These have been practically with me nearly all my life, and i'm 50 now... awesome line of figures, sorely missed. Very surprised they have not made a comeback this century... fabulous videos, thank you.
My all time favorite toy growing up! You could do almost anything with those figures. Pose them in almost any position as a human being. My cousin and I would hang thread throughout my basement and have the figures zip line from place to place. Their hands a flexible wrist were perfect for that.
I had all of the vehicles, city, figures, etc. Me and my bro had a blast playing with these. We made Loc Bloc forts and had plenty of wars in the living room. Good times.
I was a whippersnapper when these came out and I was Big Time into Star Wars action figures. I was blown away when I first saw these. You're exactly right, they were WAY ahead of their time. I remember them looking very shiny, robotic and futuristic. The fact that they were transparent or translucent made them even more hyper modern. I was very struck by them, but I was way too destructive to have them for long. The Star Wars action figures were much more robust, and I destroyed all of my Star Wars stuff sadly. The micronauts never had a chance in my anxious little hands!. I specifically remember my half decade older cousin Scott having a little collection, showing them off to me and my older brother and making sure I didn't touch a one! LOL. I'd love to collect a set though and put them in a display somewhere. Probably far too expensive though
I had about 12 Time Travelers, 2 Galactic Warriors with the guns, a Galactic Defender and a Space Glider. I also had the Galactic Cruiser, Battlecruiser (the big white thing), Ultronic Scooter and an Astro Station. They were a fantastic toy, I got them between 77 and 80 and they all had firing rockets. I only ever broke one arm on one figure, and my father fixed it by using superglue and using a piece of drinking straw for a splint. He referred to it as a 'rough field repair' and painted the sleeve a funny colour to make it stand out. One of my top three favourite toys pf all time.
The original Time Travellers also came in solid colors. I have a solid red and solid yellow (non transparent) from 1977. The metal Space Glider and Galactic Warrior were actually more breakable than the plastic Time Travellers and did not have a screw in the back to change out the rubber 0-ring (they were riveted). You're right about this line being ahead of it's time. Star Wars had 5 points of articulation and were pretty basic with sculpting. These guys were intricate and had etching of wiring diagrams behind the removable chestplate (on the figures). I have the whole series and they are my absolute favorite toys from that era.
I love my Micronauts collection! Such a weird,but cool toy line. I never understood how there were so many good guys,but only a few villains. But how they interconnect and create hundreds of variations was awesome!
@Neb6 Agreed. Emperor is awesome. By late Phase II, I was into BMX more, and stopped collecting toys, as i lost interest. I remember thinking the reptile/animal characters & vehicles were kinda cheesy, but now, as an older collector, i own them all of course! Lol
I remember buying these in my small town general type store. They had a great toy section. It's a shame these types of stores basically don't exist anymore.
When I was a kid I collected Star Wars toys but I played with Mego, I loved their 8 inch line and in my opinion they were one of the best toy manufactures of the 70's.
It took me 40+ years to get the figures I wanted - Acroyear, Cosmic Defender, Space Glider, Pharoid, and all four translucent Time Travellers. They're still absolutely astonishing and, simply viewed as objects, completely beautiful. The first Time Traveller I saw, was one I found on the pavement, not far from where my Nan lived, in Ongar. It was an orange one, which I gave to my kid brother, who was with me. He was absolutely smitten with it, and played with it incessantly. I like the detail revealed when the chest unit is removed - there are wires and junction boxes moulded on the figure's chest.
This video takes me back...I remember having a few of these as a kid (I was born in '84, so I have no idea what they were doing on store shelves when I was about 3...maybe they were Cosmo-Man?) and I'd break them almost instantly. Pretty sure if I looked hard enough, I'd find their hands and feet somewhere around the house. I went decades without knowing what they were, and here they are! Thanks for sharing!
My first "Micronaut" was a yellow rebranded Cosmo-man. As I kid I always wanted Micronauts but no place in town sold them for some reason even though they were still being produced.
redskinStu Thank you!!... I was trying to remember the name of my Shogun Warriors... I loved those things, but I broke those giant bastards too... I broke all my s*** 😰😭
Before Kenner finally released their Star Wars line of figures, my yellow Time Traveler and a small vacuum tube (valve) served as my C-3P0 and R2-D2. Lol!
Loved the Micronaut line when I was a kid ... had the Galactic Cruiser, some of the smaller vehicles, the Hydro Copter, and the Star Cruiser. Went well with me Star Wars figures. Hasbro has re-issued some of the figures and I snagged a set on-line. Just wish that they would do a general release of these.
Just a couple of notes on Micronauts: There were 3 (you could possibly argue 4) chest plate colors... the silver plate was technically only used on the Inter-changeables Cosmo-Man, so I am not counting it. There was an orangey-gold, a blue, and a yellow-gold. The yellow-gold was sometimes tinted kind of greenish, so you could argue that it was a 4th color. Also, late in the series, Mego release 4 TT’s in opaque colors... Red, Lt Green, Yellow, and a Lt Blue.
I recall going to a toy shop with my Ma and seeing Han Solo but she insisted I get a Micronaut (clear) . They were the better figures. The pieces above the feet on Micronaut figures are best referred to as "spats".
Thanks I'm going to see if I can find mine as I think many broke back in the day. I really liked the Alien with glow in dark head but left it too close to lamp charging it so caught fire heh. I mostly remember the Pharoids as they came in those Coffin things. I'll be surprised if I can find all the bits along with pieces heh. Longest time I had no idea what these things were called or Eagle Force. I think because of where I lived Mego was pretty popular even when it went under. This was like their answer to Star Wars but I don't think it ever quite caught on. I never really understood them or what the story was. I've been trying to find stuff to jog my memory like the Hornetroid I'm pretty sure I have or had if not played with it heh.
They were brilliant, but here in Northampton the only figures available were Time Traveller and one shop got a batch of Pharoids which seemed like a gift from the Gods. Never saw an Acroyear in the flesh for instance.
I had a couple of these, they were great to play with. I also had a couple of the Metal Man action figures. I enjoyed playing with those as well. Have you had any dealings with them?
I used to love these figures, and I still do! The first memory of them was being advertised on the back of the official Star Wars Marvel published 'Making of' magazine. It showed a Biotron toy ( with its head on backwards as I found out when I got it!) and a Time Traveller figure with it. Right, I'm in! The tooling and articulation was way ahead of its time but ,as you say, fragile... How many did I get and carelessly broke? Lots. They were, what? About 99p at the time? Pocket money fodder! I hated that we couldn't get Acroyear or any other of the figures we knew were available in Richer Places...bloody 70s cherry picking! You had to go to France or some other European country to get them! I was 11 to 13 years old! Not exactly minted...for toys the late 70s were the best of times and the worst of times. Don't get me started on the Patrol Dewback or the Kenner Death Star...😁👍👋
Wasn't there also a futuristic tube city kit for these that you could build like those hamster tubes, except the Micronauts would ride in tube vehicles that would zip through the tubes? I remember I wanted that so bad for Christmas in 1978 or 1979 but didn't get it and I am still somewhat bitter about it to this day.
As a very young tyke, I never understood why the Time Travelers came with those little angled tubes. If you only had a Time Traveler and nothing else, it didn't provide much context. I remember fiddling with it and thinking that it must just serve as a way to hold the figure from behind, but that certainly didn't provide a lot of excitement. The directions on the back card didn't really help me out, either. I probably ended up misplacing them ot throwing them away. In any case, years and years later, I now know their intention, but just a little too late.
Apologies for being rather late to the party, but I have a 1980-ish vintage Time Traveller that is solid yellow, not the transparent lucite of the original lineup. I have it sitting in front of me as part of my nerd-desk this very moment. Is this rare? I'm certain it's a legitimate Micronaut, not a later-era knock-off as I bought it (age 10) in 1980 or thereabouts at the same time as I bought Cerberos, Lobros and...the other alien guy. The centaur guy. I'd appreciate any views on this.
i had some of these when i was young, and a big white ship that you could take the wings off and they were guns that shot red torpedo type things.... wish i still had them, dont know what happened to them. would love to buy some more.... do you know the best place to find them?
They were the reason I never ever bought any of the Star Wars action figures. In comparison the Star Wars figures were cheaply made - not posable other than as a stiff stick figure.
I know this video is six years old now but can you tell me what size o-ring these guys use? I have a Pharoid that's in really nice shape but his rubber band is really loose. Thanks.
Grrrr. Who were the bigger ones....the black and white knight/horse guy and the armored guy with wings??? I can't remember there names, going to have to look for my comic books.
artistic amnesia :Realize this is half a decade late but I noticed no one ever ID'd "the armored guy with wings" for you. If you're still wondering (or care) I believe you're referring to Acroyear. If you already knew, or don't care any more...um, never mind.
Hello friend! My name is Louie better known as Thejunkjunkie. You say that there were only four figures to the set but I somehow acquired a fifth figure! Now the one I have is all metal even his boots. He has a gold chest plate and a metallic green suit. Legs and arms are chrome color and the head is like a pure silver color. When you move the arms his head sorts of moves up and down. I have never seen this figure so I believe it might be the prototype or something. On the back of his butt it says “Mego Corp 1976 Hong Kong” and “pat pend” really small above the circle on his back. Again I have no clue about this figure but I don’t believe it was released to public. His in near mint condition but no accessories. I would really like to know what you think. He would make a great addition to the released set. Please get back to me. Thank you and take care
+Thejunkjunkie what you have is called a space glider. That is a different line from this series. I have a couple myself. So it's not a prototype or that rare. Sorry.
The yellow Time Traveler was my first Micronaut. DAMN I thought it was the coolest thing ever and I was hooked on these things from that moment.
Orange was my first, and is still my favorite.
These have been practically with me nearly all my life, and i'm 50 now... awesome line of figures, sorely missed. Very surprised they have not made a comeback this century... fabulous videos, thank you.
There was a 2002 Palisades re-issue, search for that - all sorts of variants.
Also a special limited release by Hasbro in 2016.
@@mickeythompson9537 thanks for that, much appreciated!
I loved my Micronauts collection when I was 11 years old!
These were the coolest little guys around at the time. So Tech. And futuristic. Loved the Micronauts 💯
I played with these constantly and loved them! Now I want Micronauts.
My all time favorite toy growing up! You could do almost anything with those figures. Pose them in almost any position as a human being. My cousin and I would hang thread throughout my basement and have the figures zip line from place to place. Their hands a flexible wrist were perfect for that.
I had all of the vehicles, city, figures, etc. Me and my bro had a blast playing with these. We made Loc Bloc forts and had plenty of wars in the living room. Good times.
I was a whippersnapper when these came out and I was Big Time into Star Wars action figures. I was blown away when I first saw these. You're exactly right, they were WAY ahead of their time. I remember them looking very shiny, robotic and futuristic. The fact that they were transparent or translucent made them even more hyper modern. I was very struck by them, but I was way too destructive to have them for long. The Star Wars action figures were much more robust, and I destroyed all of my Star Wars stuff sadly. The micronauts never had a chance in my anxious little hands!. I specifically remember my half decade older cousin Scott having a little collection, showing them off to me and my older brother and making sure I didn't touch a one! LOL.
I'd love to collect a set though and put them in a display somewhere. Probably far too expensive though
So great, these things couldn't look more 70's
These were my favorite toy back in the 1970s. I played with them more than I played with star wars stuff -& I had an ATAT. !! :)
I had about 12 Time Travelers, 2 Galactic Warriors with the guns, a Galactic Defender and a Space Glider. I also had the Galactic Cruiser, Battlecruiser (the big white thing), Ultronic Scooter and an Astro Station. They were a fantastic toy, I got them between 77 and 80 and they all had firing rockets. I only ever broke one arm on one figure, and my father fixed it by using superglue and using a piece of drinking straw for a splint. He referred to it as a 'rough field repair' and painted the sleeve a funny colour to make it stand out. One of my top three favourite toys pf all time.
The original Time Travellers also came in solid colors. I have a solid red and solid yellow (non transparent) from 1977. The metal Space Glider and Galactic Warrior were actually more breakable than the plastic Time Travellers and did not have a screw in the back to change out the rubber 0-ring (they were riveted). You're right about this line being ahead of it's time. Star Wars had 5 points of articulation and were pretty basic with sculpting. These guys were intricate and had etching of wiring diagrams behind the removable chestplate (on the figures). I have the whole series and they are my absolute favorite toys from that era.
These are one of my favorite vintage action figures, I have all 4 myself!
+My Cool Nostalgia They are very cool. My Micronauts and Microman collection is really starting to grow now.
My Cool Nostalgia
I'm jealous
I was born in 78, and did not grow up with these toys. but since reading the IDW comic, I am in love.
Culver Nile
1969 here... the perfect age to destroy these things 😒😞
I wish I still had mine. I had the clear one,and the yellow one back in 1978.
I love my Micronauts collection! Such a weird,but cool toy line. I never understood how there were so many good guys,but only a few villains. But how they interconnect and create hundreds of variations was awesome!
@Neb6 Agreed. Emperor is awesome. By late Phase II, I was into BMX more, and stopped collecting toys, as i lost interest. I remember thinking the reptile/animal characters & vehicles were kinda cheesy, but now, as an older collector, i own them all of course! Lol
I remember buying these in my small town general type store. They had a great toy section. It's a shame these types of stores basically don't exist anymore.
When I was a kid I collected Star Wars toys but I played with Mego, I loved their 8 inch line and in my opinion they were one of the best toy manufactures of the 70's.
It took me 40+ years to get the figures I wanted - Acroyear, Cosmic Defender, Space Glider, Pharoid, and all four translucent Time Travellers. They're still absolutely astonishing and, simply viewed as objects, completely beautiful. The first Time Traveller I saw, was one I found on the pavement, not far from where my Nan lived, in Ongar. It was an orange one, which I gave to my kid brother, who was with me. He was absolutely smitten with it, and played with it incessantly.
I like the detail revealed when the chest unit is removed - there are wires and junction boxes moulded on the figure's chest.
I knew you made a video of Micronauts!! I loved those as a 10 year old..
Me too!
This video takes me back...I remember having a few of these as a kid (I was born in '84, so I have no idea what they were doing on store shelves when I was about 3...maybe they were Cosmo-Man?) and I'd break them almost instantly. Pretty sure if I looked hard enough, I'd find their hands and feet somewhere around the house. I went decades without knowing what they were, and here they are! Thanks for sharing!
They also made them in solid color plastic called the Opaque time travelers. They usually cost close to 100 each on ebay.
My first "Micronaut" was a yellow rebranded Cosmo-man. As I kid I always wanted Micronauts but no place in town sold them for some reason even though they were still being produced.
Wow, these videos really bring back memories! Nice job.
Loved Micronauts, only had a few as a kid. Were hard to find in rural Canada. Shogun Warriors too.
redskinStu
Thank you!!... I was trying to remember the name of my Shogun Warriors... I loved those things, but I broke those giant bastards too... I broke all my s*** 😰😭
Shoguns
were awesome too,. Had both. Both pretty tech for there time
Before Kenner finally released their Star Wars line of figures, my yellow Time Traveler and a small vacuum tube (valve) served as my C-3P0 and R2-D2. Lol!
I had a load of these with the big space station with arms when i was a kid👍
Ahead of their time for sure. Recently aquired an original boxed acroyear. Wasn't cheap but these figures were magical pre star wars
Loved the Micronaut line when I was a kid ... had the Galactic Cruiser, some of the smaller vehicles, the Hydro Copter, and the Star Cruiser. Went well with me Star Wars figures. Hasbro has re-issued some of the figures and I snagged a set on-line. Just wish that they would do a general release of these.
From memory, my first Micronaut was the blue TT with the triangle chest piece.
used to love micronauts the most i liked all the parts taking things apart and putting them together all my toys were like that
I totally dig these thangs, they're awesome...🤘🏼💯✔️
Just a couple of notes on Micronauts: There were 3 (you could possibly argue 4) chest plate colors... the silver plate was technically only used on the Inter-changeables Cosmo-Man, so I am not counting it. There was an orangey-gold, a blue, and a yellow-gold. The yellow-gold was sometimes tinted kind of greenish, so you could argue that it was a 4th color.
Also, late in the series, Mego release 4 TT’s in opaque colors... Red, Lt Green, Yellow, and a Lt Blue.
I recall going to a toy shop with my Ma and seeing Han Solo but she insisted I get a Micronaut (clear) . They were the better figures. The pieces above the feet on Micronaut figures are best referred to as "spats".
I'm here because I didn't get the reference on Robot Chicken, but dang these look so awesome!
My first action figure was a micronaut. Lost him, but still have some accessories. Great review.
That's a shame. Got these off ebay recently to replace mine.
So far ive got two complete time travelers! One clear and one yellow! Working on a blue one next! He needs a waist/ chestplate /and a foot!👍
OMG! I had the red one with the sarcophagus!!!
I used to own just about the whole set when I was a kid.
Thanks I'm going to see if I can find mine as I think many broke back in the day. I really liked the Alien with glow in dark head but left it too close to lamp charging it so caught fire heh. I mostly remember the Pharoids as they came in those Coffin things. I'll be surprised if I can find all the bits along with pieces heh. Longest time I had no idea what these things were called or Eagle Force. I think because of where I lived Mego was pretty popular even when it went under. This was like their answer to Star Wars but I don't think it ever quite caught on. I never really understood them or what the story was. I've been trying to find stuff to jog my memory like the Hornetroid I'm pretty sure I have or had if not played with it heh.
Interchangables Cosmo-man came out in opaque colours
They were brilliant, but here in Northampton the only figures available were Time Traveller and one shop got a batch of Pharoids which seemed like a gift from the Gods. Never saw an Acroyear in the flesh for instance.
Played with mine till it fell apart. At least the Later Palisades was a tribute not a debasement...
I still have mine!
Scott F.
Me want!!
Also, in May, Microman are coming to England....
+mike harvey Are they? In what form?
mike harvey
Only four decades behind... Not bad 😉
I used to have a full set of these back in the late 70’s. Where they went, I haven’t a clue :-(
Intresting first igetn them in the hand i had gues that a test dummy toy ,and as i told i find then realy spooky toys.
I used to have a bunch of these figures and some of their vehicles, but I would lose parts off these all the time.
sgf129 A very common problem. Makes them hard to find these days.
I had a couple of these, they were great to play with. I also had a couple of the Metal Man action figures. I enjoyed playing with those as well. Have you had any dealings with them?
Makes me wonder what ever happened to my old rocket tubs. Makes me sick to think my Mom probably threw them away 30 years ago.
It was the cheapest one at around $1-2. Small acroyear was a more solid and cool looking one.
I used to love these figures, and I still do! The first memory of them was being advertised on the back of the official Star Wars Marvel published 'Making of' magazine. It showed a Biotron toy ( with its head on backwards as I found out when I got it!) and a Time Traveller figure with it.
Right, I'm in! The tooling and articulation was way ahead of its time but ,as you say, fragile...
How many did I get and carelessly broke? Lots. They were, what? About 99p at the time? Pocket money fodder! I hated that we couldn't get Acroyear or any other of the figures we knew were available in Richer Places...bloody 70s cherry picking!
You had to go to France or some other European country to get them!
I was 11 to 13 years old! Not exactly minted...for toys the late 70s were the best of times and the worst of times.
Don't get me started on the Patrol Dewback or the Kenner Death Star...😁👍👋
Great review, do you know where I can get a clear blue right arm and hand from?
Wasn't there also a futuristic tube city kit for these that you could build like those hamster tubes, except the Micronauts would ride in tube vehicles that would zip through the tubes? I remember I wanted that so bad for Christmas in 1978 or 1979 but didn't get it and I am still somewhat bitter about it to this day.
There was indeed. I've not got that set yet, but it looks great fun.
i used to bug my mother every xmas to buy me some micronauts...1974
I had these long ago. There's a green one on the packaging. Where he at?
I used to have some of these but I'd completely forgotten that I had one of the 'Photon Sleds' too! Thanks for the reminder :-)
Yay, Dave!
As a very young tyke, I never understood why the Time Travelers came with those little angled tubes. If you only had a Time Traveler and nothing else, it didn't provide much context. I remember fiddling with it and thinking that it must just serve as a way to hold the figure from behind, but that certainly didn't provide a lot of excitement. The directions on the back card didn't really help me out, either. I probably ended up misplacing them ot throwing them away. In any case, years and years later, I now know their intention, but just a little too late.
I always assumed those white tubes were mini jets!?🤔 So they could float/ hover!?
Imho, these were the best toys of the time.
Best toys next to Star Wars, back in the day. Do you think the next Ant-Man movie features them from the trailer?
Apologies for being rather late to the party, but I have a 1980-ish vintage Time Traveller that is solid yellow, not the transparent lucite of the original lineup. I have it sitting in front of me as part of my nerd-desk this very moment. Is this rare? I'm certain it's a legitimate Micronaut, not a later-era knock-off as I bought it (age 10) in 1980 or thereabouts at the same time as I bought Cerberos, Lobros and...the other alien guy. The centaur guy.
I'd appreciate any views on this.
Yeah, that's just another release of the figure. Not a classic Time Traveller.
Pharoid was just the first Alcor patient
i had some of these when i was young, and a big white ship that you could take the wings off and they were guns that shot red torpedo type things.... wish i still had them, dont know what happened to them. would love to buy some more.... do you know the best place to find them?
+titmusspaultpaul5 They come up on ebay all the time, but are often not complete. Some great toys in the line.
Hey bro, coincidentally I've a few of them in Super good condition, never unboxed before! U can WhatsApp me at +65 9679 2781 :)
They were the reason I never ever bought any of the Star Wars action figures. In comparison the Star Wars figures were cheaply made - not posable other than as a stiff stick figure.
I was one of those kids that broke them.
splo1nger
SAME!! 😒😞😢
Have you seen the metal ones?
I know this video is six years old now but can you tell me what size o-ring these guys use? I have a Pharoid that's in really nice shape but his rubber band is really loose. Thanks.
what would a set like this go for?
is there a way to tell the old from the new? im looking at some on ebay and they say hong kong, not sure if the newer ones say that or not.
Grrrr. Who were the bigger ones....the black and white knight/horse guy and the armored guy with wings??? I can't remember there names, going to have to look for my comic books.
Baron karza i think was the black one.
Toy Polloi
Yes!!!
And Force Commander was the white one.
artistic amnesia :Realize this is half a decade late but I noticed no one ever ID'd "the armored guy with wings" for you. If you're still wondering (or care) I believe you're referring to Acroyear. If you already knew, or don't care any more...um, never mind.
How did you get them to all stay standing up????
Carefully. This may be of help to you: th-cam.com/video/rxvv7cLmd8U/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUbdG95IHBvbGxvaSBtaWNyb25hdXQgc3RhbmRz
@@toypolloi That is very helpful, thank you!
ミクロマンじゃなくて コスモマンなんですね！
Would you sell a right arm and hand?
These go to 11
Hello friend! My name is Louie better known as Thejunkjunkie. You say that there were only four figures to the set but I somehow acquired a fifth figure! Now the one I have is all metal even his boots. He has a gold chest plate and a metallic green suit. Legs and arms are chrome color and the head is like a pure silver color. When you move the arms his head sorts of moves up and down. I have never seen this figure so I believe it might be the prototype or something. On the back of his butt it says “Mego Corp 1976 Hong Kong” and “pat pend” really small above the circle on his back. Again I have no clue about this figure but I don’t believe it was released to public. His in near mint condition but no accessories. I would really like to know what you think. He would make a great addition to the released set. Please get back to me. Thank you and take care
+Thejunkjunkie what you have is called a space glider. That is a different line from this series. I have a couple myself. So it's not a prototype or that rare. Sorry.
TIME TRAVELERS
These toys are so weird the more weird the toys the better all the new toys are un creative.
Old toys are always better :D Especially in Japan.
Toy Polloi
This is why I ♥️ 70s.
search facebook, microman fans....it is the end of the micro rainbow....
FYI: It's pronounced MEEGO.
John Jones he's a Brit. vowels tens to be reversed.