INSIDE LOOK: The ‘Mego’ JUSTICE SOCIETY Playset You’ve Waited Decades For

A place to hang your Helmet of Fate…

Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-46 back cover

Hey, it’s unofficially JUSTICE WEEK — every day through Friday, we’re showing off five custom playsets from Anthony Durso’s The Toyroom.

Yesterday, it was the Bronze Age Justice League of America Satellite (click here), scaled to your fave 8-inch Mego (and Mego-like) figures. Others this week will include two versions of the Hall of Justice and the Hall of Doom. (UPDATED: Click here for the Super Friends Hall of Justice! Click here for the Hall of Doom!)

But today it’s the Justice Society Brownstone:

“This was originally a special request many years ago and it was one of the larger display cases I did before the current model,” Anthony explained. “It’s always been one of my favorites that I’ve done. When the opportunity arose for me to actually buy one back from a customer I snagged it up as (at the time) I didn’t have materials to make another. In fact, I only kept three of the many ones I’ve designed over the years (Fortress of Solitude, JLA Satellite and JSA Brownstone).

“With the new smaller display case format, this artwork had to be edited, with some sections truncated to get the most important stuff to fit,” he added. “The JSA Brownstone isn’t as iconic as the JLA Satellite or Titans Tower but it has a legacy all its own. It’s more of a clubhouse of the old guard, where members pay their dues and often hang out and go bowling together. At least that’s how I envisioned it. So it’s decorated with photos and newspaper clippings from almost every incarnation of the team. And they have a bunch of trophies too. The tech is slightly older than what you find the JLA using… black-and-white TV and reel-to-reel tape. Not a computer in sight. The Transmatter Cube (for travels to Earth-One) is about as high-tech as they get.

 

“The exterior is decorated on the front with the classic JSA image found on the back cover of Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-46 (by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano). With the sides and the back I tried to go with Jerry Ordway art as much as possible because it matches the Adams/Giordano pretty well and he’s probably the definitive Earth-Two artist for me. On the earlier, larger version of this playset there were other JSAers,” he said.

A few thoughts:

— As with the X-Men Danger Room (click here), there are were no original Justice Society members in the original Mego run (unless you repurposed Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman). But there’s now a Dr. Fate figure out there, plus more JSA characters are planned. And if you customize figures yourself, you’re, ahem, Golden.

Sold separately

— That said, the set’s 8-inch scale is certainly suitable enough if you’re looking for a home for, say, DC Direct or Mattel figures.

— In addition to the JSA Brownstone display, The Toyroom’s sets currently include: The Fortress of Solitude (click here for an INSIDE LOOK), Lex Luthor’s Lair, the Batcave/Wayne Foundation (click here), the 1966 Batcave, the 1966 Batgirl apartment and changing room (click here), the Joker’s Ha-Hacienda (click here), the Riddler’s hideout (click here), Paradise Island, the Green Lantern HQ on Oa, Aquaman’s Aquacave (click here), Captain Marvel’s Rock of Eternity (click here), the JLA Satellite (click here), the Super Friends Hall of Justice, the Super Powers Hall of Justice, the Hall of Doom, Iron Man’s Armory (click here), the X-Men’s Danger Room (click here), a Star Trek: The Animated Series Enterprise (click here) and a Scooby-Doo haunted house — with more to come.

— And as I always feel compelled to point out, I don’t make anything off this. I just love showing it all off. Each set — including case, artwork and complete assembly — is $85 plus shipping. Contact either thetoyroom@yahoo.com or you can message Anthony, who also owns Retropolis Tees, through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

MORE

— INSIDE LOOK: The ‘Mego’ JUSTICE LEAGUE SATELLITE Playset You’ve Waited Decades For. Click here.

— INSIDE LOOK: The ‘MEGO’ SHAZAM! Playset You’ve Been Waiting For. Click here.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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3 Comments

  1. I’m really digging these custom boxes that you guys are making, including this one.

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  2. I was the original requester of the brownstone and still have my original. The very first one!

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    • Where can I get one?

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