Vintage Mego: Secret Identity World's Greatest Superheroes
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- Опубліковано 29 січ 2022
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Vintage Mego this week talks about Bruce, Peter, Clark and Dick. The Mego Secret Identity outfits are one of the hardest if not the most challenging sets to collect in the world's greatest superheroes pantheon. Why is that and what is the history? we touch on that and talk about myths and reproductions.
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My cousin had the Wards catalog and I remember seeing them. My mom, who was usually indulgent of these things wouldn't go for it tho. She already had an account with Sears & JCPenny and said she wouldn't open one with Wards (which was the only one the 3 that didn't have a store in town. The closest was 65 miles away) just for what she called "a scheme." LOL! I never forgot them though!
The Secret Identity sets were on my Christmas list in 1974. I stared at that page in the Ward's catalog for hours. Sadly my parents were not able to order the sets in time for Christmas and after that they had already slipped into the ether. It wasn't until Figures Toy company created their versions nearly 40 years later that I was about to fulfill that lost Christmas wish. Today (Dec 2 2022) I pi-cked up the Mego 50th Anniversary Batman and Robin from a local Walmart. In 1972 I got the original Batman with removable cowl, but the Robin I got along with him was the Robin with the painted on mask. I remember making my own Robin mask and using my mom's nail polish remover to take of the painted mask. Only problem was it took off Robin's eyes too. So my Robin was the Stevie Wonder of Boy Wonders.
Me too!!!
Traditionally, Clark Kent's hair is drawn differently than Superman in the comics. Clark's hair is parted on the other side, and he doesn't have the spit curl. Not every artist does it, but it was also done in the Christopher Reeve movies.
you're right about that.
@@BrickMantooth Identity Secret World Greatest: Mad Monster Series 1 and 2 please.
Why is Clark wearing a cowboy hat?
This is a cool set.
They should have done a Bruce Banner figure.
Clark Kent's hat is NOT the AJ cowboy hat. It is different.
Sorry to have missed it live; Great Video! Top Shelf! Always enjoyable, Great Work!
thanks man!
Nearly 5 decades later, us collectors are still irked by "store exclusives".
The Batman changing mask version was highly prized by me.😝👍♥️
This one was a barn bunner!! Loved it.
thanks for saying that, it felt like it was time.
I was born in 81 a bit too late for this generation of figures.Thanks to this channel and a friend however,i have become increasingly interested in this era, and will probably start a universal monsters collection when im moved. Thanks Brick!
Very cool!
I've mentioned before that I found a set of Mego Superheroes that were exclusively mail ins? I had gotten the first two, Kid Flash and Aqualad, then I got the Speedy and Wonder Girl figures.. I had always wished for a Flash Mego back in the early 70's. This was my only shot at one. I only remember I got it from New York, I think. This was back in 1974-75? Again I'm not 100% sure of the when and where. But they were cool.
Prior to late 1988, I'd never heard of the MEGO secret identity figures, let alone the Removable Cowl and Removable Mask versions of Batman and Robin until I acquired this beautiful hardback book called Greenberg's Guide to Super Hero Toys, and boy did I learn a lot!!
I was actually shocked or stunned to learn that the Secret Identity figures were merely just the heads and the clothes. Initially, I bought the repros of Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Clark Kent from Dr. MEGO and later on, I bought the FTC versions. I'm happy with them, and I know I can easily buy a repro of Peter Parker if I want to, which I eventually will. I like the idea of having the secret identities of the heroes in action figure form. Great video!! And BTW Brick Mantooth, I just subscribed. 😀😀
Do you remember on the Mego board when that guy discovered a hidden auction for all of the sets still bagged? He got them for a song and a dance. Crazy!
Although I always say I've accepted that I will never own this set, I still secretly hope I'll somehow come across them one day for a great price.
Great great video! Glad to know more history about the four
Thank you!
Wow! Never knew this set even existed and I grew up with Mego. 😳
It was a really regional thing.
I never knew about these until I joined the Museum in 2007. I never even heard of Montgomery Ward until 1992 when I was stationed at Ft. Benning, GA.
Odd that they didn't also use Peter Parker as Billy Batson since it was the Shazam head and the "same" clothes that Billy wore in the comic books.
In regards to the heads, I never had a problem removing a head. Getting the head back into the torso was always a problem for me. I eventually would get them in with the help of a butter knife.
I've always wondered about why they didn't produce alternate outfits for their licensed lines, like Trek, Apes, and the capes. It feels like a fairly easy money maker. It made less sense for some capes (Superman, WW), but the ones that relied on gadgets like Batman and Iron Man should've gotten some "special missions" suits. And Kirk had a different outfit every 3rd episode.
I think it was just easier to sell figures and vehicles.
That was very informative. Loved the Mark Huckabone $2, 000 story. The best part of the video (IMO) was hearing how you acquired these hard to find figures. Excellent video!
I had a Batman with removable mask when i was around 5 yrs. old and remember it vividly. I don't know what happened to it but would love to get my hands on another one. Yep! I'm old.
yeah we share that.
That was a fun episode, fantastic run down on these.
thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
I never actually had the 'Secret Identity' figures, but i had the outfits for Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. You could buy the outfits by themselves without a figure, and the Dick Grayson outfit came with an unmasked head so you could change Robin's head. I think i might at one time have had Clark Kent's outfit [those glasses sure look familiar]. I had the original BatMan figure with the removable cowl, but i had the painted mask Robin.
The original sets were just outfits and heads, no figures included.
My Aunt worked for Wards during 1970-1999 when they closed. The Secret Identities set did not sell well at all during Christmas 1974 and as a result the warehouses dumped the unsold sets to the stores over Winter 1975 where they were instantly put on clearance. My guess was whatever didn't sell were either sent back, or just trashed and written off as a loss.
That was really interesting, thank you. I never ever knew about these figures beforehand, but thanks to your brilliant talk, I do now. Just fascinating!
Seeing the Shazam head, unexpectedly, on another figure confirms my belief that it was the best looking super hero that MEGO did.
it is a great sculpt.
Damn, 1974? I wasn't even talking yet so I totally missed these... But I am happy to know about them! Great vid!👍 😃
Such an amazing set. The way you got them is so crazy. I wish I was that lucky!
Never say never.
My mom always ordered from Montgomery Wards, I had all 4 of these, loved them
Man that's really lucky.
Thanks for sharing! Great episode!👏👏👏
They ww is creepy yet awesome great video
Fascinating as always--thanks for this!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Based on that hat, Pimp was definitely Clark's REAL identity
He definitely was able to keep Lois under control
The secret Identity set was what made them different
Shoutout to vintage mego and Brick mantooth from Harlem Nyc !!!!
thanks from Toronto!
I did get an original Dick Grayson outfit - but the other outfits are so standard that I am happy with reproductions of them. A business suit is not hard to make in China today.
I don't know if there was a Superboy mego (if there was, then this Superboy fan was jipped, because I never had one), but If I'd known about these, I'd have used Peter's cloths, Clark's glasses and put on Superboy as young Clark and used Dick Grayson in Superman's costume as the Boy of Steel himself. Oh well (sigh), no complaints. The '70s was fun enough as is.
I had the Clark Kent/Peter Parker set and I was always perplexed by the color change of the Parker set.
Never knew these versions of the characters existed 😳
Pleasant surprise!
Thanks!
Those were interesting, it kind of highlighted the limits of the Mego interchangeable system with things like glasses & masks, the heads don't really support that but hats fit okay. Do think they could have included more accessories, of coarse Peter Parker should have a camera. ;)
i only knew of spidey's parker outfit. cool!
Peter is awesome with his “skinny”jeans
original hipster.
Wow! That was a walk down memory lane! Only...why's the Bruce Wayne figure shorter than the Dick Grayson one...?
Great video Thanks for the education Brother. Neat'O 😀👍❤🌎🎉🎉🎉🎉👏👏👏👏🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉💯💯💯💯💯
Glad you enjoyed it
Identity Secret World Greatest: Mad Monster Series 1 and 2 please.
Thanks for covering this super-rare Mego set Brian 😳 As a non-Mego collector, i was only marginally aware of their existence, so it’s nice getting the full backstory 😁 And your pickup of these gems was amazing, once-in-a-lifetime type of score, i’d reckon 😎👍
Didn't they also have a set from the 2002ish time of both Superman and Batman with a collapsible head into the chest to have the cowl or something like that?
there was, by Hasbro, not quite the same scale but totally Mego inspired.
If only Wonder Woman had gotten this treatment or any other things to expand her in the Mego-verse.
Well, the 12" Wonder Woman did get a Diana Prince outfit.
@@BrickMantooth yes very true , I was thinking more along the 8 inch size.
Awesome as always 👏
My grandmother called it monkey wards
I have no idea why.
Does anyone know 🤔
Just a play on words, my grandmother used to call wal-mart, wally world and wally-mart.
Wally World? Like in the Vacation movie?
@@smashblaster1-up190 no Montgomery wards
Do you have any knowledge as to why the widows peak on Peter Parker is a lot sharper and more pronounced than Shazam? Thanks
I wish I did.
Nice glasses, Clark.
I got my Bruce Wayne and my Dick Grayson the same time I got my first Batman and Robin. At this point I don't remember if it was at my birthday or Christmas as I was seven at the time. My gut tells me I got them and a Batmobile for my birthday and then a Bat-Cave and Joker and Penguin for Christmas.
I still have all of them except the Batmobile which was played with to death. By the time I got my Spider-Man, Peter Parker was no longer an option. And I always hated Superman.
I have them,never thought i would own them.I do need an original Dick Grayson head to complete my set.i have a RM Robin head on my set
congrats, tough set.
That's a secret episode 4 sure :)
Hopefully not a well kept one.
The Peter Parker figure used the Shazam head as Peter. Wish they had used a different head.
The power of bellbottoms
I watched the rutles film and I thought it was hilarious
Agreed.
I have a set of the FTC remakes. I’m happy with them. Buy what you like, right?
Clarks hat looks like a cowboy hat
Clarks hat looks like a Cowboy hat
So you're just not going to comment on what's going on with Peter Parker's pants? 🤔
we all have eyes.
Poor Peter Cameltoe
Is it me, or does "Peter" resembles Mel Gibson?😆
Ngl if these came out in 78 or later then Bruce banner would be part of it
I am suprised Action Jackson and The Fighting Yank were not more successful . I thought the 8" size was the best style of action figure . Bar none
Man, you think Bruce Wayne could afford a tailor! That suit is so baggy!
I think it being slightly oversized was intentional. I didn't have the Bruce/Dick set but Clark's suit was always on over the Superman costume but the certainly would not have worked with the Peter Parker set, I knew better than to even try.