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Introduction


Funrise's "Micro Action" line of miniature vehicles and playsets was a contemporary competitor to Galoob's well-known "Micro Machines." As a child, I received the Funrise "Micro Action Jet Aircraft Carrier" for Christmas. The carrier also came with two miniature jets. This large but simple toy and the two tiny jets became the center of my imaginative play. Not long after, I got the Funrise "Micro Action Space Shuttle Launch Set" and NASA's shuttle joined as an integral part of the stories I played out on the floor of my room. While I had a greater number of Galoob's toys, it is the Funrise toys that I look back upon most fondly.

When I wanted to reacquire these long lost toys of childhood I started looking for information on the internet. I discovered that there is not nearly as much information about "Micro Machines" as one might expect and nothing dedicated to Funrise's "Micro Action" series. As I've built up my collection, I decided that I should create the reference I had been looking for. And thus this blog was born.

This blog is intended to serve as a reference guide for the line of miniature military jet toys and related playsets that Funrise produced. While the focus will be on military jets, perhaps someday it will expand to include the many other "Micro Action" vehicles and playsets.

The Micro Action jets were originally called “Micro Jet Magnifiers” in packages marked with 1988 copyright dates. There were 12 different jets included at this point:
  • F-16 Fighting Falcon
  • F/A-18 Hornet
  • F-19 Stealth
  • A-10A Thunderbolt II
  • A-4 Skyhawk
  • F-15 Eagle
  • F-4 Phantom
  • SR-71A Blackbird
  • F-14A Tomcat
  • TU-26 Backfire
  • MIG 21bis Fishbed
  • MIG 23BN Flogger
Nine of these models had paint variations. In most cases, these variations were extra paint applications on these wings and/or horizontal stabilizers and/or behind the cockpit. In other cases the variations are more extreme (gray vs. green Falcon, yellow vs. brown Flogger).

These 12 jets were pictured on the back of “Micro Jet Color Changing Magnifiers” packages with copyright dates of 1988 (but at this point I am not certain if all 12 were in fact released as color changers).

The 12 original jets would become “Collector Series I” when the line was re-branded as “Micro Action Jets” in packages with 1989 copyright dates. The line also expanded with the addition of “Collector Series II” consisting of 11 new models (plus the F-16 Fighting Falcon again):
  • B-1 Bomber
  • A-7E Corsair II
  • Northrop T-38A Talon
  • F-16A Fighting Falcon
  • Grumman X-29A
  • RA-5C Vigilante
  • Lockheed S-3A Viking
  • F9F-8 Cougar
  • BAC-Lightning F Mk 6
  • Hawker Harrier
  • Soviet Stealth Fighter MIG-37B “Ferret E”
  • MIG 29 Fulcrum
20 of the 23 jets were pictured on the back of “Micro Action Jet Ring Squadron” packages with copyright dates of 1989. While the A-7E Corsair II, the MIG 21bis Fishbed and the MIG 23BN Flogger were not pictured for some reason, they were available in the “Ring Squadron” style as well.

In addition to the jets mentioned above, Funrise released so-called "super jets" as well as helicopters. Here is a breakdown of all the aircraft Funrise produced in the "Micro Action" lineup:
  • 23 single-axle jet "fighters" (16 American, 5 Soviet and 2 British)
  • 8 double-axle "super jets" a.k.a. "bombers and cargo planes" (6 American and 2 Soviet)
  • 8 different helicopters (5 American, 2 Soviet and 1 British)
Based on online auctions, the double-axle jets and helicopters seem to be less common than the single-axle jets. Funrise also produced some World War II era aircraft that are not included in these numbers.

Funrise also produced 4 different versions of the aircraft carrier playset and a folding air base playset. I currently own examples of many of these toys and will be posting pictures of the items in my collection as well as packaging photos. All photos are mine unless otherwise noted. I hope other fans and collectors will find the information posted here useful.
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Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 4, 2019 at 12:23 PM

    Great blog! Funrise collector myself, great project this. Please shoot me a mail got some trades :)

    ReplyDelete

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