Original Microman Series

1974 Microman Zone

Microman Zone

Microman Series

1974

Microman Zone
First year included the Founder Microman, Micro Kit Machines and Conning Tower.

1975

Project Victory
Second year saw more Microman and several new sub series such as the Acroyears, Titans and Victory series.

1976

Spy Magician

The line finally came into its own during the third year with new figures and the classic Microman Transfer Fortress.

1977

Command
A watershed year for Microman series, this year saw some of the best toys for the line. 

1978

Police Keeper

Takara tried new design and direction for the series with the released of Hoodman and Arden. 

1979

Rescue Team
Takara "rescue" attempt for the series with the Rescue Team Microman.  This year saw updated of old favorite like the New Tower Base.

1980

Punch & Blizzard Man
The last year of the original series saw the shift in the line to more robot like look and larger figures.

New Microman Series

1981

New Microman
Takara reset the line and relaunch the series under the New Microman banner.

1982

Micro Robot
Micro Robot series became the main focus of the new line.  Takara also tried to cash in on the "pla-mo" popularity with Real Type and Micro Borg.

1983

Micro Change
The "transformation" for Microman series began with the Micro Change series.

1984

Transformers

Takara continued with the successful Micro Change series but the changing of the guard was inevitable.

Microman toys first appeared in April of 1974 and the series was originally introduced as a miniaturized "micro-size" version of Takara 12" action-figure doll line called the Henshin Cyborg. The line was fairly small and consisted only of few different toys.  The centerpiece of the series were the original four Microman. The "Founder" Microman as they later to be called, look very much like a scale (10cm) Henshin Cyborg. The figures featured clear body, chrome head, and barefoot. (The barefoot design was later replaced with cybernetic "shoe" feet, commonly seen on all Microman and Micronauts Time Travelers.) The chrome head and clear body features of Microman which would later became hallmark of Microman figures owed much to their Henshin Cyborg heritage.

The toys during the first year consisted mainly of vehicles for these "cyborg" Microman. The vehicle was one of the main reason that Takara decided to make the miniaturized cyborg so that vehicles and play sets could be made for them at reasonable prices and sizes.   As a matter of fact,  the very first series Microman toys to be released for sale were the four Micro-Kit Machines, these were four set of vehicles in kit form each with a clear Microman cyborg figure pack in. These early Micro-Kit Machines are some of the most coveted toys by Microman collectors.

Another prominent vehicle from the first year Microman toys was the M115 Conning Tower or better known in the US as Micronauts Mobile Exploration Lab (MEL). Takara later released the first series Microman figures individually. They were sold in a small white "capsule" case a feature that would became common theme with later Microman figures. (The capsule idea was another by product of Henshin Cyborg line, the case was design to be a hibernation chamber much like Cyborg Station for the Henshin Cyborg). Beside the four Kit-Machines, Takara also released three additional small vehicles under "Cosmo Car" series. These vehicles are real vehicle toys unlike the pseudo kit vehicles from the Micro-Kit Machine series. The Cosmo Car line featured spring-loaded missiles, and early form of interchangeable parts both of these features would later became the hallmark of Microman vehicles.

Microman Story (catalog)

They are the first Microman who arrived on modern day Earth. They came from Micro-Earth in hibernation capsules after Micro-Earth was destroyed. When the Capsules were ejected from the planet it reacted with the alpha H-7 radiation and covered the capsules in crystal structure. Microman drifted through space for four billion years; when they were finally awoken by the ray of the sun. Microman found out that the alpha H-7 radiation had reduced their body to small size. The alpha H-7 radiation also reacted with the environment in which the crystallized capsules resided and caused automatic evolution that altered their appearances. They decided to search for other Microman by building the M115 Conning Tower.   The M115 would send out Spectrum MX Ray that could revive other Microman from their hibernation.