Last time, we saw the standalone Titanus and its own features. Next, we'll cover its joining with the other dinozords to make the Ultimate Battle System™.
SOUL OF CHOGOKIN GX-85 TITANUS PART 2:
TITANUS (TANK MODE) AND THE ULTRAZORD
I: TITANUS - TANK MODE
For Titanus's first transformation, we will require the Dragonzord for a couple parts.
We'll take the brestler and tail from our green caesar, but let's set those aside for a bit.
The first thing for the Titanus is the removal of its chest plate. Once that's out of the way, the set of wheels will be pulled out. They can shift a bit, so you may have to be careful with them to make sure they extract right.
After that, rotate the whole white chest portion downward so the wheels now set on the ground.
You can see here where some more of the screw hole caps were added, but with the fact that the whole interior of this ha to be altered for the SoC Dragonzord compatibility, you'd thing they could have better sculpted those parts to hide better. At least they tried, I guess. Also, that tampographed pipe detailing... We'll get back to that in a second.
The next step will be to raise the canopy on its back, opening the chariot cavity that the Megazord will stand in. You can see more of that amazing printed detail on the underside of the lid, and even some nice sculpted and painted details on the sides of the piece... So, why was this immaculately sculpted but those pipe details on the white chest piece were only, essentially, a gold decal? Especially since that particular detail is meant to either be silver or white???
Next, we'll remove the tail, and then split them into two parts.
These twin tail cannons will now slide onto those large blocky slide pegs atop the front legs, starting from the front of the slot and sliding the cannon forward. They do lock extremely securely, but they do add a lot of weight to the front. Though that's only really a problem if you pick it up while it's like this, and even then, just surprising.
Before we continue to the next steps, we'll use this as a chance to acknowledge a one-off scene of the Megazord (or rather, in this case, Daizyujin) using this particular phase as a chariot without the Dragonzord parts present.
Alright, chariot acknowledged. Moving on!
Next, we'll remove the front claws, showing the better part of the wheels normally covered.
The claws will be folded straight forward, and thusly set aside. But as those go away for now, some previously set aside parts will be coming back!
For the Dragonzord's brestler, fold that black connector part up as if it would be connecting to the Mega Dragonzord's shield. That slot will attach to a peg within the Titanus's chest. Be sure the black lower armor doesn't accidentally fold under the chest part during connection.
Finally, the Dragonzord tail will insert into the recess where Titanus's tail once was. The connection peg is on the up-end of the plug, so make sure the tail's port is upward, as well.
And now we have Titanus - Tank Mode — otherwise known in the East as King Tanker.
It goes without saying that the added Dragonzord parts really feel cohesive with the Titanus's intricate details, but the execution of the Chogokin's Dragon Caesar is especially brilliant. The greens and golds work very well together paired with the Titanus's cool white and warm grey. It's a very good design choice and shows just how much effort went into the Sentai Robos in the past compared to today's far busier for the sake of busy layouts. Despite my earlier tangent, I can't deny this still looks amazing, and still retains quite a bit of stability and mobility...
Comparison with the DX Tank Mode
As usual, we have the deluxe model towering over the newer, slimmer build. But, you can see not only the poor coloration (though some of that is likely due to age and the awful NA stickers), but the lackluster fitting of the Dragonzord parts onto the Titanus. Yeah, they're there, but they don't flow with the design as tightly as they do with the SoC. The chest piece hangs weirdly low and the tail is stubby and forgettable. So forgettable, in fact, I honestly never knew it had used the Dragon Caesar's tail there until I saw the PLEX designs and the Legacy Ultrazord was being advertised.
You can also see the difference in the interiors here. For the DX, no attempt was made for superfluous details that would only be hidden by the Megazord, but the Legacy rectified this with all the added bits inside not only the canopy, but the side walls, as well. The SoC goes further and adds the steel floor in the bottom, which adds extra weight, but also some more variance to the design.
Wrapping that up, I think it's time we call upon the power of—
II: ULTRAZORD
To start the move into the ultimate beast god, we will need the combined Mega Dragonzord, and the three parts removed from the Titanus: the pair of front claws and the chest plate. And this is where the review will start hitting some dour notes...
Firstly, we'll place the claws onto the Megazord's forearms, forming into a set of gauntlets. They attach onto the arms via small black clips that grab onto the inside of the black forearm panels... Loosely. You also have to make sure tat they're going onto the proper arms: Right claw goes on the left arm, left claw to the right arm.
The chest plate will simply slide over the Pterodactyl, with a clip gripping onto either side in the wing binders.
And here we have the Ultrazord version of the Mega Dragonzord! To be honest, as gaudy as those clunky gauntlets look, this really does look like a Great Beast God. The white and black from the Titanus parts bring a regalness befitting of a Guardian Beast with the prefix of King.
... But.
Because of the gold decorations being pure gokin, the armor adds quite a bit of weight to the front and top of the Mega Dragonzord. Especially so the gauntlets. Remember, those nails are metal...
Standing like it is now is okay because all the weight is centralized, meaning there's nothing to mess with the balance of the mech.
However, once we start to get things into setup for the final formation, we're suddenly shifting about two fifths of its total weight in front of it. So, take caution in the next few steps...
We'll be bringing the arms up, carefully, while making sure that the gauntlets stay in place, as well as the Dragonzord doesn't shift, as it almost seems like they didn't design this thing to move while combined at all.
Flip open those gold plastic panels on the bottom of the claws, right under the Megazord's fist.
Next, we'll use this nigh-talked about piece, which is given as a support connector.
This just snaps under the base of the Tyrannosaurus's tail, with the two pegs sticking outward.
I also just found out during this step that that particular peg on the tail can also flip away. I just assumed it was a fixed snap, so I never messed with it.
And the final prep piece will be adding the chain reigns onto the Titanus.
Simply slide the rings into the clips near the base of the Titanus's neck.
Now we're ready to place the Mega Dragonzord into the Titanus. Carefully, CAREFULLY, lower the Triceratops and Sabertooth Tiger into the opening. The horns of the Triceratops WILL connect with the inner walls of the Titanus. All you can do is make sure they do so with as little friction as possible so the tips do not chip. It's SUPER stressful, and was my biggest fear when I heard they were using the Legacy mold for the Carrier Zord...
Once in, make sure the Zord is standing upright as much as possible, and press together the canopy and the Megazord so that the support piece slots into the respective openings on the underside of the lid. It does seem like due to the only pose the Megazord can take while in the Titanus, this should line up with almost no effort, but won't feel very secure. I don't think it's meant to be too tight, though, as it would otherwise likely break on the first usage.
Once the Megazord is in place, gently press the chains into the open gauntlets, closing the panels once they're within the proper recesses. They don't fully grip the chains, so you'll be able to easily adjust where the chain is held afterwards. Again, caution is advised simply because of how loosely the gauntlets attach to the arm, they my fall off if jostled roughly.
Ultrazord! Lock on and fire all weapons!
I have to admit, though, after all the frustrations and fears when assembling this Ultimate Daizyujin, looking at the complete god is a sight to behold. It has so much elegant detail and great shapes to its form that you almost don't care that this is practically the only pose it can take.
It is such a large display piece, too! As far as I know, the Titanus alone rivaled a couple other Soul of Chogokins in both height and length, so I'm sure combined with the GX-72 and GX-78 probably surpass those records.
And the weight! I can only imagine as I do not have a proper scale to weight it, and moving it while formed is the most stressful thing I have ever done, just from a desk to another. If I had to guess, though, I'd wager between 7~9 lbs, complete.
The whole thing comes together very well, and looks gorgeous, no matter how you look at it — Provided you only look at it. The only real issue with the form ends up being the arms simply because of the weight of the gauntlets, paired with their poor connection to the Megazord's forearms. When in place, though, it looks perfect!
And so, with that comes the final unfair comparison...
Comparison with DX Ultrazord
I can only imagine where I would have had to put the Ultrazord had I had it in my youth. The thing TOWERS the newer SoCs, but, again, loses cohesiveness. It's still a display piece in its own right, but just can't hold a candle to the vibrant colors and crisp details present on its Chogokin child.
I understand that the old Deluxe Evolution line was market as, and sold as, toys. However these are the figures that were used directly as the bases for the SoCs, both supervised by Tsuyoshi Nonaka and the late Daishi Kato (Who passed midway into the Dragon Caesar's development in 2017), so it only seems fair to compare the intended ancestors for that reason alone.
(Even if the other reason is I don't have any of the Legacy line entries, lol)
You have to take into consideration, while Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger was among the more popular Super Sentai series (at least in retrospect), its ture popularity peaked over here as the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, boasting 25 years of fans with a massive loyalty to its name and all that come from it. Meaning we likely would have never gotten these had Tamashii Nations not been making a demographic here in the west.
Between the S.H.Figuarts released between 2013 and 2015, and then the Soul of Chogokins over the last two and a half years, we older fans especially have been blessed and spoiled by these great looking showpieces of our childhood.
Even if they took the easy way out for the Titanus, it still is a good entry into the light and visually compliments the complete package.Looking at this still brings a brimming smile to my face as 25 years of good memories look back at me.
FINAL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5
The Titanus on its own is an amazing entry, even with its carryover flaws from its Legacy heritage. A lot of the issues don't really show themselves until combined with the prior Chogokins.
The Ultrazord would easily get a 3 out of 5 because of stability issues, but when in place, you cannot beat the sure brilliance of the sight it creates.
If you're interested in this, BigBadToyStore still has pre-orders going for the western Bluefin release, as well as the re-issue of the Megazord, due later this year. Dragonzord is currently in stock and ready to ship.
Links to all Power Rangers Soul of Chogokin reviews:
GX-72 Megazord
Part 1: Tyrannosaurus Dinozord
Part 2: The Four Lesser Dinozords
Part 3: Megazord Sequence has been Initiated
Part 4: Megazord, Activated (FINALE)
GX-78 Dragonzord
Part 1: Dragonzord - Beast Mode
Part 2: Dragonzord - Fighting Mode
Part 3: Mega Dragonzord (FINALE)
GX-85 Titanus
Part 1: Titanus - The Carrier Zord
Part 2: Titanus - Tank Mode and the Ultrazord
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