Signed Liz Mitchell Action Figure

Wow!  Hard to believe it has been more than six months since my last post.  The back half of 2012 was a busy time for me at a work, and I was a bit blogged-out after spending nearly a year cataloging my Comic-Con/Oahu adventure.  But now seems as good a time as any to dive back in!

Cancer Gets LOST is an organization formed by Jo (@jopinionated) and Jay (@agentbacardi) to raise money for the National Brain Tumor Society.  They put together a webcast (with an awesome array of guests), online auction, and a fundraising event in LA.  I didn't make it out to Cali this time around, but I did watch the webcast and bid on several auction items.

One of my auction wins is a Juliet action figure signed by Elizabeth Mitchell.

I love how Ms. M put a little asterisk beside her picture on the card -- very cute!  This is my third Juliet figure which I suppose means I now own 3% of the world supply!

MegoScott's Swan Station Playset

Another special guest of The Barracks was @MegoScott. Scott is a talented artist and is a renowned Mego enthusiast; in fact Scott founded the online Mego Museum, the go-to guide for all things Mego. My association with Mego goes back to the late 1970s when my Mom bought me many of the Star Trek Mego figures, both the 8" TOS/TAS line and the 3 3/4" ST:TMP line. I first connected with Scott when I came across his Island of LOST Megos site, a place to celebrate the Mego-style LOST figures recently produced by Bif Bang Pow! Not only does Scott collect LOST Megos but he also customizes the figures and creates custom accessories. Check out his site and be prepared to be amazed. He also spearheaded a movement to encourage release of wave 2 of the LOST Megos, a campaign which happily succeeded.

As incredible as many of Scott's customs have been, there is little doubt that his greatest achievement is his recently-completed custom Swan Station playset which he proudly displayed at The Barracks. I just noticed the the Smoke Monster seems to have done a number on Kate; or perhaps it was @jopinionated! :-)


Check out the detail below, from the eerily life-like window shade, to the miniature water bottles, to the tiny DHARMA foodstuffs, to a copy of Hurley's comic book, the LOST bookshelf, the albums... Wow!

Below 2 photos courtesy PaulH

The set also features many examples of Scott's artistry including recreations of the Jack Bender hatch painting, the DHARMA station map, and beautiful original artwork all along the exterior.

Below 2 photos courtesy PaulH

In addition to the Swan, Scott also brought several of his customized Mego figures. Check out the awesome knife case and wheelchair for Locke, and the much-improved clothing on Hurley and Ben. He also super-sexified the Kate figure.

Below photo courtesy @MegoScott

I can't even imagine the amount of time Scott must have invested in the design and creation of the Swan Station playset. But I do know one thing -- it was worth it! Scott, compliments on your creation and thank you for sharing it with us.

Below photo courtesy @BonnieJGreen

Custom DHARMA jumpsuits

I purchased a few custom jumpsuits in Dharma colours from a very talented seamstress named Theressa. They'll serve as great alternate outfits for Kate, Miles, Jack, and Juliet. Until the latter three arrive I've used them to dress Ben and Kate.

The jumpsuits don't include Dharma logos and lettering so I'll need to try my hand at that one of these days.

Bif Bang Pow! LOST Mousepad

Bif Bang Pow! has a line of LOST bobbleheads and Mego-like action figures. As part of a promotion with Entertainment Earth they offered a free mousepad with pre-order. I missed out on the promotion, but picked one up later on eBay.

Lost: The Mego Years

As much as I like the McFarlane LOST figures, beyond appreciation there isn't much you can do with them. The Mego LOST figures on the other hand....

Hurley shootin' hoops at Santa Rosa.

"I can't believe they fell for the old downed-balloon-in-the-jungle routine."

This one is for you, Charlie.

15 months after escaping The Island, Kate finally agrees to a date with [spoiler alert!].

"What's this Hugo? You've decided to make lists like Jacob? No abductions, I trust. Let's see -- pepperoni, black olives, bacon... Oh, I see what you've done here."

"Sorry, dude. I just haven't had a pizza in like ... forever. Maybe we should open up a pizza joint on The Island. We can call it Pizza Hatch."

Ben's choice.

"Dude, you're such a mystery guy. So how did you get off The Island? Did you have your own sub or did you ... you know ... just beam back to civilization? 'Cause that would be way cool."

"Jack, if you're up there and, like, listening ... you're awesome, dude. And I miss you."

Jacob Mego

The enigmatic Jacob is the final wave 1 Bif Bang Pow! figure I'll be looking at. The figure is dressed in an outfit similar to his brother but this time with a white shirt, light grey pants, no belt, and no sandals.


As with his brother, the likeness can be a little tenuous. The angle below is about as good as it gets.


One feature of the entire line that has improved from Trek Mego days is the hair on the male characters. The highlights and the highly-customized hairstyles are very well done.


The sculpt also nicely conveys Jacob's zen-like spiritual vibe, so different from MIB's intense, almost manic look.


In summary, this is a solid figure marred only by a lack of fidelity to the original. Grade: B+

Man in Black Mego

The Man in Black, along with his brother Jacob, kicked off the Bif Bang Pow! line of LOST Mego back in 2010.

MIB is smartly dressed in a black shirt with laced neck, a belt, dark grey pants, and painted-on sandals. Construction is solid and he stands well.


I like the face sculpt even though it doesn't particularly resemble Titus Welliver.


The hair is well-done, the stubble works well, and the sculpt conveys the intensity of Welliver's performance despite not replicating his appearance.


Among the several reasons I like this line from BBP is the fact that it introduces first-ever figures of several characters. I'm glad MIB made the cut. Grade: B+

John Locke Mego

The John Locke figure from Bif Bang Pow made a believer out of me.


The head sculpt is spot-on and the paint-job nicely executed.


Locke's costume is a signature olive/tan cargo pant with brown T, along with removable grey footwear. And though stingy on accessories for others in the line, Bif Bang Pow! must have realized they couldn't get away with releasing Locke sans knife. It is housed in a faux leather sheath which also matches his belt.


About the only issue I have with this figure is a bit of trouble it has standing, especially when with the shoes on. I'm not sure if it is just my figure, or a characteristic of the Locke model. Otherwise it is a highly successful addition to the line. Grade: A-

Kate Austen Mego

Oh, Katerine Anne Austen, why do you cause such grief? After a very strong start with the Ben and Hurley figures, we unfortunately dial it down a notch for our favourite fugitive.

Kate's outfit reflects her typically jungle ware -- earth-tone cargo pants, white tank top, and brown footwear. The costume is OK but nothing special. The figure's legs seem out-of-proportion with the torso. The range of motion of the arms is more limited than her male counterparts. My figure also has a problem with her right arm which is a little "high strung".


I find the facial sculpt reasonably well done. The lips are a little too pursed, the eyes a tad too intense, but otherwise a nice job. For the record, I like the freckles. The molded hair looks fine, but BBP should have left a bit more clearance between the hair and shoulder to avoid interference with head and arm motion. The join between head and body is a bit awkward, and there is a noticeable colour mismatch between head and body.


About 30 minutes into our photo-shoot Ms. Austen started looking a little distracted and nervous.


Then she turned, shouted out, "I have to run!" and bolted out a side door. Some things never change. Grade: C