Mego was a big thing back in the day, and then they went away. But now they’ve come from the past to fix the future with toys—IN THE PRESENT. They were kind enough to send us a few of their new DC 14-inch figures, and I’ve been checking them out for the past few days. So come with me on a magical journey of plastic, shiny cloth, and nostalgia.
Batman
Mego bills this big Batman as “Year One,” but astute observers (read: anybody who’s read the famed comic book of that name) will notice that the costume is not, in fact, “Year One.” That said, I love the suit that they went with. This sort of Bat symbol is typically found inside of a yellow oval, but I love it when artists use it in this way: big, black, and applied right to the gray jumpsuit.
The neck is a bit over-long, and his costume is restrictive enough so as to make it difficult to keep him posed without some sort of aid, but overall, it’s a sweet, fun figure. My youngest son loves the Marvel Titan Hero line from Hasbro, and these are right around the same size. He’s very excited about getting his hands on this Batman.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman has a very classic-looking costume (look at that bird!) which earns her big points right up front. She comes with her golden lasso (how could she not?) and some realistic-looking hair, too. That hair looks pretty crazy when it first comes out of the box, but with a little bit of time, you can get it styled to your liking. I suspect a small rubber band on the back would serve as a nice scrunchie, as well.
Unlike Batman, she is pretty easy to pose (as you can see above), owing to the unrestrictive square centimeter of cloth that covers her plastic body. I would be genuinely surprised if this figure didn’t sell like hotcakes to little girls across the country.
Harley Quinn
Other than a disproportionately large head, this is an excellent take on Harley. Her costume looks the best out of the four figures that Mego sent (even if the mallet looks a bit lame). Despite the full-body coverage of her suit, she poses better than Batman, and she looks fun—just as Harley should. And if you want to terrorize your family, just do this:
Yikes.
General Zod
Last, but far from least, we have General Zod. He’s an interesting choice—particularly with no Superman in this first run—but I really like him. He just evokes Zod in a way that the other figures don’t quite achieve. Kryptonite is an odd accessory, given that it would have the same effect on him as it would on Supes, but whatever. You can still have fun with it, maybe by handing it to Batman so he can make Zod kneel before him.
Overall
I know our audience here at Batman News. I can see the comments coming: who would want this? These are ugly. Well, these are clearly not for those people. But there are a lot of other people excited about the resurgence of Mego. Kids will love these. And if you set aside any misgivings about the aesthetic, these are well-made figures with cool costumes and accessories (for the most part). And they’re fun. Sure, collectors will buy these, but with these being Target-exclusive, I suspect Mego is aiming these at kids, too, and I think that’s a great move. You can find Mego’s 14-inch DC figures at your local Target store now. They retail for $19.99.
