-Gals)

The Martian Manhunter had left the league years before and was a minor player in the DC Universe during Mego’s peak years. Zatanna joined in ‘78, and it wasn’t the Zatanna that most readers knew. I’m not sure when Firestorm joined. Early 80s? He still fits in the 50th Anniversary line great, though. I’m not sure when Hawkgirl joined either.

The JSA was pretty popular with my friends and I from their annual appearances in the JLA book, so I suppose someone like Dr. Fate was possible, but still a bit unlikely.

By contrast, Mego could have easily churned out a few more Marvel waves, so it will be interesting to see what direction the contemporary Mego goes in with the 50th anniversary line.

[Mejo]

I was enthusiastic about Mego's return at first, but then the availability of figures dropped (I still haven't found that &%@# Kor figure yet!!), and Mego stopped updating their website something like ten waves ago. Then there were the production issues with giant heads, frozen knees, smaller bodies, fragility, etc., and I'm sorry to say that it all made too frustrating to stay engaged and my money went toward other interests (of which I probably have too many).

If I could walk into any toy store and see a couple of shelves worth of figures, and they were at least as sturdily made as they were back in the day, I would definitely spend money on them. I mean, as a kid I used to play the heck out of my Mego figures and I'd even throw their costumes into the washing machine when they got dirty. Yes, I broke a few (typically the earlier types) but I could easily buy replacements because they were literally everywhere. Unfortunately these new ones aren't very durable right out of the box. I get it that they are for adult collectors but I wish Mego would make them for kids again. But then I wish comics were still as good and as popular as they used to be and that Mego was as big as they were in the '70s! I guess that's why it's called nostalgia ... because you truly can't go back again.

Anyway, as far as selection interest goes, my tastes are for super-heroes and Star Trek primarily, but I have purchased an occasional "cult" film figure. I'm also less interested in faithful replicas of the originals and more interested in improvements on the originals or in characters that weren't done before. The new wave does offer such characters, but unfortunately, they also happen to be characters that I never particularly liked. I thought about getting Dr. Fate but then that's where availability comes in; if I saw him on the shelf, I'd have snatched him up right away (provided it wasn't at a collectible store at a jacked-up price), but it takes forever to see the new waves listed on Amazon.ca. The Marvel super-heroes are coming next but, again, I can't get that enthusiastic about 50th anniversary replicas. I'd like to see some improvements too.

I'm sorry if this post comes across as overly negative. I appreciate all the effort Mego and its artists have put into their product, and I can imagine how difficult it must be to undertake such a venture. I want to support the company more so that they will put out more, but at the moment that's proving to be difficult.

[hizzy]

Dude, I get flack for telling people to be careful with the figures because they're stiff. I guess these people haven't seen other YouTubers taking heat guns to the NECA toys they paid 4 times as much for. It doesn't seem like bad advice to me to warn your fellow collector about a worry you had.

It's amazing the strange conspiracy theories I've read and heard about my relationship with Mego, but yes, never underestimate bored people.

A vocal but small minority seem to think I'm covering for Mego Corp. I have zero reason to do so. In fact, I would call our relationship disappointing but not bitter. I paid for the majority of the figures I showcased and when they were donated, I mentioned it. I just don't mix my personal feelings in my mint-off-card videos; it's about the toy and not about me. I am a fan of the format, and I try to look at things as objectively as possible. Although I admit I have certain biases, Mego gets the same treatment as any company. I did those reviews for the Museum and my own channel, not to curry favour with Mego.


If anything, my excitement was for new Apes, Hammer Monsters and other oddities I never expected to happen. That was the source of joy, and occasionally, Mego indulged my passion for it and sent an advance sample after some begging (not proud but would do it again). Those were fun, and I am grateful, but If I had broken one, I'd have mentioned it.

However, I also never get angry about action figures.

It's kind of odd, but for many people, including myself, you and the museum are Mego. I've gotten used to the idea that I need to go on Ambassadors to get questions answered, but I was lurking on this site long before the return of NuMego. It's hard not to associate you and this place with the brand. In fact, I didn't buy any of the relaunched figures until I saw your reviews. It's a strange space to occupy - Forever synonymous with the brand to the point that people will implicate you in the company's decisions, but not actually a part of the company.

As I've said before, I appreciate that you have autonomy on the site. To use a Canadian Hockey analogy, you are like the Mego Bob Mckenzie. You comment on the league but you don't work for them. In that regard, it gives your opinion more gravitas, IMO. When the museum or Mint-Off Card co-signs something, I can purchase with confidence.

I've also had to get used to the idea that NuMego is not OldMego even though some of the people involved are the same. As mentioned above, the build quality is not the same, the packaging has some pretty basic flaws, and the web presence vacillates between "we are here to answer your questions!" and "We have you on ignore." That being said, I've seen more good than bad and I will support NuMego if I can find their figures in Canada.

[palitoy]

I was enthusiastic about Mego's return at first, but then the availability of figures dropped (I still haven't found that &%@# Kor figure yet!!), and Mego stopped updating their website something like ten waves ago. Then there were the production issues with giant heads, frozen knees, smaller bodies, fragility, etc., and I'm sorry to say that it all made too frustrating to stay engaged and my money went toward other interests (of which I probably have too many).

If I could walk into any toy store and see a couple of shelves worth of figures, and they were at least as sturdily made as they were back in the day, I would definitely spend money on them. I mean, as a kid I used to play the heck out of my Mego figures and I'd even throw their costumes into the washing machine when they got dirty. Yes, I broke a few (typically the earlier types) but I could easily buy replacements because they were literally everywhere. Unfortunately these new ones aren't very durable right out of the box. I get it that they are for adult collectors but I wish Mego would make them for kids again. But then I wish comics were still as good and as popular as they used to be and that Mego was as big as they were in the '70s! I guess that's why it's called nostalgia ... because you truly can't go back again.

Anyway, as far as selection interest goes, my tastes are for super-heroes and Star Trek primarily, but I have purchased an occasional "cult" film figure. I'm also less interested in faithful replicas of the originals and more interested in improvements on the originals or in characters that weren't done before. The new wave does offer such characters, but unfortunately, they also happen to be characters that I never particularly liked. I thought about getting Dr. Fate but then that's where availability comes in; if I saw him on the shelf, I'd have snatched him up right away (provided it wasn't at a collectible store at a jacked-up price), but it takes forever to see the new waves listed on Amazon.ca. The Marvel super-heroes are coming next but, again, I can't get that enthusiastic about 50th anniversary replicas. I'd like to see some improvements too.

I'm sorry if this post comes across as overly negative. I appreciate all the effort Mego and its artists have put into their product, and I can imagine how difficult it must be to undertake such a venture. I want to support the company more so that they will put out more, but at the moment that's proving to be difficult.

Yeah the distribution has never been consistent. A lot of that is out of Mego's hands and I'm sure it's also a source of frustration for them as well. Not that it's of much comfort but unfortunately, that's likely not going to improve.

[TRDouble]

Mejo, I understand the replica feeling. Outside of The Teen Titans and RC Batman, the FTC figures that excited me the most were the new characters never made in this style and updates to characters originally made by Mego. Mego has done a better job on their replicas than FTC — at least in the looks side-by-side — but I was most excited when they announced characters like Green Lantern and The Flash.

That will always be the conflict in the community, pure nostalgia with reproductions or updated figures based on this figures. Even with the 50th and especially with the quality issues, there is disagreement over using bandless over traditional banded bodies (and Mego’s first new body had a different style head connector). Personally, I wish Mego used heat transfer insignias like FTC instead of paper!

[hizzy]

Having a few of these in hand, I do think they could have had softer facial features. I have Firestorm, Deadman and Braniac and they are a touch over-sculpted.