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66-532: The core of the Microman line consisted of 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) action figures which were known for their high number of articulation points relative to other toys of similar size/scale in the 1970s. The toyline also included vehicles, robots, playsets and accessories. Many of the Microman toys used interchangeable 5-millimetre (0.20 in) connectors and ports that allowed parts to be transferred and connected between different toys. The Microman toyline

132-577: A 2 + 3 ⁄ 4 -inch-high (70 mm) die-cast action figure toy line co-designed by Paul Kirchner and marketed in 1981-1982. Produced during Ronald Reagan 's first term as president, the Eagle Force toy line was marketed as a counter-terrorist task force, to send the message that the United States wasn't going to be "pushed around" anymore. The line was similar to Hasbro 's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero dolls. Mego acquired

198-429: A high-level overview of Takara's 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) New Microman line offerings. From 1996 to 1997, a small Japanese hobby toy company named Romando acquired a provisional license from Takara to reissue vintage Microman figures. This series was known as the Microman 21 series since the release of these reissues coincided with the 21st anniversary of the original Microman series. Action figures reissued as

264-619: A household and thus be more attractive to space conscious consumers in the Japanese market. The first 1974 series of toys was called Microman Zone and included four figures and several vehicles such as the MIC-1 Space Buggy , MIC-2 Bulk Lifter , MIC-3 Sky Roader and the M115 Conning Tower Base . Additional vehicles were sold as "Micro-Kit Machine Series" sets which required assembly prior to use. Following

330-569: A lawsuit and Mego discontinued the product. An action doll based on New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath . The 1970s toyline included Broadway Joe in New York Jets football uniform, plus additional fashions sold separately. One of Mego's first toys under Martin Adams was an original character, Action Jackson , meant to compete with Hasbro 's popular G.I. Joe line. Heavily promoted on television commercials and in newspaper advertisements,

396-502: A licensed line of Takara 's Microman figures under the name Micronauts . The 3-3/4" toy line's popularity led Marvel Comics to launch a Micronauts comic book in 1979, which ran until 1986. In 1978, Martin Abrams purchased inventor Michael J. Freeman 's toy robot, the 2-XL , which was introduced to the public and became a success. The toy was sold in different countries and was voiced in seven languages, including English. 2-XL

462-585: A microscope, watches and even guns, that could change into other forms to help Microman in their fight against the Acroyears . While the focus of the line had shifted away from the original Microman action figures, Takara released one last figure, dubbed Salam (M011) . 1984 saw the end of the Micro Change / Microman line with no new figures released that year. After seeing the success Hasbro had combining Takara's Diaclone and Micro Change lines into

528-501: A new class of figure dubbed the Titans which employed a magnetic ball/joint system that allowed for a new level of interchangeability between toys. Japanese pop-culture character tie-in toys were also released (such as Microman Jeeg , Robotman Gakeen and Robotman Mechadon ) which helped expand Takara's line beyond its own in-house characters and opened the door to greater licensing opportunities for their designs. A Microman manga

594-520: A new line of die-cast figures dubbed Super Steel Microman and a new line of "enemy" figures dubbed the Acroyears . Additionally, all figures were now identified by a new alphanumeric figure-type designation system—such as M10X , M11X , M12X , M20X , M21X , M22X , etc.—across the whole line as well being given formal, character names such as George (M101) , Jack (M102) , Jesse (M103) and John (M104) . In addition to new vehicles and figures such as Spy Magician (M13X & M14X) , Takara introduced

660-435: A new manga based on Takara's new 1998 Magne Powers & LED Powers Microman toylines drawn by manga artist Hisashi Matsumoto. This manga was subsequently compiled into stand-alone volumes and released by Kodansha Ltd. The plot focused on a school boy who receives a package that contains five small action figures that begin to move on their own and start to talk to him. They introduce themselves as Microman , hailing from

726-533: A part of the Microman 21 series were figures in the Microman Command (M15x) , Microman Command (M16x) , Microman Rescue (M25x) , Micro Knight MC-X , Spy Magician (M13X) lines of figures. In 1999, Takara produced a whole new line of Microman toys and reissued older Microman figures. The new Microman series was divided into two distinct lines: the Magne Powers and LED Powers series and

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792-479: A purveyor of dime store toys, in 1971 the company shifted direction and became famous for producing licensed action figures (including the long running "World's Greatest Super Heroes" line), celebrity dolls, and the Micronauts toy line. For a time in the 1970s, their line of 8-inch-scale action figures with interchangeable bodies became the industry standard. In 1982 Mego filed for bankruptcy , and by 1983,

858-536: A smaller plastic line of action toys called Comic Action Heroes ! that had the costumes molded onto the figure (and later adopted by Star Wars and Super Powers lines), thus eliminating the extra cost of creating the suits. The line featured Batman, Robin, The Joker, and The Penguin, as well as other DC Comics characters, and Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, Captain America, and the Hulk. Later, in 1979, Mego re-released

924-432: A solid box, but these boxes were often damaged by shoppers who wanted to see the figure inside. The design was quickly changed to a "window" style box. The WGSH line was offered from 1972 until 1983. Mego marketed various fashion doll lines designed to compete with Mattel's popular Barbie line. The company's first attempt was the 1973 "Maddie Mod" line, which included an extensive wardrobe and Maddie's boyfriend "Richie,"

990-497: Is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all classic Microman releases/variants but rather a high-level overview of Takara's 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) Microman line offerings. While a line of new Microman 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) figures were released for the 1980 New Microman line, their history was completely different from the figures that preceded them in the previous Microman line. The new line consisted of 10 Microman figures that came in molded capsules. There

1056-494: The Superman movie in 1978, which included Superman , Jor-El , Lex Luthor , and General Zod . In the early 1980s Mego produced dolls and vehicles for the popular TV shows CHiPs , Dallas , Dukes of Hazzard , and The Greatest American Hero . The Dukes of Hazzard dolls sold well, but Mego failed with its CHiPs and Dallas dolls. Always thinking of ways to reduce costs of production, in 1975 Mego released

1122-717: The Acroyears . In 1984, Hasbro acquired the license for the transforming object toys from Takara's Micro Change toyline as well as similar transforming Takara toys in the Diaclone toyline and the two were combined by Hasbro to create the Transformers toyline. Below is a table showing which Transformers were based on which Micro Change toys and their variants: In 1977, TV Magazine —a children's oriented magazine published by Kodansha Ltd. —began publishing an official, Takara approved serialized Microman manga drawn by manga artist Yoshihiro Moritou. This serialized manga

1188-774: The Microman anime series as well as the manga in Comic BomBom magazine. Soon afterwards, Takara would put all of their new Microman properties on indefinite hiatus. In 2003, Takara decided to test Microman market again with a brand new series of action figures called Microman 2003 which was aimed towards collectors and older fans. In the late 2000s, Takara expanded the overall Microman brand and Microman 2003 line to include various licensed brands, including Batman (both comic based and from Batman Begins ), Superman (both comic based and from Superman Returns ), Evangelion , Street Fighter , Godzilla , Alien vs Predator and Kinnikuman . A Spider-Man toy

1254-457: The Microman line to offset the sheer cost of producing a full line of plastic-based 8-inch-tall (20 cm) & 12-inch-tall (30 cm) figures and related playsets as well as acknowledging that basic living space is limited—and considered a premium—to most Japanese households. Smaller Microman figures would not only cost less to produce during the energy crisis of the 1970s , the line's smaller scale would also take up less physical space in

1320-481: The Microman market becoming saturated with so many unsold, variants that by 2001 Takara decided to significantly scale back the release of the Replica Microman . By 2003 the Replica Microman series continued to put out releases but only on a very limited basis and mainly through Takara's e-Hobby Shop. On December 26, 1998, Takara officially launched the Magne Powers series which was followed in 2000 by

1386-525: The Police Keeper (M23X) , Micro Knight MC-X and Cosmo Satan Arden (A35X) built on the success of prior Microman action figure releases. Takara's attempts to expand the Microman line concept with the Micro Hoodman (H70X) and construction/building playset Play Build line of toys with the large-sized Build Base playset were not well received. Lack of a positive response to the new line

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1452-618: The Replica Microman series based on the success of Romando's previous reissues under their brand name. The Replica Microman series was mainly aimed at adult collectors and older fans of the original toyline. This series launched in 1998 with the Microman Founder (M10X) series which reissued the Microman (M10X) figures. That release was soon followed by the reissue of many other classic Microman figures such as Acroyear (A30X) , Spy Magician (M14X) , Lady Command (M18X) and others. In addition to reissuing versions that adhered to

1518-508: The Transformers toyline in the U.S. market, Takara decided to end both the Diaclone and Micro Change toylines and instead focus their efforts on releasing their own Japanese versions of the Transformers . Below is a basic overview list documenting New Microman 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) action figure releases from 1981 to 1984. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all New Microman action figure releases/variants but rather

1584-426: The 1970s, began seeing release later in the year. Mego was founded in 1954 by D. David Abrams and Madeline Abrams. The company thrived in the 1950s and early 1960s as an importer of dime store toys until the rising cost of newspaper advertising forced Mego to change its business model. In 1971, the Abrams's son Martin, a recent business school graduate, was named company president. Under Martin Abrams's direction,

1650-416: The 25th Century , The Black Hole , and Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Although these lines of Mego dolls were of much higher quality than Kenner's 12" Star Wars figures, none were as successful. The widespread success of Kenner's Star Wars 3-3/4" toy line soon made the newer, smaller size the industry standard, shifting sales away from the 8" standard popularized by Mego. In the late 1970s, Mego

1716-405: The 6-inch (150 mm) format, they were produced after the 12-inch (300 mm) G.I. Joe dolls had lost their popularity and before the revival of the G.I. Joe line in 3 + 3 ⁄ 4 -inch format; they were also intended to compete with Spain's Madelman line of soldier dolls. The 6-inch (150 mm) combat line was not a success. One of Mego's final large product lines was Eagle Force ,

1782-480: The Action Jackson line included dolls, vehicles, and playsets. It was a big seller on its 1971 launch, but soon faded in popularity and was discontinued after 1974. The body design was reused for 8-inch licensed dolls. A fashion doll produced as a female counterpart to Action Jackson. The doll was not a success, but the body design was reused for 8-inch licensed female dolls. Beginning in 1972, Mego released

1848-450: The Apes action-figures, the first such toys sold as film tie-ins. 1975 saw the release of figures from Star Trek: The Original Series , which was steadily gaining fandom in syndication. The Planet of the Apes and Star Trek figures proved popular and inspired the rise of action figure series based on popular culture franchises. During this period, Mego was known for the lavish parties

1914-535: The Apes and Star Trek: The Original Series lines led Mego to produce a variety of licensed figures based on films and TV shows, including The Flintstones , Happy Days , Laverne & Shirley , Our Gang , Starsky & Hutch , The Waltons , and Wizard of Oz . Mego introduced a Lynda Carter Wonder Woman doll line in 1977. The first edition of the Wonder Woman dolls and accessories included: Mego added 12 1 ⁄ 2 -inch dolls from

1980-605: The Mego Corporation ceased to exist; today, Mego action figures and playsets can be highly prized collectibles, with some fetching hundreds, or even in some cases, thousands of dollars (depending on rarity) in the collectibles market. In July 2018, the newly-reformed Mego Corporation announced they would be producing a limited run of their classic style clothed dolls in their traditional 1/9 scale, as well as some 1/5 figures sold exclusively through Target . These dolls, which include recreations of action figures released in

2046-1021: The Mego trademark. In March 2002, they abandoned the effort. In early 2009, Martin Abrams announced that AGE had reclaimed the rights to the name Mego. Mego Corporation is headquartered in Great Neck, NY , with manufacturing facilities in China and Mexico. In July 2018, Mego Corporation premiered an exclusive line with Target stores of their classic 8 inch clothed action figures as well as several 14 inch DC Superheroes figures at San Diego Comic-Con with Joe Namath on hand to autograph his own 14 inch action figure. The Target exclusive featured three waves of figures hitting Target stores in August, October, and November. These figures were limited to 10,000 of each character. Starting in 2019, Mego has continued to work with Target and other major retailers like Wal-Mart to bring

Microman - Misplaced Pages Continue

2112-662: The United States. Takara first released Microman toys in Japan in 1974 as a smaller version of their popular 8-inch-tall (20 cm) & 12-inch-tall (30 cm) 1972 Henshin Cyborg (Transforming Cyborg) line. Henshin Cyborg figures were based on 8-inch-tall (20 cm) & 12-inch-tall (30 cm) 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. By downscaling their size, Takara sought to create

2178-424: The anime TV series was also released in 1999. A PlayStation game related to the series, Chou Jiryoku Senshi Microman: Generation 2000 , developed by Barnhouse Effect and published by Takara, was released in Japan on December 16, 1999. Mego Corporation Mego Corporation ( / ˈ m iː ɡ oʊ / ) is an American toy company that in its original iteration was first founded in 1954. Originally known as

2244-407: The classic Star Trek, monsters, celebrities, and superheroes back to store shelves and on-line. Mego created action figures from the iconic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan movie, giving fans of that 1982 classic the Mego figures they expected to see back then. Mego has also expanded distribution internationally, working with distributors in other countries to bring the magic of Mego to the rest of

2310-428: The companion LED Powers series. The Magne Powers series and LED Powers series were designed for children with brand new toy designs and a new story line which included a Microman anime series. In addition to the anime, Takara also commissioned manga serial for Comic BomBom magazine. By 2000, Takara, which was dealing with financial issues, reduced their new LED Powers series to a few dozen of toys and canceled

2376-415: The company shifted its production to dolls with interchangeable bodies. Generic bodies could be mass-produced and different dolls created by interposing different heads and costumes on them. In 1972 Mego secured the licenses to create toys for both National Periodical Publications ( DC Comics ) and Marvel Comics . The popularity of this line of 8" dolls—dubbed "The World's Greatest Super Heroes"—created

2442-471: The company threw at the annual New York American International Toy Fair . In 1975, Mego launched its Wizard of Oz film dolls with a gala whose special guests were every surviving member of the film's main cast. Mego's party at the Waldorf-Astoria with Sonny and Cher introducing their dolls drew a thousand people. Both dolls were formally unveiled on The Mike Douglas Show . The Cher doll

2508-731: The company's bankruptcy and dissolution in 1982. After Mego's demise, other toy companies such as Palisades Toys and SOTA (State of the Art) Toys attempted to revive the toyline over the years. In 1981, Takara produced a new Microman line called New Microman . A few years later in 1983, Takara launched a new Microman series within the New Microman line dubbed Micro Change . The line featured toys that were seemingly ordinary items (such as cassette tapes, microscopes, watches and even guns) that could transform themselves and "change" into other forms to help Microman in their fight against

2574-504: The first comprehensive line of DC Comics and Marvel Comics superhero and villain dolls, coining the term "World's Greatest Super Heroes!" (WGSH) as an umbrella title for all the dolls released in this line. To start the line, Mego produced Batman , Robin , Aquaman , and Superman dolls. (For the South African market, a local radio play hero, Jet Jungle , was included in the series.) The earliest dolls were released in

2640-623: The handheld devices Mini-Vid and Fabulous Fred. In 1976, Mego began producing a small collection of World War II -themed military dolls marketed in France, Italy (under the Polistil name), Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom under different names. Most of these products were branded under the "Lion Rock" name, Mego's manufacturing arm. These dolls were released in United States the early 1980s as "Johnny Action" or "Combat Man." Using

2706-453: The line under the new name Pocket Super Heroes . In 1976, Mego launched a highly successful 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch celebrity doll line. The first dolls were Sonny and Cher , with famed fashion designer Bob Mackie designing an extensive wardrobe for Cher . Farrah Fawcett , Jaclyn Smith , Diana Ross , Suzanne Somers , Captain and Tennille , and Kiss celebrity dolls followed in 1977 and 1978. From 1976 to 1980 Mego produced

Microman - Misplaced Pages Continue

2772-590: The manufacture of their stretch figures. In the fiscal years 1980 and 1981, Mego reported combined losses of $ 40 million. In fiscal year 1982, the company reported losses of between $ 18 and $ 20 million. In February 1982 the remaining staff was let go and the Mego offices were closed. On June 14, 1982, Mego filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy ; the company officially went under in 1983. In 1986, Martin Abrams co-founded Abrams Gentile Entertainment (AGE), in order to retain and manage Mego's licensing contracts, rights and deals. In October 1995 AGE attempted to reclaim

2838-585: The material deteriorating over time. The plastic used for the doll's torso reacts with the rubberized plastic used for the arms and legs. The result is a melting of the torso at those joining points: shoulder, underarm, hips, and buttocks. Even when stored carefully, this melting often results in the costumes becoming stuck to the dolls. Excessive heat from storage in hot attics or garages exacerbates this problem. The dolls' hair and eyelashes are prone to similar deterioration when exposed to high temperatures. From 1996–2011, Mego's 8-inch (200 mm) dolls, particularly

2904-416: The moulds of World War II soldiers, vehicles and landscape terrain from Louis Marx and Company , reissuing their Battleground (1980) and Navarone (1981) playsets . Mego also reissued a Prehistoric Dinosaur, Fort Apache and Galaxy Command playsets. Several different (but not all) plastic dolls made by Mego have suffered from "Mego Melt" (also known as "Mego Molt"), a term coined by toy collectors to describe

2970-563: The new Micro Change line in proper context within the larger Microman universe. The manga portion of the Microman Secret File Volume 1 contained artwork by Yoshihiro Moritou; the manga artist who created the original Kodansha TV Magazine manga in the 1970s. Hasbro's new Transformers toyline and related storyline would supersede many of the concepts and ideas presented in Microman Secret File Volume 1 . From October 1998 to December 1999, Comic BomBom serialized

3036-416: The office to show stills from the upcoming motion picture Star Wars , but no one in the office could sign the deal, so Peders visited Kenner in the same building and Kenner president Bernie Loomis was in the office and signed the deal. This decision seemed of little consequence to Mego at first, because the Micronauts figures initially sold well, earning the company more than $ 30 million at their peak. On

3102-439: The original, vintage Microman color combinations, Takara also released several newly created, limited edition color variants with new character names and designations to add to the canon of the old series As the series progressed in the 2000s Takara continued to release more Replica Microman reissues as well as even more limited edition and exclusive color variants. While increasing variety of available product, this resulted in

3168-473: The other hand, the Star Wars film was extremely popular and competitor Kenner Products sold substantial numbers of Star Wars action figures . Following Star Wars ' huge cultural impact, and Kenner's great success with its action figure line, Mego negotiated licenses for the manufacturing rights to a host of science fiction motion pictures and television shows, including Moonraker , Buck Rogers in

3234-464: The planet "Micro Earth" and were sent to Earth to help save the planet. A Microman anime adaption was created by Studio Pierrot , based on the toys and the manga created by Hisashi Matsumoto and serialized in Comic BomBom , and ran from January 4, 1999 to December 27, 1999 on TV Tokyo . The series was subsequently released on VHS and DVD by Pioneer LDC . A companion theatrical movie based on

3300-501: The standard action-figure scale for the 1970s. Mego began to purchase the license rights of motion pictures , television programs, and comic books , eventually producing doll lines for Planet of the Apes , Star Trek , and the Wizard of Oz . Mego also obtained licenses from Edgar Rice Burroughs for his creations, such as Tarzan . Beginning in 1974 Mego released the Planet of

3366-463: The success of the first 1974 Microman Zone series, Takara completely revamped and expanded the Microman concept to be a stand-alone line on its own and not merely a smaller-scale version of their Henshin Cyborg line. The former original Microman figures were now given sturdier "cybernetic feet" and all figures now contained standard 5-millimetre (0.20 in) ports which allowed for interchangeability between sets and figures. Takara also introduced

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3432-768: The superhero line, found new life in Twisted ToyFare Theater (originally called " Twisted Mego Theatre "), a humorous photo comic strip appearing in ToyFare , a monthly magazine published by Wizard Entertainment . ToyFare staff posed and took photos depicting the dolls in bizarre situations, with added dialogue balloons. The series was well known in comic book and collectors' circles for its distinctive, off-the-wall sense of humor. The popular strips were later published separately in their own collections. Mego dolls as well as similarly styled figures are used in sexually perverted adult oriented situations in

3498-582: The whole line. Takara moved away from releasing 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) figures and instead concentrated on larger-sized toys, robots and sets that all contained some sort of "gimmick" to them. Gimmicks included the Microman Punch (P.0X) figure whose arm could be wound up to "punch" and Microman Blizzard (B-X) series of figures that contained a battery-powered fan. Below is a basic overview list documenting classic Microman 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) action figure releases from 1974 to 1980. This

3564-459: The world as well. In 2020 Mego launched new waves of action figures and products with the help of Dr. Mego (Paul Clarke) to a wide audience via Target Corporation stores around the United States; Marty Abrams is greeting old and new fans at comic-cons and conventions nationwide. A toy similar to GI Joe ; so similar, in fact, that Hasbro was able to show that the toy's body had been copied directly from authentic GI Joe tooling. Hasbro threatened

3630-444: Was a revolutionary idea, combining toys and education. A lot of games were also developed for the toy. By 1981, the 2-XL's popularity had waned, and it was later discontinued. However, the 2-XL robot was upgraded and reintroduced in the early 1990s by Tiger Electronics, a US based toy company. The programs for this version were also voiced by Freeman and sold worldwide. The 2-XL was part of Mego's electronic games line, which included

3696-500: Was announced at one point and a photograph of a prototype does exist. However, the figure was never produced, and its product number was assigned to a Predator figure. In the late 1970s, the U.S. toy company Mego acquired the license for some of Takara's Microman 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) toys and released them in the United States as the Micronauts . Mego manufactured and marketed Micronaut toys from 1976 to 1980 prior to

3762-423: Was compiled into six volumes released from 1978 to 1979. Additionally, a set of 30 Menko cards featuring Moritou's manga versions of Microman characters and vehicles was released during that period as well. By 1984, Takara was continuing the trend of focusing their New Microman line away from the core 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) Microman action figures to robots and other items. Specifically, their new focus

3828-491: Was earning about $ 100 million in sales. Around this time, Mego began shifting their focus toward electronic toys like the 2-XL toy robot and the Fabulous Fred hand-held game player, but sales were not commensurate with the company's investment, and Mego went deeply into debt. Other problems included a rat infestation in Mego's warehouse and a lawsuit from Kenner over illegal appropriation of trade secrets related to

3894-414: Was licensed and released in the United States by Mego Corporation as the Micronauts from 1976 to 1980. Some of the transforming Microman toys and vehicles from the Micro Change series created within the 1980s New Microman toyline were licensed by Hasbro , along with other similar transforming toys from Takara's Diaclone toyline, in the 1980s to be a part of Hasbro's Transformers toyline in

3960-409: Was not a success. Next, Mego created "Dinah-Mite," a poseable eight-inch (203 mm) scale Barbie-like doll with a boyfriend named Don. Other fashion dolls included "Beautiful Lainie," a 19" doll that danced back and forth from the hips; and Candi, a line that included "Coppertone Candi," a "tanning" doll co-branded with Coppertone sunscreen . The popularity of the 1974 releases of the Planet of

4026-569: Was now a greater focus on the Micro Robot series of toys as well as larger robot-oriented playsets. Takara's focus of the 1982 line was on the new Micro Borg and Micro Robot toys. While the Micro Robot W Box Set came with a New Microman M004 Eiji (Blue) figure, these figures were only available in the box set and not as individual figures. In 1983, Takara introduced a new Microman toyline called Micro Change . The Micro Change toys were seemingly ordinary items, such as cassette tapes,

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4092-412: Was now a greater focus on the Micro Robot series of toys as well as larger robot-oriented playsets. While a line of new Microman 3.75-inch-tall (9.5 cm) figures were released for the 1980 New Microman line, their history was completely different from the figures that preceded them in the previous Microman line. The new line consisted of 10 Microman figures that came in molded capsules. There

4158-431: Was on their line of transformable items in the Micro Change line. Technically Microman Secret File Volume 1 was not a traditional, stand-alone manga one could purchase on their own; it was a combination catalog and manga that was packaged with a few of the new toys in the 1984 Micro Change toyline such as MC-19: Binocular Robo Scope Man . Its purpose was to establish the new direction of the Microman toyline and place

4224-647: Was published in TV Magazine , a children's oriented magazine published by Kodansha Ltd. , in 1977. Takara also introduced the Microman Command line in which each figure came in its own unique capsule case (shaped like Easter Island figures, the Statue of Liberty , etc.) and included the first female figure, Lady Command (M18X) , in the line. With the release of Star Wars in 1977, the market for science fiction merchandise became increasingly filled with competing science fiction related products. New figures such as

4290-475: Was strong enough that previously announced toys in the line, such as the remote control Hoodman spaceship Hoodman's RCB Noah , were cancelled. Takara attempted to revive the line with the new Rescue Command series of toys and action figures. At the core of the Rescue Command was the new Rescue Secret Base and a new background story on the Rescue Command that explained the whole "rescue" theme of

4356-402: Was the number-1-selling doll in 1976, helping to make Mego the sixth-ranked American toy manufacturer, based on retail sales. In 1976, Martin Abrams hashed out a deal with the Japanese toy manufacturer Takara to bring their popular lucite 3" fully articulated Microman figures to the United States under the name " Micronauts ." While Marty was in Japan, Fox's lawyer Mark Peders dropped by

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