CASSETTE MAN ! Taiwan Cassett Man bootleg (Soundwave)

Ahh, there is nothing like a good ol' 80's Taiwan bootleg. Not all 80's Taiwan bootlegs were good, but many that were copies of existing Japanese toys. I'm sure we've all had some type of Taiwan version toy. One of my favorites is Daitarn 3 which borders on not really being a bootleg since it's licensed by Sunrise. We've also got the Godtron, Godbot, Lionbot and loads more. One that I would see as a kid was Cassette Man. I remember seeing these alongside Shockwave and Megatron bootlegs. I wasn't into them much because these were available before the Transformers craze started. The reason Transformers bootlegs were available before Transformers existed is because they weren;t bootlegged off of Transformers. They were bootlegs of Diaclone/Micro Change toys from Takara Japan and other toys. Sort of like how Lionbot was around before the Matchbox Voltron came out. This all cause me confusion since there was no internet to teach me the origins of these toys.

Years later I now have in my possession a Taiwan Cassette Man. I got it on eBay where it was being sold for about $130 with a "Make offer" I went the lowball route since I was broke and this is a bootleg...the offer was accepted. Worst that could happen is my offer being declined. It is bootlegged off of the Takara Micro Change Cassette Man. The box has seen better days and the Jaguar cassette robot is missing but the rest of the contents have been unmolested by small grubby hands. I made a video of this figure in which I transformed it for the first time in it's life. Although I didn't capture the transformation on video, you sort of witness the devirginizing of a toy.

It came with everything you see here except Jaguar. This Jaguar is actually a G1 Ravage filling in. Everything else was intact and unused.

This is how Cassette Man comes out of his box. He's an old-school cassette recorder. Back form the days when micro cassettes were considered high-tech. Notice the MC-10 markings just like his Takara version. They copied everything except "Takara". The included cassette is not even a cassette at all. It is a cardboard filler. I almost got excited thinking it was a Micros figure (Rumble/Frenzy).

It is actually well done, the feet and joints remain diecast just like the original.

Here he is next to a G1 Soundwave.

Micro Change Cassette Condor and Micro Cassette Robot Condor

Today I have the Micro Change Condor which was part of the Microman series of toys. The figures in this line were based off robots that could turn into normal everyday objects. In this case, a robot condor would turn into a cassette which was all the rage back in the day with the Walkman and all. It was released by Takara at the time and of course Taiwan wasted no time in giving the less fortunate kids a chance to own their own bootleg version. If you are thinking to yourself that these look familiar, well then you must be thinking about Laserbeak. The charming little robotic bird that resides in Soundwave. I never owned either of these as a kid, however I did have the Taiwan version of Jaguar (Ravage). Let's take a look at these, shall we?

The Takara version is on the left and the Taiwan version is off to the right. Notice that at first glance, they are very similar in box design. Look closely and you'll notice the Taiwan version is in english and missing trademarks and company logos.

The back is also very similar with the exception of the english and the removal of the Microman figure photos and Takara logo. Notice the lower right hand corner of the Taiwan version, it has a "#1" hand-written on it. I have another Taiwan version and it is missing this number. Probably done at retail or by the previous owner.

Here they are out of the package and in their vacuum-formed trays. The Takara version on the left seems to have sharper molding on the tray. You'll also notice it has a cassette insert and an instruction booklet. The Taiwan originally did have an insert which was lost over the years, however neither of my Taiwan versions have instructions. I do not know if they ever did. Maybe someone can verify this. They both feature metal decals with cassette detailing. The original says "Takara" and the bootleg says "Micro Cassette". The chrome appears brighter on the Takara although the chrome seems durable on the bootleg.

Side by side you will see they are almost identical. The molding is clean on both. The Takara version features a bright red paint while the Taiwan version has a darker red. The Taiwan version seems to have a thinner coat of paint because it thins down on the panel lines. Surprisingly, the Taiwan version seems to have sharper diecast (red parts) molding although it does show larger gaps between the metal and plastic.

That's it folks, in the tired state that I was during the shoot, I forgot to snap them together in their robot Condor form. Probably a good thing as I would have probably broken something.