Mego | Vintage Action Figures

Mego Lion Rock World War II Japanese Fighter Pilot by Polistil of Italy

The great Mego Corporation initially balked at the idea of creating a series of World War II themed figures in the 1970s – after all, this would have meant entering into head to head competition with Hasbro’s military G.I. Joe Adventure Team action figures in the US – but they liked the idea enough to try it out across the Atlantic, handing the reins to European distributor Lion Rock. The resulting series of 6-inch figures released by various different European toy companies saw some truly wonderful toys, works of art in their detail which remain popular in the world of Mego collectibles.

Charting the history of some of the greatest military battles – “Storie delle grandi battaglie” – the Italian figures like this Japanese Fighter Pilot here, were issued by Polistil;

The Human Torch meets Robin in a mega Mego mashup!

Collecting vintage 8 inch Mego action figures from the World’s Greatest Super Heroes line can sometimes bring some fun surprises as we saw a while back with my Superman figure …

Mego Superman: Putting the Super into the World’s Greatest Super Heroes!

We can rebuild him, we have the technology is a phrase we know and love from old The Six Million Dollar Man episodes, but if you’re a collector of vintage Mego 8-inch action figures the expression could easily apply to any toy you are hoping to restore – it is by no means uncommon to come across loose uncarded vintage figures that have been cobbled together with spare limbs from various different figures or restored with repro parts and accessories. Late in the run of their World’s Greatest Super Heroes series even Mego started producing a few oddities of its own, putting random heads on bodies which might explain this Superman gem I picked up the other day in an online auction.

Thumbs up for Fonzie, the star of Mego’s Happy Days line!

Earlier this year I posted a series of articles taking a close and covetous look at my sister’s childhood collection of vintage Mego 8-inch action figures that we had recently uncovered in our parents’ loft in pristine condition. What a wonderful surprise, therefore, to unwrap my Christmas gift from my sister this year and discover another absolute classic from Mego – a vintage 8-inch Fonzie from their Happy Days line! Aaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!! Is this the coolest action figure ever made? Thanks sis!

Robin: Mego and the World’s Greatest Super Heroes…and Sidekicks!

As promised in an earlier post, here’s another vintage Mego 8-inch action figure that was found in a recent loft exploration at my parents’ home. Like Batman, the Lizard and Cornelius, this was another of my sister’s childhood toys, but of all of them, this Fist Fighting Robin probably made me smile the most when I first set eyes on it. Once again, this is a figure in almost perfect condition with only one immediate defect – the original paper logo glued to the left side of his tunic is missing and instead the letter “R” has been carefully drawn in its place! What made me smile was the thought that very probably, as big sister, I was more than likely the guilty culprit who had wielded the felt tip pen all those years ago, although I honestly can’t remember!

The Lizard: Mego and the World’s Greatest Super Heroes…and Villains!

The World’s Greatest Super Heroes was the line that made Mego’s name, kicking off with the most famous characters from DC Comics and then moving into the Marvel Universe with a plethora of new heroes appearing from 1975 onwards such as Captain America, the Hulk and Spider-Man. A line of good guys only would have been no fun at all though, so a couple of villains were thrown in for good measure – The Green Goblin and The Lizard. When Mego’s UK distributors Palitoy added Marvel characters to their Fist Fighting line a few years later, however, The Lizard was the only Marvel bad guy to make the assortment.

Cornelius from Planet of the Apes by Mego

Cornelius from Planet of the Apes, a Mego classic!

As promised in last week’s post, here’s another of the Mego action figure treasures from the loft that were excavated on my last trip back home to visit family in the UK. Like the Fist Fighting Batman we looked at last time, this is another highly collectible action figure that my sister played with as a child. Of all her toys, this 8-inch Mego Cornelius figure is one that I remember in particular as being one of her absolute favourites. As kids we adored the Planet of the Apes TV show and would tune in every Saturday morning to watch it during the mid-1970s.

Mego Fist Fighting Super Heroes – Batman

Holy Fist Fighting Super Heroes, Batman!

I recently returned home to Rome from my summer holidays in the UK visiting friends and family. I managed to pick up a few action figure bargains in flea markets, but also made some exciting discoveries in my parents’ loft! As a kid back in the 1970s my younger sister had some pretty cool action figures. I vaguely remembered her having owned a Batman and Robin and a Planet of the Apes figure, so had been itching to send Dad up into the attic for some time to check if they were produced by the mighty Mego! It took some digging around to find them – thanks Dad! – but eventually a biscuit tin was found which proved to be a treasure trove of Mego figures in fantastic condition. Clearly, my sister played with her toys very carefully! I’ll share all of the finds over the next few weeks, but to kick things off here’s Batman, one of the Mego Fist Fighting Super Heroes.