With a confusing similarity in appearance to some of the 3
3/4" Mego Micronauts and little to no advertising, the Metal-Man toy line
of die-cast action figures has all but faded into obscurity. Of the figures released, the blue and silver
Radon is the one I see most often (click HERE for my Radon review), but he was
hardly the only Metal-Man on the shelves!
Metal-Man action figures: Major Mercury, Roton, & Radon
Today, I would like to take a look at Roton, the red and
silver Metal-Man who seems to have possibly been released later in the line. Radon, Major Mercury, Sergeant Silver, and
Corporal Chrome have all been found on cards marked 1976 while as far as I
know, Roton has not. Additionally,
Roton has been seen with fewer packaging variations than the rest of the
figures, so it would make sense if the others hit the stores before Roton. I have seen him in the 1979 Zee Toys
catalog, so I know that he was available at least by 1979. I wouldn't say Roton is rare, but packaged
examples certainly don't show up very often at all! I have seen him under the Zylmex brand packaged in a cardboard box with clear plastic window on the front, but I've read that he also came packaged with a Recharge Capsule and packaged with a blue Flying Saucer in a set exclusive to Sears.
Metal-Man Roton with his Recharge Capsule
The Roton figure in my collection is not in the
package. It's not a figure I had when I
was a kid, but one acquired more recently.
Although not as similar to the Micronauts as the Radon figure, I could
see someone easily mistaking Roton for a Micronaut with his similar
articulation, the die-cast construction, and his red & silver paint scheme.
Metal-Man "Roton" action figure
As you already know, the movie Star Wars was a huge
hit in the late 1970s and the Kenner merchandise sold like crazy.However those famous Star Wars figures
weren't available right when the movie came out, so kinds were scrambling for
science fiction themed action figures.I'm sure many Micronauts and Metal-Man figures served as stand-ins for
C3P-O and Imperial Storm Troopers until the Kenner figures could be acquired.Even then, what kid in the late 70s wouldn't
want MORE robots to add to his Star Wars figure collection!Roton in particular, I could see standing in
for Maximilian from the 1979 movie "The Black Hole" or Sark from the
1982 movie "Tron."
Zee Toys / Zylmex Metal-Man "Roton" action figure
Did you have Roton or other Metal-Man figures as a kid...or
do you have them now? If so, did you
think any of the Metal-Man figures were Micronauts? Tell me below in the comments!
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the best toy show in the Southeastern United States held annually in
Georgia. Visit Toylanta.com for more
information.
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