Part 2 (jump to part 1)

As was stated before, the bulk of attendees were more so fans of Mego's 8" and 12" action figure lines, but many Micronaut converts were made that weekend. According to Robert, "I've been seriously collecting for the past 7 years but I've always collected comic books and had plenty of Mego's as a child growing up. I collect WGSH, Knights, Monsters, Robin Hood, Westerns, StarTrek (mostly carded and boxed but I do have many loose examples as well) along with vehicles, play sets and literature as well."

So to go along with the event, an exclusive Mego-styled 8" figure was a natural choice. "The Invisible Man was an idea I came up with as we were talking amongst the two of us. Chris and I were hesitant of doing a superhero due to the copyright laws so the Invisible Man was a perfect choice." To the delight of collectors, there are a few left for purchase.


Dave Waugh's Micronauts display - photo by Bill McFarland


The Invisible Man figure was truly a labor of love, and was still being put together by various volunteers the Friday afternoon before the show opened. Jim Hampton sculpted the head, and really captured the Mego monster look. Mike Rodger produced the vintage style window box and Al Bigly's fantastic artwork made the whole thing come alive. The Jacket and two cravats were also nice touches, and of course would be nothing without Paul Clarke's (Dr. Mego) re-proed Mego bodies. A group effort like none other.
 

But of course, next to the Micronauts display room, the main event was of course visiting the Mego toys display room. Many collectors made the trek to NYC to show off their passions. Robert continues, "The hardest part about organizing the show was in getting the word out and also in getting collectors to lug their collections across the country for the display room. Many were happy to bring them along so I guess it was all the minor details (insurance, programs, flyers, name tags) that was the most time consuming."
 

Many different lines from the vast and varied Mego collection were represented in the display room; WGSH, Wizard of Oz, Eagle Force, Our Gang, CHiPs, Starsky and Hutch, Dukes of Hazzard, Planet of the Apes, Action Jackson, Johnny Action, Moon Raker, the Pirates and Knights...the list goes on and on...and many collectors were to be thanked for bringing them along for everyone to enjoy. "I guess for me", Robert went on to say, "The driving factor was in getting the entire Mego community together most of whom I've been chatting with for many years. Placing the face with their name enhances the relationship tenfold so for me this was the most interesting part."

 

And no Mego convention would be complete without a few contests, because creating custom Mego figures is a huge part of the Mego collecting realm. Some of the most amazing customs were on display, and were truly a sight to behold. More pictures can be viewed at the Mego Museum and the Micropolis Embassy.

 

MegoCon 2004 was an amazing event, and some final thoughts were shared with ISO by the two men who helped get it all together. Robert; "I feel that this show was a once in a lifetime event and even though we are planning to do future shows with a slightly different agenda, exceeding this one is in my opinion extremely difficult. The MegoCon 2004 event was perfect in my eyes as everyone who attended had a blast. That in itself makes me very happy as I hope all who attended remember this con for many years to come. Not to sound corny but this was a life changing experience for me as I never imagined so many would attend and have such a good time. When you add names like Dr. Mego, Neil Kublan, Marty Abrams, Ken Abrams and so many more it actually brings tears to my eyes. Hmm, it can also be that I am still exhausted!!"

Chris; " MegoCon2005...in all seriousness, I do not think it would work, as this needs to be a once every 4 or 5 year event. We would never get the kind of response that we got this time, and that would cheapen the whole atmosphere. In addition, both Robert and myself are worn out. It took 15 months of planning to pull this off, and neither of us want to think of any convention for at least a good year or so. However, MegoCon is open for anyone else to run if they would like. I will let you know we have kicked around the idea of having a huge show that would incorporate ALL toys of the 1970's and early 1980's, but that is a good while in the future before we would talk it up and explore the possibility."

And finally, a word from the guy who was apart of the Mego legacy at the very beginning, Marty Abrams' son, Ken Abrams; "Just want to let anyone who attended Megocon know how much my father really appreciated the event. He felt great after it was over. The guys who put it together did a great job and everyone was really gracious."

A great ending to a great convention. If you missed out, you surely missed a once in a life time event!
Dave Waugh 6/20/04

  

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