So how do you think CTVT's did -- making money, that is ?

[starsky]

Not interested in them, never will be. Its original Mego all the way form me.

Clem

my sentiments exactly! i'm trying but just cant seem to pull the trigger and buy one!

[clemso]

Not interested in them, never will be. Its original Mego all the way form me.

Clem

[Neutron X]

I picked up 4 of the repro Mego Monsters for $20 loose and was happy with them. Nothing was broken some of the paint was a little sloppy. The repro gloves I orderd were cool too.

I think the truth is as much as we all love Mego it would be very difficult for another company to eclipse the original. I was just glad too see new Mego type figures in the market place for sale.

[palitoy]

They probably didn't lose their shirts but I doubt they were super successful either. I have no insight though.

I thought some of their historical stuff looked ok but I already have the originals so I had no interest, the Space:1999 was my big thing but I ended up hating them. These were characters I always wanted to have in 8" format and they had giant heads and bodies that wouldn't stand. I've broken all of them with no effort on my part. It's upsetting when you realize, this is likely your only chance to get a mass produced figure of Maya.

I also couldn't understand how the 1999 figures were so bad, yet the Herman Munster Joe gave me is so well done.

[Megotu]

I liked the Historical lines a lot. I liked most of what they made in fact. Yeah the bodies coulda been better made. I have issues with CTVT bodies, Doc Mego bodies and vintage bodies too. The BEST Mego body is sort of a Frankenstein of the three with a little help from LJN.
Doc Mego Legs and Forearms. LJN upper arms. CTVT or Vintage Chest and Vintage or DM pelvis. Vintage internal parts (bands, hooks etc).

Truthfully, I HATE the Doc Mego torso. I have had over a dozen crack apart on me. And I haven't figgered out a good fix for them yet. The new plastic is great for stability, but the glue China used or sonic welding or whatever isn't working. This is not a dig at him. Or his product. One other point about the DM torso, the plastic makes it tough as heck to use a Resin head with.
I have an idea for a new style of torso though. Two piece and it is held together with a screw. Unscrew it, add a resin head, screw it back together. Working on figgering out how to back convert the DM torsos that way. THEN the DM torso will be the BEST mego torso out there.

[hobub]

I think the generic Mego line reproductions were a total bust for them too.

Besides some people on Mego Museum, I can't imagine anyone else wanting these.

Probably the worst of the worst was American West.... Why reproduce a line that nobody even wants the originals ?

Ahem, excuse me Mike, but I guess I'm nobody. I collect west. But I guess I am odd because most western collectors don't collect dolls. And I see that Mego is becoming more and more symonymous with superheroes since the repros have been made but to me real history is more interesting than fiction, comics or science fiction. Besides, the superheros, for the most part, have not been reproduced. If they are, the value of the originals will indeed plummet. Just as the Treks and the SI's have. I like the reproduction acc's ctvt put out for a void, but just like the complexity of an ant interests a kid, a colony of thousands is just worth dousing with a flamable liquid. The interest disappears when the supply severely outweighs the demand. Likewise, to me, other than the original Mego's, the whole Space 1999 concept is rediculously obsolete and doesn't interest me in the least. Never existed, never will. The lack of interest in historical figures and high interest in comics is based on pop culture and current writings and reinventions of characters, some of which have been around for decades. History attracts me because I find it more interesting than fiction. The lack of interest is because the people who wrote it are now obsolete. They're dead. However, their lives and experiences sometimes are remarkably similar to those that occur in modern times and by studying how they handled situations, can sometimes predict the outcome of how current situations are handled. Sorry for the excessive info but the bottom line is that the American West and American history in general is not something to take lightly just because it isn't as popular as Superman or past predictions of 1999. I like the west figures. America's love affair with the west seems to have died in 1974 with Gunsmoke. But it was still there and is still responsible for 90% of who we are.

[wayne foundation 07]

You really can't beat them for the cost.They're not the best in quality,buts its an old school type toy that your not affraid to play with.I got a set of the knights for 20.00 including shipping,so I thought that was good,and they head scuplt on the 2nd set of monsters were really cool,the devil head is top notch.The put there logo on everything,that kinda takes a little from it and there bodies tend to break apart,but you get what you pay for.I don't think I paid more than $4.00 for one there figures.So they never got rich off of me.

[stuart]

No doubt they could have done a better job with the bodies, but the clothing and accessories have been great.

[Gorn Captain]

I bought two bodies here and I have to admit, the quality is terrible.
They fall apart just looking at them. The arms seem to be too small, and are pulled into the torso.
A good thing that most of these aren't sold to children, 'cause we'd have a lot of choked-to-death kids by now.
To be honest, I get all choked up, too, thinking I paid good money for them...

[Mikey]

...

You do have to give them credit for the amount of clothes and heads that it added to the custom pool.

Out of everything CTVT's ever made, the only line that interested me was the Space 1999's --- and those heads were too small for Mego customs.

You had to either use a piece of crap CTVT's body for a custom using that head, or have a Mego custom with a pin head.

[samurainoir]

It's kind of a shame they fizzled when they did. A lot of their later products were pretty good; even the bodies. The weird colour ones were almost as good as an original Mego. I think if they'd had another run or two they would have ironed a lot of the problems out.

Don C.

I had written off CTVT after the female bodies fell apart without the slightest provocation.

I did end up picking up a bunch of those odd macabre clown figures for really cheap, and I was actually really suprised by the jump in quality, particularly the body.

You do have to give them credit for the amount of clothes and heads that it added to the custom pool.

[Mikey]

I think the generic Mego line reproductions were a total bust for them too.

Besides some people on Mego Museum, I can't imagine anyone else wanting these.

Probably the worst of the worst was American West.... Why reproduce a line that nobody even wants the originals ?

[Meule]

Hard to say, but my guess is they didn't do too well. The addition to the monster series was probably a good run, but some of the other lines were questionable, not to mention the poor quality of the bodies.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I'd hafta say they did okay. They added figures to the line IN A HURRY; so the first few waves must have sold pretty good. I think it fizzled out through a combination of low quality and burnout. Seriously, how many Fonzies does a person need? (It would have been a good idea if they had a lower price point I think. As it was, they were still kinda pricey for an impulse buy; which an army of Fonzie's would be. I hope. It scares me to think someone wakes up one day and says "I could REALLY use a whole whack of 8" Fonzies, in different outfits....")

It's kind of a shame they fizzled when they did. A lot of their later products were pretty good; even the bodies. The weird colour ones were almost as good as an original Mego. I think if they'd had another run or two they would have ironed a lot of the problems out.

Don C.

[livnxxxl]

Just wondering,

Now that Classic TV Toys is clearly done making Mego-like figures and Mego reproductions, how well do you think they made out financially ?

Looking at it from their point of view, do you think they did GREAT, WELL, SO-SO or POOR ?

I would say between SO-SO and POOR.
They seemed to do well from the very start, but lost steam in the collecting community soon after.

Lines like Married With Children and Lucy were probably total flops...

Happy Days and Space 1999 ... is a tough one,
I think they expanded those lines too much, which was probably a big mistake.

Poor body's also killed a lot of sales, I bet.

Don't forget, i'm not looking at this from a collectors point of view, i'm looking at it like I would have stake in the company.

What do you think ?

That is a good question T1K. It is one that I have wondered about for some time now. I am glad that you asked this question and put this out there for all to see. Maybe some day we will get a real honest answer from those that actually know for sure. In answer to your question I really have no idea how they did. I can remember that when I was on eBay that CTVT was selling a ton of Mego's. My first guess is maybe they were from their personal collection. If that is any indication of how CTVT did or was doing I would have to say not so great. Either they were selling their collection off to make up for their losses or perhaps they were wanting to raise more capital to invest in other ventures. In either event when one has to result in selling their prized collection I would have to venture to say that it is not a good sign. For if CTVT was doing well with the items they were selling I believe that it would not have had to come to that (the selling of their prized collection). Again, I do not know for sure so I am speculating. Although one must admit it does make sense. Anyway...I kind of like the CTVT stuff. Yes, I agree the bodies are not the best in the world. Then again what does one expect for the low costs? I am just glad like a lot of others here that CTVT came along and made repro accessories and an extended line of other figure licenses that may have never been made without them taking the initiative to do so. I really wish CTVT all the luck with their business as I personally would like to see them continue to grow and flourish. Perhaps in time their products would be even better if they should continue to keep making them. I also know for sure that sometime last year I had contacted CTVT via e-mail and asked them how much product they had left. I received a prompt e-mail response stating that there is still plenty of product available at that time. Not sure how much they have left since then. It would be interesting to know if they are still stocking, making new product or just trying to blow out what they have stashed up. ????? I have not really noticed them making any new stuff lately at all. I do not know if that is a bad sign or not. ????????? I do know that EVERY TIME so far I have placed an order (and I have placed a "few" from time to time) that CTVT delivered in a VERY prompt manner. Which is always a big plus in my book when I am doing business with someone. I will continue to order from them in the future for as long as I can. I am not big into repro parts at all. However, I do like to use them sometimes for fill in and mostly to experiment with doing customs. Anywho...That is my story and I am sticking to it.