MEGO Star Trek Chekov Action Figure Review

I am a child of the 80s which means I missed out on the Mego toy line which was popular in the 1970s. I never played with any Mego figures and I knew nobody that had any so I never came across them as a child. As I got older I used to love reading Twisted Toyfare Theater in Wizard magazine which was a comedy cartoon made using action figures and Mego in particular. Because of this, I was always interested in getting my hands on some Mego action figures and today I finally have.

My wife always heads to the clearance aisle in any store she goes in which is fine by me because literally half of the toys I get nowadays she finds there including Abby and Erin from the 2016 Ghostbusters movie, the Dark Knight Returns Armored Batman, and Michelangelo from Rise Of The TMNT among other toys. Usually, it is something cool but on occasion, it's something I'm not big on, but rarely is this the case because I love toys.

Anyway the other day my wife came home from the store after work and went to sleep. She works early in the morning and I do not so she usually goes to bed before me but if she remembers something to tell me I'll usually get a text from her so she won't forget. So anyway I get a text from her that says she found a "random toy" in the clearance aisle that she forgot in the car so I head to the trunk and I find a Mego Star Trek Chekov. The way she had put it in the text I thought it would be some knockoff toy from China or from a toy line that didn't make it and the store was liquidating their remaining stock. I didn't think it would be a Star Trek action figure so I was happy.

Now before I begin I will say that this is a limited edition action figure #6530/10000 and usually I wouldn't open up a figure like this but it had some damage to the bubble on the bottom right as well as some general damage to the card. Honestly, it isn't that bad and I've paid full price for action figures that were on the shelf in worse condition than Chekov but I wanted to get my hands on a Mego figure for the full experience so I decided to open him up.

"Beam me up, Scotty!"

Before we get to the figure itself I'll mention the packaging. According to the back of the packaging, it says that this figure is in "authentic retro packaging". I don't know how Mego figures were packaged back in the day but it looks ok. I find it funny that around Chekov's head are some phrases that I guess are things he always says, you know classic lines like, "Captain!" and "The Klingons!" Personally, I'd have him say something like, "Captain! The Klingons! have the nuclear wessles!!"

Like I already mentioned I never had a Mego figure so this is my first and the packaging says it's authentic to the originals so I'll go with that. The packaging says eight inches and Chekov measures in at 7 3/4 inches so that is pretty accurate. Chekov also has 14 points of articulation including a rotating head, shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, swivel waist with joints in the hips, and knees.

Chekov is kitted out in standard away team accessories. He has a tricorder with a strap, a communicator, and a type 2 phasor. All three are molded in a pale blue plastic and they are all solid pieces so for example, the communicator doesn't open up. These are definitely low on details compared to modern toys but they look like what they are supposed to and Chekov can operate them all without too much effort. Chekov also has a black plastic belt that goes under his shirt near his waist that holds his communicator and phasor. This is the first awkward piece on this vintage figure. This belt does get the job done but it doesn't fit very well and sticks out badly on the back.

Unlike most modern action figures around this price point, Chekov has cloth clothing. This figure is a replica of the 1970s figure so the shirt is held together in the 70s style with velcro and it is ugly. There is nothing I can do to make the two pieces meet up evenly so there isn't a big gap in the back. It really looks bad to me. Add to that the Starfleet "Enterprise" delta on the front of the uniform is just a shiny sticker that looks very cheap. The shirt also has a black collar that doesn't sit right and just looks wrong. In my opinion, the uniform and belt are the worst features on this figure, it just cheapens the look and definitely dates this as a 70s figure, there is a reason they don't make action figures like this anymore.

I find Chekov had to pose as well. The shoulder joints want to pop back to their regular arms down position whenever you try to pose his arms. His hands will hold his accessories but it can be a bit of a challenge to get them to fit.

Mego Chekov, MOTUC Rebel He-Man, 1990 TMNT Movie Michelangelo

That's about it for his Mego Star Trek Chekov. I'm happy that I now have a Mego action figure and I can honestly say he will also be my last. I understand most vintage toys are popular with the people who grew up with them and when it comes to Mego I never had them, I think that instead of being a traditional action figure these Mego figures are more like Barbie dolls with changeable clothes. Star Wars really changed boy's action figures and they went from dolls for boys to action figures. As far as a historical reproduction this is a great figure but not a great modern style action figure,  just know that before picking up one for yourself. I give this Mego Chekov action figure a 6 out of 10.