Every super-hero needs an arch-nemesis, and every toy manufacture knows that too! Action figure giant Mego, the company behind some of the most collectible action figures made during the 1970s, even released an 8-inch “Super Foes” line in 1974 to mirror its Super-Heroes line. And when Mego launched a new 10-inch figure design in 1976 with a stunning Flash Gordon playset, one of the finest characters in the series, aside from Flash himself of course, was the big baddie in all three of the 1930s Flash Gordon sci-fi film serials – Ming the Merciless.
Debs
Flash Gordon – A Mego Masterpiece!
For kids growing up in the UK during the 1970s Saturday morning picture shows at the local cinema were a highlight of the week! This was a long time ago, of course, and it certainly feels like we were living in a galaxy far, far away…Indeed, in those distant, pre-Star Wars days a staple of kids programming was the 1936 sci-fi film serial Flash Gordon, starring Olympic swimming star Buster Crabbe in the title role, and Charles B. Middleton as his arch-enemy Ming the Merciless. A forerunner of today’s television serialised shows, it was filmed for the big screen in 13 instalments and was based on the then brand new King Features comic strip character that had been created by Alex Raymond only two years earlier in 1934.
Green-haired General Madine variant figure
When Kenner issued General Madine as part of its first wave of Return Of The Jedi 65-back carded figures in 1983 the resulting action figure followed the company’s hit-or-miss track record of movie-likenesses, with only a vague resemblance to the actor Dermot Crowley who played him on screen. Instead of Crowley’s fair beard and hair, Kenner opted instead for a thick grey Kenny Rogers-style beard and mane! This turned out to be of little concern, however, when sadly for Kenner – not to mention Crowley – most of General Madine’s scenes during the Battle of Endor never actually made it past the cutting room, with only a brief appearance in the rebel briefing room scene hitting the big screen, meaning that back in the day the General Madine figure didn’t exactly fly off toy store shelves. It was later “sold-off” in Return of the Jedi bargain 2-Packs with other remaindered figures such as the Biker Scout.
Send in the Space Marines! Lt. Ripley from Aliens by Kenner
When Ridley Scott’s ground-breaking sci-fi horror movie Alien first opened way back in 1979, toy maker Kenner – fresh from the unprecedented success of its Star Wars action figures – was perhaps the obvious choice to create a line of tie-in merchandising. Not surprisingly, however, given the adult film certificate on the original movie, Kenner’s initial attempt at creating an Alien toy in the shape of a not-so-cuddly and fearsomely huge 18-inch Alien “doll” didn’t go down too well with parents and was quickly withdrawn from sale.
Who you gonna call this Christmas!?
Ghostbusters saw the 30th anniversary of its original release this past year. Sadly, the world also lost Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler and was one of the creators of this iconic movie, so this seems like a very good year to remember Ghostbusters at Christmas. In 2010 Toys R Us sold this exclusive set of 6-inch action figures by Mattel, based on a short scene in the sequel Ghostbusters II, where the team ran through the streets of New York wearing Santa hats.
Happy Halloween! NECA Cult Classics Eric Draven from The Crow
With Halloween very nearly upon us I thought this would be an excellent moment to showcase this recent flea market find. Admittedly it will be quite a few years before this 2005 NECA figure celebrating The Crow movie character Eric Draven can properly be described as “vintage”, but he is such a stunning figure I couldn’t resist adding him to my collection.
The tragic and untimely death of Brandon Lee in an on-set firearms accident during filming of the final scenes of the 1994-released movie has undoubtedly added to the “cult” status of The Crow, but watched with a purely objective eye twenty years on, the film really has stood the test of time and Lee’s central performance is particularly deserving of critical praise. This 7 inch action figure beautifully captures Lee’s likeness and mesmerising expression and is a wonderful piece of memorabilia.
The Emperor – The Dark Side of the Force
It’s a strange thought now, looking back at the original Star Wars trilogy, but Darth Sidious aka Dark Lord of the Sith, the biggest baddie and antagonist of the entire series, didn’t have any live action screen time until Return of the Jedi in 1983 (although a hologram did make a flickering appearance in the earlier The Empire Strikes Back). The archetype for hooded evil, Emperor Palpatine was played by Ian McDiarmid, who has had the very good fortune to reprise his role in all three of the prequels, which chart the character’s devious political career from Senator, to Supreme Chancellor, and eventually Emperor. Back in the 1980s, however, when Kenner still held the keys to the action figure toy chest, he was simply known as The Emperor.
Ernest Borgnine as Harry Booth – The Black Hole by Mego
One of the most unlikely – but nonetheless wonderful – additions to my vintage action figure collection over the last couple of months must surely be this beautifully detailed 12 inch Mego figure of legendary Hollywood and television character actor Ernest Borgnine. Borgnine died at the grand old age of 95 in 2012 after a glittering career, which saw him win an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1955 for Marty, and star in classics such as The Wild Bunch, The Dirty Dozen, and my personal childhood cult favourite The Poseidon Adventure. This action figure, however, commemorates a real turkey in his resume – The Black Hole – Walt Disney’s 1979 sci-fi blockbuster.