How to ID true Micro Machines

Micro Machines is the best known brand of tiny scale toy cars. This guide is intended to help inform sellers and newbie collectors of these great toys. Micro Machines were first sold in the mid-80s by Lewis Galoob Toys Inc. In 1999, Hasbro bought out Galoob and continued making some Micro Machines. Most of the newer sets were only available in the United Kingdom and Europe. PLEASE NOTE: THIS GUIDE IS IN ITS "BETA" STAGE! I will be updating a couple times a month hopefully. This guide mainly applies to cars and trucks, but some of the info will apply to all types of vehicles.

A lot of sellers do not realize that the micros that they are selling are not really "Micro Machines". The easiest way to tell the difference is to look at the base of the car. The text on the bottom can weed out most of the imposters, some of which are very collectible in their own right. This is just a guide, and there are some cars that defy the rules.

Text found on authentic Micro Machines bases

• Galoob - what most of the cars made up until the mid 90s had on the base. Quite often people will misread this base and leave out a letter, or replace a letter with some other letter, like saying it reads "Baloo" or "Galod"
  
• LGTI or LGT- stands for Lewis Galoob Toys. Mostly used on cars made from 1994-1999.
  
• MM - stands for Micro Machines, might be only be found on monster trucks
• Hasbro - Micro Machines made after 1999, some marked Hasbro are not Micro Machines (see below)
  
• Unmarked (Mini Micros) - these are only about 5/8 inch long.
  

Other Brands by name on base:

• Charm Max - another brand of micros, very similar to Speedeez
• Dah Yang - another brand of micros, fairly hard to find. Most commonly found with a battery chamber in the base to power lights.
  
• Famosa - another brand of micros, very similar to Speedeez, sold in Europe
• Funrise - another brand of micros, some marked as Funrise were sold under the Racing Champions name. These are the most commonly misidentified brand of micros because they look very similar, right down to the base. You have to read the base very carefully.
  
• Hasbro - larger than regular micro machines, made before they bought Galoob, usually made out of a rubbery plastic material.
  
• Hot Wheels - Mattel made many various brand of micros including Atomix and Zowees
  
• Ideal - sold under the brand name Skeeters
• Imperial - the yo-yo company, also made some micros
• Majorette - Micro Sonic Flashers (have two lights on top, Micro Machines "Blaze & Roar" only have one)
  
• MAL - most likely Matchbox
  
• Mana-Tee - sold under the brand name Mad Wheelz
• MC Toys - don't know too much about these.. some are color changers. Usually a metal body.
  
• Nasta - another brand of micros
• PB - Phat Boyz, made by Simple Wishes. Had really wide bodies.
  
• PT - Playmate Toys, maker of Speedeez, usually has a ball bearing in the base.
• Racing Champions, another brand of micros
• Remco - sold mostly "rip cord" style cars
  
• Road Champs - another brand of micros, most commonly found as 4x4s or Sprint Cars.
  
• Tamfort - don't know too much about these, very similar to Famosa and Speedeez
• China - if this is all on the base, it is not a true Micro Machines car.
  
• Unmarked - most Micro Machines were marked, sometimes they can be hard to spot
• Unmarked (Mini Micros) - if they are larger than 5/8 inch and less then 1", they are not Micro Machines

ID by materials and design

Sometimes you can tell wether something is a true Micro Machines or another brand by just how it is constructed. Here are some dead giveaways that the vehicle is not a Micro Machines

• Figure on Wheels - if the body of the car is a humanoid figure, then it is most likely made by Kenner
• Metal Body - Galoob only did metal bodies on the "Snap Backs" series of cars. If you have a metal body and it does not have "pull back and go" action, then it is not a Micro Machines. Snap Backs will be marked on the base as Galoob.
• Molded in Color - Most of the true Micro Machines are white resin, painted over with colors. The exceptions include the "Sparklers" which were molded in a clear resin with metal-flakes, X-rays which were molded in a clear or transparent color with painted interior, and the Insiders line which was molded in plastic and featured a lift-up body. A lot of the other brands just molded their cars in colored plastic. Often these other brands may look waxy and lack the bold colors of true Micro Machines.
  
• Wide Width - if the car is almost an inch or more in width, it is not a Micro Machines except for "triplesiders" where the body flips open to reveal a hiding spot for a car. It is most likely a Phat Boyz. This does not apply to boats, aeroplanes, and other non-car/truck micros.
  
• Clear Windows - if the windows are clear, it is not a Micro Machines. Most likely it is a made by Racing Champions. The only exception would be the X-ray line, but it had clear body as well.
  

More Info To Come....