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1977 Command

 

1977 Microman Series

Microman T45X Titan Command 1 - T451 Jupiter and T452 Poseidon (c.1977)

 

Titan Command

 

 

T452 Poseidon and T451 Jupiter

These Titan Command figures were the first toys released under Microman Command banner. However, the most interesting thing about Titan Command series is not that they were the very first Command toys but the fact that they were also released as part of TAKARA Gimca line of die-cast slot cars. This practice of tie-in has been one of the hallmark of TAKARA marketing strategy (a strategy that they are still using today). Takara released Titan Command T45X and T46X type in March of 1977.

 

F1-S Cosmo Rod (red) and F1-SS Cosmo Rod (blue)

Titan Command 1 consists of two members T451 Jupiter and T452 Poseidon. The Titan Commands follow the same naming convention as the previous Titan by being named after celestials object (which were mostly named after Greek and Roman mythology). Both T451 and T452 shared the same body style and were sold with the same Gimca die-cast slot car.  T451 comes with F1-S Cosmo Rod (red) while T452 comes with F1-SS Cosmo Rod (light blue). T45X and the rest of Titan Commands have very distinctive design that really set them apart from the other Titan series. Titan Commands have very blocky and very machine like looks, the body is make up of one solid box-like shape and instead of Microman cuff-style hands, Titan Commands have robotic claws and fists. There is actually a reason for this very robotic look, the Titan Commands are actually robots that house the consciousness of ancient Microman Commands. The idea behind Titan Commands is quite advance for its days especially toys that were being market as slot car parts.

 

 

Titan Commands Story

 

Titan Commands were originally living robots that were constructed by ancient Microman Command who came to inhabit Saturn long ago. These ancient Microman build Titan robots to help them with scientific research.  These living robots contained "cultured brain" (brain cloned from Microman) that contained brain wave of these Microman ancestors.  The culture brains were used as a control program and also gave these robots super Artificial Intelligence since the brain actually came from Microman-being. When these ancient Microman left, the robots were put in suspend animation state.  When modern Microman arrived on Earth following Micro-Earth explosion, the alpha H-7 wave also triggered the program and began to awaken these robots and started the automatic evolution process.  Microman Titan 1 & 2 and Microman Spy Magicians discovered these robots while they were investigating the anomaly around planet Saturn. The robots were eventually revived from their suspended animation using Spectrum MX ray. However these robots were no longer just robots, their brains had developed and the robots have became ego of Microman from whom their brains were cloned from. The robots called themselves the Titan Commands.  Titan Commands build Titan Gimca cars using the same cultured brain technology, they were able to transplant their brains to these cars which allowed them to be telepathically link to one another. This very advance concept of cloning the brain to create super AI and then stored it inside a robot which in turn produce a robot that would evolve into a sentient being is quite far reaching especially for kids toys from 1970's.

 

Prototype versions of Microman Command 1 & 2 and Titan Command 3 & 4 can be seen on the back of early catalogs that were included with T45X & T46X toys.

Cosmo Rod cars use Gimca frame with modified rear section that now house a twin "magnemo-8" connector and chrome 5mm connector for Titan (or other Microman) body. (This is one of the reason for Titan blocky body so they can appear to be "engine" for their slot car counterparts. Titan Gimca cars have clear plastic canopy that slide over to cover the connectors.

Titan Commands and Titan Gimca Croos-Section

Titan AI Brain- advance "cultured brain" that house consciousness of ancient Microman Command (#1)

Magnetic Globe - enable Titan to break apart their bodies and reattach them at will. (#3)

Photon Energy Gathering Device - trap photon energy but unlike Microman, Titan Commands have Magnetic Converter that convert Photon Energy into magnetic energy. (#5)

Magnetic Energy Transfer - allow Titan Command to exchange energy with Titan Gimca and vice versa. (#6)

The Arrival of Blitzkrieg Brigade - Microman Titan Commands

 

 Titan Commands act as lighting attack force or Blitzkrieg Brigade (from German WW2 term Blitzkrieg or Lighting Warfare).   They do this maneuver by combine their attacks with their Titan Cars and used the speed and combine arms assault to stunt the opponent defense.

Titan Commands Checklist

T45X Type T451 Jupiter F1-S Cosmo Rod (Red)
T452 Poseidon F1-SS Cosmo Rod (Light Blue)
T46X Type T461 Tyros F2-S Ti-bird (Yellow)
T462 Hercule F2-SS Ti-Bird (Dark Blue)
T47X Type T471 Phios F3-S Apo Rod (White)
T472 Apollo F3-SS Apo Rod (Light blue)
T48X Type T481 Neptune F4-S Magma  Rod (Blue)
T482 Alphas F4-SS Magma Rod (Brown)
T49X Type T491 Mires F5-S Pulsar (Dark Blue)
T492 Cashias F5-SS Pulsar (Green)
T493 Armis F5-SS Pulsar (Red)
 

Package

 

Microman Titan Command Series

T45X Titan Command 1

Released : 3/1977

Retail Price : 850 Yen

 

 

 

T451 Jupiter with Gimca F1-S Cosmo Rod (Red). The packaging design for Titan Command is based on Gimca packaging design. The main focus is Gimca slot car with Microman Titan figure as added on part to Gimca system. The back of the packaging shows various configurations of the two toys along with diagram to show how they fit into TAKARA Gimca system of die-cast slot cars. Titan Commands set consist of "F" part (frame) and "T" part (titan body).

 

 

 

 

 

T452 Poseidon with Gimca F1-SS Cosmo Rod (light blue). The toys are packaged in styrofoam tray.

 

Instruction & Stickers

 

 

Stickers for T451 & F1-S Cosmo Rod

 

Stickers for T452 & F1-SS Cosmo Rod

 

Each toy comes with sticker sheet to decorate both action-figure and die-cast car. The sticker sheet include various emblem and coat of arm (something I wish Takara would make more prominent for Microman since I feel they really help give these toys distinctive character and flavor). 

The sticker sheets are different in colors for T451 and T452 but they have the same exact design.

 

Toys with Identity Crisis

 

TAKARA vision of "unified toys line" or some might see it as a marketing ploy turned Titan Command series to be Microman toys with the most lineage since the toys are part magnemo-8, part Microman and part Gimca slot car. 

 

Magnemo-8 figure included

 

Gimca F1-S Cosmo Rod come with Microman Titan Magnemo-8 figure - T451 Jupiter 

or is it Gimca slot car racer included?

 

Gimca F1-SS Cosmo Rod comes with Microman Titan Magnemo-8 figure - T452 Poseidon

 

 

 

 

 

Takara Gimca System

 

Gimca was TAKARA line of scale die-cast slot car produced in late 1970's. (above is box art from Gimca F103 scale die-cast of Toyota 2000GT)  Slot car racing was a very popular hobby back then and Takara market a line of die-cast slot cars under Gimca system where various components can be purchase separately and then combine together (same concept uses by scale model train hobby) TAKARA still have a division that produce scale slot cars.