mattel body problem...solved

[livnxxxl]

I've seen that before, but it's funny every time!

Thanks! I love it! I laugh just about every time I see it as well.

[Boywonder0]

Big Jim was done on a different scale. But they are similar in anatomical design. The chest, arms, and legs are very much in the same spirit as Big Jim.

True! When Mattel announced the acquisition of the DC Universe license I immediately thought about the possibility of DC heroes in Mego Like format. Only I wasn't thinking about a true 8" Mego scale. I was thinking more about Max Steel or Big Jim. I think that scaling down the Big Jim body to 8" would have been just great! Of course they would have had to improve a bit by replacing those "rubber" arms by plastic arms and re-designing the neck to make them suitable for Mego Neck Plugged heads (Mego compatible).

[MIB41]

True! When Mattel announced the acquisition of the DC Universe license I immediately thought about the possibility of DC heroes in Mego Like format. Only I wasn't thinking about a true 8" Mego scale. I was thinking more about Max Steel or Big Jim. I think that scaling down the Big Jim body to 8" would have been just great! Of course they would have had to improve a bit by replacing those "rubber" arms by plastic arms and re-designing the neck to make them suitable for Mego Neck Plugged heads (Mego compatible).

I completely agree. I have always thought the Big Jim body is one of the most under appreciated accomplishments in action figure history. Even the expensive Hot Toys figures can't flex their muscles like Big Jim can. I have always thought that was so cool and would look great for a superhero.

[jackson5677]

Isn't that called robbing Paul to pay Matty?

NO....more like....robbing the customers to pay Paul.

[Boywonder0]

1) The thighs on Big Jim are tapered at the top giving a much more pleasing transition to the quads.

2) The angle of the knee joint is correct on Big Jim. The angle on the Mattelego is completely wrong, making him bowlegged.

You are right on both statements. The thighs on the retro action body are not just bulky but weird. They kind of have a zig zag design. The angle of the knee joint is something I had mentioned at least on three previous threads and finally someone agrees with me. They are slanted... At an angle... No other Mego like body has an angle at that joint. They commonly have straight horizontal knee joints...

[The Bat]

NO....more like....robbing the customers to pay Paul.

In all fairness...Doc doesn't have control over Mattel, to tell them what Body they should use.

[jackson5677]

In all fairness...Doc's doesn't have control over Mattel, to tell them what Body they should use.

He has access to Mattel to show them a prototype with a body in perfect working condition , and also has access to ALL the complaints here on just this board alone....so you mean to tell me He can't show ALL these complaints to Mattel and give them a doc mego repro body to re-produce.

So in other words, a small company with one or two guys working out of their basement can re-produce the original Mego body, but a muti-million dollar company like Mattel can't.............if I put all the work into this project as Paul did, and the company that released my work butchered it like Mattel did, I wouldn't be very happy.

[Meule]

He has access to Mattel to show them a prototype with a body in perfect working condition , and also has access to ALL the complaints here on just this board alone....so you mean to tell me He can't show ALL these complaints to Mattel and give them a doc mego repro body to re-produce.

Sure Paul could do all that, but that doesn't mean Mattel will listen. They designed their own body and they're gonna stick with it. They put a lot of time and money in the design (obviously not enough), so they're not gonna throw all of that away by changing bodies now

[LovethoseMegos]

These poorly made bodies plus the price point is going to kill this line. Some people on here I guess don't mind dropping 20 bucks then buying extra bodies to fix a 20 dollar toy. Then Mattel blatantly says they don't care...enjoy these while they last.

[The Bat]

He has access to Mattel to show them a prototype with a body in perfect working condition , and also has access to ALL the complaints here on just this board alone....so you mean to tell me He can't show ALL these complaints to Mattel and give them a doc mego repro body to re-produce.

So in other words, a small company with one or two guys working out of their basement can re-produce the original Mego body, but a muti-million dollar company like Mattel can't.............if I put all the work into this project as Paul did, and the company that released my work butchered it like Mattel did, I wouldn't be very happy.

Doc has explain all this before in an older post, the reason behind Mattel's decision for creating their own new Body(it involves copy write). Paul can suggest they use a Mego type Body...but in the end, a big Company like Mattel is going to do it their way.

As for the complaints...like Thomas said, those came after the new Body was released. And Mattel's not about to scrap all the Molds they made, and start over.

[spamn]

Mattel could have chosen to go in the direction Heroes in Action or Zica did with their bodies - if they had, they could have avoided the stringing and posture complaints and still had a body all their own.

It's a shame they didn't.

The huge thighs and tiny pelvis are a design choice I still don't understand. Making superheroes as lean torso'ed bulging hip bodies makes no sense to me. It's like Mattel decided that poor quality and design choice were essential to capture the spirit of Mego, or worse, didn't understand that they were poor choices.

I'm still happy to have them at all, though. Despite the body design, they're the right scale, have squishy heads and removeable costumes and heads that fit on Mego bodies. That, along with characters Mego never made, thrills me to no end.

I just wish the bodies they came on were better designed (and better strung coming out of the factories).

[drmego]

Mattel can include any coupon they like with the figures.

We have conveyed all of your comments to our contacts
at Mattel and they have responded. I have said all of this
before, but I'm happy to say it again.

We even brought up Batman's emblem cracking and peeling.
It is being looked into.

[JDeRouen]

NO....more like....robbing the customers to pay Paul.

I've seen you infer this before. Do you honestly think there's some conspiracy where Mattel produces sub-par bodies so Paul Clarke can make a few bucks selling Dr. Mego bodies as replacements? Are you seriously that paranoid?

[livnxxxl]

Mattel can include any coupon they like with the figures.

We have conveyed all of your comments to our contacts
at Mattel and they have responded. I have said all of this
before, but I'm happy to say it again.

We even brought up Batman's emblem cracking and peeling.
It is being looked into.

It is reassuring that the issues have been addressed. Now we will wait and see what resolve comes from the comments forwarded to the powers that be.

Thanks Paul for your efforts and for the follow up

[Spyweb007]

It's unfair to assume that some of these complaints won't be addressed at some point, after all Mattel is a big company and decisions have to go through many people several times before action takes place. I for one appreciate the Retro heroes for what they are, if improvements come farther down the line even better.