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

Little Big Man

Action figures are like rugby players, they are (and for) all shapes and sizes from the sky-scraping Chewbacca and Little John, to the diminutive Jawas, Pidge from Voltron, and the 3-foot something little person Felix Silla (still kicking at the time of this post), a giant in sci-fi, without whom, Twiki the boyish looking silver robot companion to rugged Gil Gerard's "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" would not have become such an integral character to the short-lived series.  Sure, Lucas had Kenny Baker inhabiting the Artoo-Deetoo dome, but Felix had so much more to do with his vertically challenged alter ego, incorporating a range of motion and mannerisms that earned Twiki a cult following among kids and collectors alike.  And so it's fitting that the little man commands the biggest ticket of the Mego Buck Rogers line, a loose off the-packet specimen still a sought after commodity almost forty years later, generally bought for between $20-$30, while untouched minties command three digits.  Proof that sometimes good things do come in small packages.

Superior to Battlestar Galactica's Daggit or the Timelord's K-9 robot companions, Twiki is the quintessential friendly robot action figure; he has a warm-looking disposition, and essentially looks like a boy encased in a garbage can.  His rainbow-design chest button, while firmly attached to the photographed specimen, can become loose over time (my original Twiki sadly suffered this cruel fate, like losing his soul) and like all his contemporaries, his rubber-banded waist relaxes with age leaving him with a distinct lean which could be best described as looking like a candidate for a hip replacement.  The best way to preserve a near-forty year Twiki is to be seen but not heard, so to speak, safely locked away in the display cabinet to cheat the forces of time and toll on inferior rubber joinery (curse you Mego!).  It's the great shame of these Mego figures that they're not more robust constructions, as Buck Rogers is one of the top ten (imho) action figures lines of all time.  

The intrepid Twiki and his classic staccato postures, made possible by the articulation in these Mego figures, really bring the characters to a life of their own in a child's hands, ensuring the action continues long after the greedy, short-sighted networks have cancelled all the fun (which in Buck's case, was notoriously fleeting).  Twiki is perhaps among the best known robots of the genre, behind mega duo Artoo-Deetoo/See-Threepio, and Robbie the Robot, and though not everyone would immediately know his name, his form and features are world renowned beyond his ephemeral TV profile.  An enduring legacy for a faithful servant of the industry, in Mr Felix Silla, may he kick-on eternally.  

Twiki | 1979 | Mego | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Bing Crosby's next generation

The legendary song & dance man Bing Crosby's male progeny typically followed in the Hollywood patriarch's footsteps (Lindsay, Gary, Dennis, Harry to name a few notables), and so it was not unexpected that a female Crosby would join the procession.  Denise Crosby, through her 2.5 seasons aboard "Star Trek The Next Generation" (TNG) achieved cult status in her character Lt Tasha Yar that guaranteed her a rarefied place in the annals of sci-fi TV history.  The action figure in her namesake, then ensured her immortality long after the DVDs run out of print.

With her trademark shock of blonde, short back 'n sides crop, square-jaw and piercing blue eyes well translated into the 3 3/4 inch plastic icon, Na(Tasha) like all of the Galoob TNG line, is a reasonably faithful representation of her small-screen genesis.  The anatomical proportions are, um, generous (mainly noticeable in profile, somewhat more contoured in the upper torso costume mould), Tasha clutches her phaser fixed-in-hand (which at least ensures you won't lose that attachment), while the shoulder-strapped comm-link accessory hangs casually like a common handbag, the ideal fashion accoutrement for the modern space travelling woman.  These Galoob figures are top-drawer designs and construction (especially the aliens from series 2), and while the heads of the Enterprise crew appear to be a fraction under-scaled, this doesn't detract from the detail nor overall quality of the figures.  

While I was somewhat distracted by GI Joe in the late 80's, and didn't discover this line until much later on, having since sampled some of the competing Playmates lines (e.g. Voyager, Deep Space Nine etc), I'm impressed by the attention to detail and generally more realistic proportions of these Galoob figures.  The paint job is all quality (no over-spray) and yet despite their detail & precision, these TNG figures are still a dime of dozen, almost thirty years later.  In point of fact, I picked up all my present collection, MOC, for under $100 - that's all ten figures (excluding a couple of known prototypes that were not mass produced).  A loose (meaning, out of packet) Tasha Yar tends to sell for only a couple of $$ on the second-hand market, which is under-valuing the craftsmanship imo, so grab yourself a few!

Notwithstanding Crosby's premature departure from the series that elevated Deanna Troi to the best known female character from TNG, Tasha will command her place among the original women of their respective toy lines, the first and imho, best of breed aboard the Galoob Enterprise mark II series.

Lt Natasha Yar | 1988 | Galoob | Star Trek TNG

Here's Luci

Growing up, my TV-viewing life revolved around George Reeves as Superman, Adam "Batman" West, Ron Ely's Tarzan, The CHiPs boys and Battlestar Galactica.  Unlike the Star Wars phenomena that was over in two-hours until a TV re-run (these were the days before Betamax, VHS, DVD, blu-ray and bit torrent piracy), BG was there, every weekend to satiate the demand for sci-fi storylines.  And what made BG so successful on the screen as it did in the figure line, was its colourful and eclectic array of characters, such as Lucifer. 

Lucifer the aciton figure looks more like a conehead dipped in toilet water or some deranged anti-Christmas decoration than the brightly-lit right-hand bot to Count Baltar from the series; the paint design lacking the sparkle and lustre of its small screen inspiration.  There's also the lack of articulation beyond moveable arms (which was also the case with the Cylons and Boray from the BG 4" line).  About all Lucifer can do is stand there and look ornamental, which isn't much more perhaps than he does on the screen.  Despite the limitations, Lucifer remains a highly sought-after collectible figure whose loose value is somewhere in the vicinity of $35-$40 being somewhat scarce.  MOC will fetch six-fold that figure, demonstrating the premium placed on this otherwise rather static figure.

But I'm sounding like a Lucifer-hater, which isn't the case.  It's just that I never owned this figure as a kid, always wanted one, and when I finally did snag my very own, he didn't quite live up to my long-awaited expectations.  He can't really interact with Baltar or throw haymakers at Apollo (oh yeah, that's right, they didn't make an Apollo action figure, wtf Mattel?), so what does he do exactly?  Elementary - you simply impersonate Jonathan Harris' voice in robot speak while he casually laser-beams Lt Starbuck into submission.  Either that or you can always pretend he has a vice-like mind grip on Adama that causes him to turn on Starbuck.  There's infinite possibilities.  An action figure doesn't need all the bells and whistles to fulfil the action quotient, it's the imagination that brings it to life.

So I've reconciled my initial disappointment with Lucifer, and he now occupies pride of place in my display cabinet, though for practical reasons, some distance away from my Accoutrements Jesus (2001) action figure.

Lucifer | 1979 | Mattel | Battlestar Galactica 

May the Force Commander be with you...

These 6" Japanese Takara inspired transforming robots were the forerunner to the Transformers a decade later, using magnetised joints to enable custom-built robots and manimals, with rocket firing capability and interchangeable animal-machine hybrids.  Force Commander was the hero of the 2nd wave, his nemesis the jet black Baron Karza, the two mega-bots go head to head with fist-firing, rocket propulsion, their limbs scattering and then magically reassembling for another bout of epic proportions.

The construction of these interchangeable figures is ingenious for their vintage.  Magnetised ball joints click snugly into position, while red rocket heads can be manually fired from the spring-loaded device embedded deep within the figure’s torso, enabling chest fired projectiles and a fist-shooting function that can blast off suddenly if you happen to inadvertently trigger the firing mechanism on the forearm.  Force Commander has a simple though effective design and while it’s largely identical to the others of its ilk (Baron Karza, The Emperor etc), there’s still something impressive about a line of these colourful Micronaut robots on display in various configurations and battle poses.  Of course the mix 'n match capability inherent in these designs, (absent from most other action figures) adds another dimension of imaginative play for kids.  

Due to its magnetised joinery, Force Commander is highly articulate and extremely malleable for kid’s play or action posture.  Obviously the multitude of accessories associated with these figures, make their age appropriateness for children arguable, and consequently, the Micronauts parts trade is a booming sub-industry on the secondary market (tip: keep your parts in those hardware trays to avoid expensive replacement costs).  While I was originally more fascinated in the later-produced 3 3/4" aliens (e.g. Lobros, Antron and friends), I recently became intrigued by the pioneering ingenuity displayed in these heavy duty war machines.  They're robust (they each weigh 200g) and yet you can literally blow them apart, re-attach and begin again, as Finnegan might say.  Sensational, timeless figures with a sci-fi/Shogun-esque look, the Baron may be the crowd favourite, but Force Commander will always be the interplanetary white knight and poster-boy of the Micronauts.

Force Commander | 1977 | Mego | Micronauts