Almost Vintage: Bif Bang Pow! Six Million Dollar Man 8" Figures

In the 1970s, many kids tuned into the Six Million Dollar Man TV show week after week.  Colonel Steve Austin was an astronaut that needed cybernetic replacements for some of his body parts after a horrific crash while flying a new test craft.  These implants gave him extraordinary strength and abilities.  To be like Steve, many of us dreamed of stopping runaway cars with our bare feet, jumping over 15 foot walls, and tussling with mythological beasts like Sasquatch (Big Foot).

Kenner made a great line of Six Million Dollar Man (SMDM) toys in the mid and late 70s and we loved them.  They still hold a special place in the hearts of many "kids" from the 70s.  However, the end of the show also ended the toys and we were left to leave childhood behind and begin to grow up.  Many, many years later a lot of us started digging through boxes in the garage, scouring yard sales, and searching online for Kenner's old SMDM toys to reclaim a bit of our childhood.  In a way, the end of the Kenner toys signaled the end of an era and Steve Austin was left to be mostly forgotten (apart from a couple of made-for-TV movies in the 80s).

Fast forward to 2012.  A new toy movement has been in motion for a few years which many refer to as "Re-Megos."  Several lines of 8" action figures from different companies have been released that follow the style and size of figures produced by the late, great company Mego in the 1970s.  Mego never had a license for SMDM and so we never got 8" action figures of Steve and his "buddies" from the TV show.  However, that has recently been remedied by a newish company called Bif Bang Pow!  BBP has been producing Mego-like 8" figures for several years now and have just recently tackled the Six Million Dollar Man.

As of now, BBP has released 3 versions of Steve Austin, a Bigfoot, and Dr. Rudy Wells.  In the near future, they will be releasing figures of Steve's boss Oscar Goldman, a Fembot, Steve Austin in Astronaut suit, Barney Hiller (The SEVEN Million Dollar Man), and Mr. X (the character that the classic Maskatron figure was based on).

This first figure is Steve Austin in his iconic red track suit.  This outfit is most associated with the SMDM and was featured in the opening credits each week.  Bif Bang Pow! has also used an ingenious way of showing Steve's "bionics" if you look under his track suit.  His left forearm and each lower leg is cast in clear plastic with "bionics" silk-screened in silver on each body part.  We never really saw Steve's bionics in the television show very much except when he'd open a panel on his arm or take some bionic-revealing damage.  So, the clear limbs aren't TV accurate but they sure are fun and a welcome way of showing that Steve has special abilities.  Steve also comes with a red talking keychain that has dialogue from the show's opening segment and some bionic sound effects.  Although it would have been neat to have Steve's sound-effects integrated into the figure, itself, as originally planned, I am glad that BBP found a way to give us this sound feature, anyway.

I have only two gripes with this figure.  The first is the size of his head (and this problem seems to pertain to many of the figures in this line).  It's a bit too big and seems out of scale when put next to many other Mego and ReMego figures.  It's kind of a minor "nit," though, and I know that BBP is working on this for future figures.  Regulating this with factories abroad must be a difficult thing to do.

The other has to do with Steve's likeness.  In my opinion, it's a fair bit off-the-mark from the way that Lee Majors looked in the TV show (for one thing, Majors was always pulling his eyebrows down close to his eyes.. almost like a constant squint) .  That's not to say it's completely off as there is SOME likeness there.  Many collectors were turned off on this line by Steve's likeness and it may have hurt the overall acceptance and sales of this line.  For me, I'm just thrilled to be buying SMDM toys in 2012 and 2013.  This is a very reasonably priced toy.  So, I'm not going to cry "foul" if a couple things are off.  And, at the end of the day, this is a TOY.  I like to consider what I would have thought of a toy as a 9 or 10 year-old with stuff like this.  Would this have been good enough, back then?  Absolutely… and I would have had a blast.

The packaging is a nice representation of how Mego packaging was produced in the 70s.  I've shown one of the packages here.  Each character is packaged on the same card art with just the character's name changing.  This is just fine with me since this is how Mego approached their packaging, as well.  

BBP also released Steve in his Khaki outfit that was seen on the show many, many times.  They even included his trademark belt-buckle!  This figure was released in two versions… with and without mustache.  This was done to represent Steve's changing look on the show as Lee Majors did have a mustache for a season or two.  It's a variant that actually makes me laugh.  I never would have ever thought I'd have a SMDM figure with a mustache.

 Bif Bang Pow! chose a slightly different method for representing Steve's bionics on this Khaki version.  They screen printed the same bionic graphics on flesh colored appendages instead of clear ones.  It's kind of a nice effect, too.  You can almost imagine that you are seeing Steve's bionics through open panels on this version.

Also recently produced was Bigfoot!  Some of the show's greatest episodes centered around Steve finding and fighting the mythological beast.  Bigfoot is on a taller body than the other SMDM figures and uses a stuffed suit to represent his fur and girth from the character on the show.  The head sculpt is a very nice representation of Andre the Giant's costumed portrayal of this beast.  Bigfoot also comes with a talking keychain that has many different sounds bionic should effects… different than Steve's keychain, I might add.

 Bigfoot's arms are a bit stubby in proportion to the rest of the figure, but again, this is a pretty minor "nit."  This is a great, fun figure that does great justice to the TV show and also Mego heritage.

Bif Bang Pow's 8" Steve and Kenner's 13" figure of Steve

Big and Small Bigfoot

"Get 'im, Steves!!"

I love this line of toys and am looking forward to all of the forthcoming SMDM releases from Bif Bang Pow!  I don't know how many characters they can do past the ones that have been announced but I'd welcome any that might be announced in the future.  

Almost Vintage: Mattel Retro-Action DC Super Heroes Green Arrow

Back in the very early Seventies, a company named Mego began producing some of the very first Super Hero action figures. They produced a wide array of characters from both DC and Marvel comics in a toy line titled "World's Greatest Super-Heroes!" They were 8" tall, colorful, and full of playability. Many "kids" of that era swear by Mego figures as being the best toys ever created. Mego figures may not have been the most durable toys but kids loved them and many grown men (and women) today still do. The way that Mego figures were designed often left the characters looking slightly goofy and "off-model." However, looking back, the quirkiness of Megos lends them their greatest charm.

Over the past ten or fifteen years, nostalgia for Megos has lead to at least two toy companies trying to recapture the "magic" of Super Hero Megos in a 9" format. Two of the things that makes a Mego a Mego are cloth costumes and and a "reusable" base body. In kind, the new 9" "Megos" from Hasbro (DC Super Heroes) and Toybiz (Marvel Famous Covers) had cloth clothing and utilized a "reusable" base body. Both companies succeeded to some degree with both hits and misses in their respective lines. However, both companies were trying to create a product that would appeal to both nostalgic Mego collectors AND to the current generation of children roaming the toy aisles with their parents. In my opinion, by trying to hit both targets, they also missed both to a great degree. The 9" format wasn't truly in scale with the vintage Mego figures that Mego collectors already had AND children were more used to action figures with sculpted clothing and a smaller scale. Both lines did fairly well but began to fizzle after a relatively short time.


Just recently, in 2009, Mattel toys announced that they would partner with EMCE Toys (makers of the fantastic Star Trek and Planet of the Apes Mego replica figures) to resurrect the "World's Greatest Super-Heroes!" toy line by producing brand-new "Megos" in an 8" scale. The figures would be made to closely resemble the style and look of vintage Mego figures. All new characters that Mego never produced would also be a part of the new Mattel line. Mego fans rejoiced at the prospect of having all-new Megos and have been waiting anxiously for the figures to become available. It should also be noted that the "World's Greatest Super-Heroes" name has changed, sadly, and the line is now called "Retro-Action DC Super-Heroes."

The first new "Mego" from Mattel is Green Arrow and he is an online exclusive through mattycollector.com. The following waves of figures will be exclusive to Toys R Us stores and a few online toy sites. Green Arrow just shipped out to collectors last week and is just now arriving to homes, currently.

So, how does this new "Mego" stack up? Let's find out.


Packaging: The packaging on the "Retro-Action" Green Arrow is a definite "nod" to the packaging of vintage carded Megos. It consists of a somewhat flimsy cardboard backer and a simple clear bubble to hold the figure. The figure and accessories are packed in the bubble with nothing to hold them in place. This is exactly how vintage Megos were packed and it definitely adds to the nostalgia factor of this toy to not have twist ties or an insert tray to keep everything in place. The packaging art is also clearly an homage to vintage Mego art using many of the same design cues like the rectangle for the name of the toy line, the white line around the border of the card, and vintage looking drawings of the characters on the front and back. There is also a bit of "distressing" to the card art to help carry over the idea that this is an homage to a vintage toy.


The figure: The figure itself is very Mego-like. The way that the costume and accessories have been produced gives them a quality that is very close to vintage Mego. The costume seems to be made of the same type of material that Mego used and the accessories are molded in a single color (without painted details) just like vintage Mego accessories. His hat, bow, and quiver all look very much like their vintage counterparts with just a slight bit of updating.

Green Arrow's boots are made of a much denser, hard rubber-like plastic that gives them a bit of a different feel than vintage Mego boots. Vintage boots are a bit slimmer and less chunky looking. They were also made of the thinner plastic that almost "rattled" on the vintage figures' feet.

Green Arrow's head is still squishy like a vintage Mego. The headsculpt is also very reminiscent of classic Mego sculpts.

The body used on Mattel's new Megos will probably elicit the most criticism from vintage Mego fans. Clothed, Green Arrow looks quite a bit like a vintage Mego. However, it does have some key differences that do point away from Mego, somewhat. It's limbs and torso are sculpted to look a little more muscular than a vintage Mego. For instance, Mattel's new "Mego" body has a much smaller waist and legs that seem a bit too muscular and "bow legged." However, official word is that the legs will undergo some "tweaking" before the second wave (characters yet unannounced) of these figures hit shelves. Articulation-wise, this new body has the same basic style of articulation of vintage Megos and in the same spots on the figure. That's a plus.

As you can see, the new Retro-Action Green Arrow "hangs" with vintage Megos quite well.

Overall, the Mattel Retro-Action Green Arrow hits almost all of the right buttons and should produce a good dose of nostalgia for anyone that loves the old Mego action figures. I definitely felt a nostalgic rush while cracking open this brand-new "Mego." Much more so, than other aforementioned attempts at bringing back some "Mego Super Hero magic." I, for one, am very excited about the what the future holds for this line.

As I mentioned, Green Arrow is currently available at www.mattycollector.com. This Spring (2010), the next four figures (Superman, Lex Luthor, Green Lantern, and Sinestro) will begin hitting Toys R Us shelves.

I can hardly wait.

Almost Vintage: 2006 Poof-Slinky (Ideal) Evel Knievel Super Stunt Cycle set

The Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle is one of the most famous toys from the 1970's. Ideal Toy Company began producing the stunt cycle in 1973. The toy enjoyed unheard-of popularity until 1977 when Evel settled a score in a parking lot with a baseball bat. Ideal stopped producing Evel Knievel toys once Knievel's reputation was sullied by the incident.

Ideal sold millions of the stunt cycle sets and went on to produce other sets that included cars, other cycles, and even Knievel's famous canyon-jumping Sky Cycle (all to be featured in later posts). You can view my thoughts on the original Stunt Cycle set HERE.

Evel Knievel toys are many people's most remembered toys from the 1970s and most everyone that was a kid in that era had at least one Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle. Because of this amazing toy's popularity and sentimental value, two separate companies have reproduced this set more recently. The first Stunt Cycle replica set was issued by Playing Mantis in 1998. It didn't use the original molds for the toy but did a great job of replicating the play experience and fun of the original. I'll cover the Playing Mantis reissue in a later post, as well.

In 2006, Ideal Toys (then recently acquired by Poof-Slinky...makers of the Slinky) began producing replicas of the original Stunt Cycle set using the original molds that were used to produce the toys in the 70s. This 2006 reissue is the subject of this post. Although different in color, the 2006 stunt cycle (at least on the outside) is a bang-on reproduction of the original. It even sports a 1972 copyright date (although it was released in 1973, I believe) on the side of the cycle. Because of this, it's important to be careful when looking for Stunt Cycles on Ebay because sellers (unknowingly...or at times, knowingly) have tried to sell the re-issue as an original. Some unwitting buyers have even payed a premium thinking the cycle they were buying was a pristine original.







I'm going to go over each of the components of the set and talk about the differences and similarities to the original 1973 toy.

CYCLE: The major difference, cosmetically, between the re-issue and the original is that the replica has been covered in a chrome paint application. The chrome makes for a striking cycle but does make it look somewhat different from the original which had a white plastic body with chrome or black tailpipes (and chrome handlebars and forks on early issues). It's easy to tell the difference if you know what to look for. It should also be noted that a front fender has also been added to the re-issue stunt cycle that was not present on the original.

The replica also includes pre-applied decals for some of the graphical accents on the cycle. The 1973 original included a sheet of small stickers to be applied to the cycle by the owner.

Mechanically, the replica reproduces most of the fun of the original. However, it does make a much louder noise when being "revved" on the energizer than the original. Although the sound is similar, it is much, much LOUDER. The replica cycle doesn't run as long as the original, either. The original's fly-wheel mechanism ran like "butter" and would seem to defy physics, at times, and continue to spin for ages. Part of this difference may be due to the replica's internal gears being made of plastic versus the metal gears of the original. The plastic gears tend to make the reissue not quite as durable as the original, as well. (Edit: It has been brought to my attention that the original cycle used plastic gears, as well.  It sounds like the way the gears are installed may be making the difference...thanks, 7-inch DD)  The replica runs for a decent amount of time and certainly runs long enough after release to make some spectacular jumps and tricks. I should also mention that it's almost a hit-or-miss ordeal with the replica cycle. I had one that ran poorly until I really revved it hard and "broke it in" somehow. Another one, just ran poorly and continued to do so. Some work great right out of the box. So, just be aware that your "mileage may vary" when dealing with this re-issue of the Stunt Cycle.

2006 replica (left) and 1973 original (right)

2006 replica figure (left) and 1973 original (right)

FIGURE: The replica Evel Knievel figure is a very close twin to the original. Without seeing them side-by-side it can be difficult to tell them apart. The primary difference is in the application of the stars and stripes on Evel's jumpsuit. The replica uses silk-screening for the "V" with stars graphic. The original used an applique method with a stitched-on "V" with stars. Everything else is a close match. The belt is almost identical between the two. The helmet is also very close. Although, the replica is a much softer, squishier plastic than the original. They both use the same bendy-type body with hard plastic hands and feet.

ENERGIZER (winding base): Using the original molds (including a 1973 copyright on the bottom of the unit), the replica energizer is an almost exact copy of the original. The original energizer was produced in a variety of colors including red. The replica was only produced in red... which looks nice and is probably the best choice of color. The replica also sports several Evel Knievel stickers on the unit. The original 1973 set did not include stickers or graphics of any kind for the energizer. Since the replica energizer uses the original molds, vintage Evel Knievel toys can be revved on the replica and vice versa.

BOX: The box for the replica set makes no attempt to reproduce the original toy's box. The replica's box features "updated" graphics and a cellophane window to show off the toy. The original was "blind boxed" (no windows to show the toy) like many toys of the 70s and featured some nice illustration work to show what the toy looked like. Part of me wishes that Poof-Slinky had released a more authentic version of this set using the vintage art and blind box. However, I do realize that they were most likely hoping to sell this set to kids, as well, and not necessarily always to middle-age nostalgic guys hoping to recapture a small part of their childhood.

The 2006 Poof-Slinky Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle set is a good reproduction and a fun toy. It's also a great way to reminisce and get your Evel Knievel jumping fix without spending hundreds on an original stunt cycle set that you probably would be hesitant to play with, anyway. This set, to my knowledge, is no longer being produced... although it can still be had affordably online and on auction sites like Ebay (the re-issue is starting to become more scarce, as well, but is still affordable).

Almost Vintage: Mattel Hot Wheels 1966 TV Batmobile 1/18 Scale

Occasionally, I'm going to feature a toy that is from the current era but is something that is in the spirit of a toy from the 1970s. It may be an actual replica of a 70s toy (like Megos or Evel Knievel) or it may just be something that is very similar to something we had in the 70s. At other times, it may be a current toy based on a film or television show from the 70s.

Today is such an occasion. This is the Mattel Hot Wheels 1/18 scale 1966 TV Batmobile. Sure, this car is technically from the 60s but it's popularity carried it far into the 70s (and into today) and many kids of the 70s played with a toy version of this car in one form or another. In a big way, this diecast model is the spiritual successor to Corgi's original diecast metal Batmobile from the late 60's and 1970s.


Now, Hot Wheels is giving us the ultimate die-cast version of this classic car (I believe this was released in 2008...maybe 2007). Hot Wheels released three different versions of the 1966 TV Batmobile in 1/18 scale: the basic edition (pictured in this post), the Elite (more detail, opening hood and trunk), and the Super Elite (even more detail, etc.). The Elite and Super Elite come with higher price tags and are suited for the more particular Batman or diecast collector.

For my money, the standard edition is just fine and comes with enough quality and detail to satisfy my need for having a version of this car on my shelf. The doors open and close and the front wheels turn with the steering wheel.




This is a great pre-built diecast model and I can't recommend it highly enough for the Batman or TV Batmobile fan.