Daimos die-cast action toys then and now...

For those who were growing up as a kid in the Philippines back in the late 70's to the early 80's, majority of us were so mesmerized in watching these awesome super robot characters fighting out the bad guys from outer space on TV during the very first anime wave to hit our shores in the form of such legendary mecha heroes like Mazinger Z, Voltes V, UFO Grendaizer, Combattler, Getta Robo, Gaiking, Mekanda Robot, Danguard Ace and so many others that came and fascinated the minds and imagination of Filipino kids, teens and adults alike. But there's this one particular super robot series that has somehow left an imprint on the minds of people who grew up watching them on Channel 7 during that wonderful era... remember those immortal, one-word lines where the two star-crossed lovers call out their names with utmost longing... "Erikaaaa!!!....", "Richaaaaarrrrddd!!!..." Who wouldn't forget them, right? And who wouldn't forget that huge trailer-type vehicle called the Tranzer who transforms into the mighty mecha out to save mankind from the clutches of the winged humanoids known as the Baam people... he is no other than the mighty Daimos.

My surviving Daimos toy from
Popy (1978)

Daimos was such a big hit on TV as it was ranked among the most-watched anime series next to such big-named super robot characters like Mazinger Z and Voltes V (who is considered as the most popular super robot by majority of Filipinos), merchandising items from stickers, trading cards to toy robots was a huge success and everyone during that time just went crazy over them! I'm proud to say that I was one of the lucky few who had that chance to own the 7 or 8-inch die-cast action robot of Daimos which was then released by Popy around 1978, though it was one of my biggest dream to have its bigger brother where he can transform into the Tranzer, I never got the opportunity to have him, but nevertheless I was more than happy just to have the smaller version.


Fast forward to 2008, when leading Japanese toy company Bandai decided to rehash Daimos' old, stiff and ill-proportioned physique based on the 1978 Popy/Godaikin design, they came out with a more accurate and poseable die-cast figure of Daimos which stayed faithful to its original anime features. Now the Daimos action toy from Bandai's Soul of Chogokin line has a more complex transformation equipped with the right body proportions along with some badass trimmings which includes the weapons and two replicas of the Tryper 75S car and the Galva FXII plane inside the package.

Soul of Chogokin Daimos GX-43
from Bandai (2008)

I must admit that the Daimos Chogokin version really looked awesome and honestly he looks far more better and true-to-its-original body design as we see him in the original 1978 anime series, unlike the Godaikin series where you can clearly see the big difference in its body ratio imbalance (like having the huge mecha head on a smaller body and stuff...) But the only thing that they have in common is that the Godaikin and Chogokin versions are both very expensive to purchase. Back in the late 70's to early 80's, Godaikin's price tag ranges from about Php 400 to 500, and during those times that amount was very, VERY huge for such a toy item. Today, the Chogokin version of Daimos would amount to around Php 7,000++ (roughly around $166.00) and if the item is still in good condition, its price range may go up since Bandai had already discontinued production of the Daimos GX-43.


Overall, whether you have the Godaikin or the Chogokin version of Daimos, it really doesn't matter. What's more important is knowing who Daimos is and the fond, childhood memories he has given you while you sat in front of your TV watching religiously the entire series from its pilot episode down to its final telecast, or as you hum deafly to both the intro and ending soundtracks while you finished your dinner or as you picked up that book and studied for tomorrow's test... even though it's in Japanese! That's the true essence of being a dedicated super robo fan...