Home >> Collecting >> Collecting Vintage Toys

Identification of Galoob Micro Machines

Micro Machines, also known as Micros, are tiny, N scale models of vehicles produced in the United States from the mid-1980s throughout the 1990s. Most Micro Machines are models of cars, trucks and other automobiles that existed in full scale in real life. Others, however, like the Aliens set or the Star Wars sets, are models of fantastic automobiles from films. Micro Machines are just beginning to interest collectors, and if you have a set of Micro Machines you'd like to identify you can refer to books, websites or antique experts.

Instructions

- 1
  Examine your Micro Machine carefully. If it's still in the package, the package will identify the model for you. Micro Machines were sold in play sets, so mint condition Micro Machines came in boxes with a few vehicles and a backdrop. You will know that you have real Micro Machines because both the box and the chassis of the vehicles will be marked with the name of the manufacturer, "Galoob." You'll need a jeweler's loop to read the mark on the chassis of the vehicles, though, because they're so small. Remember, if it doesn't say Micro Machines, it's not the real thing.
- 2
  Compare your Micro Machine with the models on Military Micro Machines, if your Micro Machine appears to be some sort of military vehicle,. This website has images of all the military Micro Machines ever produced, sorted year by year. The site pictures all of the military Micro Machines in their boxes, so you can also see how your military Micro Machine was originally packaged and with which other Micro Machines it was sold. If the pictures are too small for you to recognize your toys, click on them for larger images. The sales link will allow you to check out what sellers are getting for their packaged Micro Machines.
  
  Military Micro Machines
  
  militarymicromachines.com
- 3
  Check out MM World, if you have reason to believe that your Micro Machines are from the United Kingdom. This site allows you to search the entire line of Micro Machines produced in the United Kingdom, year by year. Micro Machines were originally manufactured by Galoob, then sold to Hasbro in the late 1990s. Hasbro stopped producing and selling Micro Machines in the United States in the late 1990s, but continued to manufacture and sell them in the United Kingdom through 2007. This site contains extensive information about identifying your Micro Machines if they are still in the original packaging.
  
  M M World
  
  m-m-world.com
- 4
  Compare your Micro Machines to the photographs on the Micro Machines Museum's website. The Micro Machine Museum has over 6,000 Micro Machines. This site has clear photographs of all of the Micro Machines both in and out of the original packaging. Thus, if you have a loose Micro Machine, it should be easy to identify once you sift through all the material available to you on this site. You can also learn about the entire history of Micro Machines on the Museum's website.
  
  Micro Machine Museum
  
  m2museum.com
- 5
  Show your Micro Machine to an antique toy dealer or someone who is very knowledgeable about cars, trucks and vehicles, if you don't want to click through any of the online resources for identifying your MIcro Machine. Most Micro Machines were scale models of actual vehicles, so experts in autos and military vehicles may easily be able to identify your model.

Collecting Vintage Toys