Mego/ DST Combo Spotlight- Mugato

Figure Name: Mugato
Manufacturer: Mego Toys Corp. (Original), Diamond Select Toys (Reissue)



Mego released this Mugato as part of it's second assortment of Star Trek Aliens 8" figures. (sorry, no packaged picture for ya...)

The Rundown: It's time to get groovy with the hip cat who makes all the ladies swoon... Mr. Mugato- err I mean Mugatu- I mean Gumatu- Ah, nevermind. Let's just look at him in all his late 70's glory!

First, a look at the "Mugato" from "A Private Little War":



...and now Mego's version:



Wha!? What happened there!?! How did the Mugato go from an albino gorilla with spikes to the disco-lovin' dude we see before us? Seriously, this figure is such a HUGE departure from the original look that it reigns supreme in my eyes as the whackiest of all the Mego aliens, even knocking out head-scratchers like the Gorn and Talos.



Things seem to start off well at the head, with a somewhat decent likeness to the mask used in the show. He's got the big head horn and some white fur, but the bright orange color used here funks it up a bit. For some reason, he reminds me of an orange creamsicle. That actually improves my thoughts on the figure, as I do love orange creamsicles.



As your eyes pan down the figure, you are met with this sweet green shirt that all the fashionable Mugatos are sporting this year. Emblazoned across the chest is a nice black v-pattern design accentuated with reddish orange circles. Oh, and he's wearing a belt. Yep, that makes sense.



Perfectly coordinated with his shirt are the Mugato's bright red pants. Since the Mugato is normally a creature stalking hapless natives in wild terrain, the color choices would seem quite bold- but that's what the Mugato is all about: Boldness. You may have also noticed the fringe hanging from his sleeves and pants. Whether this is meant to be his fur or merely another decoration to his outfit is a mystery lost in the minds of the Mego design team, but my money is on the latter. Finally, we reach the feet. While the foot design used here doesn't seem accurate, it is at least a cool mold... I just wish they had not manufactured them in orange.



Something to watch out for if you pursue an original- The black plastic used in the belt leaves a funky stain around the midsection. I'm sure there are ways to get the stain out, but if you'd rather not deal with it there's always...



...The Diamond Select Reissue! There are a few noticeable differences here, like the slightly darker shades of material used on the outfit and the change in quality of the chest decoration, but overall it makes a nice placeholder for the original. In fact, I actually prefer the orange used on the reissue as it looks a little more like "skin" than the original.



Accessories: Aside from the outfit, the Mugato only includes his black belt. The original version is pictured up there, the reissue version lacks any kind of buckle embellishment.



So there ya go. The Mugato is one STRANGE figure. His rarity puts him pretty high on most Mego Trek collector's wish lists, but the sheer insanity of his design moves him into the oddity category for most "standard" collectors. I can't say I'd recommend this one to most folks due to his sometimes high secondary-market prices, but the reissue offers a good affordable alternative for folks that may want to add this hipster to their displays for a little bit of flashy funk variety. I mean, what other Trek figure can pull off this kind of pose and make it seem perfectly natural-



Answer: None.

-James