Img_0879The tenth annual MEGO Meet took place at The Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum in Wheeling last weekend, and it was part of a whirlwind weekend that saw your PopCulteer putting up an eight-man tent in Pittsburgh, raiding a Toys R Us for marked-down Captain Action figures, shooting baskets (WTF?), attending one day of MEGO Meet and introducing Under Surveillance onstage in Hurricane.

And that was just Friday and Saturday. Sunday I took it easy and just shot host segments for and edited this week’s RFC MINI SHOW with StychNTyme.

But of course, the most interesting part of this trip was MEGO Meet. It was a memorable show with cool news from the ReMEGO companies and we thank The MEGO Museum for continuing to put on this great show, right in our backyard.. We heard lots of news about Cast-A-Way Toys, EMCE Toys, Heroes In Action and more, plus we got to hang out a bit with Doc MEGO and Art Baltazar. Some of the news we heard must remain under wraps until all the contracts are signed, but we will spill some beans in this post.

Today in The PopCult Toybox we are going to present a heavily-captioned photo essay. This weekend, look for a music video with even more cool sights from one of West Virginia’s biggest toy shows.

Let us dig in…

 

The MEGO Meet X poster

The MEGO Meet X poster. Thanks again to The MEGO Museum

A cool stage for showing off the custom figures

A cool stage for showing off the custom figures

Vintage MEGO Planet of the Apes figures, shown here to make Mark Wolfe drool

Vintage MEGO Planet of the Apes figures, shown here to make Mark Wolfe drool

Okay, I admit it, the covered wagon, Johnny West and boxed Flack came home with me

Okay, I admit it, the covered wagon, Johnny West and boxed Flack came home with me

Yes, Virginia, there are Misfits action figures

Yes, Virginia, there are Misfits action figures

Lots of Batmania on display here

Lots of Batmania on display here

MEGO 12" figures and rare carrying cases

MEGO 12″ figures and rare carrying cases

Random vintage figures were all over the place

Random vintage figures were all over the place

Gotta love the Red blootleg Batman

Gotta love the Red blootleg Batman

Another ReMEGO attack

Another ReMEGO attack

Custom figures with custom boxes

Custom figures with custom boxes

Many dealers offered a wide variety of vintage toys

Many dealers offered a wide variety of vintage toys

ReMEGO in the land of DC

ReMEGO in the land of DC

I still need to get a few of these Venture Brothers figures

I still need to get a few of these Venture Brothers figures

This guy was selling pre-printed "cut'em out and sew 'em yourself" MEGO suits

This guy was selling pre-printed “cut’em out and sew ’em yourself” MEGO suits

Another cool, if random, assemblage

Another cool, if random, assemblage

Just more cool stuff

Just more cool stuff

Knockoffs that I hadn't seen before

Knockoffs that I hadn’t seen before

7-11 Marvel cups and other coolness

7-11 Marvel cups and other coolness

There's always that guy tucked away in the corner with GI Joe and  Big Jim

There’s always that guy tucked away in the corner with GI Joe and
Big Jim

Type 2 Toys always has some cool custom figures on display

Type 2 Toys always has some cool custom figures on display

As seen here, too

As seen here, too

Custom Monsters

Custom Monsters

To The Batcave!

To The Batcave!

Custom Aquaman accessories

Custom Aquaman accessories

Now you know where his "Bionic" powers really came from

Now you know where his “Bionic” powers really came from

More cool 1970s stuff

More cool 1970s stuff

A mix of custom and vintage stuff

A mix of custom and vintage stuff

Custom superheroes and customizing supplies

Custom superheroes and customizing supplies

This was supposed to be Micronaut Central, but there was plenty more at this table

This was supposed to be Micronaut Central, but there was plenty more at this table

Just drink it in

Just drink it in

A wall of vintage MEGO

A wall of vintage MEGO

A head-exploding assortment of ReMEGO and other stuff

A head-exploding assortment of ReMEGO and other stuff

Vintage coolness

Vintage coolness

One dealer even had Lego folks. It's just one letter off, y'know

One dealer even had Lego folks. It’s just one letter off, y’know

More randomisity

More randomisity

Cool comics-based customs

Cool comics-based customs

As usual, Stan Lee has elbowed Jack Kirby out of the way

As usual, Stan Lee has elbowed Jack Kirby out of the way

We didn't shoot too much of of Doc MEGO's stuff, but it was all cool and much of it was TOP SECRET!

We didn’t shoot too much of of Doc MEGO’s stuff, but it was all cool and much of it was TOP SECRET!

Art Baltazar, in addition to being a great cartoonist (check out his AW Yeah! Comics in this week's PopCult Bookshelf) but he's also a heck of a nice guy and a master MEGO customizer. The MEGO Meet music video will include close-ups of these mini-masterpieces

Art Baltazar, in addition to being a great cartoonist (check out his Aw Yeah! Comics in this week’s PopCult Bookshelf) but he’s also a heck of a nice guy and a master MEGO customizer. The MEGO Meet music video will include close-ups of these mini-masterpieces

Here's Art in a phot swiped from the MEGO Meet Facebook Page

Here’s Art in a photo swiped from the MEGO Meet Facebook Page

Brian Heiler's table, the author of Rack Toys. Visit his website, Plaid Stallions for tons of retro coolness

Brian Heiler’s table, the author of Rack Toys. Visit his website, Plaid Stallions, for tons of retro coolness

A table with lots of Brick Mantooth

A table with lots of Brick Mantooth

Laser MEGO had tons of cool custom pieces and diorama accessories

Laser MEGO had tons of cool custom pieces and diorama accessories

Random Axe, as usual, had folks drooling over their sweet custom figures

Random Axe (AKA Scott Pierce) , as usual, had folks drooling over h sweet custom figures

Also at the Cast A Way table, vintage Action Jackson and brand new Zica Six Million Dollar Man figures

At the Cast A Way table, vintage Action Jackson and brand new Zica Six Million Dollar Man figures

Henshin X, Cast A Way's surprise new product, was one of the coolest developments at MEGO Meet. The 12" Henshin Cyborgs are clear robotic /organic hybrd figures, and are cousins to the Micronauts. Seeing (and buying) them in MEGO scale was really cool.

Henshin X, Cast A Way’s surprise new product, was one of the coolest developments at MEGO Meet. The 12″ Henshin Cyborgs are clear robotic /organic hybrd figures, and are predecessors to the Micronauts. Seeing (and buying) them in MEGO scale was really cool.

Our first glimpse of the Cast A Way Toys/Zica table

Our first glimpse of the Cast A Way Toys/Zica table

The amazing Dida Display carrying cases/display cases for MEGO scale figures...

The amazing Dida Displays carrying cases/display cases for MEGO scale figures…

Even Brick Mantooth gets into the act. Dida Displays is the brainchild of Scott Adams, one of the masterminds behind The MEGO Museum

Even Brick Mantooth gets into the act. Dida Displays is the brainchild of Scott Adams, one of the masterminds behind The MEGO Museum

DC's Hall of Justice...

DC’s Hall of Justice…

A great mad scientist lab/monster castle

A great mad scientist lab/monster castle

This Star Trek display area is just epic

This Star Trek display area is just epic, Dida Displays is doing incredible work

Charleston's top MEGO customizer, Tony DiTrapano, with a Dida Display Star Trek bridge that's still not big enough to hold all of his Star Trek customs

Charleston’s top MEGO customizer, Tony DiTrapano, with a Dida Display Star Trek bridge that’s still not big enough to hold all of his Star Trek customs

RFC production Assistant and local rock icon, Lee Harrah, hamming it up with DiTrapano's table

RFC production Assistant and local rock icon, Lee Harrah, hamming it up with DiTrapano’s table

Tony's custom Leonard Nimoy, as a civilian

Tony’s custom Leonard Nimoy, as a civilian

A peek into that over-crowded bridge

A peek into that over-crowded bridge

More of Tony's creations

More of Tony’s creations

Giant Man cradling a leetle monster

Giant Man cradling a leetle monster

It's the table full of customs for the big MEGO Meet Auction...photo # 4

It’s the table full of customs for the big MEGO Meet Auction…photo # 4

It's the table full of customs for the big MEGO Meet Auction...photo #3

It’s the table full of customs for the big MEGO Meet Auction…photo #3

It's the table full of customs for the big MEGO Meet Auction...photo #2

It’s the table full of customs for the big MEGO Meet Auction…photo #2

It's the table full of customs for the big MEGO Meet Auction...photo #1

It’s the table full of customs for the big MEGO Meet Auction…photo #1. We counted them backwards

We wind up our photo essay with the MEGO Meet group photo, taken in front of The Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum, and swiped from the MEGO Meet Facebook page.  The MEGO Meet music video is coming this weekend.

We wind up our photo essay with the MEGO Meet group photo, taken in front of The Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum, and swiped from the MEGO Meet Facebook page. The MEGO Meet music video is coming this weekend. I’m in there, somewhere.