Mego monkey magic

The perky, sparkly-eyed Kim Hunter enjoyed a distinguished film career over several decades, though it's perhaps a role in which she's almost unrecognisable for which she's best remembered.  While I don't know who performs the domestic duties in a chimpanzee household, I do know who wears the pants, and that's Zira, the veterinarian of the Planet of the Apes saga, principal protagonist along with her somewhat hen-pecked husband Cornelius, trying in vain to convince the Orangatang intelligentsia that humans are worth preserving.

Mego fashioned their 8" line based largely on the TV series which followed the movie quintet in 1974.  The principal characters were recreated and Zira made an auspicious debut complete in olive green and brown tunic, with that distinctive Kim Hunter charisma beaming from beneath John Chambers' award-winning make-up.  Mego did an outstanding job on this likeness (and indeed all their other ape incarnations), the subtleties and nuances of Hunter's facial expressions captured effortlessly in these super-articulated large-scale figures.

The type 1 variant pictured (metal rivets as opposed to plastic binders) at left suffers the typical Mego-fate as waists deteriorate over time, though it's not uncommon now to re-string these figures to preserve their mobility and give them a second shelf life.  The authentic garb is difficult to keep clean unless well protected, and the studs and velcro can loosen over time, fortunately if you're not too elitist in your collecting standards, you can pick up Mego POTA replacement garments at very affordable prices.  Of course, if only mint original will meet your discerning standard, then you pay accordingly.

I picked up Zira for little more than $25 on the secondary market, and she's in remarkably good condition for that price, though I personally wouldn't have paid more than $30-$35 based on the inflation rate I've witnessed over a number of years collecting these figures.  Essentially, she's not that scarce, though it is becoming more difficult to find a nice specimen with original accessories that haven't been torn, frayed or discoloured.  These figures akin to their WGSH contemporaries aren't really kid's toys, they're delicate and better suited just to display; in point of fact, very few of mine survived the 70's and if they did, they no longer have their original wardrobe (there's something a little swinging about having a toy box that includes a nude Anson Williams doll casually intertwined with a partially clothed Batman and boots-only clad Dr. Zaius, some sort of wild Mego orgy-party going on right there).  

It's a strange hobby sometimes, no less especially when you receive your green leggings and fawn moccasins in the post, to fit your 8" POTA type 1 classic.  The gender cross-over and the doll vs action figure tension is all part of the progression of these figures over time, and while Medicom might be considered the 2001 POTA Marky Mark remake merchandiser, I'm looking no further than 1974 Mego for my POTA action figure quota - of which Zira is the dominant female specimen. 

Zira | 1974 | Mego | Planet of the Apes 

Birdman of Volcania

Warrior of the sky, protector of the evil Lord Dread, the digitised android mutant leader hunting down human survivors of the Metal Wars, arch nemesis of Captain Power and the Soldiers of Fortune, the action figure line produced by Mattel in 1987-88.  Soaron Sky Sentry is a superbly designed and constructed figure with a Predator-like tail protruding from the back of the metal-cased head, a pair of nesting wings, and an impressive futuristic laser weapon, it's an awesome sight to contemplate a murder of these crow-beasts attacking from the night sky.

Captain Power is an impressive action figure line, one of the all-time best imho, sturdy construction and some class characters and designs that have been criminally overlooked.  Soaron Sky Sentry is the penultimate villain army builder for the kid collector, and while it's origin is a singular character, there's no reason not to fill your boots with a handful of these airborne assassins, a great multi-purpose enemy who can launch air-raids from above and beyond. 

The wing set attached to this beast is a durable medium-density plastic that while not as malleable as the wings on Demon Warrior from Dragonriders of the Styx, are still more robust than anything you'll find attached to the back of G.I. Joe.  The only weakness in this figure appears to be its tail, which is often conspicuously absent from second-hand specimens.  

The articulation of these figures makes them super-poseable (not ultra though), and Soaron Sky Sentry can adapt to suit your scene.  I stumbled upon this line by chance, I never owned any as a child though I'd been passing on them in the second-hand market for a while, wondering if they were as good in-hand as they looked on-screen.  I can say with confidence, these figures are the real deal, with glossy paint work, solid construction and quality accessories.  This mythical bionic-bird beast is an inspired creation and while not always easy to find "complete" in loose format (often sans tail, wings and/or gun though I've found accessories for these figures aren't that difficult nor expensive to locate), is very affordable MOC at little more than original retail value, which imo is a steal for these figures, given their quality.  

Soaron Sky Sentry | 1987 | Mattel | Captain Power & The Soldiers of Fortune

Kane and able to kill

Legendary movie tough guy Henry Silva was the original Kane of the 1970's TV series in the pilot episode, and his action figure incarnation - Killer Kane - projects the flamboyant sinister urge with comic book interpretation.  His successor to the role in the TV series was somewhat less virile, though no less charismatic (Michael Ansara).  Both are/were great actors and deserving of their own immortality in 3 3/4 scale.

The Kane figure is more reminiscent of Henry Silva's portrayal, with a Roman Empire esque hair do and psychotic gaze.  Some figures have that warm, friendly face, not necessarily smiling, just a slight eyebrow inflection or bent mouth to signify they're expressing some human emotion.  Not so with Kane, his expressionless glare reveals only that he's deeply troubled and not to be trusted.  The figure actually looks more sinister than his on-screen persona.

A deep purple two-piece with jewel-encrusted neckline and high-worn black & silver belt suits the figure well, though he looks more like a futuristic foot soldier or flamboyant mercenary than a supreme leader.  Draco after all has a cape and a guard in his namesake, to convey his supremacy.  Like his contemporaries, Kane is susceptible to slack-waist disease and loose limbs, though fortunately at little more than $10 out-of-packet, he's inexpensive to replace (I've also seen him MOC for little more than $30 which is good value for this figure, not quite as ubiquitous as some of the others in the line).

While I owned Kane in childhood, when I re-surfaced my collection recently, all that remained was his lower torso, the rest of his wretched corpse presumably dissolved with the passage of time.  It was a destiny that befell all my Buck Rogers childhood collection, and further evidence of why Mego were the indisputable kings of concept and design, but relative peasants in figure construction - they just don't take the pounding a child metes out to his (or her) figures and dolls.  Perhaps it was Wilma Deering who cleft Kane in twain, or more likely, Ardala with whom he was secretly enamoured and seeking to undermine.  Either way, he's my favourite in this always impressive Mego line, nothing quite surpasses that resting psycho face. 

Killer Kane | 1979 | Mego | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century