Nobody could deny that Ben Grimm got a tough deal in life. Sure, he gets to be a superhero called The Thing, who together with Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman and the Human Torch, is one of the founding members of the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics Universe, but his monstrous form is far from glamorous… and unlike his fantastic cohorts, he is stuck that way! The Thing, however, remains one of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s enduringly popular creations.
Debs
Up, up and away! Comic version 12-inch Superman by Mego
On the very last day of 2019, inspired by the release of the last Star Wars reboot movie, and some successful forays into local street markets, I decided to relaunch this blog with a post dedicated to Princess Leia. Within a few short months the world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy (where I live) was in lockdown, and my plans for this blog (not to mention everything else!) got pushed to the back burner. Toyissimi, Rome’s huge action figure collector’s fair, was postponed, and then postponed again, so it’s been a lean time for the collection. All this to emphasize my surprise and joy to unexpectedly happen upon a small Sunday market last weekend – the very first one I’ve seen since the easing of Covid-19 restrictions here – and spot this terrific Mego Superman figure, displayed in the unlikeliest of poses, sitting on a toy horse!
Remembering Princess Leia Organa
We’re back! Surprise! Did you miss us?! This blog may have been on an extended hiatus for a few years, but never fear, dear reader, the vintage action figures collection has continued to grow, albeit with greater focus on specific toy lines. With The Rise of Skywalker, the third and final Star Wars reboot movie (making number IX in the entire series if you insist on counting the prequels) recently hitting cinemas just in time for Christmas, and the Disney Channel’s small screen offering The Mandalorian wowing critics and Star Wars fans alike, what better time to go right back to where it all started, with one of the earliest Kenner Star Wars action figures: Princess Leia Organa.
Indiana Jones, the daring archaeologist and world adventurer of the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark!
Harrison Ford seems to have an incredible knack for being cast in cult classics – his portrayal of Rick Deckard in Blade Runner alone would have been enough to ensure him enduring cult status. Most recently, of course, the entire planet has been focussed on his reprisal of the role of Han Solo in JJ Abram’s billion-dollar-grossing sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy – Star Wars: The Force Awakens – an appearance which saw him reclaim his crown as Hollywood’s highest earning actor. Personally, I’ve got a soft spot for yet another much beloved embodiment of a different George Lucas creation – Indiana Jones – so when I spotted this vintage 1981 Kenner 12 inch Raiders of the Lost Ark action figure at a toy fair recently, I just had to add it to my collection!
Stunning C-3PO sixth scale figure by Sideshow Collectibles
As regular readers of this website will know I very occasionally featured brand new action figure releases if they are of particular interest to vintage collectors. With my tickets for the first screening in Rome, Italy of JJ Abrams’ Star Wars reboot The Force Awakens already purchased for tomorrow, I thought I’d join in with the global buzz with a closer look at this astoundingly good 12 inch figure of everybody’s favourite droid C-3PO.
It’s Alive! The Monster Frankenstein from Mego’s Mad Monster Series
With Halloween nearly upon us this seems like an excellent time to take a look at a recent vintage find that combines of two of my favourite action figure collecting passions – Universal Monsters and Mego. This wonderful Frankenstein Monster was released in 1974 as part of the Mad Monsters series, an offshoot of the hugely popular World’s Greatest Super-Heroes 8-inch figure line. The set also included the Dreadful Dracula, the Horrible Mummy, and the Human Wolfman, and while they may have been unlicensed figures, Mego did a fine job in creating figures as reminiscent as possible of the classic movie monsters.
Wonder Woman the Amazing Amazon – Kenner Super Powers
The Super Powers Collection by Kenner remains one of my favourite 1980s toylines. These perfectly designed vintage figures were so well constructed that some thirty years after they first hit toy store aisles their secret built-in “super power action” features almost always still work. Wonder Woman has long been top of my list of must-have figures in the line so I was thrilled when I tracked one down in full working order recently. She was missing her Magic Lasso accessory, but this particular vintage part proved very easy to reproduce. In DC Comics lore the original lasso was forged by the god Hephaestus from the Golden Girdle of Gaea. Thankfully our prop merely required a quick trip to the local haberdashery for a short length of thin gold cord, which was then looped around itself and tied with a knot, to create a home-made Lasso of Truth. For display purposes it’s extremely hard to tell the difference from the original part.
Grrr…it’s Grizzlor! The Hairy Henchman of the Evil Horde
Mattel’s hugely successful 1980s action figure and TV franchise Masters of the Universe is looked upon with great fondness by many toy collectors today and has proved enduringly popular. I’m writing this post having just returned from a collectors fair in Rome, Italy and can confirm that those chunky, swivel-hipped 5 ½-inch action figures were certainly an ubiquitous presence at every stall. I should confess that as a child from an earlier generation, I’ve always been a little bemused by the whole He-Man Universe and slow to succumb to the appeal of this line. From time to time a random figure will pique my interest, however, like this ugly little fella Grizzlor. (And as every collector knows, that’s a slippery slope to a full time action figure addiction!)