
A little while back, we looked at some Diaclone prototypes that varied quite a bit from the toys we came to know as the first waves of Transformers in the 1980s.
It all started after @hausofsega replied to a post of mine on Twitter. They dropped a mention of a vintage 1983 Japanese book which featured numerous photos of the prototypes, many of which differed significantly from their final retail counterparts.
To say I was intrigued would be an understatement. I had to know more, and fortunately, they were only too happy (and generous) to oblige, confirming the identity of the book in question and even providing some incredible scans of the contents!

Since then, we’ve delved into the Decepticon prototypes of the era, including both those from Diaclone and Micro Change. Well, now we’re back for more, only it’s the Minibots this time! Big thanks to @hausofsega for helping with this.
#7: Micro Change MC-04 Mini Car Robo 05 Jeep

The most apparent difference between this early pre-production prototype and the toy now more commonly known as G1 Brawn is the hue. Whereas the Autobot is decked out in a darker forest green (there’s one for all you colour chart enthusiasts), this early sample looks distinctly more olive by comparison. However, there are other notable elements to spot here, as the tooling looks different in several places, including the head, which is smoother and missing some of the detail seen on the finished article, and the chest, which also includes distinct decals.
Of course, what’s interesting to consider here is the toy’s unusual origins, given it didn’t actually hail from Micro Change at all! Alongside the designs that would go on to become Huffer, Gears and Windcharger, pre-Brawn began life as part of the little-known and ultimately non-realised American ‘Mysterians’ line from Knickerbocker Toys, with no one currently sure how they came to be in Takara’s possession for Micro Change. Thus, what you see here is really the unused figure known as ‘Jeepar’, which Takara would evidently make some adjustments to before release.
#6: Micro Change MC-04 Mini Car Robo 07 American Truck

Like Brawn above, this prototype of what would eventually become Huffer began life as the Knickerbocker design ‘Truckar’ (I know) as part of their cancelled Mysterians line. It’s strange now to consider we all believed these toys to be Micro Change in origin for decades, especially when there are some subtle but obvious tells in retrospect. For starters, they lack the squished ‘Penny Racer’ proportions and rubber tyres of Takara’s other ‘Mini Car’ efforts (see below), and as can be found on this example, some of them are ‘branded’ with a mysterious moulded ‘M’, clearly noted here on the side of the cab. It’s worth clarifying it was always assumed this stood for ‘Micro Change’, but now we know the truth, the puzzle pieces seem a little more firmly in place somehow.
Besides all that, there are some notable tooling differences to what we now more commonly think of as G1 Huffer, with the face being the most varying element overall. Equally, the paint is much more distinct, as the prototype is sporting a silver mouth plate with a rather nifty trip around the visor section. Very nice!
#5: Micro Change MC-04 Mini Car Robo 04 4WD Offroad

Our penultimate Mysterians-originating Micro Change prototype is the toy that would eventually become Gears. However, the changes in this case are perhaps not as immediately obvious as the previous two entries. Still, one cannot help but clock the lack of chromed thighs and truck grill in this case, whilst the face features a black visor, and the shoulder joints are blue instead of red here, too. Moreover, the hue of the main body seems less vibrant than found on the Transformers version, which I prefer. Like his Minibot comrades, Gears still sports a prominent ‘M’ emblem on his bonnet, which speaks to his mysterious Knickerbocker origins even before the days of Micro Change, when he was originally known as ‘Blazar’.
#4: Micro Change MC-04 Mini Car Robo 06 Transam

Despite knowing that it hails from the same Mysterians line as the three examples above, something about the Windcharger design could almost convince you it was a Takara original even now. As well as lacking the distinctive ‘M’ symbol, the toy originally titled ‘Speedar’ feels somehow in step with the Micro Change original Minibots. However, it also eschews the rubber tyres and squished proportions of those toys, and the Cylon-esque face is unmistakable, which all speaks to it having similar alien origins to its Knickerbocker brethren. Still, this prototype is surprisingly close to the realised G1 Windcharger toy, despite some apparent tooling differences being most notable in areas such as the face.
#3: Micro Change MC-04 Mini Car Robo 01 Porsche Turbo 924

If the entries so far have a complicated backstory, then this little lad is surely quite straightforward by comparison. There’s no doubt that pre-Transformers Cliffjumper hailed from Takara’s design ethos, made to match the style and proportions of their own ‘Choro-Q’ toy car line, which began in 1979. These super-deformed vehicles may not have typically transformed, but the idea of Micro Change was to produce a series of convertible robots based on everyday household items, and in this case, on the same toy cars found in the Choro-Q line-up itself. How unbelievably meta! Perhaps because it originated in-house, this prototype looks closer to the final specimen we now know and love.
#2: Micro Change MC-04 Mini Car Robo 03 Volkswagen

You and I may know this toy as Bumblebee nowadays, but in 1983, it was just another super deformed transformable toy car in Takara’s Micro Change line. What’s always struck me as unusual about these examples is their uniqueness as individuals. Although they share the same overall basic design and engineering, most of the moulded parts are particular to each toy, with the only real commonalities being bits such as the legs. It makes them all feel highly distinct and full of their own character. As seen on 01 above, this prototype matches up closely to the toy that so many of us are now familiar with, the only notable difference being a silver shoulder piece instead of black.
#1: Micro Change MC-04 Mini Car Robo 02 Familia 1500 XG

Considering the hoopla that ‘Bumper’ (or ‘Bumblejumper’, should you prefer) has created in Transformers over the decades, it’s almost inconceivable to think he began life as just another ordinary part of the Micro Change line-up, debuting ahead of now-franchise poster boy Bumblebee in terms of production numbering, no less! Still, despite the toy’s unparalleled perception these days, it was widely available back then and came in the same three colours as both its sister releases, including yellow, red and blue. Once again, this prototype may look exceptionally close to the final thing, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still a treat to behold!
So that’s our list! Thanks again to @hausofsega for sharing the pictures. Which of these prototypes has caught your eye the most?
TTFN
