| Type | Model car |
|---|---|
| Inventor(s) | Clemens V. Hedeen, Jr., Patti Jo Hedeen, Ned Cain (Fun Maker/Hedeen and Companies) |
| Company | Galoob (now part of Hasbro) |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1987–2008 2015–2016 |
| Materials | Metal and plastic |
| Slogan | Remember if it doesn't say Micro Machines, it's not the real thing! (1987) |
Micro Machines: The Original Scale Miniatures, also called Micro Machines or simply The Micros, are a line of toys originally made by Galoob (now part of Hasbro) in the mid-1980s and throughout the 1990s.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 Clemens V. Hedeen & Patti Jo Hedeen, American toy inventors from Wisconsin. Micro Machines were tiny scale component style 'playsets' and vehicles that were slightly larger than N scale. Early Micro Machines television commercials were famous for featuring actor John Moschitta Jr., who was (at the time) listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fastest talker.
The toys[edit]
Micro Machines Collectors. 10222 likes 4775 talking about this. The most active Micro Machines page on Facebook. Micro toys, massive fun! Find great local deals on Micro machines for sale ✅ Shop hassle-free with Gumtree, your local buying & selling community.
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 fictionfranchises including Babylon 5, Power Rangers and MIB. James Bond and Indiana Jones themed toys were also released. After being bought by Hasbro, Winner's Circle NASCAR and G.I. Joe themed cars and playsets were added.
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 contents.
One of the many Micro Machines product lines 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 body and chassis of the larger vehicle connected via a hinge. Opening the larger revealed the smaller, which was a different model of car.
Micro Machines released a special Presidential Limousine series, which used President Harry Truman's 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Bubble top limousine. President John F. Kennedy's Lincoln Continental or the X-100 convertible limousine, and President James Earl Carter's 1977 Lincoln Town Car was featured in series done in 1989.
For 3 to 4 years Micro Machines was the largest selling toy car line in the US with total dollar sales exceeding the combined sales of the next top-selling lines: Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Majorette.
Micro Machines had a well-known advertising campaign in the 1980s involving fast-talker John Moschitta Jr. The commercials featured pitches in his trademark speedy style and ended 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.
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.
Collectors[edit]
Interest in collecting Micro Machines has not reached the level of interest in collecting Hot Wheels. One possible reason is that toys are too new; not enough time has passed for collectors to develop an interest. Another reason is that one had to buy a pack at a time and typically only one would be a new model in any given year. 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 dropship has been asking over $70. Some rare Star Trek sets and ships are being sold for $100 to $370 online. 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.
Micro Machines kept sealed in the package take up a lot of space, so many collectors store them in other containers. Some collectors use one of the original showcases for Micro Machines while other store their collections in fishing tackle boxes.
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 uncommon 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 valuable models: those made with accurate markings or Soviet equipment such as the T-80BV. 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.
Cars can be identified by the name Galoob on the undercarriage.
Popular culture[edit]
Micro Machines were featured in the 1990 Christmas movie Home Alone, starring Macaulay Culkin. In the movie, Culkin's character sets dozens of Micro Machines at the bottom of a flight of stairs as a hazard for a pair of bungling burglars. This trap was also featured in the Sega Genesis game, though it's referred to generically as 'Toys'.
Revivals[edit]
First revival[edit]
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 of years.
The brand 'Micro Machines' has also been incorporated into the packaging of the popular 'Star Wars: Titanium Series' 3-inch vehicle range.
The Micro Mayhem is a stop-motion animation, in which the characters are played by Micro Machines.[1]
Second revival[edit]
With the release of the movie Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Hasbro released a new set of themed Micro Machines. This second revival lasted only a year; no more sets were released after Rogue One.
History[edit]
The idea for Micro Machines was conceived by Clemens V. Hedeen, Jr and Patti Jo Hedeen in their toy shop of Fun City USA in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin shortly after they got into the toy business. The inventors talked with someone from Galoob at Toy Fair who said they wanted to develop a new, reasonably priced car line. Work was done with their model maker/designer, to prepare 24 micro cars and packaging.
Characters, voice actors, producers and directors from the anime Tears to Tiara on MyAnimeList, the internet's largest anime database. As the Holy Empire rises to power, the neighboring lands begin to gradually fall under its control. The Empire's conquest eventually reaches the small island of Erin, home to the Gael tribe. Tears to Tiara Wiki is a FANDOM Comics Community. View Mobile Site JokeyPsych EndgameHonest GalaxyQuest. Tears to tiara characters. Lydia is the new character that appeared in the PlayStation 3 remake, Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi. She is first seen in episode 7, Colosseum leading a group of soldiers wearing seemingly red colored metal as armor. She is the Commander of Rublum. Lydia is the new character that appeared in the PlayStation 3 remake, Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi. She is first seen in episode 7, Colosseum leading a group of soldiers wearing seemingly red colored metal as armor. She is the Commander of Ruburumu. Characters from Tears to Tiara are also playable in Aquapazza: Aquaplus Dream Match, a fighting game developed by Aquaplus with characters from various Leaf games. 10 Gameplay edit.
The first and only company that the Hedeen’s sent prototypes to was Galoob. They loved it and wanted to go to contract immediately. Saul Jodell and David Galoob were the masterminds behind marketing Micro Machines. Their vision at Galoob drove Micro Machines to become best-selling toys.
Micro Machines thrived for years until Hasbro bought Galoob and Micro Machines for their Star Wars line and eventually put the line on the shelf. Micro Machines have been released periodically since then, but have had limited success since their original release.
Patti Jo Hedeen no longer invents toys. Clemens Hedeen still works on toy inventions, with his now wife Kay Hedeen at FunCity USA.
See also[edit]
- John Moschitta Jr. - The 'Micro Machines Man'
References[edit]
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Micro Machines. |
- Micro Machines World - history and development of the Micro Machines brand and catalogue of all collections and playsets produced
Re-Introducing the MicroLux® Heavy-Duty High-Precision Micro Lathe
You'll like the precise control and compact size of our MicroLux® Micro Lathe. This table top machine tool is perfect for someone who wants a durable, well-designed lathe that fits in a small location. Scourge of war waterloo best mods 2. It is so sturdily constructed and smooth running, it can put fine finishes on turnings up to 6' diameter* and 10' long, yet is compact enough (just 64 lbs.) to be truly portable. The MicroLux® Micro Lathe cuts all metals, including carbon steel, stainless steel, cast iron, copper, nickel-silver, brass and aluminum, plus non-metals, such as wood and plastic. And, the optional milling attachments and machining accessories (shown below) let you perform all the tasks you need to complete your project.
*nominal
MicroLux® Micro Lathe includes 3-jaw chuck, 1/2' capacity rocker tool post, tailstock dead center, carriage feed gear set, backsplash, chuck guard, and wrench set.
- Super rigid, heat-treated cast-iron bedwith precision-ground ways
- Hardened and accurately finished main spindle supported by high-precision tapered roller bearings
- Zero-resettable handwheels with TRUE-INCH graduations
- Generous cross slide travel of 2-3/8' facilitates both lathe work and milling operations
- Powerful 1/5 hp variable speed motor with reversing switch for bi-directional automatic feed and thread cutting
- A full complement of precision accessories is available to perform any machining operation
Micro Lathe Specifications
- Swing diameter over bed: 5-7/8'
- Distance between centers: 10'
- Headstock Taper: MT2
- Tailstock Taper: MT1
- Line Voltage: 110V, 50/60Hz
- Motor Output: 150 watts (1/5 hp)
- Spindle bore: 3/8'
- Spindle speed: electronically variable between 100 and 2,000 rpm
- Overall size: 9' tall x 11' deep x 25' long
- Weight: 64 pounds (basic machine without accessories)
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals, including Lead which is known to the State of California to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to:www.p65warnings.ca.gov
People Who Viewed This Item Were Also Interested In
- Mini-Lathe Tools and Projects for Home Machinists Book, by David Fenner
- Live (Ball Bearing/Rolling) Center, MT1
- Milling Attachment for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Steady Rest for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Follower Rest for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Quick Change Tool Post for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Face Plate for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Compound Tool Rest for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Wood Tool Rest and Spur Driver for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Radius Cutting Tool
- Tailstock Chuck, MT1 (1/32 - 3/8 Inch Dia. Capacity)
- 4-piece MT2 Collet Set
- Imperial Thread Cutting Gear Kit for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Extra Tool Holder for #85191 Quick Change Tool Post
- 11-piece Carbide Cutter Set (5/16 Inch Shank)
- Tool Set for Micro Lathe
A solid, precision machine at an affordable price.
by JACK -
I was very excited that Micro Mark was restocking the MicroLux Micro Lathe. This one is comparable to one of the 5 top rated lathes I looked at.
<br>If you’re looking for a complete package that you can unpack and start working with you should re-think that notion. The MicroLux arrives just as pictured; nothing else; accessories are separately ordered. Be ready to spend some time cleaning, oiling, and greasing the machine and accessories after you unpack them. Don’t try to run it until you have it thoroughly cleaned and oiled. Everything is well packed in preservative.
<br>I am extremely pleased with the precision of this machine. The MicroLux is large enough to handle brass and aluminum stock for pull weights and counter weights for the clocks I make and yet will accommodate the smaller turnings I need for my model ships. A very versatile machine.
Was this review helpful?
- Author: admin
- Category: Category
| Type | Model car |
|---|---|
| Inventor(s) | Clemens V. Hedeen, Jr., Patti Jo Hedeen, Ned Cain (Fun Maker/Hedeen and Companies) |
| Company | Galoob (now part of Hasbro) |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1987–2008 2015–2016 |
| Materials | Metal and plastic |
| Slogan | Remember if it doesn't say Micro Machines, it's not the real thing! (1987) |
Micro Machines: The Original Scale Miniatures, also called Micro Machines or simply The Micros, are 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 Clemens V. Hedeen & Patti Jo Hedeen, American toy inventors from Wisconsin. Micro Machines were tiny scale component style 'playsets' and vehicles that were slightly larger than N scale. Early Micro Machines television commercials were famous for featuring actor John Moschitta Jr., who was (at the time) listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fastest talker.
The toys[edit]
Micro Machines Collectors. 10222 likes 4775 talking about this. The most active Micro Machines page on Facebook. Micro toys, massive fun! Find great local deals on Micro machines for sale ✅ Shop hassle-free with Gumtree, your local buying & selling community.
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 fictionfranchises including Babylon 5, Power Rangers and MIB. James Bond and Indiana Jones themed toys were also released. After being bought by Hasbro, Winner's Circle NASCAR and G.I. Joe themed cars and playsets were added.
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 contents.
One of the many Micro Machines product lines 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 body and chassis of the larger vehicle connected via a hinge. Opening the larger revealed the smaller, which was a different model of car.
Micro Machines released a special Presidential Limousine series, which used President Harry Truman's 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Bubble top limousine. President John F. Kennedy's Lincoln Continental or the X-100 convertible limousine, and President James Earl Carter's 1977 Lincoln Town Car was featured in series done in 1989.
For 3 to 4 years Micro Machines was the largest selling toy car line in the US with total dollar sales exceeding the combined sales of the next top-selling lines: Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Majorette.
Micro Machines had a well-known advertising campaign in the 1980s involving fast-talker John Moschitta Jr. The commercials featured pitches in his trademark speedy style and ended 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.
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.
Collectors[edit]
Interest in collecting Micro Machines has not reached the level of interest in collecting Hot Wheels. One possible reason is that toys are too new; not enough time has passed for collectors to develop an interest. Another reason is that one had to buy a pack at a time and typically only one would be a new model in any given year. 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 dropship has been asking over $70. Some rare Star Trek sets and ships are being sold for $100 to $370 online. 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.
Micro Machines kept sealed in the package take up a lot of space, so many collectors store them in other containers. Some collectors use one of the original showcases for Micro Machines while other store their collections in fishing tackle boxes.
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 uncommon 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 valuable models: those made with accurate markings or Soviet equipment such as the T-80BV. 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.
Cars can be identified by the name Galoob on the undercarriage.
Popular culture[edit]
Micro Machines were featured in the 1990 Christmas movie Home Alone, starring Macaulay Culkin. In the movie, Culkin's character sets dozens of Micro Machines at the bottom of a flight of stairs as a hazard for a pair of bungling burglars. This trap was also featured in the Sega Genesis game, though it's referred to generically as 'Toys'.
Revivals[edit]
First revival[edit]
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 of years.
The brand 'Micro Machines' has also been incorporated into the packaging of the popular 'Star Wars: Titanium Series' 3-inch vehicle range.
The Micro Mayhem is a stop-motion animation, in which the characters are played by Micro Machines.[1]
Second revival[edit]
With the release of the movie Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Hasbro released a new set of themed Micro Machines. This second revival lasted only a year; no more sets were released after Rogue One.
History[edit]
The idea for Micro Machines was conceived by Clemens V. Hedeen, Jr and Patti Jo Hedeen in their toy shop of Fun City USA in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin shortly after they got into the toy business. The inventors talked with someone from Galoob at Toy Fair who said they wanted to develop a new, reasonably priced car line. Work was done with their model maker/designer, to prepare 24 micro cars and packaging.
Characters, voice actors, producers and directors from the anime Tears to Tiara on MyAnimeList, the internet's largest anime database. As the Holy Empire rises to power, the neighboring lands begin to gradually fall under its control. The Empire's conquest eventually reaches the small island of Erin, home to the Gael tribe. Tears to Tiara Wiki is a FANDOM Comics Community. View Mobile Site JokeyPsych EndgameHonest GalaxyQuest. Tears to tiara characters. Lydia is the new character that appeared in the PlayStation 3 remake, Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi. She is first seen in episode 7, Colosseum leading a group of soldiers wearing seemingly red colored metal as armor. She is the Commander of Rublum. Lydia is the new character that appeared in the PlayStation 3 remake, Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi. She is first seen in episode 7, Colosseum leading a group of soldiers wearing seemingly red colored metal as armor. She is the Commander of Ruburumu. Characters from Tears to Tiara are also playable in Aquapazza: Aquaplus Dream Match, a fighting game developed by Aquaplus with characters from various Leaf games. 10 Gameplay edit.
The first and only company that the Hedeen’s sent prototypes to was Galoob. They loved it and wanted to go to contract immediately. Saul Jodell and David Galoob were the masterminds behind marketing Micro Machines. Their vision at Galoob drove Micro Machines to become best-selling toys.
Micro Machines thrived for years until Hasbro bought Galoob and Micro Machines for their Star Wars line and eventually put the line on the shelf. Micro Machines have been released periodically since then, but have had limited success since their original release.
Patti Jo Hedeen no longer invents toys. Clemens Hedeen still works on toy inventions, with his now wife Kay Hedeen at FunCity USA.
See also[edit]
- John Moschitta Jr. - The 'Micro Machines Man'
References[edit]
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Micro Machines. |
- Micro Machines World - history and development of the Micro Machines brand and catalogue of all collections and playsets produced
Re-Introducing the MicroLux® Heavy-Duty High-Precision Micro Lathe
You'll like the precise control and compact size of our MicroLux® Micro Lathe. This table top machine tool is perfect for someone who wants a durable, well-designed lathe that fits in a small location. Scourge of war waterloo best mods 2. It is so sturdily constructed and smooth running, it can put fine finishes on turnings up to 6' diameter* and 10' long, yet is compact enough (just 64 lbs.) to be truly portable. The MicroLux® Micro Lathe cuts all metals, including carbon steel, stainless steel, cast iron, copper, nickel-silver, brass and aluminum, plus non-metals, such as wood and plastic. And, the optional milling attachments and machining accessories (shown below) let you perform all the tasks you need to complete your project.
*nominal
MicroLux® Micro Lathe includes 3-jaw chuck, 1/2' capacity rocker tool post, tailstock dead center, carriage feed gear set, backsplash, chuck guard, and wrench set.
- Super rigid, heat-treated cast-iron bedwith precision-ground ways
- Hardened and accurately finished main spindle supported by high-precision tapered roller bearings
- Zero-resettable handwheels with TRUE-INCH graduations
- Generous cross slide travel of 2-3/8' facilitates both lathe work and milling operations
- Powerful 1/5 hp variable speed motor with reversing switch for bi-directional automatic feed and thread cutting
- A full complement of precision accessories is available to perform any machining operation
Micro Lathe Specifications
- Swing diameter over bed: 5-7/8'
- Distance between centers: 10'
- Headstock Taper: MT2
- Tailstock Taper: MT1
- Line Voltage: 110V, 50/60Hz
- Motor Output: 150 watts (1/5 hp)
- Spindle bore: 3/8'
- Spindle speed: electronically variable between 100 and 2,000 rpm
- Overall size: 9' tall x 11' deep x 25' long
- Weight: 64 pounds (basic machine without accessories)
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals, including Lead which is known to the State of California to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to:www.p65warnings.ca.gov
People Who Viewed This Item Were Also Interested In
- Mini-Lathe Tools and Projects for Home Machinists Book, by David Fenner
- Live (Ball Bearing/Rolling) Center, MT1
- Milling Attachment for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Steady Rest for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Follower Rest for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Quick Change Tool Post for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Face Plate for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Compound Tool Rest for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Wood Tool Rest and Spur Driver for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Radius Cutting Tool
- Tailstock Chuck, MT1 (1/32 - 3/8 Inch Dia. Capacity)
- 4-piece MT2 Collet Set
- Imperial Thread Cutting Gear Kit for MicroLux® Micro Lathe
- Extra Tool Holder for #85191 Quick Change Tool Post
- 11-piece Carbide Cutter Set (5/16 Inch Shank)
- Tool Set for Micro Lathe
A solid, precision machine at an affordable price.
by JACK -
I was very excited that Micro Mark was restocking the MicroLux Micro Lathe. This one is comparable to one of the 5 top rated lathes I looked at.
<br>If you’re looking for a complete package that you can unpack and start working with you should re-think that notion. The MicroLux arrives just as pictured; nothing else; accessories are separately ordered. Be ready to spend some time cleaning, oiling, and greasing the machine and accessories after you unpack them. Don’t try to run it until you have it thoroughly cleaned and oiled. Everything is well packed in preservative.
<br>I am extremely pleased with the precision of this machine. The MicroLux is large enough to handle brass and aluminum stock for pull weights and counter weights for the clocks I make and yet will accommodate the smaller turnings I need for my model ships. A very versatile machine.
Was this review helpful?