Posted By Dan Greenfield on Apr 21, 2020 | 2 comments

To me, my playset…

Diamond Select Toys. Figure sold separately.

The X-Men and Mego had sort of an interesting relationship in the mid ’70s — in that there was none. As the All-New All-Different mutants were on their way to becoming huge, Mego appeared to focus on Marvel characters more recognizable to the kids: Spider-Man, Captain America, the Hulk and so on.

And by the ’80s, even though the X-Men were enormously popular in comics shops, Mego had already ceased creating new characters for the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes 8-inch line.

But that hasn’t stopped a legion of customizers from making their own Megos over the years. In addition, some years back, Diamond Select Toys answered the call with a Wolverine figure set that mimicked old-school Mego design:

Sold separately

Naturally, without a line of X-Men figures, Mego never bothered with an X-playset — so customizer extraordinaire Anthony Durso of the Toyroom has rectified that with the release of the new X-Men Danger Room “displayset.”

Dig this INSIDE LOOK:

“I haven’t read an X-Men title regularly in about 15 years,” Anthony, who is also a 13th Dimension contributor, said. “So the sweet spot for me is the ChrisClaremont/John Byrne/Terry Austin run that I originally discovered when I read a friend’s coverless copy of X-Men #111 back in 6th grade. My own purchases of the title began with #115. And even though I wasn’t able to find it regularly on the newsstand back then, it’s probably one of my favorite titles from that time period. Eventually I discovered back issues at the comic store and was retroactively introduced to Dave Cockrum’s contributions as well.

“So this Danger Room displayset is based on the fleeting glimpses, usually one, maybe two pages, we’d get before the X-Men started an adventure outside of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters,” he added. “I tried to come up with enough different gimmicks and apparatus that could fittingly be called a gauntlet. Machinery and weapons provided by Kirby, Byrne and Ditko. The front artwork is obviously the now iconic Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Gil Kane and Cockrum. I would’ve preferred something by Byrne but this seemed more impactful for the piece and was probably the right call in the end.”

So, if you’re an X-Men fan, what figures other than Wolverine could you use for this? Well, you can always have Spidey or Cap or the Fantastic Four come over and team-up with Logan. Or you could also make your own X-customs (or get your hands on any of the great ones already out there).

But there’s another use too. The set is scaled for 8 inches, but given the nature of the Danger Room, your DST Marvel Select figures or Hasbro Marvel Legends would fit in just as nicely.

Either way, it’s groovy to have a classic Danger Room for the X-Men — regardless of make or model.

In addition to this new one, The Toyroom’s sets currently include: The Fortress of Solitude (click here for an INSIDE LOOK), Lex Luthor’s Lair, the JLA Satellite, the Batcave/Wayne Foundation (click here), the 1966 Batcave, the 1966 Batgirl apartment and changing room (click here), the Joker’s Ha-Hacienda, the Riddler’s hideout (click here), the Aquacave, Captain Marvel’s Rock of Eternity (click here), the Hall of Doom, Paradise Island, the Green Lantern HQ on Oa, the Justice Society’s brownstone, Iron Man’s Armory (click here), and a Scooby-Doo haunted house — with more to come.

As I always feel compelled to point out, I don’t make a quarter 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.

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MORE

— INSIDE LOOK: The ‘MEGO’ IRON MAN ARMORY Playset You’ve Been Waiting For. Click here.

— REVIEW: Diamond Select’s Retro WOLVERINE: The Most SNIKT for Your Bucks. Click here.