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

[B-Lister]

Let's face it, Mego had trouble getting enough orders to make the two Trek figures in this wave (technically, they apparently didn't, really, but made them anyway. And, yes, I was utterly shocked at the idea Mego was having trouble selling Trek aliens). Same with the Oompa Loompa. I think the one Game of Thrones sequel figure in the same situation was dropped altogether. And I believe Fox asked them to sit on the Apes for a bit because of the new movie. What's apparently not having problems is the super heroes. Red Tornado and Deadman are not exactly household names (much as I personally love the characters), but I didn't hear a hint of any problems getting enough orders for them. Despite a lot of talking heads blathering about super hero fatigue, comic book characters have never had such a high profile in general pop culture before. If I recall correctly, Big Lots asked Mego specifically for some exclusive heroes. The WGSH line was Mego's workhorse back in the day (I seem to remember the line was somewhere around 18% of their total revenue at one point), and I wouldn't be surprised if history is repeating itself. Die hard fans had been asking for exactly what we're getting since Mego came back; it's not a shock that they are apparently doing well. Now, I am betting that the nostalgia bug will also make the upcoming Trek re-dos a popular seller, as well. Retro is very in right now, and a lot of the local action figure aisles are looking like a toy flashback. And Mego, as a business, has to go where the sales are. I want more Trek, Apes and Monsters, too, but I do understand you have to follow the money. And it seems that money dons its underwear on the outside...

But what I'm asking for technically ARE Superheroes, and interest in Japanese characters are at an all time high.

[PNGwynne]

I'll freak out when I have them in hand, and probably not all in a good way lol.

I know myself well; I've had them about two weeks.

[hizzy]

Maybe you’ll be in luck and I’ll get fired!

I've done softer sculpts and more detailed sculpts and got way more compliments from the detailed ones. My art director is happy, my supervisor is happy, and the license holders are happy, and majority of fans seem happy. And that’s what’s important.

I hope you don't get fired! I do like them but I prefer softer features on my Megos. The Mego smile speaks to my inner child and to a simpler time.

[wise guy]

The head detail is the best thing I like about these . As a kid I would have killed for these. Deadman and Fate are my favorites.
I hope Ironman looks as good as Fate with no nose when the Marvels come out

[Krypt0nite]

With Brainiac and Firestorm in particular, the sculpts strike me as solidly in line with what late Seventies Mego might have produced.

[KnightDetective]

I've done softer sculpts and more detailed sculpts and got way more compliments from the detailed ones.

Thanks for revealing that it's a style choice! Had thought perhaps the more detailed, more deeply "carved" sculpts were done before the switch to hard heads and were intended to compensate for some inherent loss of detail in the rotocast process.

I enjoy the variety. I'm planning to group the more detailed stuff into a separate display and slowly add slightly upgraded bits to the costuming. Sort of a budget-friendly, homestyle version of what original Mego did with Flash Gordon but keeping the 8-inch scale for compatibility.

[CrimsonGhost]

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.

Maybe you’ll be in luck and I’ll get fired!

I've done softer sculpts and more detailed sculpts and got way more compliments from the detailed ones. My art director is happy, my supervisor is happy, and the license holders are happy, and majority of fans seem happy. And that’s what’s important.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[palitoy]

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