What...the?

[LTBasker]

I was scoping out Wal-Mart yesterday and was walking by some end caps, on one cap they had some special new Hotwheel stuff, what made this so special is you get a bonus item in them: micro-machine cars! They're very clearly a take on micro-machines, they're the perfect size and whatnot.

This is even more wearing because when watching a sports thing in a sponsor thing before it cut to commercial it said "This brought to you by micro-machines."

I must've missed something.. I didn't know Hasbro was doing anything with micros anymore? I can't see them as being in league with Mattel on this either, did Mattel realize what potential MM's have and do their own?

I'm so confused.

[JediTricks]

Hasbro has been putting out Micro Machines for the better part of this year, only "normal" vehicles, and most of them geared towards the stunt-launcher thingy and the recent playset.

Mattel has been pushing those Atomix Hot Wheels MM-scale cars for over a year, they have several different types of playsets, the most recent of which are nifty-looking canisters. However, even with all that, and the vehicle multi-packs, the Atomix line seems to get very little respect on the car aisle, due to bad marketing IMO.

Playmates has their own version of MMs out too, another one over a year old I think, called "Speedeez". These have a ball-bearing built into the undercarriage, which really doesn't do it for me at all, but different strokes. I have seen 1 commercial for 'em, it wasn't good.

Then there's a different take on the MM craze, "Phat Boyz", which actually seem to finally be taking off after a year+ of relatively slow sales. The line is very stylized wide cars, an interesting different approach.

[LTBasker]

Funky, I actually saw that Playmates commercial for the Hummer H2 "Micro" playset which I actually saw months ago and it just hit me last time that they were micro.

So it sounds like all Galoob wannabes are doin pretty badly, not really suprising.

[JediTricks]

I don't know if they're doing badly, but they're certainly not on fire like they were when I was a kid (the first 2 years of Micro Machines were the BIG TIME). I think an overall lack of marketing really hurts the concept, yet even with that, it's out there still doing some sort of business.

[vulcantouch]

af heads: the closest i've seen to ep2 figs are hallmark clonetroop ornaments; they're a bit larger but nicely detailed nearby was a Trek Nemesis Scorpion ornament which, Holy Design Incest, i almost overlooked cuz it looks so much like a Batvehicle but you diecast-scale collectors might likee.
i'd been Wondering when someone would mention phat boys here; their colors & distorted proportions almost make them look like sci-fi mm cuzzins, as we
westside VaTos might say
vt

[LTBasker]

Yea the scorpian fighter also has af-scale (IIRC) Picard and Data inside, though I doubt they'd be in anyway removeable.