DEMON BLUE ACROYEAR

MICROMAN MAGNE POWER (TAKARA)

Today’s review comes from if from the line Microman, a toyline that is more influential to the toy industry than many people would realize.  The line started in Japan in the 60s, and it’s been imported to the US under three separate names.  The first was Mego’s Micronauts line in the late 70s, which reused a bunch of Microman molds with new names and color schemes.  The second is the one most people know, Hasbro’s Transformers in the 80s.  This connection is generally lost, based on Hasbro’s desire to make the line its own thing.  More recently, the line has been brought back under its original name, but the line’s never really died down in Japan, just been rebranded numerous times.  The line always featured heroes with chrome heads, and most of the time the heroes faced the villainous Acroyears.  I’ll be looking at one of the Acroyears today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

This version of Acroyear was released as part of the Microman Magne Power line, which was the branding of the line during the 90s.  He was part of a whole series of Demon Acroyears.  The figure was offered in red, green, and blue.  I have the blue one, mostly because it was the one I found.  The Magne Power line showed a break from the typical Microman style in scale.  Traditionally the figures have been in 3 ¾ inch scale, but Magne Power was closer to just 3 inches even.  Acroyear himself stands about 3 ½ inches tall, and has 11 points of articulation.  His sculpt is lanky and textured, and is slightly reminiscent of Transformers in the 90s.  The figure is light on paint, instead relying a lot on pieces molded in the appropriate color.  Part of his head and his upper torso are vac-metailized to give them the appropriate chrome look that the line sports.  The chrome is accented by a translucent blue color, which is a neat combination.  The Acroyear included 3 small sphere-shaped missiles that can be launched out of the cannon on his right arm.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Though this figure was released in the 90s, it was only released in Japan.  As such, I only had the chance to get him when online stores started to hit it big.  I picked Acroyear up a few years ago along with a bunch of other figures from the Magne Power line.