The Prop Department

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.

Essential (and easy) LOST Mego Props...

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.

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

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

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!