Millennial car nuts are right in their sweet spot for vehicle nostalgia, and for many of said nuts, Micro Machines were the toy of choice for a few years. The fast-talking pitchman made the tiny cars, trucks, and planes stand out from the larger Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys. As those have become collectible, spawning renewed interest (and, yes, even full-size, drivable recreations like you can see in our MotorTrend App show Hot Wheels Life Size), it was maybe inevitable that Micro Machines would get their second day in the sun.
That time seems to be now. This big, glossy book from Bitmap is called “Micro But Many: An Unofficial Micro Machines Collection.” As you can tell from the title, it’s a work that’s not authorized by current owner Hasbro, nor is it related to the latest revival attempt by Wicked Cool Toys (under license from Hasbro).
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That’s what it isn’t. What it is, is really cool: 400 lithographic print pages with four (count ’em!) bookmark ribbons. There are holographic foil details, a lenticular animated cover, and lots or rare and unusual models detailed inside. Apparently some of the original designers curated this collection, with background details, history, and even some prototypes and unreleased models.
It sounds like a real celebration of the entire phenomenon that was Micro Machines in its heyday, little vehicles that rivaled the big companies for consumer dollars. Between this and the Wicked Cool Toys reintroduction of the brand coming, apparently, in fall 2020, all you Micro Machines fans are going to have a real good year. The book is listed for roughly $38 on the U.K. company’s website.