Would Mego have Produced "The Transformers"?

[samurainoir]

If they had stayed in business, how likely would it have been that they would have produced the north american version of Transformers given the ties to Micronauts/Microman. Do you think they would have come up with a separate line, or do you think that they would have eventually tied it into The Micronauts? How odd now to think of the Transformers characters we know today debuting alongside Commander Rann and co.

In the original Japanese versions, how did the Transforming robots tie into the Microman storyline?

They would have had Soundwave, Megatron, Perceptor, as part of Microman right?

The cars and planes were part of another line of toys IIRC, so I'm no sure what the implications of that would be. Didn't Mego just kind of pick and choose and then innovate from what Takara had in their line-up to make the Micronauts?

[palitoy]

I've been told on many an occasion that yeah, they'd likely have gotten the toys. It probably wouldn't have been called "Transformers" but none the less.

Interesting tidbit about Mego and particularly Martin Abrams, the guy crusaded for the FCC to change children's advertising laws. Due in part to his efforts, we got the 80s toy cartoon boom. However, his company never got the chance to reap any of those benefits.

[AcroRay]

If they had stayed in business, how likely would it have been that they would have produced the north american version of Transformers given the ties to Micronauts/Microman. Do you think they would have come up with a separate line, or do you think that they would have eventually tied it into The Micronauts? How odd now to think of the Transformers characters we know today debuting alongside Commander Rann and co.

In the original Japanese versions, how did the Transforming robots tie into the Microman storyline?

They would have had Soundwave, Megatron, Perceptor, as part of Microman right?

The cars and planes were part of another line of toys IIRC, so I'm no sure what the implications of that would be. Didn't Mego just kind of pick and choose and then innovate from what Takara had in their line-up to make the Micronauts?

I expect Mego would have broken most of the vehicle toys away into a separate line. The Microchange items - 1/1-scale stuff that transformed into robots - might have stayed tied with Micronauts. It's difficult to tell with the way Mego did things.

The Microchange items were sentient (or occasionally drone) fighting robot companions for the Micromen. Occasionally they also transformed into vehicles and weapons platforms for Micromen. For example, the Microscope (transformer Perceptor) can transform into a tank-like vehicle. The accessories of the Walther-P38 (Megatron) can be built-up into a cannon with a seat. In the series 're-set' that Microchange was part of, the Micromen and their robots were hiding from the Acroyears. The transformation was camoflage.

Most of the other early Transformer toys were DIACLONE items - somewhat smaller-scale vehicle/robot toys representing a war between humans and aliens. Most were actually something like 1/60 scale and came with little 1-inch tall armored pilot figure, although some toys in the line didn't feature pilots or 1/60 scale.

Takara's partnership with Hasbro allowed many unused designs that were intended for Microchange and Diaclone before those lines were canceled to be brought into latter years of Transformer production. That's why you have some toys like the latter Microcassette robots that seem like they should have been part of Microchange, but have not pre-Transformer counterpart.

You can see some Microchange stuff here in my toy museum exhibit:

[Wee67]

Interesting tidbit about Mego and particularly Martin Abrams, the guy crusaded for the FCC to change children's advertising laws. Due in part to his efforts, we got the 80s toy cartoon boom. However, his company never got the chance to reap any of those benefits.


http://www.megomuseum.com/megolibrar.../abramspic.jpg

That's interesting but really surprising. Mego pushed the licensing industry so far forward in the 70's, it makes sense they would have had their sights on the type of situations other companies enjoyed in the 80's (I'm looking at you GI Joe:RAH, Transformers and He-Man). I see the small controversy surrounding the new Hub network, I wonder if Marty ever thinks, "Coulda been me!"

[Neutron X]

I'm not sure Transformers would have been as a big success if sold by Mego. I thought Transformers really blew up in sales due to US marketing ect. Don't get me wrong Japan did well with Transformers.

[cjefferys]

Yeah, part of their success were due to Hasbro (and Marvel?) creating the back story, characters and names, along with making a corresponding cartoon and comic book, creating a whole marketing blitz. I've always wondered if Mego would have took it that far to create a whole new brand of toy like Hasbro did, or instead have taken the lazy way out and just have them as an add on to the Micronauts line.

I always wish that Mego could have lasted a couple more years just to see how they would have handled this, along with if they would have released the Nintendo Famicom (i.e. NES) here. If they had a chance to do both of these right (big "if"), they might have lasted a lot longer than they did.

[ctc]

>I've always wondered if Mego would have took it that far to create a whole new brand of toy like Hasbro did

Interesting question. I think the Microchange stuff would have been a second generation of Micronaut. Their last few Micronaut toys were getting away from the interchangable/building block nature and more into establishing characters, so the precedent is there. The Diaclone stuff? I don't know if they'd have picked it up at all.... maybe as a package deal from Takara? If so, I could see it becoming something akin to what we know as the Transformers. So maybe the Transformers are some sort of univeral constant? An idea that was perkolating under the surface waiting for a major expression? (Japan's Machinerobo was pretty close to what we know as the Transformers.... even if it DID get turned into the Gobots. *sigh*) And if Mego did 'em, I bet we would have seen MORE exposure. Mego pretty much invented what we know as toy marketing, and already had a comic connection with Marvel from the Micronauts mag.

Don C.

[samurainoir]

Thanks again for filling in those gaps in my childhood memories AcroRay!

I seem to recall that the black Perceptor from Japan that I had as a kid might have came with a "Micronaut" driver.

I also had a cassette tape, complete with a old school cassette case that transformed into a small helicopter vehicle for Microman. (is that similar to the guy riding the motorcycle in your pic?)

Now I really wish I had spend more time at your exhibit!

I expect Mego would have broken most of the vehicle toys away into a separate line. The Microchange items - 1/1-scale stuff that transformed into robots - might have stayed tied with Micronauts. It's difficult to tell with the way Mego did things.

The Microchange items were sentient (or occasionally drone) fighting robot companions for the Micromen. Occasionally they also transformed into vehicles and weapons platforms for Micromen. For example, the Microscope (transformer Perceptor) can transform into a tank-like vehicle. The accessories of the Walther-P38 (Megatron) can be built-up into a cannon with a seat. In the series 're-set' that Microchange was part of, the Micromen and their robots were hiding from the Acroyears. The transformation was camoflage.

Most of the other early Transformer toys were DIACLONE items - somewhat smaller-scale vehicle/robot toys representing a war between humans and aliens. Most were actually something like 1/60 scale and came with little 1-inch tall armored pilot figure, although some toys in the line didn't feature pilots or 1/60 scale.

Takara's partnership with Hasbro allowed many unused designs that were intended for Microchange and Diaclone before those lines were canceled to be brought into latter years of Transformer production. That's why you have some toys like the latter Microcassette robots that seem like they should have been part of Microchange, but have not pre-Transformer counterpart.

You can see some Microchange stuff here in my toy museum exhibit:
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...eMicroman3.jpg