70s Toy Packaging Art love Fest

Toy packaging art has always fascinated me and it actually inspired me to pick up some paintbrushes, so it's actually made my life better, here are five random personal favourites but I'd love to see yours be it at the MegoMuseum Forums, our facebook page or on Twitter. Show me your favourites, please!

The Mego Mad Monsters series by legend Gray Morrow.

I can't tell you how much i love the Big Jim Gold Commander Artwork.

I could go on for days about Mego's fantastic packaging (and have) but for this exercise I'll just point out this epic Ross Andru Spider-Man box.

Even when the artwork is a bit simple, there is a tremendous joy in it. The Lincoln International Monsters have a cartoonish look but they are amongst my favourites of all time.

Show me your favourite 70s toy packaging, let's flood the internet with this joyous art.

Toy-Ventures the Magazine is coming this Summer from PlaidStallions Press.

Toy-Ventures: Toy Room Tour

Time for a quick tour of the toy room and show you what I've been doing for the last 35 years. Pod Stallions Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2226244254053126/ Mego Mania Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/megomania/ Subscribe to our channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYta3nz_7FAzPvP8FPSgpg?view_as=subscriber

Toy-Ventures: Tarzan or Big Jim?

Time for another Toy-Venture, this week we talk about the very underrated line of Tarzan toys produced by Mattel in 1978, actually we talk about the whole series of action figures produced that year using European Big Jim tooling. Grab a vine and join me, won't you? www.plaidstallions.com Facebook Group: Pod Stallions Instagram: Plaidstallions Twitter: @plaidstallions

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Toy-Ventures: The Incredible Doctor Steel

We return with an exhaustive look at one of the most iconic action figures of the 1970s, the enforcer with a ghastly gleaming hand, the incredible Dr. Steel. We explore the character's origins, many foreign iterations, knock offs and all the different variations. Special thanks to Pascal Pinteau for his amazing help with this one, To order his magical book "Big Jim: Un Monde D'Adventures" click here: https://amzn.to/37qi0dW Hosted and edited by Brian Heiler (@plaidstallions) PlaidStallions Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Plaidstallio... Plaidstallions facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/22262... Twitter: @plaidstallions

Toy-Ventures: Torpedo Fist from Big Jim's Wolfpack!

Our focus this week is one of the top agents in the Professional Agents Crime Killers (or P.A.C.K) , the amazing Torpedo Fist.

We talk about the evolution of Mattel's Big Jim, the birth of the PACK, Jack Kirby, the launch of "Double Trouble", Torpedo Fist's origin story and even touch how the character ended up on the Masters of the Universe (sorta kinda?) .

It's a jam-packed Toy-Ventures and one I'm certain you'll enjoy!

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Toy-Ventures 14: Hombre Bionico from Kid Acero (Cipsa Toys)

Toy-Ventures this week talks about the incredible Hombre Bionico from the Mexican series "Kid Acero" which is based on Mattel's Big Jim. 

 We get into why I think this is the greatest incarnation of Big Jim and showcase some of the cool figures that were done fromn1976 to 1980. 

Trust me, these are the figures you wished you had as a kid! 

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Review: Big Jim : A World of Adventures

As a kid of the early 1970s, Big Jim rocked my world. I'm also happy I have video evidence of me receiving a Big Jim for Christmas in 1974.

As you can see, I'm pretty happy with the guy. As a lover of collector books, i've always felt Big Jim was kind of ....underserved. (more after the jump)

The Zython from Mattel's Space:1999 line.

The Zython was offered in the 1977 Mattel Catalog as an alien character to go alongside with Mattel's Space:1999 action figure line. It never appeared in the series but was a rather welcome addition to the line which desperately needed more flair.

However, sales on Space:1999 merch weren't strong enough to warrant a wide release and the Zython seems to have only been offered via this contest for a German comic book above (Thanks Eddy for the scan). It's speculated that less than 300 of these were made, we'll probably never know for sure but a few have trickled out of Deutschland over the years.

But of course, this is Mattel we're talking about here, they'd never let a good toy mold go unused, so Zython would later appear in the amazing Mexican version of Big Jim (known as Kid Acero), which was produced under license by a company called CIPSA, who would dub him Nocton an alien enemy of Kid Acero.

So, while I'll probably never own a Zython (the last one went for just under a grand), I was able to buy a Nocton in the 1990s and still have him to this day. One day I hope to track down his scepter. 

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Big Jim, Big Playsets

The smell of that vinyl is forever ingrained into my brain as happiness. Also, I did grow up thinking I'd have my own personal "Kung Fu Studio"

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I Love Action Figures in Karate Outfits

(Many thanks to my friend Eddie for this awesome image above) 

The Martial Arts explosion of the early 1970s was not lost on action figures, growing up in this time, it gave me a lifelong obsession with the culture.

 It also turned out to be a real positive influence in my life, so I've decided to start collecting all the various 70s action figures I can find in Karate Gis and compiled a list of ones that i have and would like to have after the jump:

Super People 78

When Star Wars figures came out, all my favourites from previous Christmases got sent to the Black and White pages often discounted. 

I didn't mind at the time but now it kind of makes me a little sad, save for the awesome team up of Steve Austin and Spider-Man, that just rules.

The Adventures of Steve!

I have a real soft spot for generic knock-off action figures and I find this page from France kind of mind-blowing as I've never seen many of these "Steve the Adventurer" toys.

The Mego like Steve was known as "Demo Man" in other parts of the world and his head is a really blatant copy of Big Jim but unlike a lot of KO figures, there's a higher than normal amount of care in this guy.

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Big Jim Vs Fighting Furies

It looks like pirates are about to break up Big Jim's camping trip, I'd watch this if it were a movie....

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Big Jim Vs Zorak

As much as I love this Big Jim, you knew the line was in some serious trouble when numerous wish books scaled their offering down to two characters. 

I remember being kinda heartbroken in 1977 when I entered the Sears toy department and asked the clerk where the Big Jim stuff was, he turned to me and said "Oh, they don't make those anymore" in a "Vincent Price" kinda way. 

My brilliant grandmother found a Jim on the clearance table and the day was saved.

However, that clerk was a dick, I was six and he was totally trying to make me cry.

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Dr Steel International

My pal Jesus posted this yesterday and it's too good not to share, behold the many different faces of Dr. Steel one of my favourite action figures of the 1970s.

Mainly known as Dr. Steel, the notable exceptions are when he's called "Dr. Acero" (Steel) in Spain and "Doctor Drago" in Mexico but that's only because Big Jim himself is called "Kid Acero" there. 

That's probably a lot to take in, sorry.

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El Squadron Lobo Big Jim Gallery Updated

It's been ten years since I updated my little tribute page to the Kid Acero line of toys and it was long overdue.

 Known to us as Big Jim, Mexican toy maker Cipsa infused the line with a heavy dose of creativity. The result is a Big Jim's wolfpack with a rich science fiction flavour.

Also, because these toys are also incredibly rare, i had to get some help. My pal Jesus was happy enough to share his amazing collection with the world. Just look at that Jack Kirby packaging.

 So check out the all new Kid Acero Gallery at PlaidStallions!

AND THEN IF YOU'RE STILL IN THE MOOD FOR MORE JIM

 

Big Jim Motorcross Honda

Picked up this oddity at last month's Kane County toy show. It's the regular Big Jim Honda bike that was released for a couple of years but for some reason it's got the Pack logo emblazoned on it.

This isn't a sticker either, it's printed on the box. The best I can figure this is a transitional piece released before the P.A.C.K vehicles had been devised.

I have limits on what I buy and I don't actively collect the All Stars line but this sort of  crept in. Also, when I picked it up the dealer automatically kicked 25% off his posted price without me saying a word. That kind of tactic works really, really well on me.

Shameless Plug: I'm currently selling my US boxed Torpedo Fist on Ebay. Thanks for looking!

More Big Jim than you can handle!