Micronauts

The Micronauts toyline consisted of action figures which were known for their high number of articulation points relative to other toys of similar size and scale in the 1970s. The toyline also included vehicles, robots, playsets and accessories. Many of the Micronauts toys used interchangeable connectors and ports that allowed parts to be transferred and connected between different toys.{{cite web ==History==

Takara Takara first released Microman toys in Japan in 1974 as a smaller version of their popular and 1972 Henshin Cyborg (Transforming Cyborg) line. Henshin Cyborg figures were based on Combat Joe figures—which themselves were based on Hasbro's G.I. Joe figures—with their bodies molded in clear plastic, exposing their inner workings and supposed cybernetic parts. In Japan, the Microman figures themselves were marketed as actually being cyborg entities that hailed from a fictional planet known as "Micro Earth" and disguised themselves as action figures while on Earth. Mego In 1976, Mego licensed several Microman toys from Takara and marketed the toyline in North America and other countries as Micronauts. During their initial series 1 and series 2 release, Takara produced small quantities of products in Japan before production was officially moved to Mego's facilities in Hong Kong. While much of the initial Micronaut toyline offerings were simply repackaged versions of Takara Microman equivalents, some items in the Micronaut toyline were original Mego creations that used modified and reconfigured parts from existing Takara toys. For example, the larger, magnetic action figures Baron Karza and Force Commander were re-colorings of the Magnemo Kotetsu Jeeg action figures with newly designed heads. In addition, as the Micronaut line grew in popularity, Mego expanded the line by creating whole new figures from scratch such as the "Aliens" line which included Antron, Repto, Membros, Lobros, Kronos and Centaurus. The Micronaut toyline sold extremely well for Mego. According to Neal Kublan, Mego’s Executive VP of Marketing/Vice President of Mego Research & Development (1972-1980), the line generated more than $32 million in sales for the $110 million company during one period. After Mego's 1982 bankruptcy and dissolution, the original molds for many of the toys were sold to Hourtoys/M&D Toys for their Interchangables discount toyline, other original molds were sold to PAC Toys for use in their Lords of Light toyline and even Takara produced several series 5 toys for Italian licensee/distributor Gig's i Micronauti line. When initial manufacturing of the Palisades figures was completed and the new, retro line shipped to consumers and stores, many figures were found to have defective or broken parts caused by manufacturing practices followed by the first Chinese factory. Many consumers who returned defective merchandise were inadvertently given defective replacements by Palisades. Facing these issues, Palisades developed the Series 2 figures which utilized other, more reputable factories in China, but ended up losing more money than expected. As a result, retailers were wary of carrying the new Micronauts toyline, which resulted in the abrupt cancellation of a third series which was already in development. The whole series of events contributed to Palisades’ bankruptcy in 2006. The initial series was planned to include renditions of Lobros, Baron Karza, and Space Glider. Plans changed to an online-only box set of all three characters, available on SOTA's website as smaller figures. In September 2006, SOTA president Jerry Macaluso said "the retail environment for collectibles is in the gutter right now", and many stores wishing to order the "Micronauts: Evolution" line were going bankrupt. He noted that the Palisades line "disaster…had a huge negative effect", with retailers rejecting SOTA’s upcoming series. Macaluso hoped to release the line in 2007 before SOTA's license expired, and considered funding it himself but the line was never produced. Proposed SOTA Micronaut releases Below is a basic overview list of proposed SOTA Micronauts releases. Since no products were actually produced this is simply a high-level overview of their proposed Micronaut line offerings. Hasbro In June 2016, Hasbro announced the special release of a limited edition Micronauts Classic Collection toy set. The set included three Micronaut characters: Galactic Warrior, Pharoid and Orbital Defender and featured packaging artwork by artist Ken Kelly. The set debuted at San Diego Comic-Con. Hasbro Micronaut releases Below is a basic overview list of Hasbro Micronaut toys with size/scale and release dates. Super7 In January of 2025, Super7 announced their ReAction toyline would include the first new Micronauts figures since Hasbro's 2016 limited edition Toyfair set. In January of 2025, Super7 began taking pre-orders for their new Baron Karza and Biotron figures which were released in early March, 2025. In previous versions, Baron Karza and Biotron were large figures (Karza being a "magno" figure as well) but the Super7 releases reduce their sizes to 3.75 inches for the first time. Later in 2025, Super 7 released 3.75" versions of Force Commander and Microtron. 2026 saw the release of two Time Traveler variants and a 3.75" Emperor figure. ==In other media==

Comic books Several comic book series based on the Micronaut toyline have been published by Marvel Comics (from 1979–1986), Image Comics (2002–2003), Devil’s Due Publishing (2004), and IDW (2016–2018). Cancelled film In November 2009 during an "Investor Day" event held at Hasbro's headquarters in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Hasbro's VP of Global Designs, Brian Chapman, announced the company's re-introduction of the Micronaut toyline and hinted that director J. J. Abrams’ Bad Robot was in negotiations to produce a film based on the Micronauts property. In March 2013, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick mentioned they were working on a screenplay and the film was on Paramount's list of possible productions. Wernick said that they wrote a couple of drafts with Bad Robot and their script was deviating from the comic, but described the adaptation as "cool and different". The planned project made little progress, though in November 2015, Paramount said that it was still planning a Micronauts film adaptation. That December, Hasbro and Paramount were planning a cinematic universe combining Micronauts with G.I. Joe, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, M.A.S.K. and Rom. Several writers such as Michael Chabon, Brian K. Vaughan, Nicole Perlman, Lindsey Beer, Cheo Coker, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, Joe Robert Cole, Jeff Pinkner, Nicole Riegel and Geneva Robertson-Dworet joined the writers room in April 2016. The release date was originally scheduled for October 2020, before it was pushed for June 2021. In 2019, Dean DeBlois was attached as the writer and director of the film, but the film was pulled from the release schedule in November 2020, and was presumed to have been cancelled since then. Animation In 1998, AGE, Annex Entertainment, Gribouille and Kaleidoscope Media Group planned to produce a Micronauts animated series starting with a five-part miniseries to air on the Sci Fi Channel in Fall of 1998, followed by a syndicated 26 episode Micronauts animated series for 1999, with action figures and a Marvel tie-in comic announced. The project was later cancelled. Boulder Media Limited (a then-subsidiary of Hasbro Studios) announced it was developing a Micronauts animated series in 2018, with a projected release date of 2019. 52 half-hour episodes were fully produced, with production concluding in January 2020, but as with the planned live-action movie, the series' release was quietly cancelled. There has been no official announcement regarding its failure to release or its future; executive producer and head writer Eric Rogers has stated that he has received no information from Hasbro on the fate of the show, and has speculated that it was turned into a tax write-off. Other sources refuted this, claiming that Hasbro still hoped to release the series in conjunction with a potential live-action project in the future. The entire series was later anonymously leaked onto the internet in July 2025. ==References==