Kenner 12in. Sand Trooper and Jedi Luke Skywalker Customs

For years I've searched for decent samples of Kenner's 12" Star Wars line from the late '70s at prices that aren't ridiculous, which are getting harder to find as time unfurls. Kenner returned to this larger format in the late '90s with a much more deeply expanded selection, but they lacked the charm of the late '70s line. When I found a seller kit-bashing the outfits/accessories of the later figures with the '70s figures, however, my mind was blown! 

This Sand Trooper was otherwise just a very clean sample of the 1978 Kenner Stormtrooper with a customized backpack that utilized magnets to cling to the small screws on the verso of the figure. I could easily convert him back to a standard issue Stormtrooper by finding a blaster like the one they were originally sold with, but I like the orange shoulder pauldron, and Tatooine was probably my favorite setting in the original Star Wars Trilogy- the locale where Luke Skywalker's adventure begins.

The custom Sand Trooper with my 1978 15" Darth Vader ...

From the same seller as the Sand Trooper, I bought this custom Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker what utilized the outfit from the late '90s figure with the '70s figure body, essentially a Ken doll. In fact, all the human characters from that earlier 12" line were Barbie/Ken dolls with that limited articulation, but the facial portraits on those figures were great, and really reminded you of the Star Wars actors who portrayed those characters.

The seller added their own custom brown cloak, a blaster from a Hot Toys figure, and a custom green lightsaber of the same funky design that the original Kenner figure had. He also painted the hair to be browner, as actor Mark Hamill appeared in Return of the Jedi.

Father and Son ...

And finally, Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, with his faithful companions, C-3PO and R2-D2. These kit-bash custom Star Wars figures really set my imagination going, and I'm planning a couple of my own as I write this. I also picked up two or three other kit-bashed figures from this seller, which I'll share in future posts. In the meantime, check out the Toy Collector's Guide on Kenner's 12" Line, 1978-1980!

More Later- May the Force Be with You!

Kenner 12in. C-3PO, R2-D2, Chewbacca, Darth Vader (1978)

Star Wars hasn't got nearly enough love on The Super-DuperToyBox, contrary to my firsthand experience witnessing and participating in the blockbuster zeitgeist of the '70s as a child. The amount of Star Wars action figures and vehicles I had was substantial and included a small selection of these 12" Kenner figures, including a Darth Vader and Chewbacca who towered over the other toys in my collection at 15". I've had this Darth Vader for years and was featured in my very first post back in 2010.

C-3PO and R2-D2 were not in my childhood collection but are essential if you ask my opinion. R2 has wheels that roll freely, and his hatch in back pops open via a small button/panel on the front to expose the Death Star plans- a play feature that really makes this droid special. This R2's head swivel no longer clicks when turning, and the C-3PO has a loose left shoulder, but they display nicely.

 

All of these figures have a great deal in common with their 3.75" counterparts- Kenner did a great job scaling them up. They don't really have more articulation than their smaller counterparts, so posing is going to be limited, but they are beautiful toys that really wowed me as a kid! 

And finally, the large scale Kenner Star Wars next to some other graduates of the class of 1978. Mego's 12" Hulk, Spider-Man, Superman, and Jor-El. It was a great time to be a kid! The toys of that era, from the late '70s leading into the early '80s were fantastic, these oversized figures among my favorites!

More Later- Make It FUN!

12in. Mego Superman & Jor-El (1978)

It's been mentioned on this blog more than twice that the importance of Richard Donner's Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, could not be overstated in the mind of this '70s kid. Mego's 12" Superman dropped in the U.S. market in 1978 as well, the colorful character seeming to step right out of the silver screen and into my hands. Neither of these samples are my childhood dolls, and I didn't have any other Mego Superman-related characters, but I recently found a loose sample of Jor-El in good condition at about 35% more than either of the Superman figures- a reasonable price considering what some I've seen sell for.

Both of these Superman figures are on the bulkier body released in the U.S., a thinner body and different face sculpt used on the figure Parkdale Novelties distributed in Canada and Europe the previous year. These are often referred to as Mego's 12" figures, but they are really more like 12.5". The head on this Superman was sculpted with the intention to more closely resemble actor Christopher Reeve. I'm unsure what the reason was for the difference in belt style, but my childhood figure had the fully stitched down belt. I prefer, however, the higher chest emblem placement of the other figure. 

I had to replace a knee pin on the figure on the right, and there is a faint stain on the torso of the suit that I couldn't fully erase, but he looks great overall. Mego didn't put the yellow insignia on back of the cape, a minor gripe of mine, and though I could add an after-market fabric decal, I'm compelled to leave them in their original state. The figure on the left needs work on the underside seam of his shorts, and that's likely all the work I'll do in the future on these two. Nearly fifty years later and they still look vibrant and fun!

Like Superman, the head sculpt this Jor-El was based on the movie actor, Marlon Brando, and might have been a little closer in semblance than Superman. I never had this figure as a child, but I love the more comic book inspired outfit. Mego opted to go this direction with this figure, as they did with the General Zod and Lex Luthor, reasoning that the more colorful outfits better complemented Superman's bright palette.

The vinyl parts pf Jor-El's outfit are somewhat misshapen, stiffened by age, but solidly intact, and though his pants droop from loss of elasticity in the band, he displays beautifully. There are no stains or discoloration, and his paint is flawless. I paid more than average, but he's an extraordinarily clean sample. It's fun to have one that you never did in childhood!

Mego's 1978 Superman and Jor-El with their more recent 14" General Zod, New 52 Superman, and Lex Luthor. I love the newer, larger scale Mego figures, but fear we have seen the last of that scale- at least for now. I also have three Universal Monsters in this larger format, and though I don't have room to display them all year-round, I'm mad for them.

Below, Mego's 1978 Superman with their 8" 50th WGSH Anniversary Superman, 8" Classic Superman, 14" Classic Superman, 14" New 52 Superman, Mattel's Movie Masters Christopher Reeve Superman, and 8" 50th Anniversary "Fleischer" Superman...

And this post wouldn't be complete without including Mego's 12" Hulk and Spider-Man, two other childhood favorites that bring me joy to this very day. There are better articulated, more detailed, modern action figures available nowadays, but I prefer the toyetic presentation that made these dolls so attractive to children in the '70s! Link to the online Mego Museum's 12" Superheroes Gallery to read more about these- a fantastic resource and forums community!

More Later! Make Mine MEGO!

8" Mego Accessories (Hulk, Green Goblin)

 I've augmented my 8" figure collection with a variety of custom/repro accessories over time, these being the first for some Marvel characters I've recently acquired. An 8" Mego Hulk I found on eBay with decent coloring only needed pants. I had this figure as a child, and though they came with purple pants, I opted for this black pair for a little twist...

Here's one of my 12" Mego Hulks with the 8" Hulk- 

the character was a favorite of mine as a child in the '70s ...

Like their larger counterparts, the 8" Mego Spider-Man is taller than the 8" Mego Hulk...

When I got the Disney Store Spider-Man/Arch Enemies 4pk, I found the Green Goblin a little more difficult to pose than the other figures due to the slick texture of his purple boots. Another eBay seller offered an inexpensive glider stand that works quite well for this purpose and greatly enhances Gobby's shelf presence. I also picked up a pack of pumpkin bombs from the seller I bought the 8" Hulk pants.

Below, a Green Goblin mini figure I got over 15 years ago that ride a similar glider...

Visit the Mego Museum's World's Greatest Superheroes Gallery

 to see the figures that started it all back in 1972!

More Later-Make Mine MEGO!

12" Mego Spider-Man & Hulk (1978)

Not to oversell it in any way, but this post has been a long time coming, due in large part to this pair of over-sized Mego figures being my all-time favorites, and that lifelong tether to Mego leading me to starting this blog sixteen years ago when discovering lines like Mattel's 8" DC Retro-Action and ToyBiz 9" Marvel Famous Covers. Before even Kenner's dominating Star Wars presence, Mego were among my first action figures, starting with their 8" figures in '74-'75. Getting the larger 12" Mego later on in '78-'79 was just over-the-top!

We say 12" with this Spider-Man, but he's really more like 12.75". There was an earlier Parkdale version distributed in Canada and Europe in 1977, but the American release got a beefed-up body. Each of my three samples have this body with the red torso, but the outfits have small differences- one with a shallower neck fit, one with taller boots, etc.. The middle one is the brightest/cleanest, though the stitch at his belt from front to back on the left is the most egregiously aligned of all of them. But you can't see that from the front.

I actually just got ahold of an eight inch '74 Spidey. He's on a Type 2 Mego body and may be an earlier sample in the long run of this particular action figure on account of the narrower "hourglass" design on his torso. I loved both of these immensely as a child and still do. Spider-Man was everything to a kid in the '70s, through Marvel Comics, the "Spidey Super Stories" on PBS' Electric Company kids show, and the '77-'79 CBS live action TV show. Universally Loved!

Mego improved the fit of Spidey's costume, though the color on my 1974 sample is richer, dare I say. The older head is larger, but the new band-less Mego body appears more slender- be it the tighter outfit or smaller buck.

Below, 12.75" and 8" Mego Spider-Man with my 12" Marvel Legends Spider-Man, 

the new Disney Store 8" Spider-Man, and my 9" Hasbro Origins Spider-Man...

Below, a 1978 Imperial Toy Spider-Man finger puppet I found recently- I'm 99% certain I had this at some point during childhood, which tracks having been released the same year as 12" Mego Spider-Man. And further down another recent Spider find, a "Spider-Sense" Peter Parker Happy Meal Toy from 1996...

I actually have two samples of the 12" Mego Hulk, neither with the white lab coat my childhood Hulk wore, regrettably. The second one I found is the cleaner of the two and with nicer pants. Though comically shorter than Spider-Man, this 12" Mego Hulk was such an improvement over his 8" counterpart and is, undoubtedly, my all-time favorite Hulk.

In the years prior to finding a 12" Mego Hulk, I made do with the very charming 9" ToyBiz Marvel Famous Covers Hulk. A dashing stand-in I love, but not the OG, which towers over him...

Below, 12" Mego Hulk with 9" Marvel Select Immortal Hulk, 9" ToyBiz Famous Covers Hulk, 14.5" Hasbro Marvel Legends Hulk, and 6" ToyBiz Marvel Legends "1st Appearance" Hulk...

The Bulldozer Hulk was a fast-food premium from a 1990 Hardee's Kids Meal- I found it with a She-Hulk in a pink car recently, both of which roll nicely. I have a soft spot for simple toys like this. Like the Pez dispensers, they really take me back to the Marvel Bronze-Age era of licensed merchandise we had as kids in the '70s/'80s.   

Visit the Mego Museum's World's Greatest Superheroes Gallery

 to see the figures that started it all back in 1972!

More Later-Make Mine MEGO!