Star Trek: Khan :EMCE Toys

The 8″ Khan figure was exclusive to Hastings and the Toronto-based Comic store chain Planet-X, which still lists them for sale on their site.

Headsculpt: James Brady

Outfit: Dave McCormick

Card Artwork: Harold Shull

Produced by Diamond Select Toys and EMCE Toys.

Figure Origins:
The Khan action figure is a really great example of fans doing amazing work.

The original sculpt was then by Mego Collector James Brady, who at the time used the MegoMuseum forum handle “Captain Dunsel”. As he explained in our CustoMego section, this was his first attempt at a human sculpt, having tackled aliens previously.

See more of the McDunsels in our CustoMego section

“Now that I was sure I could sculpt in Mego scale… I was ready to try a human likeness. And, as with a lot of Mego lines, I noted that their Star Trek line lacked good villains… thus, the ultimate remedy the villainy-wanton: Khaaaaaan! Khan is the first of my custom figures to sport a handmade costume by Dave McCormick. By this time, my customs had caught Dave’s eye… we discussed my plans to make more Trek customs—and his ability to outfit them. As such, Khan marks the beginning of a long line of collaboration between Dave and me, which would later be called “the McDunsels”.

The McDunsels were a very popular collaboration that offered small runs of figures, heads (painted or unpainted), and suits, all ready to package from your favourite box or card maker. They literally looked like authentic 1970s Mego figures.

So, no surprise that when EMCE toys founders Paul Clarke (Dr.Mego to collectors) and Joe Sena teamed up with Diamond on the Star Trek series, they not only enlisted Mego’s Marty Abrams and original packaging artist Harold Shull but also Brady and McCormick for multiple toy projects over the years.

Mego Trivia: The EMCE Khan uses a black Mego Robin Belt, likely the choice Mego would have made in 1976. The body is also a Mego Type 2 Star Trek figure, which is another logical assumption.

EMCE did not use McCormick’s work for this particular endeavour; Clarke used a vintage Mego Action Jackson frogman suit that had been cut down.

The late Harold Shull was Mego’s former art directed and painted the original Mego Star Trek Aliens card back, you can read the Mego Museum interview with him here.

The 2008 release was sadly never repeated.