Star Shooter

Star Shooter - 3 versions side-by-side - note the two on the left are the same

As I've written about in the past, there are two to three versions of the Star Shooter that accompanied the Shogun Warriors Dragun.

1. ZZ-3 Popy Southern Cross Accessory - Before Dragun was released in the US as part of the Shogun Warriors line, the Star Shooter was released in Japan as a Great Mazinger accessory called the "Southern Cross" - this came boxed with another accessory, the "Mach 100 Claws of Steel" - this latter was an open hand that could bend and shoot metallic "claws" as projectiles. The Southern Cross could be strapped to the arm of any jumbo or could be strapped to a small kid's arm for added play - you can identify it by the leatherette strap and the ZZ-3 sticker on the black star cover.
2. US 1st Release Dragun - when Dragun was first released in the US he came with the ZZ-3 Southern Cross, now referenced simply as "Star Shooter" - the first issue box indicates that it came with 10 stars and that it could be strapped to your arm, just like the Japan-released accessory. The straps, for some reason, were made of more of a plastic-y band (so it's shiny rather than looking like leather) - this may have been a cost-cutting measure. Otherwise the accessory is identical to the Popy accessory, sans the ZZ-3 sticker. Dragun's arm in the first US issue is the same (as is the rest of the figure except the "Made in Japan" embossing on the back) as the Popy Japan release - the right arm is smooth.
3. US 2nd Release Dragun - at some point Mattel transitioned to a different Dragun figure - this latter version has several design changes (I have them described on the Mattel Dragun page) but in regards to the Star Shooter, the right arm now has two slots molded into it that accept a plastic clip, replacing the strap. The Star Shooter has been completely redesigned and in fact there are few parts that are interchangeable between the two versions. I'm not sure if this was due to costs or perhaps the redesign made it a bit more durable as the first issue is made of thinner plastic and has small "wing" extensions that could be broken (and swallowed?). This third version is only found in the Mattel releases.

Comparison between Popy (left) and Mattel (right)

Comparison between Mattel 1st left and Mattel 2nd right

Comparison between strap 1st version left and clip 3rd version right

Comparison between strap 1st version left and clip 3rd version right

Comparison between strap 1st version left and clip 3rd version right

Comparison between strap 1st version left and clip 3rd version right

Comparison between strap 1st version left and clip 3rd version rightAdd caption

Comparison between strap 1st version left and clip 3rd version right

Comparison between strap Popy version Left and Mattel version right

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