About those bodies...

[Captain]

Please make the lower torsos bigger, the bodies tighter so thy can stand straight and the arms not so tight, as they are hard to move. Also, please give Wonder Woman hands more like Cheetah (the open ones just don't look right).

Thank you.

If you look here HardyGirl, you'll see that WW and Cheetah do have the same hands....Some of the older SDCC pictures werent the best and I think might have threw you off.

Re-Mego: The Rebirth of the 8" Action Figure

[Captain]

I wouldnt mind seeing a swivel arm design added to the mix.

Torso and pelvis design are the main problem with the existing body. At a minimum, both these components need a total redesign, theres no quick fixes to be found with whats there as is. Honestly. Once you rework these two pieces you really are looking at a new body anyways Mattel. Maybe the best decision here is to scrap what you have and go with a clean sheet design.

I dont mind the look of the legs, once you up the pelvis size to match. My issue with the legs though is the method of attachment. Mego used a seperate pin on the type 2 bodies legs that allowed the leg to be swivelled back and forth (ie from sitting to standing position, etc.) Mattels method of direct elastic to immovable pin in the thigh wont allow the leg to hold a different position. Yes, it moves, but it doesnt stay...the elastic snaps it back to a standing position. This needs to be re-engineered as well.

Last, drop the plastic pins inserted into the neck to hold the heads in. From what I've seen, it takes considerable initiative to pop out one of the heads in the first place. The extra pin insert is just a waste. Black Manta doesnt use this, so its obviously not a legal issue...Drop the pin.

Once the bodies are redone, this will be a great line!!

[Harbingerboy]

Honestly, any of these retro cloth fig lines - if they could just stand on their own and hold a pose...with so much articulation, its a shame that most of these lines can't hold a pose specifically at the hip or shoulder. They all look great on the card, but out of the packaging most are disappointing and static at best.

[Boywonder0]

The design is fine other than just shaving down those thighs that give the figure a bow-legged appearance and making the pelvis out of some soft thick rubber or vinyl that will give friction to the plastic torso so as to keep it from moving around.
Or keep the legs and make the pelvis a little bigger to match the symmetry of the shoulders and thighs but still make the pelvis from a soft thick rubber or vinyl.

A body part would need to be re-tooled so easier to focus on pelvis only.

Thanks for the bringing back the line.

Wisely stated!

[rlkrefft]

I don't have any problem with the body the way it looks. I just want them to stand better. The rubber band needs to hold the body together tighter or something so that the body can stand.

My biggest concern is designing new shapes of bodies. I want a fat short body for Penguin and a short teen body for Robin and a bigger stocky body for say Solomon Grundy or the already upcoming Darkseid. The way Mattel just stuffed the Darkseid figure I guess was o.k. if it was the only way to get him made,but really it doesn't work as well as a bigger body would have worked. Mego made other body sizes so Mattel should be able to do that too.

All this said I want to thank Mattel for this line. I really do love it. With the exception of the bodies not standing well every single figure you made that Mego also made totally blew the original one out of the water.

[megalomaniac001]

Well if you are looking for constructive criticism then here you go:

1) I would like to see swivel arm biceps so figures like Green Arrow can actually hold their bow properly and Superman can be posed with his hands on his hips.

2) I do not mind the Muscular Thighs on the Heroes it makes the figure look more Super Heroic please don't replace them with skinny "chicken legs" Also the sculpted musculature of the Torso and rest of the body is a great looking Super Hero form.

3) Fix the floppiness of the lower legs connected to the torso. The Legs should be strong enough to support the figure in a standing upright position and tight enough to allow the leg to be posed in a 90 Degree straight out kicking pose while fully clothed without the leg falling down like a rag doll. The original T2 Megos, Castaway Body, EMCE, and ZICA are able to achieve this. If you had to forgo the elastic base design to achieve this then do it.

5) I would like to see improved character logos on the chest symbols of their costumes that do not crack or peel off right out of the package. A sewn on patch of some sort like Hasbro utilized on their 12 inch DC Super Hero line would be an improvement.
6) I would like to see an improved quality of the Spandex/Lycra used for their costumes. EMCE and Classic Mego toys utilized a heaver/thicker T-shirt grade material that is of a much higher quality and durability.

7) I would like to see double sided pleather used to make the colored cuffs on the figures arms. This would eliminate the ugly white seam visible on figures such as Batman.

8) If this is supposed to be a Retro Design line then I would like to see the Classic DC Comics Oval used on the front of the card.

I have to say I agree with this list posted by Orion1. (Except perhaps #8 as I am guessing DC would rather like to have their current logo used) Of course this thread is about the body.

If all Mattel is willing to do is make a small change to their body, then they should fix the pelvis area so that the figure can at least stand and hold a leg pose. Anyone ever notice that the Matel design is similar to the LJN? (LJN figures had a rough surface on the leg ball and torso ball and that seamed to work fine, they also have a pelvis part more like Mego's). How about swivel arms too?

If Mattel wants to make their 'type 2' body a home run, I would suggest they basically start over and do a body with no elastic like the Zica. I would like it to have a swivel arm joint, and still have a waist ball of some sort unlike the Zica. (Basically make it a modern action figure with no clothes). If Mattel does this, I would probably buy more of their figures just for the body! (Right now all I do is chuck them in the parts pile!)

[sprytel]

First things first... its a credit to Mattel and EMCE that we are even having this discussion. I want to give my business to companies that show that they genuinely care about the feelings of the Mego community. I think acknowledging that the body could be improved, and asking for our advice on how best to do that, is a great step towards rewarding our faith in the Retro Action line.

Now, as far as improving the bodies goes, I have the following suggestions:

1. Fix "the flops". Many folks here have suggested that tighter stringing and improved friction at the joints would do the trick. Others have suggested eliminating the elastic entirely. While the elastic feels more "retro" to me, I would be fine with either approach. But this one is really the essential fix that needs to be made... however you do it.

2. Swivel biceps. It is a simple change, but it just makes for better posesabilty and play value.

3. Bigger pelvis, smaller thighs. I think many folks have overstated the problem here. The thighs are a touch too big, and the pelvis is a touch too small... don't go to the other extreme trying to correct this. I love the torso and arms, just bring the lower half more in line.

4. Ability to sit down. Standing is great, but the bodies should also be able to sit / bend / twist, etc. and hold the pose.


I don't want a collectible that looks great on its card. I want a great toy. I want something my son and I can get down on the living room carpet and "play superheroes" with. So improving the quality and articulation is way more important to me than simply changing how it looks.

[ctc]

>making the pelvis out of some soft thick rubber or vinyl that will give friction to the plastic torso

That's a neat idea; but I'd be concerned about the softer pelvis deforming and sucking the hip joints in.

I know it 'aint gonna happen; but the good ol' Doc Bod is fantastic. The design already exists, it works, and if you REALLY feel the need to twek it, it's modular so it's easy. Beefier torso for the heroes, maybe hard swivel biceps (so's the rubber bands don't deform 'em) or hard plastic joints like the Tong bodies, and you're golden.

Don C.

[Jerry68]

I also want to thank Emce and Mattel for this wonderful line!
I agree with everyone that the torso and legs needs to be fixed. How Mattel goes about this, I'm sure will be done with regards to costs and time constraints. I would like to addres the emblems and snagging issues of the clothes. These need to be looked at. I do know this, the Retro line is selling very well and warrants a new re-tool. When this is fixed this line will be unstoppable!

[Werewolf]

I would get rid of the stringing. It's really not needed anymore and I think it the causes a lot of the factory assembly issues.

[BlackKnight]

I would get rid of the stringing. It's really not needed anymore and I think it the causes a lot of the factory assembly issues.

Bingo !
Even more so because of , where the Body was obviously designed from . That Body was not strung , and in customizing the body to be strung, the ball was dropped and poorly prototyped.


Also . Hands.
Let these guys come with an extra set of hands. Fist hands, and open would be nice.

If a New Body is made ...., Offer the Body for single sale as well, so Collector's can replace the bodies if they choose, on the previous figures.

[The Bat]

I don't think the "thunder Thighs" are being over stated. They are ridiculously large, and ruin the look of the Figure.

[BlackKnight]

I don't think the "thunder Thighs" are being over stated. They are ridiculously large, and ruin the look of the Figure.

It's because of the small pelvis Dane.

[BATMAN89]

Make them tighter and able to pose!!!

Who cares about all the rest (swivel biceps, etc.)?
Make them stand, and have the ability to hold a pose.
My Batman is loose, not the worst, but Megos hold their
poses much better.

Mattel will do as little as they can to fix these.
They do not want the costs of revamping the whole body.
So I am being realistic, and asking for very little.

[rockeehorror]

Ball joints!

The rubber bands have not been able to be reproduced overseas without too many issues, complications, and major problems.

Swivel waist, ball jointed legs similar to the arms, that would just be enough.

Lose the idea of stringing anything. It is an outdated concept that has been poorly reproduced.

The arms fall in on Bif Bang Pow/ Doc Mego bodies themselves....Lets move forward as Zica has done impressively for a new start up. That design is really impressive from start to finish.

Lets see others follow suit to really enjoy a Mego figure renaissance!