Mego Action Figures: A Look Back at the Iconic Toy Line of the 1970s
Get ready to rediscover the magic of the 1970s with Mego Star Trek Action Figures! If you were a child in the 70s, you probably remember the 8-inch action figures that ruled your toy box. And if you're a fan of Star Trek, you'll be pleased to know that Mego was behind the iconic Star Trek action figures that brought your favorite characters to life.
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Mego action figures were known for their intricate attention to detail, high-quality construction, and accurate representation of iconic characters. With its Star Trek line, Mego set the bar for all toy collectibles to come. The line, which was introduced in 1974, included characters from the original television series and expanded to include characters from other Star Trek series and movies.
The popularity of Mego action figures transcends generations, and the figures are still highly sought-after by collectors today. Some rare specimens can fetch thousands of dollars at auction, which is a testament to Mego's commitment to quality and its ability to capture the imagination of audiences.
Mego Star Trek Action Figures Series 1
The first line of Mego Star Trek figures featured Capt. Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy (Bones), Mr. Scott (Scottie), and the Klingon. These were later amended to include Lt. Uhura as the late, feminist-conscious addition to the first series.
These were the first 8-inch figures that Mego produced exclusively on blister cards and were not produced in boxes, as most of their figures at the time were.
The original blister cards featureds artists impressions of the five main characters rather than photos or real images. The cards feature the Star Trek logo above the bubble in white text and the characters name. The color of the characters name was later changed to match their profile circle’s color.
Generally a Type 1 body was used for the “5-face” carded figures and a Type 2 body on the “6-face” card figures.
The five original figures were also available in a rare U.S.S. Enterprise Gift Set which is extremely rare to find in good condition.
These Mego figures have become extremely popular among both Trek collectors and Mego collectors mainly due to the fact that they remain to be generally affordable and reasonably easy to find.
However a sizable warehouse discovery of these gems was unearthed in Canada in the mid-1980s, that lead to a drop in value that the collecting community is only now beginning to recover from, some twenty years later which has made them a poor choice for the speculator or investor but for the fan, they remain a favorite choice.
Mego Star Trek Action Figures Series 2
The following years saw many new Star Trek figures released due to the success of the initial line. One of Mego’s main priorities was to give the Enterprise crew a number of enemies to fight and so in 1975 they released a Neptunian, the Keeper, a Gorn, and a Cheron.
Although these figures were supposedly based on the TV series many of them bore more of a resemblance to the aliens in the animated series and used Type 2 bodies. Also many of the bodies used for the figures were of strange and unique colors, were of an abnormal size, or had unique, character-specific body components created for them and Mego also created new card art featuring a beautiful mountain landscape on the left with a for the Aliens series that featured a red planet and blue moon hung against a black, starry night.
These Alien figures, despite the numerous errors and inaccuracies, sold well enough to warrant three series of Trek figures featuring four or more Aliens.
Mego Star Trek Action Figures Series 3
The third series, and final series, consisted of a Romulan, a Talosian, an Andorian, and a Mugato and these are some of the rarest Mego figures produced, mainly due to a fire at Mego’s which destroyed a large quantity of the stock. A new card was also produced for this series as well as re-releasing the previous series of Alien figures on the new cards.
Mego also produced a number of accessories for their Star Trek figures, most notably an extremely-limited Enterprise Gift Set which included the original five figures (Uhura being the odd woman out) on Type 1 bodies. (“Star Trek – Mego Museum Galleries”)
Other “playsets” produced included a U.S.S. Enterprise Playset in 1975 but "Trek" fans were treated to a stand-alone Transporter Room which was produced by Mego's British associate, Palitoy-Bradgate.
Mego Star Trek Action Figures Playset
Then there was the Mission to Gamma VI Playset based on “The Apple” episode, then finally an eight-inch Telescreen Console.
Mego’s emphasis on these playsets was to provide something that was high on playability and affordability rather than on accuracy and also featured bright colors.
In 1979 Mego also acquired the license to produce figures for Star Trek: The Motion Picture .
For these Star Trek figures Mego abandoned the 8-inch scale and introduced three-and-three-quarters inch and twelve inch figures.
But these didn’t live up to Mego’s high expectations, mainly due to their inconsistencies and inaccuracies compared to the popularity of the Star Wars figures.
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PLEASE NOTE: All prices and values quoted on this site were correct at the time of publication based on the average value across several online and offline auction sites etc. The prices quoted ARE NOT an offer or solicitation to buy any figures at these prices.