The Micronauts toyline hit the shelves in the 1970s and inspired the minds of many kids who spent hours creating their own sci fi adventures with the action figures.
What Is It?
In 1976, Mego (the company that had previously introduced the G.I. Joe knock-off Action Jackson line and the like-sized Star Trek and Super Hero action figures) delivered the Micronauts to the corner toy stores of the day (Toys R Us had not yet conquered the toy world at that point). This collection of 3 ¾ inch interchangeable action figures was based on the Japanese Microman series, but adapted for the U.S. market. It included action figures, vehicles, spaceships, a full city, and even a Darth Vader-like villain, Baron Karza (developed prior to the release of Star Wars), all of which inhabited their own sci-fi setting and offered hours of playtime fun.
Created By: Mego/Takara
Original Run: 1976-1980 (5 Series)
Legacy:
This toyline appeared in stores prior to Star Wars turning into a phenomenon, and it had an expansive set of characters and a rich storyline of its own that inspired the imagination of kids who played with the action figures during its initial run.
Notable Action Figures in the Series:
- Time Traveler: The basic Micronaut figure with transparent plastic and interchangeable parts, representing the core Micronaut design.
- Biotron: A large robotic figure, often paired with Time Traveler, capable of storing smaller figures in its chest.
- Microtron: Microtron was a robot figure and companion to Biotron, serving as the smaller, more compact robot in the series.
- Acroyear: A warrior figure with interchangeable parts and a distinctive helmet, representing the heroic Acroyear race.
- Pharoid: A figure with Egyptian-inspired design and wings, representing a noble space traveler.
- Space Glider: A pilot figure with a jetpack and wings, designed for aerial combat.
- Baron Karza: A villainous figure with magnetic limbs and interchangeable parts, often leading the enemy forces.
- Andromeda: A centaur-like robotic steed for Baron Karza, made from a combination of human and horse figures.
- Force Commander: The heroic counterpart to Baron Karza, featuring similar magnetic interchangeability and design.
- Hydra: A multi-armed figure representing one of the more alien and monstrous Micronauts, with numerous appendages for battle.
- Repto: A reptilian villain with a sleek design and articulated limbs, known for its intimidating appearance.
A Closer Look:
Back in an era long past, when kids were not perpetually distracted by high-def animated characters running across video screens, they actually did the unthinkable: they played with toys! And for young sci-fi fans, it didn’t get much better than Mego’s Micronauts. Here was an ultra-cool set of action figures and accessories that could give any kid hours of fun creating futuristic settings and cosmic wars. This was pre-Star Wars, so there was almost nothing else like it to be found in the toy stores. You had the good guy known as Time Traveler along with his companions Biotron, Microtron, Space Glider, etc. Then you had the evil Acroyears and their leader Baron Karza. Then there were all those cool vehicles and spaceships like the Galactic Cruiser and the Photon Sled, and an entire city as well (Mega City)! The figures and vehicles had fully interchangeable parts, so you could make up your own characters and vehicles as well (the wonder: a child using his or her imagination!). There were tons of Micronauts characters and accessories that came out during the line’s original five-year run, and if you were one of those few kids who managed to collect them all (some were very hard to find in the stores, and there was no internet to hunt them down), then you had a mega-collection of sci-fi fun (and it’s worth a mint these days)!
This toyline came out at a time when there were restrictions on merchandising linked to television aimed at younger viewers, so there was no television series to support it (those restrictions would go away in the 1980s, leading to He-Man, G.I. Joe, Transformers, and more). But Marvel did put out a comic book series in 1979, which actually outlasted the toys, and it was quite good in its own right (watch for an upcoming post on that one).
Sadly, even though the Star Wars boom should have helped the sales of the Micronauts toys since both were science fiction lines, the products linked to the George Lucas movie ended up acting as heavy competition. And Mego was struggling by the turn of the decade, so the Micronauts line was eventually dropped. But over five years and five series of releases, the toys amassed quite a collection, and they are still fondly remembered by those who played with them when they were first released. You can still find them today in the collectables market, but they are fetching pretty high prices, especially if they are in good condition.
Revivals:
In 2002, Palisades Toys bought the rights to the Micronauts and proceeded with a line that would reproduce the original characters. Since the vintage molds did not exist anymore, they solicited collectors to donate characters to reverse engineer new molds. However, the work that was farmed out to produce the actual toys generated sub-par reproductions and resulted in mass returns. The company attempted to redeem itself with two additional series of higher-quality toys, but retailers refused to carry the line anymore.
In 2005, SOTA Toys announced a redesigned line and premiered prototypes at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con. But this line, which would have produced larger 6-inch versions of the characters, never surfaced. Since then, Hasbro has purchased the rights to the property and announced plans in 2009 to revive the Micronauts line in conjunction with a proposed J.J. Abrams movie that had Zombieland’s Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick attached as writers. That production stalled, and later Hasbro announced plans for a shared universe that would also include G.I. Joe, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, M.A.S.K., and Rom. Dean DeBlois (How to Train Your Dragon) was announced as writer and director for a Micronauts film, but nothing has come from that yet.
Should They Be Rebooted?
Yes. The Micronauts were a great toyline, and perhaps kids today would appreciate a revival of the products. Sure, the younger generation does not play with toys as much, but there are still plenty of other action figures selling well these days, and the interchangeable aspect of the Micronauts might make them unique enough to stand out (and those of us who bought the original toys would likely pick them up as well). Ultimately, that will probably require the movie to start moving forward to generate interest in the toys, or perhaps an animated series linked to the property. But without that additional exposure, I doubt we will see the Micronauts toys return to the shelves.
Interesting Facts:
The Micronauts were some of the first action figures with magnetic features. Some of the toys, like Baron Karza and Force Commander, featured magnetic ball-and-socket joints, allowing for unique articulation and interchangeability of parts with other magnetic figures in the line.
A novel titled The Micronauts by Gordon Williams was published in 1977, but it had no connection to the toyline. It takes place in a future Earth where resources are limited, and scientists come up with a way to shrink people in the hopes of making food sources last longer. Allegedly, George Lucas was considering adapting this to the big screen at one point, but that never happened.
Read More About the Toys:
Additional Links:
You can revisit the Micronauts and many other Mego lines at the Mego Museum at this link.
You can get a closer look at the Pallisades version of the Micronauts at this link.
