Bandai dino kits

[TAY666]

Please list and discuss the kits Bandai made in this thread.

[TAY666]

This line I know about.
8 kits, all with wind-up motors to make them walk once assembled.
Bronto
Rex
triceratops
ankylosaurus
dimetrodon
iguanodon
styracosaurus
stegosaurus

I have the 1st four on that list, and have built the first 2.
www.tylisaari.com/models/dino/bandai/bandai.htm

Intend to get the rest eventually.

[stormnl]

didnt know these were out,,
i don't know them

[TAY666]

They are older kits.
From either the 60's or 70's.

I know I had one as a kid that my aunt bought for me at a local department store.
That would have been about mid 70's.

[stormnl]

i don't think they are released in the netherlands
other wise i would know

but they are very nice,and good looking

[drytoad1]

The box art on those kits are great! I have the Styracosarus box. I have the Triceratops wind up and interestingly, I have the T-Rex, Bronto and Ankylo as models not wind ups... Were they released as kits without the motors?

[TAY666]

Yes.
These ended up as un-motorized kits under another producer.
Not sure what the whole history is, but I know I have seen them issued by someone without the motors.

[prescenes2]

Looks like there is a sealed Iguanodon kit on ebay right now. Starting bid at $89.00. Wish I had the cash to jump on this gem!
Also, an opened box (but sealed parts) wind up Triceratops!

[TAY666]

Yeah, I saw those, but the prices are crazy.
I didn't spend more than $30 for any that I have.
I think they were more like $20 range, and that was with the shipping.

[drytoad1]

Yeah... I just checked it out... Lovely kit but the price.... yikes!

[prescenes2]

Just thinking about these kits again...Weren't these kits issued with the same legs but different bodies? It seemed like the few I had way back when could be interchangeable because they had the same legs and feet.

[TAY666]

Not sure.
Will have to look at some of them again.

[prescenes2]

Just noticed on ebay that there were 4 of these kits up for auction tonight. Each was going for the starting bid $9.95 and ended with no bids. Too bad! The kits were Iguanodon, Stegosaurus, T-Rex and Brontosaurus. Built and painted with boxes. There was an Ankylosaurus, built, without a box too. I didn't have time to jump on and sign in and bid. I was on my way out from work and couldn't stay. DANG! Missed opportunity.

[acroray]

I contacted the seller. All 4 of those are assembled without any motors, and in many cases only have cut box faces rather than the whole box. This is their second time offered.

The seller said they didn't come with motors. However, I might be inclined to wonder if that's accurate and if they were just assembled without bothering to put the motors in. You can see how wonky the legs are glued into gigantic cavities intended for movement.

Shipping was a bit high on them as well. If I get one and pay anything more than a couple bucks for it, I want it to have a motor.

[acroray]

Here's an image of an advert for them that I had in my files. (Looks like a Warren Publishing "Captain Company" advert...)

Wind-up monster & dinosaur model kits were all the rage from Japanese companies back in the 60s & 70s. They were more assemble-it-yourself toys than 'serious' hobby items.

I had the Styracosaurus when I was very little. I recall it was purchased from a K-Mart store. There were rubber spacers on the axles that had to be cut from a long rubber tube, in metric measurements - which vexed my parents as they tried to help me. We couldn't find a metric ruler very easily! Ultimately, the build failed because my dad somehow assembled the legs so that they were weren't pointed in the right directions, so when winded-up it didn't have a proper gait to walk and just sort of wobbled in place. I really liked it, though. He had a sturdy body and rather dangerously sharp horns and I happily played with him and carried him around. Wish I could find another of that particular one. If this seller had offered it, I would have bought it just for the memory.

[TAY666]

I have that same ad that came out of a Famous Monsters magazine.

I saw those auctions (thanks to Steve) but passed on them for the same reasons Ray mentioned.
They were built, and had no motors. I collect these, because it is neat to watch them walk around. But, oh what a pain it is to fix anything. I need to break open a couple legs on my bronto to re-attach them to the axle. And I need to figure out a better method to do that, so they don't come off again.

[artdecovampire]

I also also had the Styracosaurus as a kid. It was the most common one in England, It appeared to fit in with my Pyro models quite well in terms of size. My dad built it for me after we had been to a model shop in Birmingham (England). He bought a Historex Polish Lancer figure. I got the dino. I played with it until it broke, he then glued the legs on. I lost interest when I discovered PS in the local branch of 'Youngsters'. Is there a chance somebody could post pictures of the assembled models?

[TAY666]

I only have pics of the 2 I've built so far.
www.tylisaari.com/models/dino/bandai/bandai.htm

[artdecovampire]

Thanks. I didn't read the link properly the first time. The moulding looks crisp enough and the Rex is one up on the Pyro.

[clutch]

I was VERY lucky to have a cool aunt who got me darn near every one of these one Christmas when I was seven or eight years old. I don't believe I got the Dimetrodon. I also remember the T-Rex internals being way beyond my skills. I got fed up and ended up building him sans motor. Lol! Now many years later, I'm learning the history of these kits. Yeah, the sculpts were crap, but the box art is some of the best vintage artwork I have seen.

Anyway, here are three variations I have found. From bottom (oldest?) to top:

1st: 'Walking Mechanical Monster' blurb is part of the box.
Manufactured by Bandai Japan. The little kid logo is present on the sides of the box.
Kit # 8331-350

2nd: 'Walking Mechanical Monster' blurb is a sticker added to the box.
Manufactured by Bandai Japan. The little kid logo is present on the sides of the box.
Kit # 8331 350. The 350 is a sticker added to the box.

3rd: Nothing about wind up on the box. No motor included, although the plastic motor parts are still on the sprues. The instructions have a picture of an actual completed kit and tell you to ignore those parts. There is also an extra part #22 which is a plug to fill the hole that gave access to the windup mechanism.
Kit # 64-51-13 Manufactured in Japan for S.S. KRESGE COMPANY, Troy, Michigan 48084



All versions of the kits came shrinkwrapped. It is interesting to note that the Kresge kits came sealed with the price tag under the shrinkwrap as seen on this Bronto kit.