Microchange

[Fighbird]

Being mainly a Transformers idiot, I have no real idea about the Microman line. Not that I need an explanation of the line as such (I have a vague idea, and I think I know enough about it to link Microman with TFs ), but I was really wondering what diehard (vintage) Microman collectors think of the old Microchange toys?

Are they avoided by all costs, an unimportant collection bonus, or highly treasured collectibles? Please enlighten the uninformed.

[shaxper]

The only one I've taken a particular interest in is Robocolt, who is a far cooler looking handgun transformer than the one that became Megatron. Beyond that, Microchange has never really interested me. The transformed modes felt too grounded in reality to really capture my imagination.

[Fighbird]

Fair enough.

So my assumption about Microman fans generally not being all too thrilled about the Microchange line may be valid after all.

But as I have understood it, Microchange pretty much took over the whole of the New Microman line back in the day, and effectively led to it's cancellation at that time? Or am I misinformed? Did New Microman continue after the advent of Transformers?

[shaxper]

Microchange did end up taking over, largely because the Takotoku Macross line had Japan on a transforming robot spree. I can see why this would be disappointing to any Microman fan. It was a complete and abrupt change in the series' focus.

Microchange ended in 1983 (taking the Microman series with it). Japan's economy was in serious trouble at the time, and Takara was cutting corners in many places. This is why the later Diaclone toys are all plastic and of inconsistant quality. I have no idea whether or not Microchange had any level of success in Japan, but if it wasn't doing too well, it would have made complete sense for Takara to drop it at this time. Diaclone, on the other hand, (barely) continued through 1984, until Takara adopted the Transformers series in '85, and cut the Diaclone line in order to avoid overlapping.

[Fighbird]

www.geocities.com/futuristgroup/vpretflist.htm

According to this list, however, coming from a source I consider very reliable, Takara was still putting out Microchange toys as late as August, 1984, and MicroForever.com also states, that some toys were still coming out in 1984; Diaclone even struggled on 'till 1985.

But where did that leave "regular" Microman toys? What were the offerings of regular action figures, vehicles and playsets during that time, and where do they rank among fans/collectors?

[shaxper]

If you click on "1984" at Microforever, it shows Transformers G1. I'd never argue with Fred as a reliable source, but I trust Microforever more when it comes to Microchange.

As for Diaclone being made into 1985, this is really a matter of opinion. Diaclone was still being released on a small scale at the begining of '85, but (to the best of my knowledge) no new moulds were being released, because Takara was planning to release Transformers in '85 and didn't want an overlap. Fred shows the construction and train robos being released in '84. I don't have all my sources at my disposal, but I'm relatively sure I've seen them documented as being '83 releases in other places. Much of Fred's info comes from US patents. He may have those dates because that was when Takara filed the patents in the US (for the '85 US Transformers release). The construction robos were released in that year, and the train robos may have originally been on the slate, as well.


I don't know what month they released TF in, nor do I know what month they chose as the cut-off for Diaclone.


As for regular Microman, some figures continued to be released with Microchange, though the focus had certainly shifted. Microforever doesn't show another Microman series after that until 1996.


Edit: I've now researched and re-researched ending dates for Diaclone and have only managed to confuse myself. I'm home with the flu today, and my brain is quite garbled.

I know that concepts were still being designed for Diaclone as late as 1985. This is why many later TFs that were never released as Diaclone have early design sketches dated '84 and '85. I believe Fortress Maximus is documented as being one of these . As for new Diaclones being released in '85, if Himawari and Fred think so, then I guess I believe them. I no longer remember where my source about Diaclone ending in '84 came from.

Edit #2: I keep refering to this info as coming from Fred. My bad. It's Fred's site; Himawari's info.

[Fighbird]

Doesn't matter about those spefic dates -- I'm more interested in what went down.

Those last few Micromen that came out during 1983 (the first year of Micro Change) -- are they hard to come by? What do collectors think of them -- both in regards to having that telltale Micro Change logo on them, but also storywise with the whole Microman legend?

[Dragonclaw]

I like the Microchange pieces in my collection. But I'm both a Micronaut and a Transformers fan so it's a great bridge for the collection. ;D Microchange did signal pretty much the end of the traditional Microman until it's reintroduction so I can see why it would be frowned apon...I was a teenager back then so I don't know firm sales figures by any means, but it seems to me that if Microman had been a stronger performer Microchange might never have been the main part of the line anyway. With TF's on the horizon I'd think Takara would have simply brought Microman back to it's core and continued Transformers as a seperate line.

[Fighbird]

I don't think that Takara at that point knew how big Transformers would get. They did try to to market Diaclone toys themselves in the US in 1983 without much success (Kronoform), so I'm betting they just thought "what the hey", when Hasbro approached them with their initial TF pitch.

Regarding the decline of New Microman, I think that Takara sort of brought it on by themselves, by only releasing 4 (7?) Microman action figures in 1983 (according to Microforver.com -- what a neat place!). They must've gotten the idea that transformable toys were "all the rage" at that point (maybe due to Macross and their own Diaclone?), in order to go all out with the 1983 Microman lineup.

And considering that their 1984 MM didn't even *have* any "classic" Microman toys, indicates to me that the sales figures Takara got on their 1983 selection was reason enough for continueing Micro Change. I dunno...

[hypnotator]

I always thought that the idea of transforming robots was fantastic, but the reality was that they look like bits of vehicle rearranged. the appeal of Cybrog and Micronauts for me was their articulation and ver human anatomy, which the Transformers lack, although they are direct descendants.

[shaxper]

Just to knit pick here, Takara actually tried to release Diaclone in America as "Diakron" (same pronunciation to the Japanese, but different English spelling). After only releasing nine toys for the series, they entered negotiations with Hasbro. Kronoform was their second American toy line, made up of items that weren't being used for TF.

There's a history of Japanese robot toy makers attempting to produce their items in America (Shogun Warriors, GoDaiKin, Diakron, Go-Bots, Voltron, Kronoform, etc.). History has proven that the only way this works is when you:

1. Get an American company to pay for the rights and produce it themselves, and

2. Have either a cartoon or comic book (or both) to arouse excitement about the product.

[shaxper]

hypnotator said:

I always thought that the idea of transforming robots was fantastic, but the reality was that they look like bits of vehicle rearranged. the appeal of Cybrog and Micronauts for me was their articulation and ver human anatomy, which the Transformers lack, although they are direct descendants.

I guess I always liked that "bits of vehicle rearranged" look. It always tempted me to find out how to rearranger it and make it whole. If they'd looked too much like regular Popy-style robots, some of that thrill would have been lost.

As for their being direct descendants, it's really more that the Diaclone drivers were direct descendants of Microman. I mean, you could argue that there's some lineage between toys like Punch Robo and the Transformers, but not much of one. So I don't think there's much overlap between Microman and Transformers at all. Microchange was a random and abrupt shift in the series based upon Diaclone sales. That's how I see it.

[VintageT]

I'm a huge Microchange fan. It's what got me into collecting vintage Takara. Not only do you have three different guns in the line, but a whole slew of outstanding (and extremely original for the time) transforming robots, including Cassette Man, the three cassettes, the mini-cars, etc.

Unfortunately, it's not a very large line (unless you get into varients, non-Japanese releases, bootlegs, etc), so I branched into Diaclone after a while.

[Fighbird]

hypnotator said:

I always thought that the idea of transforming robots was fantastic, but the reality was that they look like bits of vehicle rearranged. the appeal of Cybrog and Micronauts for me was their articulation and ver human anatomy, which the Transformers lack, although they are direct descendants.

I can easily follow that -- as display toys and alternatives to Rubic Cubes, I always loved my TFs as a kid, but when it came to actually becoming a toy character when playing, I always whipped out my G.I.Joes (yeah, I know -- wron toyline for this thread... )

[Fighbird]

shaxper said:

Just to knit pick here, Takara actually tried to release Diaclone in America as "Diakron" (same pronunciation to the Japanese, but different English spelling). After only releasing nine toys for the series, they entered negotiations with Hasbro. Kronoform was their second American toy line, made up of items that weren't being used for TF.

Yeah, sorry, my bad -- mixed up Diakron and Kronoform.

And yes, something like a well-defined universe that is cross-sold with different related venues -- that's the way to go. I would imagine that the other lines you mention there didn't fare too well on that account?

[Fighbird]

shaxper said:

Microchange was a random and abrupt shift in the series based upon Diaclone sales. That's how I see it.

Very good point...

Can anyone please enlighten me on Punch Robo?

[Fighbird]

VintageT said:

I'm a huge Microchange fan. It's what got me into collecting vintage Takara.

I am myself very tempted to locate more pre-TF Takara stuff -- some of the early Microman pre-Micro Change robots look very exiting, as well as some of the pre-Car Robo/Real Robo transforming Diaclone stuff. Sadly, though, the few sources I have aren't that great, and I really don't have the economics for it (trying primarily to complete a Brave toy collection). Also, that Kronoform Multi-Force I got a few years ago doesn't really do it for me...

[shaxper]

Fighbird said:

Yeah, sorry, my bad -- mixed up Diakron and Kronoform.
And yes, something like a well-defined universe that is cross-sold with different related venues -- that's the way to go. I would imagine that the other lines you mention there didn't fare too well on that account?

Pretty much. Shogun Warriors, Go-Bots, and Voltron all did VERY nicely because they were produced by Mattel, Tonka, and Matchbox respectively. Shogun Warriors was also accompanied by a relatively succesful Marvel Comic, while Go-Bots and Voltron had cartoons.

GoDaiKin and Kronoform both bombed because they were produced directly by Bandai and Takara, and had no mass media source for promoting their products. Even more than for creating a solid universe, cartoons and comics were useful as free (and often profitable) advertising. Imagine telling a toy company they can have a 30 minute advertisement slot on the air on Saturday mornings and actually get paid for it. That's what cartoons for toy products do.

[shaxper]

Fighbird said:

Very good point...

Can anyone please enlighten me on Punch Robo?

www.microforever.com/punchrobo.htm

I am myself very tempted to locate more pre-TF Takara stuff -- some of the early Microman pre-Micro Change robots look very exiting, as well as some of the pre-Car Robo/Real Robo transforming Diaclone stuff. Sadly, though, the few sources I have aren't that great, and I really don't have the economics for it (trying primarily to complete a Brave toy collection). Also, that Kronoform Multi-Force I got a few years ago doesn't really do it for me...

Some excellent Diaclone resources:
Pre-Transformers Web Page: Great general introduction to the various pre-tf series
Diaclone.net: Detailed photos of EVERY Diaclone toy. Japanese language only.
History of Diaclone: A project I've been working on, still in early stages of development. Incomplete and in need of some minor revisions, but very informative too.

[VintageT]

There are a ton of sites out there, but the one with the most comprehensive set of pics is Diaclone.net (as listed above). Unfortunately, a lot of the info on various sites is piecemeal, and sometimes inaccurate (such is the Net).

Thanks for posting the Pre-TF page. Did it move or change addresses? I was looking for it recently but couldn't find it. It's a very well laid out site.

Shaxper - I look forward to reading your Diaclone history. Each time I read a new synopsis/history of the pre-TF lines, I learn something new!

One really good way to get a feel for the timeline and progression of the toys is the Takara SF collection book. It's all in Japanese, but that doesn't take away from its usefulness. It's the best reference guide I've seen for 70's-80's Takara stuff, going from the early Henshin Cyborg days to the end of Diaclone. It even comes with a VCD with a ton of old commercials. Copies show up n Ebay from time to time.