Review: Takara Microman Acroyear A-301 Red Star
The original Microman line produced by Takara from 1974 to 1984 was an influential and well-connected toy line with ties, direct and indirect, to other notable lines like Henshin Cyborg, Micronauts, G.I. Joe and Transformers. It’s perhaps underappreciated these days but even a casual look through its rich catalogue ought to reveal its true import.
There was incredible diversity in the line during that decade-long run with Takara producing die-cast action figures, magnetic action figures, mecha, transforming robots, impressive bases and even a spectacular remote-controlled starship that split apart to become smaller vehicles and role-playing toys. There certainly were clunkers but on the whole, the designers deserved credit for continually trying new things.
Microman’s standard action figure designs were remarkable as well. At a time when Kenner was dominating the US action figure market with designs that made do with a mere five swivel joints, Takara was producing action figures of a similar size for the Japanese market with 14 points of articulation including ball-jointed wrists and an O-ring waist joint.
Yet it’s the connectivity and interchangeability based on Takara’s classic 5mm pegs and ports standard that stands out, and no one Microman figure in the original line represents that better than the classic Acroyear.
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