Microman robo guns4/3/2023 ![]() ![]() Takara exhibited their Diaclone and Micro Change toys at the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show, where an anonymous Hasbro representative saw the potential in these transforming robots and, in short order, the toys were reborn in Western markets as The Transformers. This unique selling point was especially evident with 1983's " Micro Change" subseries, which introduced robot figures and vehicles that could transform into ordinary household objects like Penny Racers, audio cassettes, and, um, handguns. The story lore that had been building up in the Microman toy catalogues was streamlined, with renewed emphasis placed on the Microman pilots being refugees from Micro Earth, fighting against the mutated Acroyears by joining forces with human children like you–an alliance facilitated by the Microman characters being at 1:1 scale with their action figures. Meanwhile, Microman was rebranded as New Microman, with a renewed focus on its action figure characters. 1 Countach LSP500S"–predecessor to the Autobot Sunstreaker, and the first fully-fledged transforming car-to-robot toy ever designed, according to Hasbro. The tiny "Dianaut" pilots inherited the bright colours and chromed heads of Henshin Cyborg that had since become a hallmark of Microman, and the Cosmo Countach served as inspiration for the " Car Robots" series toy "No. The transforming mecha aspect of the line was spun off into Diaclone which, like Microman before it, was a third-scale miniaturisation of its predecessor. Takara has re-used some of Microman's parts, along with some other new parts, and has reconstructed another Microman, and renamed it New Microman.ġ981 saw a shake-up for the Microman line. The impact of Microman on the global boys' toy market can scarcely be overestimated, despite the fact that Microman itself is little known outside of Japan. Joe, resulting in the creation of its " A Real American Hero" franchise. In particular, Mego's alterations to existing Microman engineering would come back around to influence G.I. Micronauts was one of the earliest toylines in the American market to utlise the 3.75-inch figure scale (the first being 1975's Adventure People by Fisher Price) bolstered by the Kenner toyline for some space movie or other, it became the standard for many lines of the era, and a format for action toys that survives to this day. Micronauts gained a tie-in comic series from Marvel in 1979, which proved popular enough to outlast the toyline. In what would end up being a remarkably prescient move, American toy manufacturer Mego would choose to license the use of molds from Microman alongside other Takara lines, introducing the western world to the Micronauts franchise in 1977. The line included bases, converting vehicles, figures, and piloted mech suits notable highlights include 1975's Robotman, Takara's first toy that could transform (or rather, partsform) from a robot to a vehicle, and 1978's "Cosmo Countach", a primitive robot that could come apart and be reassembled into a Lamborghini supercar. These cost concerns–coupled with the acknowledgement that Japanese household space is typically too limited for a collection of such large toys–led to Takara creating the 3.75-inch scale Microman as, effectively, Henshin Cyborg shrunken down to about a third of its size. The increased cost of oil meant that the planned expansion of Henshin Cyborg into vehicles and playsets was untenable. Henshin Cyborg could "transform" by replacing his modular limbs with weaponry, or by donning separately sold costumes to embody other popular characters from the Transformers universe, like Devilman or Mazinger Z. The titular character was a cybernetic superhero with a distinctive chromed head and translucent body parts that revealed his inner mechanical parts. Takara imported the line in Japan in 1971 as " Combat Joe", but when the militaristic styles of "America's Moveable Fighting Man" received only a tepid market response, they instead repurposed the molds to create Henshin Cyborg. ![]() Joe range of toys, which introduced the world to the term "action figure" when released in 1964. Microman's roots lie, perhaps surprisingly, with the original 12-inch G.I. Their modular construction allowed them to interact with bases, vehicles, and mech suits such as Robotman (right), which has a yellow Microman pilot visible in its chest. The line was mostly made up of 3.75-inch figures like M251 Robin (left). ![]()
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