Nitto Mini Gamera (Art No. 127-50)
This is the first mini Gamera kit that Nitto produced, back in 1967. This kit would be reborn numerous times with and without its friction gear (pull back) motor.
As you can see from the illustration below, the completed Gamera model stands on the rock with the friction gear in it. Pull it back and woo hoo, look at it go!
Around the mid-70s, Nitto stopped releasing these mini kits with the little friction gear motor. Inflation and the price of oil saw these models increase in price by 200% in a span of ten years.
You may think it is strange that on the front of the box is a picture from Gamera vs. Viras (1968), yet the back advertises Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967). So that puts this kits actual release somewhere towards the end of the fourth quarter in 1967. It was not uncommon for paste up publicity stills like the one on the box top to pop up prior to the release of a movie back then. The production on Gamera vs. Viras must have begun at least by November of 67.
