Vintage Mego Hall of Justice Playset

[@marionlawless]

I don't remember the translocation gimmick working when I was a kid...

[@BrickMantooth]

I've heard that a lot.

[@bio1656]

Nice playset . Mego is just amazing .

[@BrickMantooth]

agreed.

[@Yankeesjetsfan71]

I love the look of this playset, even though I have never seen one in person. I was going to say I was glad Mego didn't use any Marvel figures in the commercials by mistake until you pointed out that picture...

[@BrickMantooth]

Yeah, it's a pretty funny goof.

[@marineboy1964]

I want one And I'm in my 50s This stuff was hard to get hold of in the uk

[@t.s.180]

The only Mego playset I ever had was the Batcave...which I still have. $14.99 is about $70 in today's money. That would have been a big get on my Dad's salary at the time.

[@nosferatu-369]

The Mego Bat Cave was my favorite. The Bat Signal that came with it was really cool for it's time.

[@randyjohnson1483]

This was one of my favorite childhood toys. I played it with it so much I essentially wore it out. I'm now lucky enough to have a mint in box example and it's a piece I never plan to part with.

[@JimValley]

I had one. I don't remember the dial for the villains. I just remember sliding the various disaster scenes into place.

[@Scottyx0x]

I had this when it came out as a kid, it didn’t have the wow factor for me the trans locator chamber never really got any attention. Instead we removed the panels and used it as a view screen. Depending on the situation we could get calls from whoever we decided to stick in there close the door and act like they were communicating from another place. All time favorite playset is Fonzies Garage... So much cool goodness in one set and everything was tooled for just for that, ya got to love it

[@gaxiola1701]

Like others here, I also had the Hall of Justice playset as a kid. The translocation chamber and dial-a-disaster features were neat but I quickly learned I needed to take my time using them. It was easy for the dial-a-disaster slides to skip off the track and the translocation chamber door had to catch just right for the figure to move. I can easily believe that some plastic piece inside would be broken in current sets that would prevent the features from working. Still, it was a great companion piece and fun to take out and play alongside of Super Friends on Saturday mornings.

[@BrickMantooth]

Thanks for the info, I wondered if it frustrated kids back then.

[@VintageToyTheatre]

The 70s was all about the vinyl playsets/ carrying case. LJN did a fire station for their Emergency! Toy line.

[@NickBartolo]

I had a Bat Cave and knew a few kids that had the Star Trek playset. I didn't know anyone who owned this set though. It's really neat.

[@ismaelrodriguez6420]

My favorite Mego playset was the Star Trek Enterprise bridge, loved that transporter feature!

[@willrodgers2436]

As a kid, I never knew about the BatCave or the Hall of Justice playsets. I only had (and still do) the Wayne Foundation Playset. I was considering on maybe buying one on ebay someday, but I am glad you warned us about the non working transporter chamber. It makes me think of that Big Bang Theory episode about the Mego Star Trek Transporter that Sheldon broke easily. Just as well, I'd sooner make my own Hall of Justice interior background with various colored cardstock papers like I did for the Super Powers sized action figures. I actually put one together after I discovered a blue print for the Trouble Alert Computer and put that together. I only wish I could put together a larger size version of that computer and build the walls around it with the cardstock paper like I did for the small figures. But like you said, the Mego Hall of Justice is a nice display piece, but nothing more.

[@bobastu]

Thank you, I never had this playset as a child but I loved my Star Trek and Batman playsets. We swoon at the possibility of getting one of these now, yet I can't imagine these would be expensive to reproduce. Even for today's modern Marvel Legends figures, or Mezco 1:12. So many have moved to authentic details and accuracy, they forget the fun of just having a place to play or display their figures, not expensively cast/molded, but out of heavy duty cardboard and vinyl. Now the cardboard and vinyl would be acid-free UV protected product, destined to last and not fade. Is the loss of "toy-player children" already showcasing the death of reasonable toys? I think it is.

[@ajclements4627]

I’ve got the repro Enterprise bridge play set and really wish Mego or a licensed 3rd party could redo the Batman and PotA ones.

[@bobastu]

@@ajclements4627 I think about these types of playsets a lot. A lot of Action figure lines would benefit from interchangeable cards in a reusable vinyl sleeve. I think about the Big Jim plane looked like an airplane hangar. Now companies sell cardstock playsets that don't go together rigidly enough. Some type of hybrid would be great. I'm surprised Figures Toy Company never remade the vinyl/cardboard playsets.

[@sherrybell3924]

Very cool. Thanks for the video; excellent episode.

[@BrickMantooth]

thank you!

[@eltenda]

Epic playset

[@calvinkatt662]

I had the Hall of Justice and the Enterprise Bridge sets. Loved them. Despite that, my childhood was incomplete without a Bat Cave or a Baxter Building.

[@BrickMantooth]

Baxter Building would have been so cool.

[@Floyds_Toys]

The only Mego playset I ever had was the POTA Treehouse, as a surprise Christmas gift one year because my parents found it on clearance. Always wanted a Batcave but I got a homemade wooden Batcave complete with Wayne Manor above with a sliding bookcase and Batpoles. It even had as the Batcomputer the backing from the Robin Aurora model kit. It's disassembled in my parents basement, one of these days I oughta put it back together.

[@BrickMantooth]

You really should, that sounds awesome.

[@michaelleary9233]

That does sound cool! I had the Wayne Foundation but would much rather have had Wayne Manor, it just fit the Batman theme better.

[@richardwatts4660]

Brilliant video, very informative. I just love everything about this Hall of Justice playset, especially all the drawn 70's style computer banks, screens, etc. These and those in the Oscar Goldman / Six Million Dollar Man line briefcase just have a wonderful pre- microsoft old school charm about them. This playset and the Planet of the Apes Forbidden Zone rank as my favourites. These sets just have such a wonderfully memorable quality about them. Thanks for the video! Great stuff!

[@BrickMantooth]

Appreciate the kindness, glad you enjoyed it!

[@richardwatts4660]

@@BrickMantooth Thanks, greatly!

[@AllBreaksLoose]

I was too young and totally missed out on all these cool playsets. These had to be fun! I had a remote control batmobile though.

[@mars0395]

Even though it had nothing to do with either the television or movie series, the Planet of the Apes Treehouse is a magnificent piece

[@justafanofnerdculture7602]

I've never, ever seen one of these in person, but I'm definitely going to add one to my collection, eventually. By the way, gotta love those vintage Mego commercials! Ah...the memories!

[@BrickMantooth]

yeah they're so fun.

[@ajclements4627]

One of these days I’ll have one…

[@Gootie29]

My favorite Mego playsets were "blocks", "sandbox", "packing styrofoam", and "cardboard boxes"

[@michaelcasalta7679]

Another Great Video!!! 👍🏻

[@BrickMantooth]

thank you!

[@perello23]

Thanks for sharing!👏👏👏‼️

[@jezzalexander]

If anyone can fix one of these things it's Toy Polloi - nice shout out.

[@BrickMantooth]

I like his channel

[@JAbell1966]

Never had a single Star Trek figure as a kid but I had the Enterprise playset which was my JL Satellite.

[@raypiff1]

I had this, bought by my parents as a Christmas present via catalog, absolutely loved it, and decided to sell my long-preserved HoJ a few years back on eBay. The buyer got it for a low price, and then the USPostal Service informed me that I had underestimated the postage price. So…some buyer, somewhere, got my real beautiful Hall of Justice for less than it cost to ship it. :( My saddest collector story of all. Lady, you better be happy! Lol.

[@BrickMantooth]

Been there, sorry to hear it.

[@rorybrendonbarker1893]

Thanks! I want to get Comic Heroes playsets..

[@BrickMantooth]

they're awesome toys.

[@rorybrendonbarker1893]

@@BrickMantooth That shall be one of my goals from now! They were a bit before my time..

[@originaluddite]

The first playset includes a pop-corn dispenser with people stuck in it!

[@jchsf]

The Translocation Chamber, much like Cher’s Magic Mirror, was a super cool concept that was a bit disappointing in real life. Still a great playset, though!

[@BrickMantooth]

Yeah despite the chamber not working out, a kid would still have a lot of fun with this. I now have to see what Cher's magic mirror is all about.

[@genesanford9412]

I TOO love this stuff.

[@BrickMantooth]

The best part of making these videos is playing with this stuff.

[@arthurcummings3679]

Find memories of owning both this and the Fortress of Solitude Set. I wonder what Quality Control at Marvel, Mego and D.C.were smoking that they actually showed Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch teamed up with JLA? I can see commercials and ads for the line on the whole showing DC and Marvel side by side,but not featured in an actual product

[@BrickMantooth]

I seem to recall that all Marvel licensing back then was approved by Stan Lee's secretary, explains all the Spider-Man handguns out there. Seriously, there is 357 Magnum with Spider-Man's face on it.

[@scottmartin7645]

I never saw this outside of a Christmas catalog. Looks cool but I'd have preferred a re-designed Enterprise Bridge or Batcave as a Hall of Justice. My all-time favorite Mego playset bounces back and forth between the POTA Treehouse and the Enterprise Bridge. They play value of each was amazing. I used my Bridge as the JLA satellite, Avengers meeting room, and FF Baxter Building.

[@brunobillion3435]

Love this Playset. The problem is really with the translocation chamber rarely working correctly. Tried to get mine unstuck, but it's so difficult to access the inside of the panel. I wish there were some restoration videos available, but I haven't found any yet

[@BrickMantooth]

You're in the UK, send yours to Toy Polloi, you'll be a hero!

[@brunobillion3435]

@@BrickMantooth maybe if I had a bashed one :)

[@davidleavitt835]

I don't know if it was Mego, but I do remember the Welcome Back Kotter vinyl playset.

[@BanazirGalpsi1968]

you should see if toy paloi can fix this! also, did you see him in the iconicon interview/live stream he did with mike and tony? he is such a nice guy.

[@BrickMantooth]

Yeah, I caught a bit of that and it inspired me to start making videos again (been in a bit of a funk lately) so he was on my mind while doing this.

[@johngeraci3887]

Very cool set, never seen it at a show yet. Once again great review

[@loganjorgensen]

Quite enjoyed these looks at classic playsets, never had any 8" figures so I wondered how they managed to make that scale affordable. Very wise to tap the shoulder of comic book artists for these, so many toys featured some very average to poor artwork. I love that splash resistant use of vinyl wrapping like a school binder, genius. Those commercials are interesting too, some looks like film but some kind of cheaper stock with the sepia tone but much sharper archived quality than later day VHS rips, shame how most source footage got lost along the way.

[@Scotty-Z70]

omg...now you got me wishing for LoSH MEGO figures...we never got ONE member...i guess i'll have to wait 1000 years.

[@carlosescobar6973]

Love it

[@joemartin5669]

Favorites are the star trek bridge playset and the mad monster castle

[@Scotty-Z70]

My favorite Mego Playset is the only one i can think of that i've ever touched, but never owned: Star Trek Bridge Playset

[@blockmasterscott]

When I was a kid, I had a choice between this and the Star trek bridge set, the Hall of Justice looked underwhelming even to me as a kid, and that transporter function on the Star Trek bridge, really caught my eye. So, its a safe guess which one I chose LOL!!!!!!

[@superdavid002]

I loved the Mego figures and collected many. But the playsets were kind of expensive, so I made my own from cardboard.

[@robertleedom7600]

I love star trek bridge playset---but--- I also am very geeky for this playset too..

[@chrishight6598]

Well covered!!! Could Neal Adams have also done the artwork for Mego's Ape Village and the Batcave?

[@ajclements4627]

With FTC redoing the figures or making DC figures never released, is the cost going up for the originals, as I’ve never had a complete set of WGSH, but hope I don’t have to torture my wallet too much lol. Quick question two: If buying loose figures, say with incomplete suits or accessories, or possibly missing limbs, would it significantly alter the possible value of the figures with a mix of repro/original parts and accessories? Q3: I have always heard keep the figures on card, even for display, but does that idea still hold true? I apologize for the questions, but I didn’t know who else to ask, so thanks in advance to anyone that replies.

[@donaldwiller9238]

So cool never seen that. 😁

[@walterszewczyk9024]

The Six Million Dollar Man was a Kenner toy only? Didn,t Mego make that line too?

[@BrickMantooth]

Kenner had the master toy license. Mego didn't make any Six Million Dollar Man licensed products at all.

[@gildersleevefan67]

I had this too. Not as disappointing as the Wayne Foundation Building that constantly fell apart, but this was a little ho hum. They should have just copied the transporter room from the Enterprise outright. The Batcave that I got the year before was always the playset that I kept going back to again and again.

[@BanthaPooDoo64]

Sold mine last summer

[@darrenhood4033]

14.88 for a Mego Hall of Justice sounds expensive (for 1976) but in just 2 years the Death Star Space Station released by Kenner would be 17.87-19.99 retail. Downgrade in scale, and up goes the price.

[@thecommaking]

Where have you been??

[@BrickMantooth]

Had to take a break and I'm glad I did because I feel like making videos again.

[@alexnejako777]

I liked the smaller scale Comic Action HeroesFortress of Solitude better . the comic action heroes and everybody else would sit around the troubalert table even if their legs would not bend.

[@johngeraci3887]

POTA is my fav

[@andykelem1546]

i figured out how to fix these hall of justice to work when you slide the right side ... believeit or not its a piece of tape. i just got one and fixed it .. andy from restore america contact me ill tell you how to fix it easily

[@BrickMantooth]

I plan to do that sir, thanks for reaching out.