Came to a weird realization recently and this may just me connecting dots that aren't there, however I'm going to show you all the evidence and let you connect your own dots (in the privacy of your own home).
I have no connection to Micronauts, having been born in the late 70s I missed this whole amazing line even though I had two older brothers that did their part to introduce me to things like Star Wars, fart jokes and the ability to cut someone out of your family for good. Too dark? Okay let's get back to these crazy alien dudes.
These three Alien figures were released later in the Micronauts line, 1979, and became fan-favorites, usually showing up in collections such as ours that don't feature any other Micronauts action figures. From left to right in the photo above you have Membros (the orange gentlemen named so because of his massive brain that looks a bit like a decent 70s hairstyle), Repto (in the green with orange wings and probably named that because of his green skin), and finally Antron (in the purple with the four well-armed arms).
These figures are simply amazing and usually found very loose because of how much kids loved playing with them. Finding a mint, complete figure in good shape without loose limbs is not an easy task. We got these guys in the shop not too long ago and even though they're in great shape with good joints, our Membros suffered a broken cord that goes from his gun to his backpack which is pretty common due to the brittle plastic that was used on that cord.
We also have a variant of the Repto - one figure with an orange brain and another with a white.
I have no connection to Micronauts, having been born in the late 70s I missed this whole amazing line even though I had two older brothers that did their part to introduce me to things like Star Wars, fart jokes and the ability to cut someone out of your family for good. Too dark? Okay let's get back to these crazy alien dudes.
These three Alien figures were released later in the Micronauts line, 1979, and became fan-favorites, usually showing up in collections such as ours that don't feature any other Micronauts action figures. From left to right in the photo above you have Membros (the orange gentlemen named so because of his massive brain that looks a bit like a decent 70s hairstyle), Repto (in the green with orange wings and probably named that because of his green skin), and finally Antron (in the purple with the four well-armed arms).
These figures are simply amazing and usually found very loose because of how much kids loved playing with them. Finding a mint, complete figure in good shape without loose limbs is not an easy task. We got these guys in the shop not too long ago and even though they're in great shape with good joints, our Membros suffered a broken cord that goes from his gun to his backpack which is pretty common due to the brittle plastic that was used on that cord.
We also have a variant of the Repto - one figure with an orange brain and another with a white.
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So this is the part where I start to assume stuff so I may lose some of you (this is usually where Liz stops paying attention...) but I'd think that it's safe to say that someone who was in their late 20s/early 30s in say, 1993 would have come across these 14 years earlier, especially if they're into toys to the point of eventually becoming a toy designer themselves. Which is why I personally believe that these figures directly inspired the three Lunartix Empire aliens that were released as part of the original G.I. Joe toy line in 1993.
Micronauts Aliens, meet the aliens from the G.I. Joe universe. It's no secret that as the Joe brand saw sales decline, Hasbro did their damndest to chase whatever fad was hot at the time. Neon colors of the 90s, 'Dino Hunters' (Jurassic Park), 'Star Brigade' (Star Trek/Aliens), and even 'Eco Warriors' (Captain Planet).
I first found out about these guys from the James Desimone guides when we got back into collecting around 1998 or so. I stopped collecting Joes around 92 so those last couple years completely snuck by me. But once I saw how crazy they went with some of the later figures I was instantly in love with these turds. From left to right in the photo above you have Lobotomaxx (with the neck/tail/exposed brain in the green), Predacon (with the four arms, blue skin and white pants), and Carcass (in the orange with the green guts and green accessories).
These figures were released in the last year of G.I. Joe's original run, 1994. So these were most likely designed by an in-house designer around 1993 or so. I stand by my math above, with the thinking that whoever worked on these most likely was at least aware of the original Micronauts aliens and used them for inspiration. Some of the similarities are too much to ignore.
These figures were released in the last year of G.I. Joe's original run, 1994. So these were most likely designed by an in-house designer around 1993 or so. I stand by my math above, with the thinking that whoever worked on these most likely was at least aware of the original Micronauts aliens and used them for inspiration. Some of the similarities are too much to ignore.
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I posted Carcass with both Membros and Repto since he shares some attributes with both of them, but in my pairing, I'd say he goes more with Membros since Repto pairs well with Lobotomaxx.
It's also nice that all of these figures have really really beautiful card art. Art on the older figures was always amazing and did most of the work of selling the toy that could barely live up to what the art was portraying.
It's also nice that all of these figures have really really beautiful card art. Art on the older figures was always amazing and did most of the work of selling the toy that could barely live up to what the art was portraying.
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So I may be completely off here and these six figures may have absolutely nothing to do with one another, however I have one last thing I want to mention about these guys. Back in 2004 I was attending my first JoeCon in Orlando with Devil's Due. At one point in the hotel I get onto the elevator with my friend Tim and he notices the other gentleman that gets on with us is Kurt Groen (Hasbro designer 1989 - 1998) and introduces him to me by saying "Kurt's the guy responsible for designing those awesome aliens we love" to which the Kurt replies; "I hated all of that stuff." Him saying that only made me like the figures even more. But to think whoever helped design the figures didn't really want to would put some weight into them borrowing from the Micronauts figures that came out about 14 years earlier.
But what really kicked me into gear to post all of this was this three pack of weird robo-alien figures that I found at Ross last week. I've seen this around before, I may even already own them in other colors, but finding them in a three pack of blue / orange / green felt like a sign that I should get all these bros together for a few photos. I believe these guys are part of the "M.A.R.S." action figure line that's usually found at Family Dollar or Dollar General.
Now I'm going to say that whoever is designing cheap figures for this line is probably not immersed in the toy world and most likely didn't draw inspiration from either the Micronauts or the G.I. Joe aliens, but that's pretty arrogant of me and may be completely false. Heck, this person may be a huge toy fan and may already know about the similarities between the two previous toyline aliens, whereas my theory about the Joe designer may be way off and that person may have never even laid eyes on the original Micronauts figures before putting pen to paper for designing the Lunartix aliens. Whatever the facts may be, all of these figures are now all best friends and plan on traveling the galaxies together (or sit on a shelf in our house).
Now I'm going to say that whoever is designing cheap figures for this line is probably not immersed in the toy world and most likely didn't draw inspiration from either the Micronauts or the G.I. Joe aliens, but that's pretty arrogant of me and may be completely false. Heck, this person may be a huge toy fan and may already know about the similarities between the two previous toyline aliens, whereas my theory about the Joe designer may be way off and that person may have never even laid eyes on the original Micronauts figures before putting pen to paper for designing the Lunartix aliens. Whatever the facts may be, all of these figures are now all best friends and plan on traveling the galaxies together (or sit on a shelf in our house).
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