Vintage toys - Micronauts (Mego): alien screws
Published online (April 2022).
I have
the six
aliens, they are the
original ones that I had as a child. As usual, many parts were missing
or broken, so I bought some doubles to use their parts. Once the job
was done, I kept the doubles because... you never know. The cleaning
and part-swapping were done surgically, the rust was removed from
screws and screw holes using vinegar, and all the screws were removed
and then put back in the exact hole they used to be. So, at the time, I
didn't really wonder about the size and type of screws.
Years later I bought a nice lot of missing parts for just 20 euros. This time I removed all the screws together. I realized that there were just two types, one for the legs and one for the torso, so I thought there wouldn't be any problem with putting them back in the right place. I put them in vinegar for a couple of days and then I lined them up to select and use the right sizes. Unfortunately and surprisingly, things turned out to be not that easy. To make an example, a leg screw for Antron wouldn't fit in Centaurus legs, etc. We're talking of a 0.1-0.2 mm difference, but the screw doesn't go in, and that plastic is very brittle and it breaks easily.
So I made another attempt: I lined up all the leg screws (smaller than the torso screws) and I tried to select - by looking at it and using it - the smallest one that would fit in all holes. Not just all legs, but possibly all torsos. I intended to buy some brand new screws of this "minimum common denominator" size, to avoid any stress on any part and also to avoid the damage caused by possible micro-deformation due to the work of rust. I found my small common-denominator screw and I measured it. No doubt about the length (5 mm). The diameter seemed to be 2 mm, but I thought: "Let's measure it with the caliper, considering that a 0.1 difference seems to cause problems". Although the caliper said 1.7 mm, I later realized that I had to learn to use a caliper properly first.
Still sure about my 5 x 1.7 mm, I went online and ordered the cheapest option on eBay from a Chinese seller (honest and precise, and it's hard to find such screws in the shops, at least in my area). After about a month the screws arrive. First problem: they look visibly smaller than the original ones. That's when I understand that my caliper needs to be calibrated before use. Before doing that, I have a go with my double Repto. I put a new screw in the leg. It goes right down without even using the screwdriver, I put the leg upside down and the screw falls. My new screws are useless. I use the caliper again on various leg screws and I get different results, from 1.7 to 1.9 for screws that look identical to me, except the fact that the wrong one will break my figures.
That's when I go on the internet and I ask. There are so many Micronaut collectors and customizers. I don't think they are all using the same, old, de-rusted screws in the same holes. Yet, nobody has a clue about the measures. This is a problem. I can't order a 1.8, then a 1.9 and then a 2.0 from China until I get the perfect size. Weeks go by with me wondering how to move. Meanwhile, I leave all my doubles in pieces and all the original screws in a little bag, unsure about how to proceed with my restoration. Eventually, I think: "Oh, look, let's try again, I'll use the small leg screws as much as possible, and let's see where I get". I take an Antron, I put a leg screw in the leg, it's too big, doesn't get in. "F**k. Ok, you know what, let's try the 1.7 again". It goes in perfectly, smoothly, perfect fit, robust but without resistance. "Mh. OK". I go right away for a challenge: Membros' torso, 1.7 screw. Fits perfectly. "What the...?". I go on and on, the 1.7 fits all legs and many torsos, I'm ecstatic. "Then why...", and I go back to the problematic Repto. Same failure as weeks before. I look better: the coil inside the screw hole, which allows the screw to hold on, broke and came out in one piece, and now the screw hole is smooth, only a slightly bigger screw would be able to grip. That's why the 1.7 was the worst choice ever for that particular figure.
I took note of where the 1.7 worked and I made the following table.
Years later I bought a nice lot of missing parts for just 20 euros. This time I removed all the screws together. I realized that there were just two types, one for the legs and one for the torso, so I thought there wouldn't be any problem with putting them back in the right place. I put them in vinegar for a couple of days and then I lined them up to select and use the right sizes. Unfortunately and surprisingly, things turned out to be not that easy. To make an example, a leg screw for Antron wouldn't fit in Centaurus legs, etc. We're talking of a 0.1-0.2 mm difference, but the screw doesn't go in, and that plastic is very brittle and it breaks easily.
So I made another attempt: I lined up all the leg screws (smaller than the torso screws) and I tried to select - by looking at it and using it - the smallest one that would fit in all holes. Not just all legs, but possibly all torsos. I intended to buy some brand new screws of this "minimum common denominator" size, to avoid any stress on any part and also to avoid the damage caused by possible micro-deformation due to the work of rust. I found my small common-denominator screw and I measured it. No doubt about the length (5 mm). The diameter seemed to be 2 mm, but I thought: "Let's measure it with the caliper, considering that a 0.1 difference seems to cause problems". Although the caliper said 1.7 mm, I later realized that I had to learn to use a caliper properly first.
Still sure about my 5 x 1.7 mm, I went online and ordered the cheapest option on eBay from a Chinese seller (honest and precise, and it's hard to find such screws in the shops, at least in my area). After about a month the screws arrive. First problem: they look visibly smaller than the original ones. That's when I understand that my caliper needs to be calibrated before use. Before doing that, I have a go with my double Repto. I put a new screw in the leg. It goes right down without even using the screwdriver, I put the leg upside down and the screw falls. My new screws are useless. I use the caliper again on various leg screws and I get different results, from 1.7 to 1.9 for screws that look identical to me, except the fact that the wrong one will break my figures.
That's when I go on the internet and I ask. There are so many Micronaut collectors and customizers. I don't think they are all using the same, old, de-rusted screws in the same holes. Yet, nobody has a clue about the measures. This is a problem. I can't order a 1.8, then a 1.9 and then a 2.0 from China until I get the perfect size. Weeks go by with me wondering how to move. Meanwhile, I leave all my doubles in pieces and all the original screws in a little bag, unsure about how to proceed with my restoration. Eventually, I think: "Oh, look, let's try again, I'll use the small leg screws as much as possible, and let's see where I get". I take an Antron, I put a leg screw in the leg, it's too big, doesn't get in. "F**k. Ok, you know what, let's try the 1.7 again". It goes in perfectly, smoothly, perfect fit, robust but without resistance. "Mh. OK". I go right away for a challenge: Membros' torso, 1.7 screw. Fits perfectly. "What the...?". I go on and on, the 1.7 fits all legs and many torsos, I'm ecstatic. "Then why...", and I go back to the problematic Repto. Same failure as weeks before. I look better: the coil inside the screw hole, which allows the screw to hold on, broke and came out in one piece, and now the screw hole is smooth, only a slightly bigger screw would be able to grip. That's why the 1.7 was the worst choice ever for that particular figure.
I took note of where the 1.7 worked and I made the following table.
| Name | Legs | Torso |
| Centaurus | 1.7 - 1.7 | Tail: 1.7 - x, Torso: x - x |
| Membros | 1.7 | 1.7 - 1.7 |
| Kronos | 1.7 - 1.7 | 1.7 - 1.7 |
| Lobros | 1.7 - 1/2 | x - x |
| Antron | 1.7 - 1.7 | x - x |
| Repto | x - 1/2 | x - 1.7 |
In black: trial on the doubles.
In red: trial on the originals.
x: original screws.
1/2: where the 1.7 was only good in ONE leg.
Some further considerations for your experiments:
- About the x, I didn't take note of where I used the original leg screws (smaller) or the original torso screws (larger) but, of course, I always make a first attempt with the leg screw even with torsos, because I always go for the right fit with the lowest possible stress on the plastic.
- In some cases, both the original screws and the 1.7 will get in the hole well until the bottom, but then they turn on and on, they don't get stuck properly. I think that depends on how the hole got stripped over time. Even some of the above x could depend on that rather than on the screw.
- The length (rather than the diameter) of the 1.7 might be the reason why it doesn't fit all torsos. Some torsos have deeper holes, and the screw needs to be long enough to hold on both parts properly. Before buying 1.8-2.0 screws, I would try with longer 1.7, they might again provide the best match, with a strong grip and the lowest stress.
- There must indeed be, for some reason, screws of slightly different sizes, and even more strange, they are not a standard 2 mm.
- My 1.7, even though it was smaller than the original screws, almost by accident seems to be the lowest common denominator, a size that still has a grip. Probably a 1.6 would be too small. Maybe a 1.8 would fit all the holes. But be careful because, again, if you play with a 1.9 or 2.0 on a 1.8 hole, you break the plastic.
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