By the middle of the 60, the designers of Exin in Barcelona worked in a project called "MADELMAN."
Of that work an unique action figure arose, which didn't take like reference neither the size neither the design of common articulations until then.

Although they made smaller models (less than 15 cm.), the final figure measured 17 cm., the smallest possible so that it was feasible to make and to sew the sleeves of the clothes (not the pockets like one commonly believes).
It possessed an ingenious system of articulations without using elastic as common by that time. It was formed by 23 pieces of plastic that were manufactured in Plastic Industries Madel, a factory of injection of plastic that Exin bought in San Martin of the Vega (Madrid).

The clothes was designed in Exin in Barcelona, and in Villarejo of Salvanés (Madrid) were made.

The year 1968 the MADELMAN rushed to the market by means of announcements in the campaign of Christmas, and starting from there, the success until its disappearance in 1983.

The first models were the Foreing legionary Madelman, the Sailor Madelman (different from the one that appears in catalogs), the frogman (gray rubber outfit and 3 oxigen tanks), and some more than those that became very reduced editions.

The truth is that in its time it was the best thing that there were in action figures with clothes, they were almost made a hundred of characters, framed in different series: military, adventure, civil, west, pirates, cosmic...

And numerous complements and accessories reproduced with absolute fidelity.

Because Exin always put more emphasis and means in the Scalextric line (with more commercial edition in the time), several suits, complements and vehicles stayed in drawings or wooden models, not being ended up never manufacturing. Among them it was an orbital ship for the astronaut 2001, a race car, the Madelman fighter pilot...

In my personal opinion, I believe that even today, it is the most complete line of figures that it has existed.

During the years that it was in production, the MADELMAN went by different stages:

1st stage: To this correspond the figures manufactured approximately between 1968 and 1976.
All they are masculine characters. All of white race except for the models "Comando" (Commando G.I.), "Porteador safari" (Safari assistant) and pirate Jim Black that are of black race.
They are characterized by not having feet, instead of these, the figure has pivots (peg leg) in those that go inserted the boots.
The pieces that commonly conform the torso, waist and pelvis are made of white plastic simulating T-shirt and slip, although with the launching of the series of pirates, the torso and waist became of flesh color, that is to say, was removed the " T-shirt ".

Another characteristic is the head and face. The hair is a piece of reddish brown plastic (for the face of white race) or of flat black color (for the face of black race) glued to another piece that forms the face. Alone there are two head types and face: that of white race (Caucasian), and that of black race (characteristic features: more small of diameter, thick lips, wide and flattened nose).
As well as the head of the black madelman didn't vary its design, that of the white madelman had modifications in its molds (over 5) that affected to the factions and the height of the hair (toupee more or less high).
The mouth and brows are painted. The eyes are pieces of white plastic with color injection to simulate the iris, what gives a sensation of glass eyes, very realistic. The colors of the eyes vary between green, brown and blue, each one in different tones.
First series' eye iris were painted instead of injected plastic.

The boots are of the type laceup (of course the cords are not real they are modeled) more commonly well-known with the anglicism " laceup " made in flexible plastic semirrígido of a single piece, and in several colors: black, several tones of brown, white (military police) or silver (astronaut 2001). It is different that of the right foot of that of the left one, that which you leave looking at the sole easily. The boots don't have differentiating marks, neither of the foot that it belong neither of their origin Madelman.

The first packings were narrow boxes in a prismatic way with monochrome lithograph (burgundy red for all the figures except for the "astronauta 2001" that was blue) with the front and sides transparent. They contained a figure that went placed stand up with accessories mounted on.

The models packed this way according to catalog of the time were:
"Comando" (Commando G.I.), "esquiador" (arctic trooper), "marinero" (sailor), "astronauta 2001" (2001 space man), "cazador" and "porteador" (Safari hunter and assistant).

Were also marketed sets with more than a figure. These sets were denominated "Misiones Completas" (complete missions). They were big closed boxes that exhibited several madelman with many accessories and complements distributed in their interior as in a diorama, even having the bottom of the box and inner lateral lithographed representing the landscape.They had little distribution because they were expensive toys that not everybody could be allowed to give them to a boy as a present.
Two sets were marketed: "Misión Safari" (Mission Safari) and "Misión Campaña" (Mission campaign).

Later on the classic box appeared with lithograph in color in a lateral with allusive art-box to the character. The right lateral was the typical strait of black color with the letters MADELMAN in white. The accessories and the figure passed to be tied up in the back cardboard of the box by means of elastic rubbers knotted onto the cardboard. The box was open, that needed to cover with transparent film to protect the contents. Three formats or presentations become standard:

"Equipo Individual" (Single set): It substituted to the prismatic box. It contained a figure with their complete suit and personal accessories.

"Equipo básico" (Basic set): It was the first one in appearing, cohabiting with the prismatic boxes and the complete missions. It contained a figure with their complete suit and all the necessary accessories for different missions.

"Súper equipo" (Super set): It was the result of making something similar to the complete missions, substituting these, but with smaller production cost. It contained two figures with their complete suit and completely equipped for different adventures.

2nd stage: To this correspond the figures manufactured approximately between 1977 and 1981.
They are masculine and feminine characters (The partner of Madelman"). All of white race except for the models "Comando" (Commando G.I.), "Porteador" (safari assistant) and pirate Jim Black that belong to black race and the models "Jefe Indio" (Indian chief), "Guerrero Indio" (Indian Warrior), Princesa India (Indian Princess), "Pluma Rosa" (pink Feather), "Hechicero" (Indian Chaman), and "Súper equipo Pieles Rojas" (Red Skins super set) that are of American Indian race (browner skin tone and characteristic features) and the model "Patrulla espacial" (space trooper) that is an space alien character (silver skin).
They are characterized to have feet, with what was added an articulation more in each leg to be able to articulate the instep of the foot.
The pieces that conform the torso and waist keep being of flesh color, and those of the pelvis commonly are of white color, although they were also made of blue color (mainly for export).

The feminine figure is new completely, smaller in general, with all the pertinent feminine features. The pieces of the pelvis are made of black plastic simulating black slip. The thighs, legs and feet are in general more stylized and small, without prominent musculación as in the masculine figure, in a word: more feminine.

The face changes completely regarding the first version, it is smaller and there are different types: the common white race, two American Indian types (one of younger face that other), the one used in the "Cuatrero" (cattle thief) figure (white race but with more prominent features: wider chin) , and that of woman (single white race or American Indian). The black race male figures stayed the same one that in the 1ª stage with the one added of the feet.
The hair is a piece of soft plastic fit to the head, which was also a piece. There were several hair types: the common one, that of American Indian with straight hair (Indian warrior), that of Indian with braids (Indian chief), the common with longer sideburns (cattle thief), that of woman cuts (space investigator), the one of woman to half mane (nurse, adventurer) and that of woman with braid (pirate woman, far west woman).
The colors of the hair go from the black one to the brown and even blond (colone, caravan driver).
The eyes, mouth and brows are colored, except for the figure of black race that maintained the glass eyes. Some figures had beard (corsair, gold miner ,cattle thief) or mustache (sheriff,colone), all painted.

As a consequence of adding feet to the figure, the design of the boots changed, passing then to be hollow to house the foot in its interior. They are plastic glued in two pieces: body and sole. The type is laceup but with lateral buckles (also modeled) in the outer lateral, what makes them easier of knowing that foot is. In the sole the anagram of Madelman is marked.
The boots are of varied colors: completely black, several tones of brown with black sole, white with black sole (military police) ,silver with black sole (astronaut 2001) or completely white ( space trooper). The models of American Indians (chief, warrior, Chaman) they go barefoot.

The boots for The partner of Madelman are from similar design to those of Madelman of 1ª stage (aceup ) but bigger in general and hollow to allow to house the feet. The colors are black, brown or white (adventurer). The models from American Indians, go barefoot (Indian princess 1ª version) or footwears with soft rubber moccasins of brown color (pink feather, Indian princess 2ª version).

With the appearance of the new type the packings were redrawn, being made bigger, the lateral lashes were also redrawn that had a new art-box and the typical one lateral with the letters MADELMAN became a lined white/black. It stayed the way to fix figure and accessories in the inside, and the plastic cover however, although this last one was substituted later on (coinciding with the launching of the pattern SUPERMAN) for a sheet of transparent cellophane glued from the interior.
They stayed the three presentation formats: "Individual" (Single set), "Básico" (Basic set) and "Súper" (Super set).

Anyway, during a time cohabited in the market figures of the 2ª stage in boxes of 1ª stage.

3rd stage:To this correspond the last manufactured figures.
They are masculine and feminine characters corresponding to the series cosmic and futbolistas (Soccer players), besides the "Arquero rojo" (red archer) and the "Enmascarado" (masked Zorro).
Characters like the cowboy or the cattle thief also went out with figures of 3ª stage coinciding with the last lots that were sent to the market. They are all of white race except the "Hombre verde" (green Man) that is an space alien (green skin).>BR> The feminine figures are the same ones that in the previous stage, but the masculine ones passed to have the pelvis and the legs of the feminine figure, to take advantage of the spare material, because for that time, Madel was arriving to the ceasing of the production of Madelman.
The characters of the series Cosmic takes boots like those used for The partner of Madelman but flat, without cords, instead of this they take a front fringe modeled in relief, but flat. The colors are white, or silver, although in the catalog of the year 1980 they appear of yellow color with plated front fringe. For the boots of the Soccer series the moccasins of the figure pink Feather or Princesa India were used, but of black color. The soccer stockings are simulated part by means of adhesive tape of colors and paint.

The packings stayed with the same design that began with the model SUPERMAN, with allusive art-box to the space topic for the series Cosmic, the same one that for the series mountain troop for the red archer and the same one that for the series West for the Zorro.
For the series soccer the packing radically changed, passing to have the minimum size to contain the figure tied up with a rubber in a cardboard of color white interior, and without transparent window.

Some accessories of Madelman were not manufactured directly by Madel, but rather their production was subcontracted to other companies.
Such it is the case of the plastic animals, that which took charge their production to Comansi manufactures. Therefore, it was relatively easy that variations of this animals were in other playsets that Comansi marketed in that time and later.
Another case is the buggy, the one which neither Madel manufactured directly, and of the one that is possible to find versions with variations in color and equipment (orange, yellow, with wheels all-terrain vehicle, etc) and with cable remote control, which were never included in the Madelman line.

Madelman was also manufactured in Mexico in the branch that Exin installed in this country: ExinMex.
Except for differences in the textures and colors of the plastics and cloths, the lines were the same, since in fact the molds largely came from Exin España.
The figures of the first stage were similar to the Spaniards. Those of second and third stage are practically the same, but with a certain Mexican " air " in their features and hair. In the inferior part of the back it didn't figure the "Made in Spain" that have the Spaniards.
The really interesting thing of face to the collector is that some autochthonous models were carried out, variations in the suits and diverse accessories that were not carried out in the Spanish lines.

Note : I'll express my gratitude for their help given to the following people:

J. Vila  (ex-model maker from Exin y one of  MADELMAN's fathers)

L. Andrés Campos (ex- technical director from Madel).

J.López,  P. Lozano, B.Yoon, A.Queipo, C. Carrera, J. Asín, Alain. Montana and C. Peláez.

To all thanks for their informations and pictures.