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1st US Issue Raydeen in Box |
Raydeen (Brave Raideen or Reideen in Japan) was my other favorite Shogun
Warrior as a teenager. I think that the Egyptian style hawk-headdress
really influenced my sense of design (I was already into the "art deco"
thing but didn't realize that was what it was all about). That the figure could shoot a bird-like plane-missile ("delta
wings") from its chest AND fire its fist makes it a must have. Like the
other four initial release Shoguns, Raydeen had at least three,
possibly four figure variations in the US (if one counts the
bow-fisted version which made it to some oriental markets in the states, especially Hawaii - see figure above).
Raydeen First US Release
The first release has a very soft head which can be easily removed and
stretched with heat. Many of the first release figures are found with
stretched head sections. As with the other initial release Shoguns, the
first release has the wheel trucks molded into the feet, rather than
screwed on. The first release missile (called a delta wing in the
instructions)
is made of a softer blown-plastic than the later versions (which are
molded hard plastic), and they are not interchangeable (later release
delta wings will not fit on the pin mechanism in the early version chest
-
Click here
for a comparison). The original Popy (aka Japanese version) has a bow on the
shooting fist rather than an "iron cutter" and I've heard that this was available on some Mattel releases, however the only first boxed versions that
I've seen have had the firing fist, so this is unsubstantiated (the fist could have
come from a Japanese or other foreign version released through Asian
markets in the US). The shield-fist on the first version is held
together with 3 screws which changed to 4 screws before becoming a single rivet in the later
versions.
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First US Issue Raydeen Front |
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First US Issue Raydeen Head Detail |
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First US Issue Raydeen Side |
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First US Issue Raydeen Rib Sticker Detail |
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First US Issue Raydeen Back |
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First US Issue Raydeen Back Detail |
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First US Issue Raydeen Side |
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First US Issue Raydeen Shield Detail |
Raydeen Second US Release
The second release tightened up the head mold with less pointy edges and
harder plastic. As previously noted, the wheel trucks are now attached
with screws, the
delta wing is made of a harder plastic and the shield may be held together with 4 screws instead of 3. The most noticeable change is the overall height of the figure (about 1/2" taller) and the shape of the back-panel which now has hemispheres to each side instead of straight sides.
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Second US Issue Raydeen Back Detail |
Raydeen Third US Release
The third release further simplified the figure by removing the red
plastic epaulets. The rib-area is simplified so that fewer decals are
needed. The box reflects the changes in the "fist-shooting" inset in
the lower right front (no epaulets) and also on the sides.
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3rd US Issue Raydeen Front |
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3rd US Issue Raydeen Head Detail |
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3rd US Issue Raydeen Back |
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3rd US Issue Raydeen Rib Detail |
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Raydeen Rivet Shield Detail |
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Raydeen Comparison 1st US Issue to 3rd US Issue Top View |
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1st US Issue Raydeen Wheels Detail |
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2nd and 3rd US Issue Raydeen Wheels Detail |
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Comparison Raydeen 1st US Issue to 3rd US Issue Side View |
There are two US box variations - one with the red epaulets and one without - you can recognize the second box by the printers codes on the front (and the lack of the epaulets.
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1st US Issue Raydeen Box |
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3rd US Issue Raydeen Box |
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1st Issue Raydeen Box (no codes) |
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3rd Issue Box (codes) |
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Comparison 1st Issue Raydeen Box vs 3rd Issue Box Detail |
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Comparison 1st Issue Raydeen Box vs 3rd Issue Box Detail |
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Comparison 1st Issue Raydeen Box vs 3rd Issue Box Detail |
The 1st US Issue box reads:
- Shoulder Shield
- Wrist Shield
- Delta Wing Missiles
- Arms Lower & Raise
- Flying Iron-Cutter Fist!
- Fist Spike
- Leg Rollers
No Batteries! No Electricity!
CONTENTS: RAYDEEN warrior 23 1/2" tall, with flying iron-cutter fist, 5 delta wing missiles and accessories. Arms are detachable.
Comes FULLY ASSEMBLED.
Winged missiles not for use with all Shogun Warriors.
©Tohokushinsha
Distributed by Mattel, Inc. Hawthorne, CA 90520. MADE IN JAPAN. Manufactured by Bandai Co. Ltd.
The 2nd US Issue box reads:
- Flying Iron-Cutter Fist!
- Delta Wing Missiles
- Flying Fist Trigger
- Wrist Shield
- Arms Lower & Raise
- Trigger Button On Back
- Fist Spike
- Leg Rollers
No Batteries! No Electricity!
CONTENTS: RAYDEEN warrior 23 1/2" tall, with flying iron-cutter
fist, 5 delta wing missiles and accessories. Arms are detachable.
Comes FULLY ASSEMBLED.
Winged missiles not for use with all Shogun Warriors.
©Tohokushinsha
Distributed by Mattel, Inc. Hawthorne, CA 90520. MADE IN JAPAN. Manufactured by Bandai Co. Ltd.
There's also an additional line of text: "Press arm trigger to launch fist. Press back trigger to launch rocket."
All Mattel images and captions are copyright
Mattel and used without permission. All other content, including images
and editorial, is Copyright © 1997-2017 John Eaton and/or contributors
unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections,
please contact John Eaton, by clicking here.
2 comments:
How much for both
I played with mine so much and lived it, then a kid came over and stole it, was a traumatic experience to me at that time. I still remember. These were not cheap toys in the 70s either
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