The Island of Lost Megos

Cyber week sales on Lost Action Figures!

2011-12-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

Entertainment Earth is offering nearly %50 off on Locke/Hurley Ben/Kate and Jacob/MIB plus the Dr. Halliwax Bobblehead!

Get your figures now and come back to get started customizing them!

Down the Hatch: The Swan Station is finally finished!

2011-09-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

12/5/11 UPDATE: Thanks to Badassdigest for getting the ball rolling on spreading this link around, io9 and ThinkGeek have likewise picked it up. It's been tremendous fun to have so many Lost fans take a look at my playset.

9/15/11: After a year and a half of design and redesign, illustrating over 16 square feet worth of artwork, extensively customizing Dida Displays parts and creating/sourcing numerous props I'm officially unveiling my custom-built Lost Mego Swan Station Playset. When packed up as a carrying case it weighs 20 pounds, and when unfolded and assembled it measures 45x30 and 20 inches tall at the top of the backdrop.

I unveiled this at the Barracks party at San Diego Comic Con two months ago, but needed to put the finishing touches on it and properly document it to give you a true sense of what it's like. You can find a huge gallery of photographs with notes at Dida Displays and you can check out this video tour of it right here.

Can you have one? Mayyybe. Check the DidaDisplays website for more information.

Full Gallery of Swan Station photos at DidaDisplays.com

Lost Home At Last! Wave 2 shipping NOW!

2011-08-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy with other projects I haven't had a chance to report on my trip to San Diego Comic-Con. It was a blast, and it was a fitting way to wrap up the adventure of Wave 2 of Lost. I was in fact the very first person in line at the Entertainment Earth booth on Wednesday's Preview Night and the first buyer of Wave 2 of Lost. If that wasn't exciting enough I got to attend a party of hard-core Lost fans, including the 2 biggest supporters of Lost Megos, Bonnie "andalone" Craft and Rob Perrin. I had been crunching to complete my Swan Station playset and was able to set it up at the condo where the party was held and show it off to some of the most enthusiastic Lost fans in the world. The reception was overwhelming. I will be doing a detailed guided tour through the playset in another post later and will do a final review of the figures themselves as well. Oh! And I handed Damon Lindelof a flyer for The Mego Museum and Lost Megos, I asked him if he was a Mego kid but alas he was not.

Long story short--the figures look really good, they are more successful than the first Wave as I predicted they would be. In the meantime here are some pictures.

Wave 2 is now shipping from Entertainment Earth! So if you didn't pre-order get an order in now, because they are limited to 1,000 pieces. Jack and Sayid, Miles and Claire, Sawyer and Juliet

Dharma Brick in the House

2011-07-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

The long awaited Brick Mantooth doll from Plaidstallions.com has arrived. Brick comes dressed in smoking 70s duds, but he looks damn fine in a Dharma jumpsuit. Jack and Sawyer don't stand a chance, Kate's felt the bite of the Mantooth now. The first set is already sold out, but keep an eye on the MegoMuseum forums for the next batch to go on sale!

Swan Station Nearing Completion

2011-07-13T14:13:00.003-07:00

2/3rds of the Swan Playset is built. Finally seeing it all assembled like this is really exciting! I think I've been planning this for a year and a half at least.

Much more to come! I'm crunching to take it to Comic-Con!

Older posts about the Swan Station

Swan Station Nearing Completion

2011-07-13T14:13:00.001-07:00

Swan Station Nearing Completion

2011-07-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

My Costume for Comic-Con

2011-06-29T12:11:00.001-07:00

Well, actually, I'm not really a cosplay type of guy, but here's an outfit I will be taking with me!

Comic Con is almost 3 weeks away now. I'm going to be meeting up with a group of Losties, including a few of my Lost Mego buddies. Some of us have been preparing ahead of time to redress the new Wave 2 figure's we'll be picking up at Entertainment Earth's booth (Wahoo!) I wanted to have an island outfit for Jack Shephard most of all. So I commissioned this amazing set of jeans and t-shirt from Mego Seamstress Jessica.

Now, I feel like I have gone a bit crazy with Jessica's clothes. But really, it's just been the Hurley's so far, and those were a must have. Certainly, there are a number of jeans and t-shirts available from CTVT (see photo below) and other sources that are perfectly acceptable for redressing Jack and Sawyer when the time comes. CTVT makes a white t-shirt that can be easily dyed to whatever color you like.

But the detail on these jeans is amazing, and the fit is so much better and more lifelike. Look at the way they gather around the ankles! The pockets really work. I gave her some promo photos of Jack that look almost exactly like the finished product. I can't wait to get them on the star of the show!

CHeck out the nifty package they were sent in. Sweet.

CTVT dark jeans. the shirt is Jessica's custom.

Man In Black

2011-06-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

With the excitement of San Diego Comic-Con 2011 coming up in just a few weeks it's a good time to revisit one of last year's SDCC Exclusives, the Man in Black. There were a few things I wanted to change about Jacob's dark brother. Primarily, I wanted him to be darker! Both figures had a funky jaundiced skin tone, and for MIB as played by the well tanned Titus Welliver this needed to be tweaked.

Another issue for me was wanting to put MIB in removable sandals. Mego's Friar Tuck came with sandals and they've been extensively reproduced, I think CTVT, Dr Mego and Castaway all carry them. I didn't like the sandals molded to the figure's foot and painted. It's a logical enough choice for a toy manufacturer, but it's not Mego enough for me. Problem is, if I take his head and put him on a spare Dr. Mego body the difference in skin tones will be remarkable. So, off to the tanning salon with him.

When I tanned John Locke I tried it first with MIB. He got too dark. I touched up the contrast on his paint, and that helped, but then I dunked him in some RIT color remover and he lightened up enough to match the body nicely.

The last piece fell into place recently when long-time Mego and 1:6 scale weapons customizer Wes Wood returned to the Mego Museum after many years. Wes has always been great at making amazing metallic weapons for knights and pirate Megos. He was the perfect candidate to make Man In Black's sinister Roman "pugio" dagger as seen here in the Lost Auction catalog. I've been playing with sculpting one myself for awhile, but I asked Wes to give it a try.

He sent me this handcrafted knife with a metal blade and a brass handle. It comes in a metallic scabbard with brass rings and a leather carrying strap. It's completely Bad-Ass. Did I mention it's made of metal? And thus sticks to magnets? Mmmm-hmmm.

Up next for MIB would be a game of Senet. I can also see getting an extra outfit and another skeleton to make an "Adam" corpse. As far as Mother goes, I can't help but wonder if one of the Bible figures from the 80s would be good fodder. If so, I certainly have the perfect knife to kill her with.

Run Kate! Run like a Cheetah!

2011-06-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Yay! Got to do some customizing this weekend. I've been wanting to take a crack at fixing Kate from Lost for awhile. Long story short: She's hot....

The BifBangPow Kate was not my favorite. I've always thought the sculpt was there but the paint job was weird with mint green eyes, brown pupils and the regrettable freckles, and the hair was quite roughly modeled in comparison to the hair on the other Lost females.

First up: Try her head on a Mattel Retro Action female body--in this case a Cheetah. It's more athletic and sexier than the Mego female. The BBP Kate as delivered is decidedly unsexy, which is criminal given the actress it's meant to portray.

The BBP head uses a neck plug while the Mattel body has a neck that the head slips onto. Using a sharp excato I removed the neck. just under the jawline so there's none of her original neck left. The remaining hole will slip over the Mattel neck just fine, but I did have to remove a fair amount of the hard plastic hair around the neck to get it out of the way. Same with the hair that sits on the shoulders, I had to trim it a bit to get the head to sit on the neck properly.

Okay, so far so good. It's already a huge improvement. I'm a Mego purest, but that female body is lame and always has been. Kate looks ready to go tearing through the jungle causing trouble.

But she's not pretty yet. So next removed her paint (including the freckles which just never worked for me) and I repainted her. I think it turned out okay, eyes are hard but the eyebrows are great. I gave her pinker lips and painted the lips more full. The sculptor gave a lot of details the paint job missed.

Now, I did do a dye dunk (see John Locke's Tanning post) on her to change her skin color to match to the body better. Eventually it worked out okay, but it was a challenge because when I removed her paint I used acetone and that seems to have interfered with the dye getting into the vinyl. It's a tad uneven, I'd like to try it on a new head sometime. I am thinking of making one with her hair tied back in a loose bun, she wears it like that a lot.

Then I really wanted to try changing her hair. This is the first time I used Magic-Sculp and it worked like a dream. I gave her fuller hair, more details, a little more curl and an asymmetrical part on one side. Evangeline Lily has some amazing hair, I tried to do it justice.

So there she is. I think I'm in love. It's a really cool Kate figure now.

Rose

2011-06-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this custom project is a decidedly mixed bag, but it was so interesting to try it and I'm glad to add her to my band of Lost castaways.

The character is Rose Nadler, a survivor of Oceanic flight 815. She's a beloved figure in the story, a wise lady who was healed of her cancer when she came to the Island and who ended up spending the rest of her life there with her husband Bernard.

An action figure never would have been made of her unless the Lost line had gone 6 waves or so. She wasn't high on my list, but I kept looking at this Ethel Mertz figure from CTVT's I Love Lucy. I won a set of these at Mego Meet one year. After I got into dying the vinyl heads to warm up their skin tone I wondered how far could you go with that and how horrible might the results be? There were enough facial similarities between Ethel and Rose it just might work.

So yep, I dyed the heck out of the head. About 5 minutes or so in a hot solution of Rit Tan dye and the skin tone just about matched the Star Trek Uhura EMCE figure I'd use for a body.

Obviously it's a bit like blackface at this point, but...

Some paint on the lips and eyeshadow and it looks pretty good.

I cut the top of her head off and removed the rooted hair and then added a Magic Sculpt hair piece. The other Lost females are a combination of vinyl face and hard plastic hair. So if it works she'll fit right in.

I ditched the padded Ethel top but kept the padded pink pants and added a pink shirt and white slippers from CTVT.

So, obviously, she's smiling wayyyyy too much. The facial expression is all wrong for the character, but I'll take it. I like that she's got a vinyl head and I don't think I'd sculpt this figure otherwise. If I had it to do again I'd try to shrink the head down a touch, but I haven't tried that process yet. No idea if after shrinking it in acetone it would still take dye. Will experiment. I'm going to try the same thing with a Katy Segal head from Married with Children but will try to shrink it a bit first.

It's a Tropical Island, Get Some Damned Sun!

2011-04-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

One of the problems I've had with the BifBangPow Lost figures is the very light skin tone they chose to use. It seems to be a trend across the board with these ReMegos that they are all several shades lighter than their 70s forebearers, but the BBP figures are especially light. I asked about this in our Mego Museum interview with Jason Lenzi and he said it wasn't a conscious choice to make them lighter than old school Megos, this is what they went with. I think for some of the figures its fine. Ben Linus was always a pasty little creep, but John Locke was a fairly well tanned outdoorsman. The BBP head is very pale and a lot of the great facial detail doesn't show up at all. So this week I finally took some time to experiment with fixing it.

Introducing John Locke: Tanned and Ready for Action!

This tanning technique was first introduced by David Lee of CastAway toys when he showed us how to give that 70s Mego sun tan to the new Mattell Retro Action Heroes. This is also especially helpful because it gets the skin tone to a closer match on CastAway or EMCE bodies.

It's pretty simple really, I just dunked him in hot Rit Tan dye for a few seconds--once for 5 seconds, then I wiped it and decided to give it 2-3 more. I used about half the package in about 2 cups of boiling water. The mixture may have been quite strong in that case, David was recommending 2 spoonfuls. I tried it with Man In Black before I did Locke and I overdid it--maybe 12 to 15 seconds. Dumb. You can always go back if it's too light, but not the other way around.

Before I did the tanning I took an Exacto blade and gave him his trademark scar on his right eyebrow and cheek. This was my extra Locke I hadn't opened yet because I didn't like the way the eyebrows were painted on this one. So I also removed them with nail polish remover and then painted them on with brown acrylic paint after the dye job was done. I kept the eyebrows in the same place but made them less raised and tried to give a little more character and focus to them. I didn't touch the factory painted stubble. Not sure about that. It's got a light gray color to it and now it's a little lighter than the skin. But I'm loathe to go in with darker paint and possibly make him look like a thug. The pink lips are another issue, but I have left them alone for now. I painted MIB's lips because after the dye job there was such a contrast, but I don't know. It might be smart to try and remove the lip paint altogether, I personally don't think it's necessary in most cases. One major caution: These BBP heads are very thin at the neck plug and will tear easily. So be careful removing the head. I'm used to yanking Mego heads off like a seven year old but these won't take that. John's head is halfway off it's neck post right now.

Anyway, that's it. I'm generally pretty pleased with the improvement. I think I'll use the pale one for Wheelchair Locke and tanned for Island Locke.

The Prop Department

2011-04-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Lost is so fantastic for making custom Mego accessories... A favorite aspect of the show are the literary connections, books featured prominently often reflect on themes the show explored. There were many Lost Book clubs that formed during the run. I can't say I've read too many of these books, but I enjoyed tracking down images of the editions used by researching Lostpedia and The Lost Encylopedia, then heading over to Amazon or eBay to find the copy used in the show.

UPDATE: Here's a link to my Prop Labels PDF so you can print your own on sticker paper. And here's a link to the Flash/Green Lantern Comic book that Hurley carries and the Walkabout Brochure.

I made the books by cutting them out of a pad of blank notepaper, taking advantage of the notepad's own binding, the printing the covers on sticker paper and wrapping them around the pages. So the are perfectly to scale and have a great authentic feel to them. I look forward to making more and I can't wait to show you the record collection for the Swan Station.

My friend Bonnie sent me scans of Hurley's Flash/Green Lantern comic book to print out. It's not the Spanish language version they had on the Island, but at this scale it doesn't matter to me. I didn't try to do all the pages, just the most important ones. It's just two pieces of paper printed on both sides and folded over. 8 pages. She also sent the Walkabout brochure that was included with the McFarlane Locke figure. A nice addition to Mr. Locke's knife case. Then I made a sticker for Hurley's MP3 round player. I happened to have a chromed disc in a junk box that was perfect, I also think a good button would do also the trick. Still working on headphones, I'm making them rather than searching fro Barbies, but I bet she's got em. Finally, the water bottles from CTVT are just wonderful, I made labels for Oceanic and Ajira. My Oceanic bottle is not authentic to the show, but I think it makes a better toy prop. The white label with a big logo and a blue bottle cap is more fun than the light blue/white cap bottle of the real prop.

Thank goodness for the Lost prop auction--as a result we have such highly detailed pictures of all the important props and costumes. It's a pleasure to research and create Mego scaled props for these awesome figures from BifBangPow!

More new clothes for Hugo!

2011-04-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Update 4/18/11: Jessica sent me my new Hurley clothes with an added bonus. I had nixed the idea of doing the long jeans shorts Hurley usually wore on the Island because they'd look weird with his skinny legs sticky out. Jess wanted to try beefing up the calves and it turned out really cool. Here's what she says: " I just added Apoxie, a two-part air dry epoxy medium on his legs, avoiding the joints and moving parts. Just made sure both legs were even and natural-looking. Once cured (takes about 2 hours or so to cure), I sanded smooth and then painted."

I photographed him in front of the new playset artwork for the Swan station.

4/8/11: Mego seamstress extraordinaire Jessica stopped by to show me the latest Hurley duds and they are really as spectacular as jeans, a t-shirt, and a button down can be. Getting a nice short sleeved button down shirt to wear over the t-shirt was a big goal--it's closer to what the character wore in the show and the collar really helps the long hair look better. Jess baked little clay buttons for the shirt and used an old toddler shirt for it's small scale pattern. Brilliant. The jeans are AMAZING. Check out the thread at the Mego Museum to see more detail on those. The pockets, the belt loops, are all too good. They will be hidden under the t-shirt, but it's so cool they are there. I've placed my order, if you are interested in having something made contact me at lostmegoisland@gmail.com, I'll put you in touch with her..

Lost Wave2 Card Art Preview from BifBangPow!

2011-04-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

A nice bonus in my in-box today! BifBangPow sent us an exclusive look at the new card art for Lost Wave 2. The background art is the same as used on Wave 1 with the addition of the "Freighter Folk" card for Miles and Claire's "The Caves" background. The back of the card is new showing the full lineup of figures. The packaging uses the catalog prototype pictures they've been using at Entertainment Earth for some time. The biggest surprise here is the confirmation of something I'd suspected after seeing the Jack costume up close: It's not his suit from the Pilot, it's the suit he wore on the Ajira return flight--it's "Oceanic Six" Jack.

Each card will have a sticker denoting it's number in the 1,000 produced. I've already asked if I can have the 23/1000 Jack, 15/1000 Sayer and 16/1000 Sayid, but no such luck. Some lucky collector will get those. Pay attention to the numbers!!

Get Up! You've Got Work To Do...

2011-03-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

Now that we know Wave 2 of BifBangPow's Lost will be coming to us this summer it's a great relief to just go back to having fun with Lost customs. I'm especially eager to go forward with my large playset ideas now that I know I will have the cast to populate them. The Flight 815 playset was placed on hold until I knew for certain I'd be able to fill most of her seats with actual Losties and not just civilians. I'll be back to that soon, but first things first: The Swan Station.

Click on the image to see a much larger version that easier to read....

A little background: I'm a huge fan of the illustrated vinyl covered playsets that Mego and other 1970's toy companies made---so much so that I designed a customizable vinyl display system and had a small run of them manufactured in the U.S. as Dida Displays. The idea was to be able to use any artwork you wish--I'm an animation background artist by profession so that's right up my alley. Just slide the art under the vinyl and then snap the box together. By making a few key parts I was able to come up with a bunch of different playset layouts for Star Trek, Superheroes, Planet of the Apes and more and sold them to a handful of Mego collectors. Visit DidaDisplays.com to see everything I made.

Sadly, I am now pretty much sold out of my inventory of Dida Display parts and probably won't be ordering more--they are expensive and time consuming to make. So the Swan Station will likely be my Dida Displays "swan song"...It won't be available for purchase, it will be a one-of-a-kind.

I went with the sections that were most interesting and had play value to me: The center section has the geodome room, naturally, and a hatch on the roof (with an attached jungle backdrop showing the hatch excavation) that opened into the hallway with the Jack Bender mural. To the right is a three part section: The stereo wall, the couch area with that odd Joshua Tree photograph, the gun locker. To the right is another three part section with the dinette and it's distinctive oval window, the pantry with a sliding door, and the double Dharma door exit. I opted out of the bunk beds-not that interesting or fun to me, but I can always come back and add another section. I think making a kitchen island at some point will be a fun project.

Usually, a Mego style playset might rely more on illustrated elements--the stereo wall might have just been a drawing, for instance. I'm trying to make this one more real on the inside--the stereo wall will have a recessed shelf filled with record sleeves and a miniature record player (a refrigerator magnet, actually, that I've had in my parts box for years). It will be possible to place my video iPod behind the movie screen so you can see the Orientation film as well as hear music on speakers hidden in the walls. The pantry will be partially illustrated but will have a section of real shelves with real products on them. The goal is not to make a scale model of the Swan station, however. It's a compromise between authenticity and what fits within the limitations of the vinyl playset pieces.

The outside of the display (CLICK ABOVE TO ENLARGE) is a panoramic jungle mural with lots of fun easter eggs in it: The Black Rock, the 815 cockpit wreckage, Christian Shephard, a polar bear based on the comic book image, a Virgin Mary statue, the Nigerian drug plane and right outside the Dharma doors a Palette Drop. The opposite side of the Hatch backdrop will be Smokie in the jungle. (I'm excited about that one, it looks cool.) You can see more of the art panels on the Lost Mego Survivors Tumblr Page.

This took me forever to finish, working in little bits in my free time. I wanted the art to have a somewhat artificial (toy-like) feel and to be as rendered as possible without using to much vague painterly techniques or blurry atmospherics. It's like a theatrical backdrop more than it's a true illustration, if you know what I mean. So I did some detailed renderings of a few different bushes and trees and then used them repeatedly and shamelessly so everything is at the same level of focus and detail. It's sort of painstaking...sort of lazy.

My original plan was to do a big group portrait of the cast similar to the Season 2 poster on the large playset door. That may be what I do one day, but I wanted to get this set going and doing a good job on over a dozen character portraits will take a lot more free time. I haven't done much portraiture since art school...I look forward to the challenge, but in the meantime it made sense to repeat the pallette drop and Dharma doors to complete the enclosed playset case.

I've been fiddling with Swan playset designs for a long time. It's always a goal when I design a playset that the entire set be able to fold up into one carrying case. With so much going on in the Swan this was a challenge....but based on these rough mock-ups using scrap Dida parts I think it will all fit inside and still have maximum play value. We shall see. I've only now finished up the art and sent it for printing.

Check back in a few months to see how it's going. Assembling the boxes will be one thing, constructing all the practical props will be another...

It's Official: Wave Two Is Saved!

2011-03-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

The word just came in officially from BifBangPow! Wave 2 is going into production!!!!

BifBangPow! Lost action figures Wave 2 will be released in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces per character and will come individually numbered for collectors. Figures will arrive at San Diego Comic-Con 2011. If you pre-ordered you are guaranteed to get your figures, they are not exclusives to the Con. So it's still a good idea to pre-order now because they will not last long at those numbers.

Please use these links and help support the Island of Lost Megos: Sawyer/Juliet, Jack/Sayid, and Miles/Claire. Thanks!

In regards to the recent poll...alas, BBP is unable to produce any additional figures. It was definitely something that was seriously discussed and considered but just couldn't be made to work. I know, it's a bummer, but considering the ups and down of this line I am very grateful to have these TWELVE Mego style Lost action figures in my collection, it's kind of a miracle, all things considered.

Thank you so much to Jason Labowitz and Jason Lenzi of BifBangPow! for being so gracious with all of my questions and nudging and "helpful" suggestions and thanks for sticking with this line through all the turmoil. I like to think we made some kind of a difference, I know I sold a few people on these figures. It seems that the ability to do a much smaller production run is what made this possible. Whatever the case, we're happy.

Last week they actually mailed me the Wave 2 sample figures to photograph for the blog. I had asked to get my hands on them and to my surprise they agreed! Getting to pose and light and shoot the figures was an honor, and the best part was this: After 2 days I boxed them up and sent them directly to the factory in China so they can begin the production process!!

Please visit each character's individual page to see new up close photographs of these figures and rest easy knowing they are finally on their way to you! Thanks to EVERYONE who has supported this campaign, it's been fun. And now that the hype is done we can relax and focus entirely on making fun custom projects for our Lost figures!

Namaste, Losties!

POLL: Who do you want to see at SDCC for Wave 3?

2011-02-26T22:13:00.001-08:00

Well, here we are after March 1st awaiting word from BifBangPow to find out if Wave 2 will actually get produced. BBP tells me they can't say anything one way or the other right now. I hope it's a No News is Good News scenario. We shall see. I've been tracking the Entertainment Earth Top 50 Coming Soon and Wave 2 of Lost has been trending upward, placing at #9, 11, and 13 today. Not bad...

Please place a Pre-order for Sawyer/Juliet, Jack/Sayid, and Miles/Claire as a show of support for continuing this great line of Lost Action figures!

In the meantime, let's dream BIG. We know that BBP's license for Lost is running out in July, but they left open the possibility of doing at least 2 more figures as exclusives at San Diego Comic Con 2011.

Let's pretend those are the first 2 of a six character Third Wave...who would you like the see BifBangPow make? I'll make sure BBP gets the results.

Please share this poll with your Lostie friends. It'd be nice to send a strong signal that the fans are out there wanting more....and of course, make sure they're placing a pre-order for Wave2!

Namaste, New Recruit!

2011-02-26T17:33:00.000-08:00

So excited to see this write up on Bonnie's Dharma Kate custom! I'm happy to know I'm not the only nut doing this kind of thing. She's outpacing me on some projects!

Bratz dolls turn out to be a good source of clothes for Megos. Their heads and feet are huge, but their bodies and some accessories are about the right size, and they sold so well there's tons of lots on eBay. Especially good for the more modern clothes you see on Lost, though this turned out delightfully retro. Well done!

Nice Pants, Mr. Reyes!

2011-02-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot of success with off-the-rack clothes for the Lost gang, but Hurley is a special problem. His robe and pajamas cry out to be replaced, but there's not much on the way of big and tall for Megos, even if he was on a standard Mego fat body. So I contacted my friend Jessica, a Mego seamstress extraordinaire who happens to also live nearby. She makes amazing Planet of the Apes customs as well as some really nice jeans I will want to get if we ever get Jack and Sawyer. I described what I was envisioning and she really delivered. If you'd like to get a set for your own Hugo email me at lostmegoisland@gmail.com. She's asking $30 for the pants and shirt combo.

I wanted to keep the stuffed shirt BifBangPow shipped Hugo in. The concept is quite sound and Jess and I were both impressed at the pillow's design which is built to give shape to the chest area. The problem is that the shirt is too short. Hugo's 3xl shirts hang way past his waist. I felt if we made some roomy cargo pants that fit around the stuffed belly it would improve the profile of the figure and make him less like a big meatball on sticks. Then a long shirt over the whole thing will tie it all together.

There are many outfits to choose from, this one is loosely based on his Season 6 look. I'd like to get a green or red t-shirt, and we have to do the "I Heart My Shih-Tzu" shirt. Now, a lot of the time Hugo wore very long shorts on the Island. We might explore that, but baggy shorts with the skinny guy legs sticking out are probably not going to look any good so I went with cargo pants. They fit in perfectly with Locke and Kate's, the quality of Jessica's sewing is totally pro.

Here's a view of the incredible construction Jessica did. Real pockets! Of course, Hugo never tucked his shirts in, I'm not sure if he wore his pants over or under his belly, but again, we disguise with the other shirt. Our next project is to try a buttoned collar shirt, I think the collar will help his neck/hair look better.

LOST on the top shelf at the BifBangPow Toy Fair Display

2011-02-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

Toy Fair has come and gone! Here's a great video tour of the BifBangPow toy fair display starting with a good close up look at Lost Wave 2. So nice to see new angles on these figures. The look so damned good, I can't believe this line won't get made! We are 2 weeks away from the first of March deadline, I have no idea how well pre-orders are going. I know things have slowed down on the affiliate links here at the Island of Lost Megos. Hopefully there will be a bump in interest coming from Toy Fair. BBP's Dr. Who line has been warmly received as has the extension of Venture Brothers and Twilight Zone.

In the meantime, I got my Polar Bear yesterday and it's really awesome! You can grab one cheap at Gummy Lumps, or email me, I bought an extra.

Drive, man! We've only got 3 weeks to Save Lost Megos!

2011-02-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd show off my custom Dharma Jeep today, mainly to give you something new to get excited about so you'll GO PRE-ORDER Lost figures from BifBangpow! We should see some photos and press from next week's Toy Fair in New York, BBP will be debuting their hotly anticipated Dr. Who line along with Twilight Zone figures and Wave 2 of Lost. Please get your pre-orders in now, the March 1st deadline is fast approaching.

The Jeep is a simple custom job, much easier than the Dharma Van. This is a Mego Action Jackson Safari Jeep with a blue spraypaint job and some printed stickers. Visit our Tumblr page, Lost Mego Survivors for more pics, and sumbit your own!

And by the way, the CTVT water bottles? AWESOME. I know the label isn't authentic, but I think this design shows up better at a small size like this.

Welcome to the Island! Help Us Save Lost Megos

2011-02-03T22:43:00.000-08:00

I'm so grateful to the Jay and Jack Podcast for recording an interview with me about the BifBangPow Lost figures. After years as a listener I emailed Jay last summer on a hunch that he was a Mego sympathizer, and he couldn't have been nicer. We chatted at Comic-Con and he was eager to do a segment on the figures to help promote them. (read all about it here) I really enjoyed it and I hope it brings some new fans to the Island of Lost Megos so we can keep this great line of toys going.

But then to my surprise the gang at After Lost read my email on their latest show and had a great discussion about the blog, the figures, and even the Mego Museum. I have really enjoyed their podcast for it's depth and professionalism and all the good suggestions for coping with life After Lost. I had to laugh, I hadn't ever thought to post a spoiler warning on this blog! Thanks, guys.

I'm also really enjoying the #Lost community on Twitter. We've got a small but vocal group determined to #SaveLostMegos!

I tells ya, all we need is one good tweet from Darlton and this thing is in the bag!

Keep reading below to find out the latest info on Wave 2 of Lost and what you can do to help get them made!

Jacob with custom-made loom by Andalone

Save Wave 2, plus a Bonus? SDCC Exclusive a possibility?

2011-02-02T11:20:00.001-08:00

UPDATE: Responding to a thread the the Mego Museum BifBangPow leaves open the possibility of doing one last San Diego Comic Con Exclusive pair if there is enough interest!

Can we Save Wave 2 and go for the bonus? Can this be done?

1. Twitter with the hashtag #SaveLostMegos and encourage your #Lost connections to pre-order Wave 2.

2. Post a comment here and/or direct a Tweet @bifbangpow with your votes for the final two Lost figures you'd most want to see.

Save Wave 2! #SaveLostMegos!

2011-01-31T16:53:00.000-08:00

I got to speak with Jason Labowitz, co-owner of BifBangPow yesterday to get the latest news on the status of the Lost action figures.

The Good News: Sales of Wave 1 have been better than they expected. They will eventually sell out and will not be discounted, so act now on Locke/Hugo and Kate/Ben.

The Bad News: Wave 2 is still in danger of being cancelled. BBP says that if they don't get enough pre-sales by March 1 they won't be able to start production on Wave 2 in time for a July delivery. Their Lost merchandising license expires in July and they can't run the risk of not being able to sell what they make, they need to be confident that the sales will be there.

I almost never do pre-orders---most of us don't---but this is a special circumstance. This line has had it's share of delays and set-backs that has pushed it to this point. It's up to us Lost Mego fans to make our intentions known. If you think you want these figures now is the time to say so.

Place a pre-order, your credit card won't be charged until the figures ship so you have nothing to lose.

Jack and Sayid

Sawyer and Juliet

Miles and Claire

This seems to be about timing more than anything else. If Wave 1 is doing well this next one should do even better. The characters are almost all winners, there's no odd costume choices in the bunch, and the likenesses are even stronger. For all of Kate's flaws you can't tell me Juliet doesn't look great. I think the Jack is very strong, as is Sayid. Sawyer and Miles are going to be fine and while Claire is the weak link she may surprise us and the Crazy Claire customs will be a blast to put together. C'mon people! Let's get this plane in the air!

The Next Wave of Lost Bobbleheads are coming!

2011-01-30T17:54:00.000-08:00

The guys at BifBangPow just sent me these photos of their newest Lost bobbleheads! This next series is available for pre-order now (links below) and will be shipping in July. First series bobbleheads are still available at Entertainment Earth if you haven't added them to your Lost collection yet.

There will be an exclusive San Diego Comic-Con 2011 bobblehead to be revealed later. Who can it be??

No doubt these are essential characters to round out the BBP Lost bobblehead collection. Sawyer holds his famous note and a handgun, he's looking to settle a score. "Pilot" Jack is presented with Vincent on the beach with 815 wreckage.

Pre-order now at Entertainment Earth: Lost Jack Shephard Bobblehead

Pre-order now at Entertainment Earth: Lost Sawyer Bobblehead

Up next: Desmond at last! We are still hoping and praying for a Desmond action figure, but at least we have his bobblehead poised to push the button on your desk for all eternity. Lastly, what a great surprise to see Dr. Leslie Arzt carefully carefully CAREFULLY handling some Black Rock dynamite.

Pre-order now at Entertainment Earth: Lost Desmond Hume Bobblehead
Pre-order now at Entertainment Earth: Lost Dr. Leslie Arzt Bobblehead

Reviews for Wave 1 continue

2011-01-30T11:05:00.001-08:00

Rob at The Mind Boggles is a Lost Super Collector and a big supporter of the Island of Lost Megos. Here's his reviews of his new action figures

Uber Super Collector Andalone also has her first review up. She's way into the customizing idea, I expect to see great things!

While you are there browse through both of their jaw dropping collections of Lost stuff.

Previously: MrNerdyReviews are up: I get a kick out of this guy's reviews. He's super psyched about Ben and Kate Austen is winning him over.

All of my reviews are in the character links to the left.
<--------

Send me your reviews!

Sayid Jarrah

2011-01-28T09:42:00.000-08:00

Sayid Jarrah will come in a 2 pack with Jack. They are available for pre-order now and are scheduled to ship in July 2011. Please consider placing a pre-order for these figures as a show of support for this line. Your credit card will not be charged until the figures actually ship.

Update 3/15/11: BBP graciously allowed me to photograph their Wave 2 samples at my home before they were sent to the factory for production.

Sayid comes in a grey muscle shirt, black cargo pants and black shoes. Note that he comes on the new EMCE swivel biceps body for added poseability and a hunkier look for the bare armed costume.

The sculpt has been widely regarded as one of the best of the line.

The original prototype shown with the factory sample (revealed 1/28/11)

Getting the word out....

2011-01-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been kind of an exciting week here on the Island. Now that the figures are available I started publicizing the blog and video, trying to get the word out and connect with like minded Losties.

We had one review thread for Wave1 and a discussion of the Wave2 photos at the MegoMuseum.

DarkUFO posted my submission. I've visited there many times in search of Lost news, it was a thrill to make some there.

The reception hasn't been uniformly positive, the folks at the Lostpedia forums are not fans of these figures. Like I say, they aren't for everyone.

We added 30 new people to the Island of Lost Megos Facebook page, that was really cool! And I even started using my Twitter (megoscott) account, which was all new to me but I connected with a few really cool Losties including one who had already placed her order at CTVT to start doing customs. She even bought a Peg Bundy, I never thought people would really do that. So cool.

Meanwhile, MrNerdyReviews are up: I get a kick out of this guy's reviews. He's super psyched about Ben and Kate Austen is winning him over.

Have your own review? Let me know, I'd love to hear/see/read it!

Lost action figures have arrived! A Special Message from The Island of Lost Megos

2011-01-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

What is this all about? Check out this 3 minute video:

I have posted detailed reviews of all 4 of the remaining Wave 1 figures, as well as the upcoming (hopefully) Wave 2, scroll down or use the side links for each character.

Clearly, I am a huge supporter of this line and have been eager to share my enthusiasm for these figures, but I am trying to remain objective and frank about any flaws I see. I'm not affiliated with BifBangPow (though I am an EE affiliate and will get some store credit if you use the links on my site to buy and pre-order figures, thank you very much). I've met (pestered) the people involved in making them, they've been very gracious and helpful and they welcome criticism and feedback.

I have been a serious Mego fan for most of my life and have a great appreciation for a well made Mego-style figure. I think many Mego fans will respect them as worthy additions to the Mego revival and I think a lot of Lost fans need to have these in their collections. I know they are not for everyone, but if you are at all attracted to them you owe it to yourself to give them a try.

I am so thankful that BifBangPow stuck with this line. I've been worried about these figures for a long time...they've been delayed by quality problems in China, they came many months after the show went off the air and took the Lost hype away with it, one of the prototypes broke on national TV. People have been very critical of the figures and questioned whether they'd ever be any good.

BBP took the time to get it right and came through with some well-made figures that I'm proud to own. There are dozens of things I'd change about them if I could, but I'm very glad they are here.

Now that they are here I am determined to spread the word and encourage Lost fans to support this line. They deserve our support. If sales are strong enough for Wave 1 then Wave 2 will come out in June, and based on these latest figures I have faith those will be even better.

But if not, Wave 2 might very well be canceled and our last chance for Lost action figures will disappear, probably forever.

With that in mind I put together this promo video for the figures. Please check it out and share it with your Lostie friends. Help spread the word about these figures and let's keep them going!

Discounted Individual Wave 1 at EE

2011-01-21T10:44:00.000-08:00

Ben, Hurley, Kate, and Locke in NOT MINT packaging are on sale at Entertainment Earth. Good chance to grab individual characters if you wish.

New Factory Sample heads revealed! Jack, Sawyer, Miles

2011-01-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

I got word yesterday that Entertainment Earth updated the pictures for Wave 2 to show factory produced figures of Jack, Sawyer and Miles.

Once again we see that prototypes are not to be taken as final product. I feel that these new heads are good Mego-style likenesses of the characters and based on the figures from Wave 1 I think we can feel confident that if we support this line we'll be rewarded with some great Lost figures.

Scroll down to see each new figure. I've also added entries for the remaining three prototype figures Juliet, Sayid and Claire. I'll let you know when we have new samples to view of those figures.

Jack Shephard

2011-01-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

Jack Shephard will come in a 2 pack with Sayid. They are available for pre-order now and are scheduled to ship in July 2011. Please consider placing a pre-order for these figures as a show of support for this line. Your credit card will not be charged until the figures actually ship.

Update: 3/15/11: BBP graciously allowed me to photograph their Wave 2 samples in my home before they were sent to the factory for production.

I spent a lot of time with Jack, he's an important character and I think they did a very good job on his head. We know there are many faces of Jack, but I think this one captures his befuddled confidence quite well.

Jack will come dressed in black business suit with removable black shoes. The suit is the same pattern BBP is using for some of it's Twilight Zone figures, and it looks to be a well tailored Mego suit. BBP has done a good job with fabric and costume quality.

ALSO: Jack will come with the swivel-biceps body Sayid has, which will fill out that suit jacket nicely and make sleeveless shirts and custom tattoos much cooler!

Packaging Update: Jack's card art lists him as Oceanic 6. He's therefore wearing the suit he wore on the Ajira flight (hence the grey shirt) and not the iconic "Pilot" suit with the white dress shirt.

Note the little faux buttons on the shirt and the great tie. This is one of the best Mego suits ever made, hands down. The shirt is a thing of beauty.

The original head sculpt was met with jeers by many when it was first revealed. On January 20 Entertainment Earth put up a photograph of a factory sample. Both are pictured below.

Claire Littleton

2011-01-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

Claire Littleton comes in a 2 pack with Miles. They are available for pre-order now and are scheduled to ship in July 2011. Please consider placing a pre-order for these figures as a show of support for this line. Your credit card will not be charged until the figures actually ship.

Update 3/15/11: BBP graciously allowed me to photograph their Wave 2 samples in my home before they were sent to the factory before production. I was glad to see Claire in person, earlier photographs did not do the sculpt justice. I'm confident that once this head is cast in vinyl at the right size this will be a nice Claire figure.

With her stuffed pregnant belly and overlarge prototype head she's received a lot of negative comments in the early going. I think in the end she'll be fine and I think a Crazy Claire custom will be easy and fun. It would've been weird to include a little baby Aaron, I suppose, but that will be a fairly easy accessory to locate elsewhere.

The stuffed maternity shirt is removable, by the way, leaving her in a nicely built black dress. The lavender Converse style shoes are a really nice touch.

Pardon the headless Claire...

These shoes will ultimatly be removable, these are for prototype purposes only.

Below: The original prototype photo paired with Miles as seen on the EE website.

Juliet Burke

2011-01-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

Juliet comes in a 2 pack with Sawyer. They are available for pre-order now and are scheduled to ship in July 2011. Please consider placing a pre-order for these figures as a show of support for this line. Your credit card will not be charged until the figures actually ship.

Update: 3/15/11: BBP graciously allowed me to photograph their Wave 2 samples in my home before they were sent to the factory for production. Seeing this resin cast of the prototype sculpt in person was fantastic.

The prototype head is larger than the final head will be. I think it's an undeniably good likeness of the character. She will come dressed in a very cool 1977 era outfit. The printed floral detailing on the shirt is top notch. She wears the same removable hiking boot as Kate. Based on the mostly successful Kate head, I think we're in good shape with Juliet, the hair is finely sculpted and the likeness is very good.

Miles Straume

2011-01-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

Miles Straum comes in a 2 pack with Claire. They are available for pre-order now and are scheduled to ship in July 2011. Please consider placing a pre-order for these figures as a show of support for this line. Your credit card will not be charged until the figures actually ship.

Miles protoype sculpt always looked great, and the updated factory sample head looks successful. He comes in a grey long sleeve t-shirt, black cargo pants, black shoes and a grey vest.

Update 3/15/11: BifBangPow! graciously allowed me to photograph the Wave 2 samples at my home before they were sent back to the factory to begin the production process. Here are my close up shots of the Miles figure. I'm particularly impressed by his well constructed and finely detailed costume with it's hooded and lined vest and long sleeved t-shirt with a very thin neck hem.

Below: The factory sample compared with the prototype picture.

James "Sawyer" Ford (AKA LaFleur)

2011-01-21T09:48:00.000-08:00

Sawyer comes in a 2 pack with Juliet. They are available for pre-order now and are scheduled to ship in July 2011. Please consider placing a pre-order for these figures as a show of support for this line. Your credit card will not be charged until the figures actually ship.

Update 3/15/11: BBP graciously allowed me to photograph their Wave 2 samples in person at my home. Sawyer's gun was not included in the package but will be in the final product.

Sawyer comes in a fantastic Dharma jumpsuit with LaFleur Head of Security printed (not stickers) on the pocket under the DI logo. He is wearing brown shoes and looks to have a green t-shirt under the jumpsuit. The detailing on the jumpsuit is superb.

The head sculpt is hit or miss as a likeness, overall I think it get the character across. I'm glad they didn't go for the glowering angry look on Sawyer.

Sawyer will come on the new swivel-biceps body which is better for posing with guns and will fill out the jumpsuit better!

Below: The prototype shown with the factory sample.

Review: BifBangPow! Benjamin Linus (The Others)

2011-01-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

Ben Linus is sold in a 2-pack with Kate Austin and is in stock now atEntertainment Earth.

Ben comes on a card under the theme of The Others. The art feature silhouetted Others on an Island ridge. Ben comes dressed in his Others disguise from the Season 2 finale (never really got a good explanation about the disguises, but whatever...) So I have the same complaints about costume choice as I do with Hurley, but that said, it's a cool costume. The fabric choice is perfect, the rips and holes and details perfectly illustrate the grimy pajamas he wore. He is barefoot.

The head is awesome. I'm not sure it's a perfect Michael Emmerson likeness, but it's close enough for Mego and has a lot of character in the sculpt. Particular detail was paid to the eyes and this is one character where the Mego stare that some people find creepy really comes in handy!

Of all the custom projects on the Island of Lost Megos, Ben in civilian clothes is the easiest as I outlined in an earlier post. Thank goodness for Al Bundy, eh?

Review: BifBangPow! Kate Austin (The Dharma Initiative)

2011-01-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

Kate Austin is sold in a 2-pack with Ben Linus and is in stock now at Entertainment Earth.

Kate is listed under the Dharma Initiative theme with an image of the barracks and the DI logo. I'm glad she didn't come in a blue motor pool jumpsuit, though, because her outfit is nice standard island adventure attire. She comes wearing a white tank top with a very nice pair of brown cargo pants and very cool removable hiking boots. She ships with her tank top untucked, but I think I prefer it tucked in. She comes on a reproduction Mego female body.

I must say the Mego female body is not the greatest. The hands will not hold things, their proportions are a little funky. I noticed a more flashing (excess plastic) on the hands that I trimmed of with a knife. My Kate also seems to be a bit tightly strung, her left arm won't come down to rest against her side. But it is a very poseable body and is in nice proportion to the male figures.

We've been on pins and needles with Kate. I was never a fan of the prototype photo. It had the over-large prototype head and I think the angle it was photographed was not at all flattering to the sculpt. I was also not a fan of the molded hair, Mego females always had rooted hair, so this is new territory for me....

So I was actually surprised how much I like the figure and how well it works. It's in perfect proportion, first of all. I think it's best viewed at a 3/4 angle because you can see what the sculpt is going for. It's not a dead on likeness of the actress, but it's in the ballpark and the lines of the cheeks and nose are really well done. I was surprised to see an attempt at freckles on her nose, I'm not sure it was entirely successful. The hair sits on the shoulders so you have to be careful turning the head so as to not pull on the shirt. But the molded hair works. There would be no way to get a modern hairstyle that resembled the actress in rooted hair. Mego was working with straight hair or bubble-hairdos and flips. This is harder. I think in some places the detail of the hair is a bit rough, Hurley's is a bit nicer. But put me down as an impressed fan.

Update: Here's Kate holding a handgun from the Dr. Mego weapons package, works pretty well, actually. I put her in an extra shirt I had (not sure of the source). Kate often layered her clothes. I'd like to do the orange tank top and white top shirt combo she wore on Walkabout.

Review: BifBangPow! John Locke (The Beach)

2011-01-18T11:04:00.000-08:00

John Locke comes in a 2-pack with Hurley, and is in stock now atEntertainment Earth.

John Locke (The Beach) comes on a card featuring posterized art of survivors on the beach with some plane wreckage in the foreground. He's dressed in a brown t-shirt with a velcro closure in the back. The shirt comes tucked in, but is fairly long and can be untucked easily. His tan cargo pants are really good, with pocket flaps, but no actual outer pockets. It has belt loops and the belt is thin leather-textured vinyl with a removable knife scabbard sewn from the same material.

The knife is the same knife BBP made for the Brock Sampson figure for Venture Brothers. It seems like the original prototype pictures showed a different knife, one that was more detailed, but this is an acceptable knife to me. I will offer suggestions for other knives on the market if you are so inclined. The shoes appear to be grey versions of the standard Mego dress shoe as reproduced by EMCE toys, the toy maker contracted with BBP to make these figures.

The head turned out so great. The prototype was attacked because it looked too large (as is standard practice because the heads shrink when cast in vinyl). No one wants a pumpkin headed Locke. This is in perfect proportion. I think it's a remarkable head sculpt. It's simplified in detail as befits a figure of this scale and style, yet it retains a lot of the spirit of the character. From certain angles it really communicates the warmth and personality of John Locke. My only quibble is the decision to go without the eye scar.

I think this will the real crowd pleaser, he's a favorite character for a lot of people and the figure is worthy of John Locke.

I've been looking forward to making several variations of this figure as I detailed in another post. It's not a figure that needs to be redressed, but it's neat to see it in other outfits as seen below. Megos are versatile and fun, and it's awesome they are making them for Lost.

Review: BifBangPow! Hurley Reyes (Oceanic Six)

2011-01-18T09:40:00.002-08:00

Hurley comes in a 2-pack with John Locke, and is in stock now at Entertainment Earth.

The BifBangPow! Hugo Reyes figure is listed as Hurley Reyes (Oceanic Six). The card art featured a posterized L.A. skyline with an Oceanic logo superimposed behind the figure's head. He comes dressed in his bathrobe and pajamas from the Santa Rosa Mental Hospital scenes in Season 4. BBP has said that ABC was in the driver's seat on costume choice, and this is a frustrating one. One challenge with Lost figures is that they are simply normal people in average civilian clothes (no disrespect to the costume department). There are no flashy uniforms or sci-fi outfits to make for a visually exciting toy (see BBP's Twilight Zone, Flash Gordon, or Venture Brothers figures). To make it jump off of a crowded toy aisle shelf the temptation is to go with the most eye-catching look possible--hence Ben in his clown-like Other's jammies and Hugo in his red robe. But these costumes were in use in only a few scenes and do not represent the characters as we commonly think of them.

For me, I'm happy to have any Hurley figure at all, and as a Mego fan I'm used to doing custom alterations to my figures to suit my tastes. In fact, that's half the fun for me. But before we go there, how did the figure turn out as it was designed? Pretty good, considering the challenges they faced. I think it's got a lot of soul.

First, the body: As Jorge Garcia hilariously discovered on the Jimmy Kimmel show, his body is a standard male "Mego" body, but his shirt and pants are stuffed in the belly and butt to give him his weight. It's a funny yet logical solution to the problem. Making a new torso would have been costly, and I've never been a fan of the Mego "fat body" anyway. The clothes themselves are well constructed, the robe actually does a smart job of disguising the pillow belly. I do think wider pant legs would have helped the illusion.

The head came out great, it's well made and perfectly in proportion, looks much better than the prototype. The eyes on my example are a little bit off, the pupils are a bit cock-eyed, but you only notice it if you look close (these large pictures I take are sometimes a little too revealing). It's definitely not "fun time" Hurley, he's got a serious expression and I find that the head sculpt has a lot of soul from certain angles. The facial details all translated into vinyl quite well. All of these male figures have beard stubble which is a combination of surface detail and paint and I'm thankful the light touch they used on it. The hair is a big challenge--in order to make a head that can turn it can't rest on his shoulders, so it has a bit of a flared look to it. It's a design compromise I can live with. The detail of the curly hair is very well done.

Here's a detail look at the belly and shoes. I was pleased to see that the slippers are removable, not molded to the feet, though I wish they'd been able to spend the money on tooling a nice hiking boot or something. (Again with the costume choice complaining....)

Here's what a Hurley in civilian clothes could look like. I'm still exploring the best options for Hurley clothes, there isn't as much available in this size. These are from an I Love Lucy Fred Mertz figure from CTVT, but he's sold out.

Barbie's friend Ken may be able to help out, I'm not sure. I can always commission some new clothes if I get enough inquiries. Let me know if you'd be interested in a custom costume. Email lostmegoisland@gmail.com.

I think it's a pretty great figure and a must have for any Lost/Hurley/Jorge Garcia fan.

Thanks, dudes!

Kitbash #3, 4, and 5: John Locke

2011-01-10T21:29:00.002-08:00

I'm a Locke guy, all the way. He made a lot of mistakes and there was some disappointment in the character's story and the way he ended up, but he's still one of my favorite characters in fiction. I've been eager to expand on the BifBangPow! figure as soon as I can get my hands on it.

These Locke kitbashes take a little bit more work than Ben Linus, but it's still not bad. The toughest part is the knife case, I will save that project for another day in it's own post. After that, it's the white button down short sleeved shirt that takes a bit of work. Here's my recipe for "Walkabout" Locke.

1 Playing Mantis WWII Ranger Vest: I thought I was going to cry when I found this thing. It's so perfect for Locke's Walkabout hunting vest. I plan to add a knife and compass to it. of course.

2-3 ClassicTvToys "Richie" shirts. $2.00 each. Why 2-3 shirts? Because this shirt comes sleeveless and you'll have to add sleeves using the same fabric.

I made mine with one extra shirt, cutting the back panel in half to make two strips of cloth, one is pre-hemmed, the other I had to hem myself. Then I sewed them into tubes and attached to the shirt. I'm a bit of a hack, but I managed pretty well.

If enough people ask I can just get a bunch made by a professional. Email me if you'd like to be on the list to have one made.

This shirt isn't a perfect match for the Walkabout costume, but getting any kind of decent pattern in this scale is pretty hard. These stripes are in the same general color scheme and weight, and I think it's just about as good as can be.

1 pair CTVT Tan Khaki Pants: CTVT sells a pair of khakis that have beltloops-this was my first choice but they were too tight to fit on the EMCE?BifBangPow body. This pair of pants is less detailed, but does the trick. $2.00.

1 CTVT white sleeveless shirt: $2.00. CTVT also sells a white t-shirt, but you'd want to get rid of the sleeves. For mine I actually cut up a white super hero jumpsuit I had lying around. It's got a very thin seam on the neckline, but that's a little pricier option.

Brown Shoes: The shoes on mine are standard Mego brown dress shoes. CTVT sells them as does Dr. Mego.

Socks are optional. You can't get those shoes on over socks very easily, but I wanted to be able to have him posed without shoes, like he just stood up after the crash. I took a black superhero female bodysuit from Dr. Mego and cut the feet off to make socks ($7.00, those are expensive socks). CTVT does make white socks for $2.00, you could dye them if you like.

The Wheelchair is a Jakks Pacific WWE wrestling accessory (see previous post). You can find them all the time on eBay in wrestling parts lots. CTVT's wrestling Super STore doesn't carry them yet, but they tell me they are working on it!

Lastly, the Corpse of Jeremy Bentham: The pictures above are photoshop comps using the BBP official picture, so we;ll have to see how this works in real life, but my plan is to remove the paint on Locke's eyes and paint them to look closed. Then put him in a Doc Mego black business suit and start working on a coffin.

Don't tell me what I can't do!

Lost Kitbash #2: Benjamin Linus in civilian attire

2011-01-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

The rest of the Wave 1 figures are finally about to ship out, so now's the time to share some of my thoughts about customizing BifBangPow's Lost figures. Almost all of my custom projects require some work and a little skill to carry off, but I try as much as possible to offer solutions that are as simple and cost effective as possible. This is by far the easiest of them all.

I wasn't thrilled with this costume choice which was apparently pushed by ABC. It makes some sense in that it's the most "colorful" outfit for the character, and thus has more toy-like qualities that normal civilian clothing does. But he was in this outfit for exactly one scene in the Season 2 finale, so it's not totally satisfying for a Ben Linus fan like me.

Thankfully, Classic TV Toys line of Married With Children Mego-style figures are readily available. I've put Ben in Al Bundy's shirt, pants and shoes and it's a nearly perfect look for Ben. You can buy the Al Bundy figure complete on the card for $12.00 or you can actually just buy the headless body with the outfit for $8.00. He even comes with a khaki jacket that you can save for a Dharma scientist project (Pierre Change had a khaki Dharma jacket in Season 5).

The shoulder bag is a little trickier. The one pictured here is from the late 90s/early 2000s Playing Mantis Action Jackson WWII Ranger.

There are other possibilities for shoulder bags, Cotswold Toys has one that's 12 inch scale, but might work just fine. This bag for $1.00 is totally worth a try but might need a strap. This one is cool too. I'll probably do a more in depth post about bags and backpacks later. Gonna need backpacks!

The Plan B plastic solution that is also extremely MEGO is Dr. Mego's reproduction of the $3.00 Green Goblin satchel bag. If you're going to be doing some Mego customizing you'll be ordering from the good Doctor, so might as well save on shipping and get some gear.

The bunny I made myself out of white Sculpey, I didn't want to spend any money on it and I wanted it in a crouching pose. I have yet to find the perfect white plastic bunny, you'd think that'd be easy enough. The best bet on the market is the Schleich brand, but they are a bit large for Megos.

4 (8, 15, 16, 23, 42)!

2010-12-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hey, the numbers came in from the Mego Museum's Entertainment Earth affiliate links!

Jacob and MIB were the 4th most popular purchase by Museum visitors. As Museum chief Brian Heiler noted, this line DOES have some fans after all!

The top 5 sellers were:

1) Chris Jennings Dark Shadows Werewolf

2) EMCE Universal Monsters

3) BifBangPow Flash Gordon

4) Lost Man in Black/Jacob

5) Venture Brothers Doc Venture/Brock Samson

I'm not at all surprised by the top 3--the crowd at the Museum loves their monsters, and Flash Gordon is a natural for us 70's kids--but I'm pleasantly surprised that Lost did better than Venture Brothers and Twilight zone.

Ben/Kate and Locke/Hurley should land next month! Wave 2 has been pushed back from March to June, not sure what that's about, but I imagine they are taking more time to see how Wave 1 performs...

Free Lost Mousepad from Entertainment Earth

2010-12-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

Very nice to see this promotion over at Entertainment Earth. A free Lost mousepad with any order in December, that's great promotion for this line! A nicely designed image, too. Bravo!

Essential (and easy) LOST Mego Props...

2010-11-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

The BifBangPow Lost figures will be sadly short on accessories, but there are many inexpensive sources for good props for your figures. Here are a few real winners I've come across lately.

Water Bottles! Where would we be withoutWrestling figures? They are close enough to Mego scale that their props are a gold mine. I wondered to myself if they might not have water bottles that I could stick Oceanic or Ajira labels on---and lo and behold, Classic Tv Toys (which also has a wrestling toy business) has them for 3 for $5 or better yet 7 for $10! Throw them in with your custom order.

Handguns! Famously, everyone on Lost knows how to use a handgun with authority, so why don't the figures come with them? Bummer. Thankfully, the heroic Dr. Mego has this weapons set for only $8. Six guns, a pair of glasses, sunglasses, a knife and a watch and well, I think it's a Star Trek weapon or something. Done deal!

The eyeglasses are a bit ridiculous for Lost figures, too heavy and cartoonish. The sunglasses are a bit better.

You can also often find Mego sized guns in cheap dollar store action figures.

Connect 4! I wasn't crazy (heh) about Hurley coming dressed in his Santa Rosa hospital outfit until I saw these miniature Connect 4 party favors on eBay. Sadly, at 3 x 2 inches they are too big to be 1:9 scale, but they are so neat it's close enough for me. What a cool and fun prop! I'm thinking of grabbing some folding chairs and a table from CTVT to make a Santa Rosa game room display. Along the same lines a basketball (the HORSE scene with Jack) would be nice. There are a few possibilities, I'm looking for a reliable source.

Knives! BBP's John Locke comes with his own knife, but Castaway Toys makes one that is a little more detailed and accurate. It comes paired with a dagger that is a reasonable match for Man In Black's ancient Roman pugio. There's the black Mego Tarzan Knife in Doc Mego's weapons assortment as well. Also check Dollar store toys for cheap Mego scaled weapons.

Meanwhile, some of us at the Mego Museum have been discussing the best way to make John Locke's knife case.

POLAR BEARS! Safari Toys makes a 10.5 inch long polar bear that should pretty much be in scale to Megos. It's realistic, if not especially ferocious looking...

The folks at Hunter Dan made a great angry polar bear in 1:9 scale, but he's been discontinued and is expensive when he comes up on eBay. Hunter Dan himself would make a good freighter goon, by the way.

Requisitioning a Dharma Jumpsuit

2010-11-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in making some Dharma folk for yourself, you'll need some jumpsuits. Where to get them?
There are a few possibilities on the market: Mego's Action Jackson Air Force outfit has a grey jumpsuit that will do in a pinch and could be dyed tan. AJ's standard dark blue jumpsuit will be a fine Dharma motor pool jumper. The recent Mattell Retro Action Ghostbusters line is a nice option but possibly pricier.

You can make your own suit, but sewing doll clothes isn't everyone's cup of tea (if you are interested let me know I can put up a pattern).

If you are looking for an easy jumpsuit that's the perfect color and has all the pockets in the right place, I recommend you get in touch with the Mego Museum's resident seamstress, the talented Theressa. She whipped up a set of super jumpsuits for me at a really great price and can do the same for you.

Check out these rave reviews and samples of her work. If you want to place an order, you can get in touch with me here (lostmegoisland@gmail.com).

Then just print out the DI Logo of your choice, some army boots, maybe a rifle, and you're all set.

For this guy above I used a Mego Peter Burke from Planet of the Apes. He's one of your more handsome 70s dudes. He hasn't been reproduced, but he and his buddy Alan Verdon (who looks very Dharma AND very Others to me) are pretty common to find on eBay or at the Mego Museum marketplace.

The other go-to seventies stud is Mego's Sir Galahad/Will Scarlett who has been duplicated by both CTVT and Doctor Mego. The Mego Planet of the Apes Astronaut is a great 70s guy, he was reproed by CTVT but came out a litle on the small side. I'll have more head suggestions later.

Lost Kitbash #1: Roger "Workman" Linus

2010-11-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

One of my goals with this project is to share some quick and easy ways you can improve and expand upon BifBangPow's Lost action figure line. I know this line is attracting people who are new to the world of Mego and I'm here to show you where to find or how to make items that will fit into your own Island of Lost Megos.

Such as: The skeletonized corpse of Roger Linus! This may not be the first thing on your list, but it's one of those easy and fun customs that are possible thanks to the Mego revival.I sloppy-drybrush painted some brown acrylic paint onto a Classic TV Toys Skeleton and soaked my handmade Dharma Jumpsuit in coffee grounds to give it that aged rotted look. The beer cans are 3/8" dowel with grey painted ends and a printed sticker wrapped around it.

This is an easy and fun "kitbash" I have been wanting to do since I spotted the skeleton on their website. Classic TV Toys is a company that began making Mego reproductions and new figures almost 10 years ago. They still have a large backstock of clothing, bodies and accessories at dirt cheap prices. I'll be sharing a lot of CTVT product with you in the future.

Wave 2 Revealed! A Supply Drop Is Coming!

2010-10-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted, but there hasn't been much to post about. The remaining Wave 1 figures Locke and Hurley, Kate and Ben have been delayed until January 2011. The word is that BBP! is trying to get the overseas factory to improve the quality of the heads, so that the issues (light coloration, the sculpt's detail and likeness were diminished) we saw on Jacob and MIB aren't repeated. Kudos to them for taking the time to try to get the best possible product produced.

In the meantime, photos of Wave 2 have been revealed, and the figures are available for pre-order at Entertainment Earth! The new 2-packs are Sawyer and Juliet, Jack and Sayid, Miles and Claire. Since they've been revealed they've come under a lot of negative criticism from the Lost fans and even some Mego fans. I've weighed in on a couple of discussions with some of my own issues and criticisms, and I may do a more detailed review later, but I think it's time to get positive about this line!

I was granted a sneak preview of these prototypes at San Diego Comic Con and I thought they looked tremendous in person, better than the photos show. They may not be to everyone's taste, but if you are attracted to this style of figure and are a Lost fan it's up to you to help support this line! Share it with your Lostie friends, join my Facebook group, post about them on Lost message boards, Tweet it, stuff messages in bottles, send smoke signals, do what you can to spread the word so this line can survive and continue.

BifBangPow has done a tremendous job producing a dizzying amount of Mego style figures in a short span of time. Their Twilight Zone figures are some of the best figures made in this Mego revival, with excellent detail, imaginative design and quality production. After a similarly rough reception from the online fan community the Venture Brothers have done very well and the line is expanding in exciting and new directions.

I have faith that BBP! will overcome the setbacks the Lost line has met with and we will see some great Lost figures arriving on our doorsteps in January. If all goes well we could have a DOZEN fully articulate costumed Lost figures in our collections by March. If a Wave 3 got made (Desmond? Sun? Jin? Charlie!!! Who knows??) we could have 18 Lost action figures by summer. That would be pretty damned amazing for an adult show that isn't on the air anymore.

UPDATE: BBP! has updated the photos of Ben Linus, John Locke and Hugo Reyes on the Entertainment Earth website with what appear to be factory-made heads that seem to have much improved quality from the Jacob/MIB set. Overall, I'm quite pleased with how these look. They seem to have tweaked Locke's face from the prototype. His neck seems a tad long, but otherwise I think it's a good likeness of the character, he has that kind of gee whiz look Locke got sometimes. I think Hurley's head looks better than the prototype did. The stuffed belly is a bit funky, but it's a fine solution to the problem. I think Ben looks good as well, I can't wait to put him in some civilian clothes and come up with some eyeglasses for him. I can't wait to see the updated Kate when they post it.

This is a good sign that they are working to fix the problems they said they would fix and that samples is coming in from overseas. I know this line has a lot of critics, but I'm feeling much much better about it.

Customizing a Mego Batlab into a Dharma Van

2010-08-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

One of the best scenes in Lost meets one of the best Mego World's Greatest Super Hero accessories! I've been wanting to do this one ever since Tricia Tanaka died.

Here's Dharma Dave (with the awesome Dharma winch) and his new co-worker Dharma Pete. They are both sporting brand new jumpsuits made by my friend Theressa. More on that later!

Here's some info on how I did it.

First, I purchased a Mego Mobile Batlab on eBay. I'm loathe to alter original Mego toys that are in good condition, and of course I don't want to pay top collector dollar for something I'm going to customize. In this case I did kind of shoot myself in the foot. I impulsively hit the Buy It Now on a junker Batlab for $40 shipping included. However, it did not have a roof, so I was going to have to improvise something and it probably would have sucked. But then I got incredibly lucky and someone was selling a roof on eBay. This is very rare to begin with, and I got it for $30 shipped. So I ended up paying $70 for a Batlab that still needed replacement headlights ($25 from the laser cutting service) and a back door (handmade, looks pretty good) as well as the Dharma Logo ($25 lasercut) and about $15 worth of paint as well as the totally superfluous yet awesome sound card ($10). So I'm into this thing for about $150. I probably could have been patient and scored a better condition Batlab for less than I ended up paying. But I had a great time solving problems, so I guess that's it's own satisfaction.

Okay, here's some notes on customizing the van:

Start with a nice soapy bath. The stickers came up pretty easily, I didn't need to use any Goo-Gone on them. The only caveat is the chrome paint on the wheels scratched up very easily with a minimum of scrubbing. The biggest thing to keep in mind is how fragile this plastic is. Simply cleaning it I broke the back door cross bar and the side door cross bar, survivable breaks but unfortunate.

I used my Dremel tool to cut away the posts inside the van holding the Batman shield to the front. I would later have to use this to also cut away the posts and tabs holding the windows in. Mego did a pretty sloppy job putting these together, so you aren't losing much by fling a few tabs away, there's still going to be all kind of flaws on the inside surfaces, but you won't see them, so don't stress.

The bottom section unscrews from teh chassis. I masked off the seats so I could paint them white but still have a black floor. I sprayed white primer over the entire van outside. I masked out the windows as you can see in this shot. This was a mistake--it's hard to fully seal them off and there was a lot of misty spray paint artifacts and leaks I had to later scrub off with paint remover. Just carefully remove the windows. At first I thought I'd leave the inside black, but it looked stupid, so I removing the windows and painting the inside white was the way to go. I masked off the black dashboard and steering wheel.

I sprayed the blue first so I could spray white over any mistakes, but I also masked the white areas so I didn't have to do too much clean up later with white. Use nice medium-tack masking tape.

I was pretty proud of this job. The beater van I bought was missing the back door. I cut out the shape in PVC board and used a heat gun to give it the slight bend it needed. Then I sanded down a strip of balsa wood to match the shape of the profile strip that goes around the sides of the van. Looks great for display purposes.

I sent an .eps file of the Dharma logo to a laser cutting service and they cut me a nice gray plastic logo to put on the front of the bus.

I'd been wanting to add sound components to my custom toys for awhile, and this was the perfect opportunity. How can this van NOT play Shambala by Three Dog Night? And further, how can that Dharma logo NOT be the button you push to make the song play. A little research led me to bigDawgs promotions and their usb recordable greeting card modules. I picked up the 200 second model and eagerly awaited it's arrival. I downloaded their software (pc only--I hate that, but we have an old Dell laptop. It took some updating of software to make it work) and added the song to the chip. It works pretty great, but I did have to remove the batteries twice in order to reboot it, but it seems to be working fine now. Still, for $8 it's a hell of a product. I put it on the floor under the seat, which is the perfect place for the sound to reverberate through the floor and inside the van. Then I snaked the button through the Batman shield hole and glued it in place, then glued the logo around it. I eventually covered the button with the flat end of a rubber gasket I used in my Batman playsets that miraculously fit like a glove.

I final touch is a handmade dashboard radio with an 8-track of Three Dog Night's Cyan album. In the show the 8-track was mounted under the dash, but I liked this look better. The AM radio tunes to 4, 8, 15 and 16, of course. I used photos of vintage dials for the dash stickers.

Now, get down to the Swan site ASAP! And watch out for hostiles!

That's it, thanks for looking! Namaste!

On the Mego Road to Shambala

2010-08-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

One of the best scenes in Lost meets one of the best Mego World's Greatest Super Hero accessories!

Report from Comic-Con: Jacob and the Man In Black

2010-07-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

I had a fantastic trip to Comic-Con! I reported on all the new Mego goodness for the Mego Museum, met the guys at BifBangPow! who are bringing us Lost Megos, hanging out with Dr. Mego, and meeting Jay and Jack from the Lost Podcast!

The first thing I did when I arrived was march to the Entertainment Earth Booth and pick up Jacob and Man In Black! It was a thrill to see the new Mego style figures so prominently displayed at the Con. MIB scowls down on the crowd along side Bobblehead Crazy Claire!

It 's been a rough start for Lost figures. There were questions about costume choice (ABC's decision), prototype heads looked large (a common problem--the heads shrink a bit when manufactured) and first wave character selection (Also ABC's call). But preorders were strong enough to go forward with the line and at last we have them in our hands!

I am overall very pleased with these figures and incredibly excited about the future of Lost Megos. But I do have quibbles.

I have to be honest and say Jacob did not turn out as well as it could have. The prototype sculpt was very spot-on, a great likeness of the actor/character. Too much of the detail dropped away in the final product and the likeness is not as strong. Additionally, people often think the heads are slightly translucent, but it's really that the color of the vinyl is a bit paler and yellower that it should be.

I say all of that and then notice that Jacob photographed beautifully for me, and in profile the likeness is really good. I feel like these two figures are growing on me the longer I live with them. I love Megos and I love seeing a show that I am passionate about come to life in Mego form.

I spoke with BifBangPow!'s Jason Lenzi and Jason Labowitz (pictured to the left with Dr Mego--the man who brought Mego figures back from the grave). They recognized that improvements can be made and are optimistic that the rest of wave one coming in August will look great.

The guys at BBP! are clearly dedicated to producing the best product they possibly can and of the nearly two dozen figures that they are currently offering only Jacob and MIB seem to be a bit off. If future Lost release look as good as their Twilight Zone or their Big Lebowski Dude, we are in very good hands indeed.

MIB has the same head color issue, but for some reason his likeness seems to have translated better from the prototype. I think both figures could have used a better paintjob, the eye's iris seems a little small, the eyebrows are a little thin perhaps. Despite paint on them the lips still get lost, I think this is where the detail of the original sculpt really disappeared.

Both figures have highlights painted into the hair, and I like that. They did a nice job painting the beard stubble, which will be a factor in almost all of the Lost figures. It's not just a paint-job, either, there is some surface texture on the cheeks.

The clothes are well made, the seams are thin and tight and the weight of the fabric is perfect. The costumes on these particular characters are not that exciting to begin with, but they did a good job translating them. My biggest complaint is the decision to go with shoe-feet. MIB is not wearing removable sandals and it's not a look I care for. I noticed Hurley has the same thing with his slipper feet and I suspect John Locke is also not wearing removable boots, though I wasn't able to confirm that. So we will be having to do a bit of customizing to these guys to get them where we want them. More on that later.

I understand why ABC chose to push for these two characters, as important as they were in the mythology of Season 6, and there is a certain logic in making them the Comic-Con exclusives. It may be a weakness to start the line off with two of the less popular choices. On the other hand, if you are going to have any manufacturing problems at the outset best to not have that happen with Jack or Sawyer.

Speaking of which, I was given a look at the prototypes for the upcoming Wave 2 of LOST! They had the prototypes in hand at the Con but chose to hold off revealing them until later. I had to promise not to take pictures or reveal specific details. What I can say is they look FANTASTIC! The characters had been listed on the back of the Wave1 card: Jack, Sawyer, Juliet, Miles, Claire, and Sayid. The sculpts all looked amazing--Sawyer and Miles were the real standouts, but they all looked very good. I had no complaints whatsoever on costume choice, each one was iconic and perfectly appropriate. They seemed to have a slightly higher level of detail overall, and some of the costume choices were more intricate than the first wave.

Photos will probably be up in August for preorders on Entertainment Earth.

I hope and pray that preorders are strong enough to ensure these figures get made. BBP! was quite clear that weak preorders would doom Wave2, and it would be a shame if this line died with less than half of the main cast produced. A Wave 3 with Jin and Sun and Desmond and Charlie may be too much to hope for, but let's at least get Jack and Sayid and Sawyer on board this plane!

One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Jay Glatfelter of the Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack who turns out to be a fan of Megos and the Mego Museum. I didn't get a chance to say hi to Jack, unfortunatly. I went to their party Friday night but couldnt stay very long and the podcast panel on Saturday had a huge turnout. I Love their podcast, I don't think I could have stayed with Lost as passionately as I did without them. Listening to their show after an episode and then later in the week in preparation for the next episode was an important part of my Lost regimine.

BBP! sent some free figures and a Claire bobblehead along for Jay and he was as happy as a kid at Christmas with him. I suspected he was a Mego fan, and I had a great time chatting with him about it.

Jacob and MIB sat together at the panel, but didn't speak to each other the whole time, it was kind of sad.

The rest of the con was spent catching up with old friends in the toy and animation worlds, covering the new Mego-style offferings for the Mego Museum, and in general trying to not get overwhelmed by all Comic-Con has to offer.

Oceanic Airlines: Roomy Seating and Comfortable Headroom

2010-07-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Updating my tests on building airline seats and solving the scale problem on the Barbie plane playset...I'm building a platform floor to raise the seats so the headroom isn't so extreme. Then it has an "aisle" that slides out like a drawer so when the set is open you have an aisle to walk down that you can slide away when the set is closed. I think it's a pretty nifty solution.

The seats I am making myself with a jigsaw and PVC board (I have a ton of scrap left over from all those Stately Caverns ledges...) The cushions are craft foam, I think it's a beautiful solution to making seats...I got quotes to do it lasercut, which would be nicer and with more detail, but it's just too expensive and I don't want to spend a ton on this one. Since I have no plans to make multiples of this I don't need to worry about mass producing seats. I may make a sticker to go on the outside of the chair so it has some more details, but this pretty much works for me. I have to make 12 plus a pilot's chair....

Still some adjusting to do: The headrest is too high and the platform is a bit too tall, I need it to be in line with the door. Like a dork, I built this before I removed the Barbie seats and kitchen so my measurements were totally brainless.

Still need to work out how to do the baggage compartment--the doors may be printed and won't actually work, but maybe that sucks, I don't know--I do kind of want to have oxygen masks to drop down in crash mode...

Let's make an airplane!

2010-07-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

My primary custom work the last few years has been about PLAYSETS. Playsets in the 1970s for Mego, Barbie, and other figures were often illustrated vinyl carrying cases that opened up into playsets. They were easier to make, sell and store than a large molded plastic playset and the aesthetics really appeal to me. So much so that I designed and manufactured snap=together vinyl boxes called Dida Displays that can be customized to create Mego style playsets. I've done playsets for Mego Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Batman, Superheroes, Knights and Monsters and more. So of course I can Lost playsets planned using that system.

This next project, however, uses an existing playset--Mattell's Barbie Friendship Airplane, one of the classic playsets of the 1970s. I've been obsessing for while about how to convert on to an Oceanic 815 Mego playset. These videos below describe the playset and discuss various strategies I've come up with to do the job. Come back later to see how the project progresses.

Wrestling With Props....Don't Tell Me What I Can't DO!

2010-06-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

Here we have Dharma Dave trying out the latest arrival in the supply drop for the Mego Station.

I found a thread at the Mego Museum that mentioned a Jakks Pacific Wrestling figure that for some reason has a wheelchair. Wrestling figures are great because they are pretty much in the same scale as Megos and have a number of interesting props. They are the single greatest source for all Mego scale folding chairs, for instance.

I don't have to tell you how fast I hunted one of these down. I got it loose on eBay for $20. It's a pretty much perfect fit. I can't wait to get the John Locke from BifBangPow! and outfit him in some sensible traveling clothes. He's got a plane to catch.....

8 Reasons It's Awesome They Are Making Lost Megos

2010-06-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

For some people it came as a surprise that Bif Bang Pow! chose to "go retro" with these Seventies style figures. There is a revival happening right now with the "Mego" format. BifBangPow! has made a big commitment to it, EMCE toys has had good success with their Star Trek, Planet of the Apes and Night of the Living Dead collections, and even Mattell has entered the market with a new wave of Superheroes. Certainly, Megos are not to everyone's taste, but they are having their moment in the spotlight.

So let's say you are a huge Lost fan but are disappointed that the new Lost figures are these goofy looking Mego dollies and not some highly detailed plastic sculptures or more expensive 12 inch collector showcases.

Well, I may not be able to help you with that, sorry. I hope at least you enjoyed the Finale...

But let's say you're a huge Lost fan looking for something else to do with your passion now that the show has ended. Maybe you're sort of interested in the new Lost figures, but you're just not sure that Megos are right for you.

Let me make the case that for a Lost fan who likes fun toys, Mego figures are the perfect vehicle for creating a new Lost world.

8. Someone already made Peg Bundy. That's right. Katie Segal, who portrayed John Locke's girlfriend Helen has already been immortalized in Mego form as Peg Bundy for the Classic TV Toys line of Married with Children figures.

Ok, I know it's a bit absurd, but it's actually a pretty good likeness of the actress and with a new outfit, trim the hair, maybe change the lipstick color...I'm telling you. McFarlane Toys was never gonna get around to making a Helen, and you can have one for FIVE BUCKS!

You'll find tons of inexpensive Mego custom fodder at CTVT, especially lots of civilian types. Check out the CTVT gallery at the Megomuseum to learn more.

UPDATE: Lost fan Andalone tried this project with mixed results. Some of the CTVT heads are a little too big , but it was a good attempt.

7. Sawyer and Miles: Dharma Cops Say what you will about the Flash Sideways, the one thing we can all agree on is that a spin-off cop show starring Josh Holloway and Ken Leung would be fan-freaking-tastic! But let's face it, it ain't gonna happen.

But if BBP! Series 2 gets made, they've promised both Sawyer and Miles which means you get to make the line of toys for the cop show that never gets made. I'm just going to show you this Mego Starsky and Hutch Commercial and let you imagination do the rest.

I'm going to have a contest for who can create the coolest show concept and toy line, it's a can't miss fun project.

COMMERCIAL PENDING...

6. Apes may once have ruled the Island.

While we never saw evidence that Planet of the Apes culture once visited the Island along with the Romans and Egyptians and Ann Arboreans, there's nothing that says it didn't. And even if Dr. Zaius going toe to toe with Smokie doesn't excite you---you can at least count on Mego's Ape line to deliver the moccasins, rifles, earth tone clothes, and funky wooden weapons (like a rock catapult!) to help outfit your Others army.

EMCE Toys reproduced some of the Mego Apes, so plenty of custom fodder is available.

5. There's like... 108 things Action Jackson can help you with.

Good old reliable Action Jackson. Mego's first man of action, this GI Joe inspired hero has plenty to offer your expedition to the Island. His adventure sets are still plentiful in the marketplace at very affordable prices. You'll need ARMY OUTFITS, jungle khakis, walkie talkies and camping gear and knives and boots and a scuba outfit...Plus with 3 or 4 different heads, including a handsome African-American AJ, this is one versatile Mod Stud. I'll save the biggest AJ surprise for later...

4. It's your best chance to get Shatner on board.

This may not the the most practical point, but Mego made the best Captain Kirk figure ever, which meant you could cross universes and mix Captain Kirk with Superman, Planet of the Apes, Wizard of Oz, whatever adventure you'd like.

If someone hasn't done the fan fic story yet, they should. Kirk showing up on the Island could really work out well. Sitting there in his giant foot temple, luring unsuspecting travelers to his baffling jungle realm, speaking in riddles, if ever at all--Let's face it, Jacob is a lot like a villain in the original series. He just needs some orange skin and a buxom sister and I can guarantee you Captain Kirk will get some answers out of him.

You want rules? How's the freaking Prime Directive for ya?

The good Captain was recently reproduced by EMCE toys, he's yours for the asking. Vintage examples are also quite common on eBay.

3. Sideburns. You're gonna a wide assortment of scruffy seventies dudes in Dharmaville and even for the Others. If Lost figures were made in almost any other format you'd never get a wide assortment of Dharma Initiative workers or Others. At 12 inch it's a ridiculous expense for a customizer, and at 3-6 inches, no company would ever get around to making redshirts. But
Mego made over 100 different figures, and many are found cheap on eBay or have been widely reproduced. You can kitbash a good number of Extras without taking up a lot of space. We'll talk about the female Megos later, they are trickier, but still around.

BONUS. I'm just gonna go ahead and call this guy Charles Widmore right now. Done.

2. CASTAWAYS! It is ironic and handy that one of the big players in Mego customizing is called Castaway Toys. If you are planning on stranding a bunch of dolls on a dangerous electromagnetic island, you better check with these dudes. They have an especially nice selection of Pirate gear which is bound to come in handy, as is this fabulous white LAB COAT! Paging Dr. Sheppard and Dr. Chang!

1. DHARMA VANS! It's obviously destiny, or possibly the result of time travel back to the Mego offices in 1971--but either way it can be no mere coincidence that Mego actually produced several variations on the 70's era Volkswagon Bus. The Batman Mobile Lab, The Jokermobile, Dinah-Mite's Campmobile, and...perfectly...the Action Jackson Campmobile.

In all honesty, this is a bit of a tease, because the AJ Campmobile is astonishingly rare. I think Ive seen 2 or 3, it just doesn't come up that often.

However, the Batlab and Jokermobile are more common and can be found in rough enough condition that giving them a custom paint job is warranted. I'd never advocate turning a nice example of one of these vans into a Dharma van---it would probably be fairly expensive, a nice loose example can go from $150-300 on Ebay--and as a Mego "historian" I wouldn't want to see good vintage toys altered in that way.

But I have two rough Batlabs ready to be repainted in Dharma blue. I'm looking forward to making a dead Roger Linus figure and a case of Dharma beer to stick in the back of the van. When the Bif Bang Pow! Hurley figures land on my doorstep I want to have a van and a new Hurley Island outfit ready to go!

I have no doubt that to a lot of people this will seem pretty absurd, but I also have faith that there are more than a few Lost fans with enough imagination, humor, and creative talent to have a great time collecting, making and "playing" with Lost Megos. I hope we can find a way to connect and have some fun sharing the hobby.

Contact me here or through the Mego Museum forums where you can share your custom work and get tips and tricks (and toys!) from the friendliest bunch of toy geeks around.

Namaste!

Me Go Back to the Island!

2010-06-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Namaste,

I'm a longtime Mego collector and customizer (I founded the Mego Museum website in 1996 and continue to be involved there to this day) and a huge Lost fan and I'm embarking on a Lost Mego customizing project in anticipation of the Biff Bang Bow! Lost figures coming out summer 2010.

It seems like I may be a bit of a rarity: A Mego fan who is a Lost fan and a Lost fan who loves Mego. There's not a ton of Losties at the Mego Museum (but we did have a good discussion thread going during Season 6) and it seems like some Lost fans are not reacting well to the 70's retro aesthetic, which I can understand. We will see how many of us are out there who are fans of both worlds, I'm hoping there will be enough to keep this new line going.

To me, the new Biff Bang Pow! Lost line brings two of my absolute most favorite things together, a perfect storm of geeky obsession.

I am hoping that there will be enough interest in this line to generate future waves and I'd like to try and create some enthusiasm for Lost Mego customizing. If you are a newcomer to Mego who is attracted to the new Lost figures and would like to make some custom figures to expand your set I'll try and offer a guide to the custom Mego world and point the way toward the heads and boots and clothing you might use to outfit your own Island adventure.

As a first example, here's my first Lost custom, a Dharma Initiative redshirt. This is exactly where Lost and Mego can be such a great marriage. The time travel aspect of Season 5 brought the Losties right back to the heart of the Mego era in 1974-1977. So there are a number of Mego head sculpts that will work quite well for DI custom fodder. Almost every Mego head has long groovey sideburns and shaggy hair, and a great number of them have been reproduced in recent years so they are plentiful and inexpensive. This figure uses the Sir Galahad head which is available in reproduction at Classic TV Toys. The boots and rifle are Planet of the Apes accessories available reproduction from Doctor Mego.

The jumpsuit I made by hand, using an Action Jackson Air Force pilot jumpsuit as a template. I will try to post a pattern when I can, this is the first one I made and it needs some tweaking. But it was very inspiring for me to think of how easily a Lost fan can make some fun action figure toys in the 1/9 scale.