First Edition Walking GameraArt No. 63-200
Yep, its mine! I purchased this a few years ago in Japan. I really did not expect to find this (or some of the other models I purchased) when I was there. This is one of the pinnacles of my Nitto model kit collection. This and the Barugon kit started the Ultra Kaiju Series!
Like most model kits from this era in Japan, it was more of a "build it yourself" toy than a model kit. The aruku kits were wind-up motor powered. So you would wind up Gamera and Barugon, point them towards each other and let them go! If they started straying to the left or right, simply take the "hand control" stick and move the tail of your monster left or right and keep them locked in mortal combat! The instructions above say it all : The Gamera vs. Barugon duel game is possible with hand control.The instructions illustrate how simple this kit was to assemble. Later walking Gamera kits used a new wind up motor that did not require a lot of space for the untightened spring. As you can see in the first edition, a slot is cut in the bottom of Gamera's shell to allow the untightened spring to poke out. Otherwise, the spring most likely would split the shell in two!
