Funko POP Gill Man, Dracula, Dracula's Castle

I'm not a big POP! collector, but Universal Monsters interest me in any number of products. These Dracula and Creature from the Black Lagoon POP! vinyls are from the "Deco motif" that emulate sort of an animated look with their cartoony styling. They were on sale at BBTS, and I'm fond of their vivid color and graphic paint apps. Check out my YouTube Short:

It was the POP! Bitty Towns Dracula and Castle set that led me to the Dracula and Gill-Man POP! Vinyls above. Unable to find one in the wild, I went to BBTS- I love their selection, "Pile of Loot" service, and $4.00 shipping! The taller castle turret on the left seems slightly off kilter, but it's otherwise a fun little piece! I'm MAD for the Dracula Bitty POP! He's not exactly like the Deco full sized version with his more classic colors...

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McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Green Lantern John Stewart & Parallax

I picked up this DC Multiverse Green Lantern John Stewart locally a couple weekends ago, after finding the Gold Label Parallax figure at a Walmart around the corner from where I live. I've had a DC Universe Classics John Stewart in the collection at one time, as well as a DC Direct Parallax, but these new McFarlane figures are the singular representation of these characters currently.
 

Parallax (Hal Jordan) famously killed off the entire Green Lantern Corps back in 1994, making him the least popular Green Lantern, but I'm more familiar with Green Lantern: Rebirth (2004), Blackest Night (2009-2010), and the Green Lantern New 52 material. Still, this is a fantastic, dare I say majestic Hal Jordan figure, with translucent green fireballs to fit over his fists, and a matching lantern.

Below, DC Direct Green Lantern Series 1 Parallax (March 2005)...

I sold off a great deal of my Lantern Corps figure collection, both Mattel & DC Direct, a few years ago, so it's fun to buy some new Lanterns! This John Stewart was part of the Frost King Wave, which looks fun, but I'll likely never collect. John was a soldier in the material I've read, and these swords don't necessarily match his Marines experience, but he grips them tightly.

Like Parallax, John Stewart or any other Green Lantern should come with a flight stand, but these don't. I use the Storm Collectibles Dynamic Action Figure Stands, which work pretty well. They did include the standard issue flat, circular stands molded in black plastic, which is good because these DC Multiverse figures need all the help that can get- and sometimes they are not enough. A lot of these just don't stand well. 

Complaints aside, these McFarlane DC Multiverse figures do look fantastic- the sculpting detail is great, and their wrist & ankle joints have been tweaked to look better than the first generation. They have their problems but look good by and large. And while they haven't been a major part of my collecting interest, I've found myself buying more of them lately. Below, McFarlane DC Multiverse and 4" Spin Master Green Lantern John Stewart figure, the latter of which actually included a lantern accessory probably big enough for his 7" counterpart...

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Mego 8in. Flash & Green Lantern

 My pursuit of 8" Mego DC Heroes continues with these new Flash and Green Lantern that I happened upon in a regional chain, V-Stock at a fair retail price, $16.99. I picked up a Mego DC Villain while getting these, but we'll get to that in a later post. Mego didn't produce a Flash or Green Lantern among their World's Greatest Superheroes line in the '70s, so these have the additional "fulfilled wish" attraction. 

I was made aware of an upgraded suit available from Absolutely Retro that was more vivid in color, with vinyl material details better matching the figures boots and lantern. The buck on these new 8" Megos seem to be of sturdy construction. In true Mego fashion, the shoulders and hips are banded- mine won't see much action, so your mileage may vary. I wouldn't pull the arms and legs hard, but we were probably rough on our Megos in the '70s- none of mine survived. They must have been a fun toy for kids because we are still here talking about Mego.

The suit upgrade was totally worth it, elevating this John Stewart Green Lantern to the next level with cleaner, more vivid materials. By and large, I've been happy with the outfits on my new Mego figures, but this really made a difference. Very nice...

Below, 8" John Stewart Green Lantern with my Mego 14" Hal Jordan Green Lantern, a figure I personally modified the body on to fix a loose pelvic joint. I detailed the process of that within the video on that blog post, check it out. This larger Green Lantern could have benefitted from a gripping hand to hold his lantern better like the 8", though the newer 14" Megos are coming with extra hands.

Below, Mego John Stewart next to Mattel DC Retro-Action John Stewart. Mattel released four GL Exclusives on MattyCollector in 2012. I had been reading a lot of Green Lantern, and have them all on card to this day...

This isn't the only Flash, Mego or otherwise, that I've seen have red stains on the yellow boots, though it's somewhat pronounced on my sample unfortunately. Regardless, I love the vivid colors on this figure, which hits all the right notes for a classic Flash. Interestingly, Mego released a Teen Titans Kid Flash, but never a classic Barry Allen Flash. In truth, this 8" Mego could arguably be the Wally West Flash of the DCAU with his whited-out eyes and simpler waist and arm bands, though his chest insignia is more classic Siver- Age Flash.

As with Green Lantern, I also have a 14" Mego Flash in my collection. The lightning bands around his waist and cuffs are more traditional, like the Mattel Retro-Action Flash pictured below, both of which are style-guide perfect Silver-Age representations. 

Below, 8" Mego Flash with my 8" Mattel Retro-Action Flash ...

In spirit of gathering what I thought was every Flash I own, ultimately forgetting my 13" DC Direct Golden Age Flash, most of my collection below from the left:  KidRobot Vinyl Flash, 2" DC Mighty Minis Action League Flash and Batman Unlimited Flash. Behind those, DC Collectibles Earth 2 Flash and 7" DC Direct New 52 Flash. 8" Mego Flash, 14" Mego Flash, Mattel 5" Justice League Flash, and Mattel 8" Retro-Action Flash. BootLego Flash, Spin Master 4" Flash and Reverse Flash/Professor Zoom, and behind those, 6" DC Universe Classics Flash and Blue Lantern Flash.

Below, Flash and Green Lantern with my 8" Mego Batman and Justice League Superman...

Mego 8" Flash and Green Lantern with my Spin Master 4" Flash and Green Lantern...

I had intended to restrict my Mego collection to their new 14" DC figures, but I caved when they recently introduced their 8" DC Heroes. When Mattel released their 8" Retro-Action figures in 2010, I had just started this blog, and I really got into other figures around this same scale with cloth outfits, like ToyBiz's 9" Marvel Famous Covers. Fun Times! Revisit the halcyon days of Mego in the '70s and keep up with the resurrected Mego of the 21st Century at the online Mego Museum!

#makeminemego #megocorp #megotoys #megofigures

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Mego 8in. Justice League Superman

I've only picked up a handful of Mego's new 8" figures since the company was miraculously resurrected in 2018 but was overcome with nostalgia seeing this Justice League Superman on the pegs at a local Target. The Mego 8" World's Greatest Super Heroes Superman of my childhood was a beloved toy, and though this updated Justice League version has somewhat muted colors, it takes me back to my love for the line.

The way the cape is sewn in folded at the neck is fantastic, and I love the gold highlights at the boot tops! A molded chest insignia would have been great but printed onto the fabric is better than a sticker like we'd get in the '70s. I'm pretty sure this is the same head sculpt as the standard 8" Superman they just released, which looks nothing like Justice League actor Henry Cavill, but I don't care- it's a fantastic sculpt.

Below, Justice League Superman with my 2021 Mego 8" Batman and the 2010 Mattel Retro-Action Superman. Though the success of Figures Toy Company's 8" replica figures was nearer to Mego's 2018 resurrection, I feel like Mattel's Retro-Action line from over a decade ago essentially led to Mego's revival.

Below, Mego Justice League Superman with my 1:6 scale Hot Toys Man of Steel Superman and 2" Mattel Mighty Minis Batman V. Superman Superman. BIGTOYlittletoy!

Also available was a Justice League Wonder Woman, but the spindly, anorexic look of Mego's 8" females don't really do it for me, so I'm undecided on her for the moment. There are some other Mego 8" DC figures I'm interested in, but I'm really hoping for some more characters in the 14" lineup, which just got an updated Batman and Superman, as well as a long delayed Shazam (Captain Marvel). Mego was a big part of my childhood love of action figures, some of my very first in fact, and it's great to see them produce a Superman this cool. Recommended! 

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Imaginext Batwing and Apokolips Armor Batman (Bat-Tech)

I sold off all my Imaginext figures during a two-year purge of my collection, but curiosity got the best of me when I saw this Batwing and Apokolips Armor Batman from the Bat-Tech series. There were a few other characters in the assortment, including a Shazam and Black Adam, that all feature light piping through their chest emblems that can be illuminated by plugging into the Fisher-Price Bat-Tech Batcave playset. While that all certainly looks fun, I'm uncertain I have the room, nor want to budget for another entire line in my collection.

While the Imaginext Bat-Wing may need the port on the Bat-Tech Batcave to light his chest emblem, the Apokolips Armor Batman's entire back is molded in translucent plastic that can be illuminated by almost any light source from behind...

Below, Imaginext Apokolips Armor Batman with my McFarlane Toys Hellbat, 

and Imaginext Batwing next to my Mattel DC Multiverse Batwing...

The Fisher-Price Imaginext line is a fantastic, successful toy line I'd recommend for any kid, vast in scope with countless minifigures, fun playsets, and vehicles that will set their imagination alight. Recommended!

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Marvel Legends Retro 3.75" Stealth Iron Man, Storm, and Vision

 I've been slowly building a collection of these Marvel Legends Retro 3.75" figures for the past year or so, acquiring Vision, Storm, and Stealth Iron Man recently on GameStop's website at a decent price. I've only enjoyed these on card so far, a big part of their appeal with the great artwork and throwback styling. Below, the 3.75" Retro figure with their 6" Marvel Legends counterparts, Vision, Storm, and Stealth Iron Man.

I'm a big fan of Vision, so I was happy to get him in particular, but it was nice to get another X-Men character with Storm, in her classic outfit nonetheless. I had the 3.75" Classic Iron Man, but quite fond of his Stealth mode, and have collected some blue Iron Man figures over the years.It's Ironic I sold off most of my 3.75" Marvel Universe figures only to start collecting these, but as a kid raised on 5-point Star Wars figures, there's a nostalgia engrained  into my soul. They also remind me of Hasbro's Marvel Secret Wars figures, which were larger, but simple in articulation, colorful, and simple.Good ingredients for a fun toy. Recommended! 

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