As one of the MicroMachine staples from early on, the Inside Action line (or Transforming Head Playsets) has been a favorite for collectors because of the lines consistent attention to detail and action packed mechanics. Late in the Episode I line, three more sets were in various stages of development for release in 2000. Unfortunately, with the closure of Hasbro's West Coast division (formerly known as Lewis Galoob Toys) the next installments in the line failed to make it into production.
  
  First seen at Pre-Toy Fair 2000, the Anakin Skywalker Playset would have featured the young hero in his Podracing gear and opened to display a miniature Podracer Test Track. Shown here with a miniature Anakin and his Pod, the course offered many twists and turns as well as a few hidden surprises. Aside from the pieces that came with this sample, it is unknown what other items the finished set may have included. Judging by the firing net, the overhead “flying” arm, hidden dessert pit, and lever-activated rockslide, the finished set probably would have also included Watto and Tusken Raider figures.
 
  
    Likewise mentioned at Pre-Toy Fair 2000, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was also on deck for the Inside Action line. This highly detailed set would have opened to reveal the Jedi Ambassadors arrival on, and hasty departure from, the Trade Federation Battle Ship. Loaded with action features, the set promised dueling Jedi, an exploding Republic Cruiser, and a deployable Trade Federation Landing Craft. Included in the set, two miniature Battle Droids, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a Federation Lander. Shown above is an unpainted prototype of the working model, along with a fantastic hand painted cast of what the finished playset might have looked like.
  
  Finally, seen here for the first time, the Galoob team was working on what would have been the seventh transforming set from Episode I, the Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. Once opened, the set displays a miniature battlefield from the film's action-packed finale. Though incomplete, the playset would have featured a pair of Gungan field glasses and a Gungan Warrior set to topple on rushing enemies. While the playset's classic styling would have made it an instant hit with Galoob fans, it unfortunately never made it beyond the prototype stage. Though highly collectible, the future of the Inside Action (Transforming Head Playset) line remains in doubt. Combining all of Galoobs' strong suits, quality, style, and miniature action, the line truly offered something for everyone, and though Hasbro retains the license for such toys, as of this writing no mention has been made of it's eventual return to production. |
