Micro Machines

Micro Machines

Type	Model car
Company	Galoob
Country	United Kingdom
Availability	1980s–

Micro Machines: The Original Scale Miniatures (called either "Micro Machines" or simply "Micros") were a line of toys originally made by Galoob (now part of Hasbro) in the mid 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Galoob licensed the idea behind Micro Machines from Clem Heeden, a toy inventor from Wisconsin. Micro Machines were tiny scale component style "playsets" and vehicles that were slightly larger than N scale. Although Micro Machines have not been sold in the United States in some years, newer models are available in the UK, Europe and the outlets in the US now also once again sell Micro Machines.

The toys

File:LaFranceFireEngine.jpg

American LaFrance ladder truck with movable outriggers, ladder and opening doors

Many different styles of Micros were made including all the popular cars and trucks of the times, trains, emergency vehicles, tanks, boats, airplanes, helicopters, and motorcycles. The Tuff Trax series contained many of the popular TNT Motorsports Monster Trucks including the influential Grave Digger truck. Star Trek and Star Wars models were also made, as were models from other science fiction franchises including Babylon 5, Power Rangers and MIB. They even immortalized James Bond and Indiana Jones in micro scale. After the Hasbro Buyout, they came out with Winner's Circle NASCAR and GI Joe themed cars and playsets.

While the Micro Machines collection was known primarily for sizing down automobiles, it also featured several playsets including 1991's fold-out Super Van City. Licensed character products would often be fold-open heads including miniature characters and vehicles interactive with their playset environment. Micro Machines also utilized several diverse features such as color-changing cars and "Private Eyes" vehicles that even allowed one to peek inside and view an illustration of the inner contents.

One of the Micro Machines many products was the Insiders series. Incredibly popular in the late 80s and early 90s, the Insiders series featured a small vehicle inside the standard size micro machine. The smaller vehicle was a different model to the larger vehicle and was accessed by opening the body hinged to the chassis.

For 3 to 4 years Micro Machines was the largest selling toy car line in the US with total Micro Machine sales exceeding the total $ sales of the combined sales of Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Majorette the next top selling lines.

Micro Machines had a well-known advertising campaign in the 1980s involving fast-talker John Moschitta, Jr. who would speak very fast in their TV commercials, ending each one with the slogan "If it doesn't say Micro machines, it's not the real thing".

In the 1990s, transforming playsets were released. Some could transform from one playset to another, such as a factory to a test track. Others could transform from giant vehicles to playsets, such as a 6x6 to a jungle. Earlier ones included one that could transform from a toolbox to a city. Another innovative release was a line of special boats in the 1990s. While past boats had merely sunk and were not intended for water use, these new sets could actually float and came in many different sets.

When sold to Hasbro, the basic line was largely discontinued, and new packaging of the toys didn't catch on as well as hoped, though some imitators continue to be sold in toy stores. In 2006, the brand name was visible only in the detail panel of the Star Wars and Transformers Titanium series die cast vehicles and figures.

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A Micro Machines Dodge Viper (bottom) compared to a Matchbox version of the same car.

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Micro Machines compared to a pencil sharpener.

Collectors

Micro machine collecting interest is much smaller than Hot Wheels. It might be considered to be a 1990s item, which some say is not long enough ago to generate adult interest. Some other reasons are that one had to buy a pack at a time, and typically only one would be a new model in any given year, and the toys are smaller and easy to lose. Most sets are worth less than the $5 retail, though some like Civil War can command over $10, and the Aliens set of three are on eBay stores for $50. The rare US version of the action fleet Aliens jump ship has been asking over $70. Some rare Star Trek sets and ships are being sold for $100 to $370 by online eBay stores. Some of the hardest to find packages of cars have commanded prices around $100. Those packages often contain prototypes never released to the public. Often large lots can be had for pennies per vehicle on eBay.

Micro Machines kept sealed in the package take up a lot of space, but ones which are loose don't take up much space at all. One can use one of the original showcases for Micro Machines, or some collectors use fishing tackle boxes to store their collection.

Some individual cars such as the SVO Mustang have changed hands for over $25 in the early 2000s, though with the appearance of traders who have nearly every vehicle for sale all the time, it is much more difficult to see values over $5 for any one vehicle. However, there are some rare models that continue to trade at high values such as the collector #CE3R Corvette from 1999. Some military vehicles are remarkably good models, those in accurate markings or Soviet equipment such as the T-80BV can also be quite valuable. Rarer collections such as Star Trek or Star Wars are also valuable. A solid gold Star Trek model that was a grand prize in a drawing sold for over $5,000.

There are a couple of comprehensive Micro Machines web sites, but no books, and cars can be identified by the name Galoob on the under carriage, though a jewelers scope is needed. It helps to be an expert on classic or not-so-classic cars and military tanks and aircraft.

Micro Machines were featured in the 1990 Christmas movie Home Alone, starring Macaulay Culkin. In the movie, Culkin's character, Kevin McCallister, sets dozens of Micro Machines out at the bottom of the stairs. When the burglar steps on them, the tiny cars cause him to lose his balance and fall.

Revival

The Micro Machines brand was revived for a few years in response to the popularity of the similar Speedeez brand. Hasbro also opted to use many fantasy castings in the revival. The revival only lasted a couple years. Hot Wheels also had its hand in the trend, releasing their brand known as Atomix. (Hot Wheels also produced a brand called Planet Micro in the late 1990s.)

The brand 'Micro Machines' has also been incorporated into the packaging of the popular 'Star Wars Titanium' 3-inch vehicle range.

See also

• N scale
• Matchbox (toy company)
• Hot Wheels
• Micro Machines (video games)
• John Moschitta, Jr. - The "Micro Machines Man"

External links

• Star Trek Micro Machines article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
• tin toys - Read about Micro Machines and other die-cast toys
• Micro Machines Museum - the world's largest collection of Micro Machines
• Micro Machines World - history and development of the Micro Machines brand and catalogue of all collections and playsets produced
• Galoob Military Micro Machines Sets - list of all Micro Machines Military sets
• Micro Machines Military - resource site