Mego of the Day: Baron Karza

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Our second entry into the Museum Forums Mego of the Day series is the deadly Baron Karza, foe to Force Commander from the Micronauts line. Did you have it as a kid? See it? Know of it? Is it in your collection now? On your want list? Do we need pictures of it's packaging in the Museum? Have you ever used it in a custom? Have you customized the character? Why wouldn't this make into your collection? Did you make funny caption pictures with it? Post pics, tell stories, say whatever, it's mego of the day.
Tomorrow's MOTD: Type 1 Kirk

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[ScottA]

Well, now you've hit the one Mego line I have no interest in (weird I know, considering I own Puppert Love figures). While I appreciate them I just have no interest in Micronauts. Maybe it's because I never had them as a kid, I don't know. This might be one of those lines that if I got just one item from it I'd be off the races. He is a cool figure, I admit.

[palitoy]

I think I was six when the Micronauts came out, so I was easily hooked. I remember in '78 I crossed the highway after school (big no no) to play with my friend Paul's Force Commander and Karza. Paul was a latchkey kid and I couldn't believe the crap we could get into in his house. We shot the fists and missiles at each other all over the place for a good hour while blaring KISS and the Village People (We were 8!). Then I went home and my mom tore a total strip off me, kept going to Paul's until long after college, still talk to him and he often brings up the Micronaut fight.

The KISS (and ocassionally the Village People) rekkids would come out when we got hammered but the only time I saw Karza again, was in his crawl space looking for his lps one day back in the early ninties.

[AUSSIE-Rebooted-AMM]

Great memory Brian. . .I remember having 3 micronauts in my day. . .a yellow and a blue with silver heads. . . and then the grey one that came in a sarcophagus. . .he is the only one that has survived to this day.

I think I also got what must have been a shogun warrior about the same size and shot out of a metal flying saucer thing he came with . . .and an independent bullet either side of it as well. Have the remnants of one of the large Shogun warriors in its box somewhere too. . . must add those to the hunts around my mothers house when I am there next!

[AcroRay]

Marvel did an excellent job making Karza into one of the most tyrannical villains ever in their comic. Even heavy Marvel baddies like Dr. Doom, King Pin, the Red Skull or Mephisto didn't hold a candle to Karza's cold, genocidal evil.

Popular comic artist/writer Joe Linsner is also a fan of Karza. He did a beautiful painting of Karza for the recent Devil's Due Micronauts comic. Joe told me that he still has his childhood Karza toy, which he saved up money from his paper route to buy.

A popular urban toy legend is that Karza is copied from Darth Vader, which I'll maintain is complete crap. Karza was in development at least a year before the release of Star Wars. Both characters are just different embodiments of the classic "Black Knight" motif. In fact, Karza is probably closer to the classic ideal in terms of design, considering the features of his gothic helmet.

[megoscott]

I always loved the way you could combine karza with his horse and make a centaur. I didn't have any major Micronauts besides Time Traveler and Space Glider but a kid in my neighborhood had every single one of them in a giant box under his bed. We were never allowed to play with them though, he wasn't much fun.

[z3zep]

I remember the TV commercials as a kid. But I had no interest in them, I was just into the 8 inch line.

he is cool looking.

[Monsterama2000]

I love the Micronauts. I had (and still have) a bunch of them. Including - a couple Time Travellers and Acroyears, Pharoid, Space Glider, Acroyear II, all of the aliens, Giant Acroyear, Terraphant, Hornetroid and Force Commander. Never had Karza though .

The Marvel comic was great, also. I still have every issue.

[palitoy]

The Marvel comic was great, also. I still have every issue.

The comic does not get enough respect in my book, it blew my mind as a kid. Marvel really could have just phoned in a generic comic and I would have bought it but they really knocked it out of the park.

[censy]

I love this figure.

Mego provided most of my birthday and christmas gifts, back in the day. I totally embraced the micronauts line. I had a smattering of figures, including Karza, the ships and the city/base playset thingy. I was always very careful about firing his fists and missles for fear of losing them.

When marvel unveiled their comic, I couldn't have been happier.

Recently I acquired a moc Space Glider, who was always my favorite micronaut. I really want to get myself a Baron Karza, at some point.

Chris

[Wee67]

Only had a few of these as a kid, but I've really grown to appreciate this line. I've only picked up a few as an adult. Collecting these full force, seems a bit too much to take on. I do get a kick of the "f" you in the name. Nice touch.

I do have one micronaut memory, however, but I'll leave that to another forum

[palitoy]

I do have one micronaut memory, however, but I'll leave that to another forum

Pray tell what could that be?

[ctc]

>Marvel really could have just phoned in a generic comic and I would have bought it but they really knocked it out of the park.

It really was a good book; even though it had some ups and downs. (Most of the downs weren't that far down too.) Since the comic/toy/cartoon formula hadn't been perfected yet I think they still made a point of building the book from the ground up.

>Karza was in development at least a year before the release of Star Wars.

Steel Jeag was on tv in Japan for the 75/76 season; so technicly it'd be longer. Karza's face is even similar to Jeag's.

>I also got what must have been a shogun warrior about the same size and shot out of a metal flying saucer thing he came with

That's Grendaizer and his saucer; another Go Nagai cartoon character.

Don C.

[AcroRay]

Steel Jeag was on tv in Japan for the 75/76 season; so technicly it'd be longer. Karza's face is even similar to Jeag's.

Certainly. And speaking of the origin of most of Mego's Magno-Power Micronauts, Jeeg recently was given an updated TV show, and Bandai (not Takara) just released a magno-powered Soul of Chogokin toy of the new Jeeg:

Out of the box with accessories:

http://robogeki.sakura.ne.jp/2000/gx42_2.html

Various magno & connector feature play:

http://robogeki.sakura.ne.jp/2000/gx42_1.html

For those of you with plenty of cash to burn and mad customizing 5ki11z, a new head and a new paint job would update the SOC Jeeg into a killer new Karza or Force Commander!

[cjefferys]

Mark this down as yet another toy that I always wanted as a kid but never managed to get. Although I always lusted over the various Micronaut toys in Sears Wish Books, I only managed to get a couple Time Travellers. My cousin had a Karza though, but I think he lost half the pieces almost instantly. Still, that was the only time I saw one in person as a kid.

I know that Karza's body was basically Takara's Jeeg magnemo figure molded in black, but did Mego design Karza's head in house themselves?