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!!
UPDATE: Responding to a thread the the Mego MuseumBifBangPow 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.
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!
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.
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 findcreepy 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?
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.
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.
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 Garciahilariously 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.
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.
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.
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 guyCharles 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.
