LOGAN'S DONE! MY CUSTOM LOGAN 5 CLOTHED PRINCESS DOLL

 A while back after finishing Zython I was flicking once more through my new and fabulous Knockoffs christmas gift book and found a another rare cheapo toy I just had to make.

The original and elusive toy appears both in the Plaid Stallions Knockoffs book and the related Mego Museum website.

Here it is, the fabulously cheesy 1970's Kmart Princess with new Long Hair doll in original Mego Logan's Run garb. The maker's clearly wanted to use up male Mego Logan 5 outfits rather than kit her out in the more diaphanous slip Jessica 6 wears in the 1976 movie. 

After all, this is a knockoff and nothing to do with Logan's Run.

[you can read all about Mego's attempt at Logan's Run toys on the brilliant Mego Museum site].

Image: Mego Museum

I looked around for an original Princess Long Hair doll and found a few for sale but they were all too dear for a tight-fisted Yorkshireman!

I also found this modern repro Logan's Run jumper made professionally for 12" dolls on eBay by BlackAshKitBash. Beautiful work but ten pounds would make me cry.

image; BlackAshKitBash

I decided to start from scratch and raided my doll stash for a suitable 12 inch Barbie clone.

A few swags of felt and cloth later and hey presto!

The boots came courtesy of Ebay from a very inexpensive seller. I coloured them black,

All she needs now is a card and blister. I will have to be extra nice to Bill!

What do you think readers?

I'll have to watch the film again now. Do you like Logan's Run? Book, film or series? Any toys?

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A Fawcett Footnote: 

As a footnote, this project reminded me that Farrah Fawcett starred as Holly 13 in Logan's Run too wearing a glittery dress..

 and that I once found a huge doll that I thought was Farrah in yes, a glittery dress [it wasn't Farrah!]

You can read my blog entry at the time about this find here.

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2017/09/dont-fawcett.html

Farah's stint in Logan's Run has inspired others to make custom figures of her. Here's a neat one I saw on Figure Realm by Nightwing1975 with Holly 5 in an equally glittery dress, a project which also includes an Action Man dressed as Logan 5! Now why didn't Palitoy think of that!

What do you think?

Image: Figure Realm

Coming full circle, Farrah even had her own Seventies knockoff too called Tanya/ Sport Girl ripping off Hasbro's Charlies Angels range. Don't fawcett!

MOONBASE MR.ROCK: OUR MOCK SPOCK KNOCKOFF

 I've always loved Lincoln International's monsters and Mr. Rock, their Spock knockoff, is a member.

Fabulously rare, very few collectors will ever see one in the Vulcan flesh, never mind own one.

Here's a superb carded example as it appears on www.megocollector.com

This image by www.Lincolnmonsters.com shows in detail the turtle-necked pullover with its zig-zagged armbands and the thunderbird insignia.

The two accessories, both cheap knockoffs themselves from clones of Barbie and GI Joe, are pictured on the terrific www.Plaidstallions.com; a basic pink radio and a flare gun.

So, with a couple of custom Moonbase figures under our belts this Autumn I thought, why not have a crack at Mr. Rock!

First up I looked for the original accessories on Ebay and bingo! I found the radio in America and the flare gun in the UK. Result! All that was needed was a radio handle, which I added using a paper clip and painted it pink.

I paid $5 for the radio and $20 for its shipping. The gun was £1 and £2 postage.

Realising after a while that the jewel of the original toy is the figure itself, a figure that's nigh on impossible to find, I decided to cut my losses and buy a modern Mego Spock set. As it turned out, it was a real bargain at £15 and free postage.

I set about modifying the dressed figure to look more like Mr. Rock; Spock's hair was painted brown, the Star Trek insignia was coloured blue, the trousers were lengthened, a turtle neck was added to the pullover, double zig zag trim was put on each sleeve. and a new thunderbird decal was added to the pullover thanks to Bill.

Here's Spock Mr. Rocked.

Bill did wonders recreating the original Lincoln International card art, which I glued to card.

Here's our figure on the card.

So getting back to the original toy we began with, here's the real Lincoln International Mr. Rock.

Here's the blistered Moonbase International version [blister is temporary].

As soon as I get hold of a much better blister I'll bring the final article to show you.

Hope you like it so far.

Thanks to Bill for another fabulous bit of card art.

BRIAN'S MONSTER BASE BASH: MEGO'S HEROES AND LINCOLN'S MONSTERS SLUG IT OUT!

Reader and monstrous toy collector Brian F, he of Monster Base NJ, has kindly sent me this fabulous snap from a 1976 Montgomery Wards catalogue, which inspired him as only Lincoln Monsters can!

Yes, the Wards catalogue shot gave American kids a mouth-watering and magnificent bust-up between Lincoln International's Monsters and Mego's Greatest Superheroes.

Robin get's to side-kick the Hunchback: Supe get's a right-hook into Wolfie but Frankie has deffo got the better of Green Goblin. He's toast!

You would never have guessed it looking at the catalogue's angelic cover!

Do you have a copy? Do you remember this catalogue?

You can see another Lincoln Monsters fan's reaction to this image on You Tube. Here's Raymond Castile.

https://youtu.be/u9lcWDutcaA?feature=shared&t=1933

SWATS THAT?

I'm seeing SWAT and Police Cars with Action dolls all over the place!

This is a Japanese Hema toy AMERICAN Alfa Romeo Police car I saw online on Ebay.

Maybe those figures are Action Team? Have these GI Joe Action Men got stockings on their heads? These fighting men get everywhere!

Have you found them in strange places readers?

and here's LJN's SWAT set from 1976 courtesy of RetroWaste. Are the HEMA guys SWAT too?

Those SWAT figures, here close-up and courtesy of MYMEGOLIKE, look like little Action Men! Anyone got any SWAT toys. Was it a TV show?

and here's LJN's similar Rookies too courtesy of Plaid Stallions. Was that a TV show?

Have you a Police Car with action dolls like these or Action Man/GI Joe readers?

AURORA, MEGO AND CO: ARTO'S FANTASTIC JUTHBACKA FINDS

Arto has been kind enough to share pictures of his recent and amazing haul of vintage goodies at the Juthbacka vintage fair on the western coast of Finland.  The Juthbacka fair attracts sellers from Sweden too. 

A super post to end the summer, Feast your eyes!

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Aurora long box monster kits and Mego monsters, Super Heroes, Star Trek/ Space 1999

Assorted Super Heroes: Batcopter, Secret Wars, Super Powers and an Italian Diabolik figure, a candy box top!

Micronauts, Choc Rockets and Car [I have cropped this image and removed an amazing item that, with Arto's permission, will feature on the blog's anniversary  - our 16th bloggiversary - on September 15th. Watch this space!]

THE WALTON'S TRUCK BY MEGO

In the 1970s the US toy company Mego produced a range of toys based on The Waltons TV series (1972-81). This was an 8-inch doll line, with poseable figures, which had real clothes.

There was a large Waltons Farmhouse, which was a two-story dolls-house. This was made of fibreboard, with fully washable vinyl surfaces, and furniture. Assembled, it was 35 inches long, and 24 inches high.

The Waltons Country Store, another dolls-house, was released later. This seems to have been the final item in The Waltons Mego range.

There were six character dolls of the main characters: Grandma; Grandpa; Mom; Pop; Johnboy, who was the main character (his father was also named John, so to avoid mix-ups John Jr. was called Johnboy); and his sister Ellen. The other five children in the family were simply ignored.

The star item in the range has to be The Waltons Truck, based on the vehicle in the series, which was a 1929 Ford Model AA pick-up. This was described as a 1930s Ford in the catalogue. The box just said The Waltons Truck.

The doll-sized vehicle was 15 inches long. It was moulded in blue plastic (actually it should be green, with black mudguards). Some of the smaller parts are black plastic, including the wheels. The axles are metal.

The cab was glazed with clear plastic, and both doors opened. It could seat two of the 8 inch dolls.

Moulded beneath the cab are the words '© 1975 LORIMAR PRODUCTIONS INC. - MADE IN U.S.A. Beneath the truck bed is 'MEGO CORP., NEW YORK, N.Y. 10010 - NO.56012'.

The copyright date shown in an old Mego catalogue in this You Tube video, is 1974 Lorimar Productions Inc. That was the date seen on the boxes for the dolls, but the box for the truck is clearly dated 1975 Lorimar Productions Inc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A00dTAIZXIE

The end-opening box has a photograph of the model, with the Johnboy doll at the wheel. The rest of the family, and the Farmhouse, are seen in the background - Waltons Figures and Farmhouse Not Included.

The end of the box repeats the copyright notice, with the 1975 date, and says Mego Corp., New York, N.Y. 10010. The catalogue number of the truck is No.56012.

Apart from being moulded in the wrong colour, this was a nice looking toy.

Four photographs from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

The Waltons Dolls by Mego

Here is an interesting You Tube video, which looks at the 1970s doll line by Mego for the US TV series The Waltons (1972-81). The range included six dolls based on the main characters; two playsets (another was planned but not released); and a toy farm truck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A00dTAIZXIE

These Mego toys were not the only Waltons products out there. There was a die-cast Waltons truck from Road Stars, a metal lunchbox, and a Whitman Authorized Edition TV tie-in hardback book, and a View-Master set.

Have you got any Mego dolls?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Buddy, Buddy, Buddy. Me go, you go too, Buck?

Hey Woodsie, 

I'm cleaning up on my life of boxed away treasures. 

I found this bunch of early 1980s Buck Rogers figures in a sealed ziplok bag, away from the light. Despite the good storage conditions, Mego's dreaded plastics choices have struck anyway! One Buck is still in original condition, but the other looks like he's wearing a Star Trek TMP uniform! And the part of Wilma Deering will be performed tonight by Pocahontas!

The tiny Twiki is from the Mego line, but I may have burnished him with graphite powder to get a more metallic effect. The Mego Moult has turned him antique gold!

The large windup has a Robert C Dille copyright, but no maker's name.

The two soft vinyl Twikis are a mystery, they may be bootlegs.

Do you have any Mego toys with "Mego Moult" Moonbasers?

Looey

Oz Base

THE COMBAT MAN TRAIN DOWN SHERWOOD FOREST

 We're just back from a weekend away in the pleasant River Trent countryside around Newark in Nottinghamshire down the road from Sherwood Forest.

Newark has a large castle ruin, a big river with very fine slow cruises [we enjoyed it a lot] and many good shops, including, yes .... charity shops!

Despite the number of charities, I was only tempted to buy a bundle of seven old Conan the Barbarian comics for seven quid.

The car boot sale down the road at Sherwood Forest [Robin Hood jokes welcomed!] was better and I came away with a few die-casts for Junior and me, two Sontarans and a neat boxed Combat Man Military Train set, which was my fave purchase.

I know the Combat Man brand from my interest in knockoff Action Man figures. Its a Mego/Lion Rock line from the late 70's/early 80's and was essentially a 7-inch articulated male figure, like the earlier Little Big Man, with loads of carded WWII uniforms. There were also small plastic soldier sets and my Military Train Set [with Chug Chug Sound!] is one of these, although it wasn't released with small plastic soldiers. There is no Mego or Lion Rock branding on it all.

The UK Combat Man brand mark is like a soldier's dog-tag and often says 'and his adventures in World War II'. Lion Rock also issued it as 'Johnny Action' in the US. It was re-branded in many other countries and the Mego Museum lists them all here https://www.megomuseum.com/lionrock/index.html

It's sister set is a vehicle set, which does contain small plastic soldiers and a missile launcher not unlike the Merehall one many of us have in our own collections.

Trafalgar Toys, as seen on this box from an online auction, were likely the importers.

My Combat Man train set is all complete but doesn't work. I'll need to scrape off the old battery acid from the battery unit contacts in the big loco and give it a rejuvenating dose of WD40.

The previous owner, no doubt a pesky youngster [I ask you! ha ha], had stuck a load of stickers on the rooves of the two main carriages, so I'm currently soaking them in my special perfect-fit carriage soaking bath.

As soon as this train set is ready for combat operations I'll alert Moonbase readers stat!

Oh, and like the Conan comics, it was 7 pounds.

Any good?

MODERN MEGO

I had a look at Mego's website https://megofigures.com/

There are modern re-issues of trusted favourites in there like monsters, Star Trek and super heroes. There are also figures from shows, such as Impractical Jokers, that American readers will know but being a Brit I don't I'm afraid.

Ominously the 'latest news' was from way back in 2020, regarding Ultraman. I just hope this isn't a sign of dormancy.

All in all its great to see such an iconic brand having another go so many years after its heyday.

Have you seen it?

MJ'S MEGO SPIDEY SHORT 2

Hi Moonbase, I've reworked my Spidey short film.

 I hope you like it!

NJ

South Coast Base

MJ'S SPIDEY COMPETITION CAPER

 

Here's my new custom action figure short Woodsy, a Mego Spidey. Its totally original, apart from the dash of paint on his face and hands.

Enjoy!

The story of how I came to have him could be straight out of the book from that Plaid Stallions fella. The Spiderman film (that was actually a TV series) was on at the cinema and my local paper had a competition to win some Spidey merch.

 I entered not expecting to win. Then 2 weeks later I get a letter saying I had, my prizes were to be presented to me by Spiderman himself (a bloke in a costume!).

 Unfortunately I couldn't go, so although I had won and received my prize through the post, the Newspaper still did a piece with a random kid receiving the prize.  The photo was with the kid and some laughable costume on a member of staff from the Paper!

MJ

Southcoast Base

UK

MR.ROCK: CAN HE REALLY FLY?

I've always been fascinated by Lincoln International's  Mr.Rock figure.

So when I saw this Mr. Rock Cosmic Space Flyer I was intrigued.

Mr. Rock was a mid-Seventies knock-off of Mego's Mr. Spock action doll. 

From Spock to Rock. That was easy!

The original blister carded figure, a prized collectable, came with an Action Man style flare gun and a cheaper pink doll radio. A sort of pick n mix from various different toys.

Mr. Rock must have done OK for Lincoln if they then decided to release a Cosmic Space Flyer. It shares similar card art and pictures the man himself flying over, where? Vulcan?

Further Googling revealed that the Cosmic Space Flyer was given away by Plaid Stallions Toy Ventures magazine #5.

Did Toy Ventures create the Cosmic Space Flyer as a modern freebie?

Or is it real? Did they find a box full?

Does anyone know?

Incidentally, when I first saw Mr. Rock online on sites like Megocollector ( it's their picture above) and Plaid Stallions I had thought he was made by Lion Rock, a toy firm I associate with Bradgate and my beloved Little Big Man in the Sixties. 

Alas, Mr.Rock and Little Big Man don't know each other.

Do you know Mr.Rock?