1977 Microman Series

Microman T49X Titan Command 5 - T491 Mires, T492 Cashias, and T493 Armis (c.1977)

Titan Command

Microman Series

1974

Microman Zone
First year included the Founder Microman, Micro Kit Machines and the Conning Tower.

1975

Project Victory
Second year saw more Microman and several new sub series such as the Acroyears, Titans and Victory series.

1976

Spy Magician

The line finally came into its own during the third year with new figures and the classic Microman Transfer Fortress.

1977

Command
A watershed year for Microman series, this year saw some of the best toys for the line. 

1978

Police Keeper

Takara tried new design and direction for the series with the released of Hoodman and Arden. 

1979

Rescue Team
Takara "rescue" attempt for the line with the Rescue Team Microman.  This year also saw updated of the old favorite like the New Tower Base.

1980

Punch & Blizzard Man
The last year of the original series saw the shift in the line to more robot like look and larger figures.

New Microman Series

1981

New Microman
Takara reset the line and relaunch the series under the New Microman banner.

1982

Micro Robot
Micro Robot series became the main focus of the new line.  Takara also tried to cash in on the "pla-mo" popularity with Real Type and Micro Borg.

1983

Micro Change
The "transformation" for Microman series began with the Micro Change series.

1984

Transformers

Takara continued with the successful Micro Change series but the changing of the guard was inevitable.

T491 Mires, T492 Cashias  and T493 Armis

Double Cannon Engine

Titan Command 5 is one of a few Microman figure to include weapon as accessory.

We are Microman Toys!!

TAKARA vision of "unified toys line" or some might see it as a marketing ploy  makes Titan Command line to be Microman toy with the most lineage since the toy is part magnemo-8, part Microman and part Gimca slot car. However the multiple identities probably confuse kids and parents alike, so in the end Titan Command was marketed solely as Microman toys. T491 Armis comes with metallic blue Gimca F5-S Pulsar 

with Magnemo-8 magnetic features

T492 Cashias comes with Gimca F5-SS Pulsar in green color 

and Gimca accessory!

T493 Mires comes with Gimca F5-SSS Pulsar in bright orange color.

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) Today, TAKARA still have a division that produce scale slot cars.

Takara released Titan Command 5 T49X Type in October  of 1977. T49X was the fifth and last of the Titan Command series and are among the rarest of the Titan Commands toys. Titan Commands were never as popular with kids compare to Microman Command 1 and 2 and being sold as part of Gimca line of die-cast slot cars probably lead to many confusions. Takara, in the end, marketed the Titan Command 5 solely as Microman toys with Magnemo-8 features and Gimca references were mostly removed from the packaging.

F5-SSS Pulsar, F5-SS Pulsar and F5-S Pulsar

Unlike the other Titan Commands, Titan Command 5 T49X consists of three members - T491 Mires, T492 Cashias and T493 Armis. The Titan Command 5 follow the same naming convention as the previous Titans by having Greek or Roman mythology sounding names. Titan Command 5 also comes with Gimca die-cast slot car accessory. T491 comes with F5-S Pulsar in metallic blue, T492 comes with F5-SS Pulsar in lime green and T493 comes with F5-SSS in bright orange color. Titan Command 5 retains the same blocky and robotic looks. T49X hands are molded as separate part which allow for some articulations (the hand is design with 5mm connector that plug into the arm and also features 5mm port as hand grip which allow Titan Command 5 to hold many of the 5mm accessories along with the chromed cannon that included with the figure.  Another change in the design is a much more elaborate head sculpt design and the figure is also taller due to lengthen torso section (which make the figure less blocky and more proportional looking than the first two Titan Commands series). While the Gimca slot car is no longer being market as the main part of the toys, T49X figures retain the same interactive features as the previous series and the figure can be combine with the Gimca cars just like the other four Titan Commands. 

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.

Titan Command 5 catalog back shows other toys in the series and prototype drawing of the upcoming Microman Command 3.

Titan Commands and Titan Gimca

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)

F5 Pulsar uses 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.

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 perform 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