In his book Movies in Miniature, author Brian Barry spends time on something that many collectors overlook at first. While the big action figures always grabbed the spotlight, some of the smartest movie toys were actually the really small ones. The kind you could fit in your pocket or line up on a shelf without taking over the whole room.
Star Wars Micro Collection That Tried Something New
Right after The Empire Strikes Back came out, Kenner decided to try a fresh idea. They made the Star Wars Micro Collection with tiny diecast metal figures that stood just one and a quarter inches tall. These little guys were stuck in action poses with weapons molded straight onto their bodies. The playsets were small too but packed with detail. You could snap the Hoth sets together to make a snowy base or connect the Cloud City ones to build Bespin. It did not sell like crazy back then, but Barry says it was ahead of its time and felt more for collectors than regular kids.
Battlestar Galactica Ships With Their Own Little Pilots
Around that same time Mattel did something a bit different with Battlestar Galactica. They made normal size figures for the main characters but the vehicles came with even smaller two-inch minifigures that could sit inside the cockpits. The Colonial Viper and the Cylon Raider both had these articulated little pilots. Kids did not seem to mind that the pilots were tiny. They just liked flying the ships around.
Galoob Action Fleet Bringing Small Scale Back
In the mid 1990s Galoob brought the small idea back strong with their Star Wars Action Fleet. Every vehicle had an opening cockpit and a tiny articulated minifigure that clicked right in. Between 1995 and 2000 they made more than fifty different ships and vehicles. A lot of fans liked them because you could collect plenty without filling up your bedroom. Galoob also made micro lines for older movies like Indiana Jones, Aliens, and Predator.
Independence Day And Godzilla Getting The Micro Treatment
Trendmasters tried the same trick with Independence Day in 1996. They made regular human and alien figures but the fun part was the tiny playsets that showed famous buildings getting wrecked by the alien ships. A couple years later they did something similar for Godzilla. The small scale made the monster look even bigger next to the little buildings and vehicles.
New Micro Galaxy Squadron Still Going Strong
Even now the small format keeps coming back. In 2022 Jazwares launched Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron. The vehicles are a little bigger than the old Action Fleet ones but still easy to display. Each ship comes with one-inch tall articulated minifigures that fit perfectly inside. Barry notes that these tiny toys keep finding new fans because they solve the biggest headache most collectors have: running out of space.
Why The Small Stuff Keeps Coming Back Year After Year
The book makes it clear that these micro and minifigure lines were never supposed to replace the bigger figures. They just gave fans another choice. Cheaper to make, easier to store, and still full of movie details. From Kenner’s early metal micros to Galoob’s fleet and the newer Jazwares ships, the idea stayed the same. Let people own their favorite movie moments without spending too much or clearing out half the house.
Brian Barry tells these stories in such a quiet way that you start looking at those little ships and minifigures differently. The big flashy figures get remembered first, but the tiny ones quietly did a lot of the work. They let people build whole worlds on a coffee table or a small shelf and kept the hobby going for fans who wanted more without making a mess. After you finish this chapter you catch yourself smiling at the small stuff. They may be tiny in size but they have played a surprisingly big part in the long story of movie toys.