Action Figure Overview: Micronauts Time Traveler (MEGO, 1976)

Micronaut Time Travelers by MEGO
Shortly before Star Wars figures dominated the shelves of every toy store, MEGO released a line of more articulated figures in the same scale: Micronauts.  The Japanese company Takara had found success with their Microman line of toys, so MEGO licensed several of the figures, vehicles and playsets, re-branded them Micronauts and released them to the USA.

The most common figures from the line were the 3.75" Time Travelers.  Sold individually as well as packaged along with select vehicles, the Time Traveler was the figure that just about every Micronauts fan had.  Even though the Time Travelers didn't come with every vehicle released by MEGO, they would fit in any vehicle that could hold a figure, so they were a 'must have' for any kid with Micronauts!

Although there were several different Micronauts figures, the Time Travelers were always my favorite.  As a kid, there were many Micronauts figures that I never saw, but even if I had seen them all, there was just something about the Time Traveler that appealed to me.  I never read the Micronauts comic books as a kid, so I wasn't familiar with their story line.  In my mind, there weren't even good guys and bad guys, the Micronauts all worked together for the common good like a bunch of mellow, hippy, space scientists.  I imagined them all as pacifists with very calm personalities.  I guess I didn't really think about all of those rocket launchers that they attached to their vehicles -Haha!

Metal Man "Radon" working the controls of the Time Chamber for a Time Traveler
The original MEGO Time Travelers were available in four transparent colors: yellow, blue, orange, and clear.  The articulation on the figures was amazing and years ahead of anything else in the 3.75" scale.  The figures were based on another Takara figure, the 12" Henshin Cyborg, which was based on Hasbro's original 12" G.I. Joe.
Micronaut Time Travelers in Yellow, Blue, Orange, and Clear
In addition to being manufactured in different colors, each figure had one of four different, interchangeable chest pieces.  Collectors have come to refer to these pieces as Radio Dial, Log Cabin, Volt Meter, & Window Panes.  Each chest piece was available in four different colors: metallic green, copper, gold, and metallic blue.  With all of those variations, kids could have a wide variety of combinations of colors and chest plate designs making it possible for one collection to include a multitude of different Time Travelers.  It has also made collecting a complete set of chest pieces quite a challenge!
Micronaut Time Traveler chest pieces

My childhood opaque, red Time Traveler
A few years later in 1979, MEGO made Time Travelers available in four opaque colors: red, yellow, blue, and green.  The opaque Time Travelers were available only at the end of the Micronauts run and were produced in much smaller quantities than their transparent counterparts.  As a result, the opaque Time Travelers are more difficult to find and command higher prices.  Also, there were several other companies producing their own Time Travelers after Mego stopped making them.  These post-Mego Time Travelers were typically transparent, so even more of the total number of these figures were clear rather than opaque.

The red, opaque Time Traveler to the left is one from my childhood and is fortunately still in pretty good shape.  The chrome has worn off of the head a good bit, but the body is still in very nice condition!  I preferred the transparent figures as a kid, so not only did I have this one for a shorter time, but I also played with him a bit less than the others.

Did you have Time Travelers as a kid?  What color was your favorite?  Did you ever own one of the rare opaque Time Travelers?  Tell me below in the comments!

If you collect toys, you should know about Toylanta, the best toy show in the Southeastern United States held annually in Georgia.  Visit Toylanta.com for more information.


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