Many of you may recall the three-meter-tall (12.5 feet) ridable Japanese robot known as Kuratas which we have covered many times before. Earlier this year the real-life mecha made waves when it went up for sale on Amazon for the sum of 120 million yen (US$978,000).

For years now, Kuratas has been charming wannabe mech-pilots around the world until its most recent offering in January, but since then things have been quiet on the giant robot front. So you can imagine our Mr. Sato’s surprise when he stumbled upon one by chance during a trip to the 2015 Tokyo Toy Show.

This Kuratas was a little different from the ones we’ve seen before. Rather than the sold grey paint job, this one was done up in an eye-catching red…as if a huge robot suit needed to be more eye-catching. Its left arm had also been replaced with a cannon of sorts.

Kuratas was brought here today to celebrate the launch of a new Takara Tomy line of toys called Gagan Gun. Aside from having a name that’s really fun to say, Gagan Guns are remote-controlled robots that you can engage others with in laser tag battles. In a special collaboration between the toy giant and giant toy, Takara Tomi had made two special Gagan Guns designed in the likeness of Kuratas.

Of course Mr. Sato hung around the Gagan Gun display for a demonstration of Kuratas along with many other Toy Show attendees. The crowd oohed as the driver climbed into her Kuratas cockpit and ahhed as she triumphantly raised her arm canon in the air. It was all enough to make Mr. Sato decided right then and there that he would buy a Kuratas for himself and drive it around town. It was his destiny.

▼ Hot driver sold separately

After arriving home, he went to check Amazon. Luckily, there was still one Kuratas starter kit left in stock for the same price it was selling for earlier this year. However, even after getting his vast Subway, Pizza Hut, and Krispy Kreme loyalty card collections appraised, Mr. Sato was still woefully short of 120 million yen.

On the other hand, he did have enough to get a Gagan Gun Kuratas selling at only 3,700 yen ($30). Granted he wouldn’t look nearly as intimidating driving it around the streets of Tokyo, but it’d have to do for now.

▼ Footage from the 2015 Toy Show appearance of Kuratas

▼ And for comparison, here’s footage of it from 2012

Source: Amazon – Real Kuratas, Gagan Gun Kuratas
Gagan Gun Video: YouTube – Takara Tomy
All other photos and video: RocketNews24
Original Article by Mr. Sato
[ Read in Japanese ]