As the Mego Corporation continued to dominate action figure sales across the board in the early to mid 1970's they introduced a line dubbed " The Worlds Greatest Super-Knights " circa 1975 which at first seemed like they would be a hit amoungst kids and adult collectors alike.
This unfortunately wasnt the case said Neal Kublan ( Mego Corp VP of Research and Design ) as the line never made it to retail as stated during the Panel Discussion at the Megocon2004 event which took place recently in New York City. Neal Kublan went on to say that the lack of retailer interest combined with " back door " theft at the Mego Corps Hong Kong manufacturing facilty proved to great an obstacle to overcome and therefore resulted in the lines cancellation. Although many have been found over the years ( usually still in their original boxes which points to the fact that the Knights vac-metalized swords and accessories along with their highly detailed facial sculpts hit home amoungst adult action figure collectors ) the line never in fact made it to retail shelves much to the surprise of Mego collectors worldwide.
Neal Kublan also mentioned that the lack of oversight at their Hong Kong facilty made both quality control and theft a huge problem which we now know is responsible for the many variations and once thought proto-types that have been floating around for years.
The Super-Knights came in attractive window boxed packaging and sport some of the most detailed costumes and artwork that the Mego Corp produced. Ivanhoe, Black Knight, Sir Galahad, Sir Lancelot along with King Arthur were produced along with Guenevere who was planned but never came to fruition. A Knight Castle was issued as a Sears Exclusive Wizard of Oz Wicked Witch Castle. The castles interior midevil decorations really adds to the charm of the Mego Corps cost cutting ways. The reusing of existing tooling, playsets and vehicles were a staple of the Mego way which added an innocent simplicity not found in todays toys. A recently discovered Super Knights Jousting Horse was recently discovered overseas by super collector Mike Jimenez of New Jersey which helps make Mego collecting all the more exciting as one never knows what will be discovered next. The lack of a running production log by Mego execs has kept new discoveries over the years both constant and challenging.
While former Mego Corp President Marty Abrams recently stated at Megocon2004 that the Super-Knights line was considered a flop by company insiders they sure are a hit amoungst todays collectors who routinely pay prices in the hundreds of dollars for packaged specimens.
The Worlds Greatest SuperKnights continue to be sought after by todays action figure collectors which really says just how ahead of their time the Mego Corp actually was. Their " out of the box " thinking cemented their place in history as they continue to stand the test of time. |
