I stopped by EMCE toys to take some pictures of the upcoming retro toys Bif Bang Pow! The two companies are teaming up to bring you Mego-styled figures for some of today’s hottest pop culture properties, including Cartoon Network’s Venture Bros. animated series and ABC’s hit TV show Lost.
Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros. license has garnered a lot of attention and during my time at the EMCE booth quite a few people came up to see them. Reaction to the prototypes on display was mixed, and I heard some people say they wished we were getting regular action figures instead of Megos. While I also would like articulated action figures, I can see how Mego-styled figures would appeal to collectors who want the retro-style that’s a big part of the show. But there are some pretty big hurdles to get Megos to really capture the show’s characters. BBP and EMCE have gotten part of the way there, but there’s still some shortcomings I hope they can work out.
For example, I like that Brock Samson has got beefy arms, but he’s the same height as the Doc. The henchmen, likewise, are the same height, when in the show one’s tall and lanky while the other is short and rotund. They’ve tried to address this by giving them different chest pieces, but I found those odd because unlike the Monarch, henchmen don’t get armor – I’d prefer these pieces to be cloth. Speaking of the Monarch, he’s the best of the set – the head sculpt and combination of cloth and plastic work great. I think Dean needs the most work in his head sculpt.
Lost
In addition to Hurley, Locke, and Ben, EMCE had two new characters from Lost on display – Jacob and the man in black. Kate, the other half of the two-pack with Ben, wasn’t shown. While I think Venture Bros. Megos can have broader appeal because of the big part retro has in the show, I have a harder time seeing how Mego-styled Lost figures can appeal to an audience outside of the Mego collector set.
The same challenges that apply to Venture Bros. applies here – Ben Linus is going to be the same height as everyone else. Even though I know it’s the same Mego body under there, I like the approach they took to handling Hurley’s girth – that’s how I’d prefer they handle Henchman 21 on Venture Bros.