In a previous post, we looked at the Jumping Bottle light gun target. Now that made perfect sense: shooting at bottles, be it in a safe electronic toy format.
Today it is the turn of a slightly less obvious shooting target: Electro Poker.
The idea here is to combine playing a variant of poker with light gun shooting. A bit like an indoors biathlon.
Each time you hit the target, the five wheels holding pictures of various playing cards will start turning individually. After some time they stop and show a certain combination of cards, which then determines your score. Much like throwing dice in dice poker.
One of the coolest targets in Nintendo's Kôsenjû SP (光線銃SP) series of light beam toys, is the so-called Jumping Bottle (ジャンピングボトル).
Gun practice often seems to involve shooting at cans and bottles, and this toy delivers just that, without the messy shattered glass.
The Jumping Bottle was sold as loose target, to be used together with a Kôsenjû SP Gun or Riffle sold separately, as well as in a set with a gun.
Jumping Bottle was the only Kôsenjû SP target that was available in such a set; all other targets (like Electro Safari and Electro Bird, and Electro Poker) were sold loose only.
The Jumping Bottle was released in 1970. The set shown here was called the Gun - Bottle Set (ガン・ボテル セット), and cost ¥3,480 at the time.
Nintendo Kôsenjû SP Gun - Bottle Set (1970)
Contrary to the idea given by the image on the front of the box, the set contains only a single bottle, not three.
Four different guns and rifles exist in the Nintendo Kôsenjû light beam series. In this post we will shed some light on their differences, in particular the compatibility between guns and rifles and the various targets.
The four Kôsenjû guns and rifles
In the image above, we see from top to bottom: Kôsenjû SP Rifle (光線銃SP ライフル, 1970), Kôsenjû SP Gun (光線銃SP ガン, 1970), Kôsenjû Custom Action Lever Rifle (光線銃 カスタム レバーアクション ライフル, 1971) and Kôsenjû Custom Gun (光線銃 カスタム ガン, 1976).
The Kôsenjû SP and Kôsenjû Custom guns are similar in size and design. The main exterior differences are the color of the handle and the trigger mechanism. Furthermore, the light source of the Kôsenjû Custom Gun is more focused and stronger than that of the Kôsenjû SP Gun, which improves the range of the gun.
The Kôsenjû SP Gun has a white handle and a metal trigger and hammer.
Kôsenjû SP Gun
The Kôsenjû Custom Gun has a brown handle and a plastic trigger and hammer.
Kôsenjû Custom Gun
The two rifles are quite different. The Kôsenjû SP Rifle is smaller and much lighter than the Kôsenjû Custom Lever Action Rifle. It is a real toy rifle, and also a lot cheaper than the Kôsenjû Custom Lever Action Rifle. The Kôsenjû Custom Lever Action Rifle on the other hand, is very close to a real riffle. Like the Kôsenjû Custom Gun, it has a better light source and greater range.
The Kôsenjû SP Rifle is prepared for firing by pumping the handle bar underneath the barrel. It came with a small toy telescope sight, with plastic lenses.
Kôsenjû SP Rifle
The Kôsenjû Custom Lever Action Rifle is loaded by moving the lever underneath the trigger. A professional telescope sight (Custom Lever Action Rifle Scope) with real glass lenses was available as an accessory.
Kôsenjû Custom Lever Action Rifle
Because of the different light sources in these guns and rifles, they are not fully compatible with all available Kôsenjû targets.
Leaflet included with Custom Gunman/Lion explains you cannot use SP Gun and Riffle
In particular, the Kôsenjû SP Gun and Rifle cannot be used with Custom Gunman and Custom Lion, as explained by the leaflet pictured above. The leaflet explains that for these targets the Custom (Lever Action) Rifle or Custom Gun should be used. Interestingly, the price for the rifle is quoted as ¥5,000 in 1976, significantly lower than the 1971 introduction price of ¥14,000.
Compatibility diagram included in the Custom Gunman manual
The compatibility diagram pictured in the Custom Gunman manual also shows which rifle and gun can be used with which target.
Kôsenjû Custom Target with focus lens attached to the sensor in the middle
The Kôsenjû SP Gun and Rifle can be used for the 1971 Kôsenjû Custom Target, if the focus lens which came with the target is attached to its light sensor. The tag attached to the Kôsenjû Custom Target shows its backward compatibility with the Kôsenjû SP series.
The Kôsenjû Custom Target also sports the SP label
This compatibility stuff may sound more complicated than it actually is. Just take a look at the table presented below, which summarizes it all.
Custom Gunman and Custom Lion require a Custom Gun or Custom Rifle
One of the more spectacular shooting toys created by Nintendo is the Kôsenjû Custom Lever Action Rifle (光線銃 カスタム レバーアクション ライフル). This item definitely lives up to the expectations created by its impressive name.
Kôsenjû Custom Lever Action Rifle (1971)
Released in 1971 as part of the Kôsenjû Custom (光線銃 カスタム) series, it is a light beam gun which can be used to shoot the Kôsenjû SP and Kôsenjû Custom targets.
It was expensive at ¥14,000. The price later dropped to ¥7,800, then ¥5,000
The Custom Lever Action Rifle is a little over one meter in length and has a healthy weight of 2.3 kg. It is made from metal and heavy plastic (with a wood-like finish) and feels like handling the real thing.
It must be one of the most realistic toy rifles out there. I am pretty sure something like this cannot be sold anymore in a toy store today. Recently one was shipped to me from Japan by regular mail, and I was surprised Japan Post accepted it, and the package made it through customs without a problem. That must be encouraging news for the arms smugglers within our readership.
The lever is used to load the rifle
Anyway, back to the riffle. Why is it called Lever Action Rifle, you want to know?
Pulling the lever pushes out the hammer
Well, easy: you use a lever to load the rifle and prepare it for action.
The rifle is loaded!
Once the rifle has been loaded, pulling the trigger will release the hammer with a nice heavy clunk. A small light bulb will flash in the barrel of the gun, beaming towards the target and hitting it. That is, if the shot was well aimed, of course.
The Custom Lever Action Rifle is capable of hitting a target at great distances, thanks to a strong flash light powered by 4 C cells. The manual claims distances between 30 and 100 meters are possible.
If we look at the box more closely, we see a telescopic sight mounted on the rifle. That could come in handy when shooting a target at these kind of distances! However, even though it is pictured on the box, it does not come with the rifle.
Wait a minute... that scope is not included!
Fortunately, the scope could be bought separately, as an accessory. Unfortunately, while the rifle itself is not very rare, the scope was sold in very small quantities, making it one of the most difficult to find Nintendo items these days.
Custom Lever Action Rifle Scope (1971)
The official name is Custom Lever Action Rifle Scope (レバーアクション ライフル スコープ). It was sold for ¥3,800.
Custom Lever Action Rifle Scope
The Scope is a high quality optical piece. It comes with two protective caps.
Magnification of 4 x 20 is provided by the scope.
Mounting the scope - step 1
The scope is mounted on the riffle using the included screwdriver. First we attach a metal slider.
Mounting the scope - step 2
As the rifle itself was already pretty expensive, most people will have skipped buying the scope accessory. They will definitely have missed something though, as the rifle with scope is looking seriously impressive, and made hitting a target at great distance an achievable reality.
The Kôsenjû SP series of light-beam toys was introduced in a previous post. Today we will take a closer look at two of the targets in this series: Electro Safari (エレクトロ サファリ) and Electro Bird (エレクトロ バード). Depending on your taste, they are either the most flamboyant of the series or the most kitschy. In any case, they are a lot of fun. These targets are also another nice engineering feat by the Nintendo team, as you will find out below.
Electro Safari and Electro Bird - two targets from the Kôsenjû SP series
The targets cost ¥5,900 each, a require an Kôsenjû SP Gun or Riffle to be played (sold separately). The targets are quite big (55cm by 45 cm) and so, naturally, are the boxes. The box-art is well designed: it explains the purpose of the game very well, in an inviting way.
Let's take a look at the Electro Safari first.
Kôsenjû SP Electro Safari
Of the two, I like this design the most. That boy with his safari helmet on immediately gets you in the mood to shoot some prey.
The target is a framed wildlife scene, showing a wild animal popping through the lush vegetation. The white (plastic) frame may not be to everyone's taste, but the game definitely gives you the feeling you are on a safari.
Instruction taken from the manual: aim at target and shoot
You would hang the target on a wall, and take aim with either your Kôsenjû SP Gun or Riffle.
You can see the light sensitive sensor sitting just below the black panther. Hit it and the poor animal will plummet behind the scenery: dead, or at least badly wounded.
But hitting one animal is just the start. As soon as the panther disappeared, another animal appears. A lion!
Shoot the lion, and a cheetah is up next. You can already see it lurking behind the rock on the right. When you have successfully struck the cheetah, the black panther appears again (it apparently made a quick recovery), and the fun starts all over.
Kôsenjû SP Electro Bird
The second target, Kôsenjû SP Electro Bird, works similar, but this time it features three birds instead of cats.
The frame is identical to the Safari game, but here we have a rough mountain scene.
Surely you have become curious by now, about how this targets actually works. So let us take a peak inside. Hope this doesn't spoil the mystery for you. If it does, quickly look away.
It is a good thing toys from this age are simply screwed together, and can be easily taken apart. We have loosened the back from the frame, and removed the front to expose the innards. On the left, you see the backside of the scenery. The wiring to the sensor has been cleverly guided behind the painted tree branch to make it invisible from the front.
In left-bottom corner of the back plate we see the battery holder (the black box, which takes 2 C-cells and a 9 volt block) and right to this a motor which move the birds. Above the battery box sit the electronics which control the motor when a hit is detected by the sensor.
The birds are attached to a transparent disc, which moves 120 degrees counter-clockwise each time the target is successfully hit. This moves the next animal into view, keeping the rest of the mechanism hidden by the scenery. The birds aren't fixedly attached to the disc, but are mounted on axles that allow them to spin. When the disc turns, the birds stay level by a little lead weight at the bottom of the bird.
Underneath the bird on the left sits a clever mechanism which makes the bird spin when the disc is moved. This caused the dramatic tumbling-to-its-death effect.
To conclude this post, here you can see it in action.
At the start of the 70s, light-sensitive electronics (photoconductive cell or LDR - light-dependent resistor) were still fairly new. Manufacturers of these components were looking for new ways to apply them, thus extending their customer base. Sharp was one of the companies that produced them, and one of their sales staff, Masayuki Uemura, visited Nintendo and met with Gunpei Yokoi.
Not only did this meeting result in a series of new toys, but Mr. Uemura eventually moved over to Nintendo where he came to head up one of the hardware design groups.
The entire Kôsenjû SP series: gun, riffle and six different types of targets
Sharp’s LDR would be used in the light-beam series called Kôsenjû SP (光線銃SP): toy guns that emitted a short flash of light when 'fired' and targets equipped with a sensor that would register the light (when aimed correctly) and show the hit in various fashions.
The Kôsenjû SP Gun (ガン)
The Kôsenjû SP series was introduced in 1970
The SP gun had a white handle. The Custom gun handle is black.
The Kôsenjû SP Rifle featured a telescope and "pump action" to reload
When hit by the light-beam, the Jumping Bottle target would spring into two parts, held together by an electromagnet until hit by the light from the gun. Other targets included a roulette that would spin, a lion that would roar and wildlife scenes with exotic birds or animals of prey (Electro Bird and Electro Safari) collapsing upon each hit. All guns and targets are battery operated.
Kôsenjû SP targets Electro Roulette, Lion, Poker and Jumping Bottle
With this series, introduced in 1970, Nintendo created something for the entire family: to be enjoyed by children and adults together (well, fathers and their sons, probably).
Around this time, electronic games started to become mainstream, even though the retail prices were still considerable, ranging from ¥980 to ¥2,500 for gun and rifle, and between ¥2,500 and ¥5,900 for the individual targets. These prices notwithstanding, Nintendo had another blockbuster on its hands, selling into the hundreds of thousands of the various guns and targets.
These toys are amongst the first (if not the first) commercially available light-guns for home use, although less sophisticated than the subsequent video game light-guns that work together with a TV screen (the Magnavox Odyssey rifle being the first one of these, released in 1972).
The Kôsenjû Custom series: Custom Lever Action Rifle and Custom Target
A second series of light-gun toys was introduced in 1971, called Kôsenjû Custom (光線銃 カスタム), consisting of a very realistic looking rifle made from wood-like plastic and metal (Custom Lever Action Rifle, ¥14,000) and a new target (Custom Target, ¥7,800). These were clearly aimed at older children and adults.
The Custom series continued in '76 with Custom Gunman and Custom Lion
In 1976 the Kôsenjû Custom series was rejuvenated with two great new targets: Custom Gunman and Custom Lion. These were sold loose for ¥5,000, as well as in sets with target and gun for ¥7,500. As the name suggests, these feature a gunman or lion that would collapse dramatically when hit. After a short time lying dead, by means of a clever mechanism inside the toy, they would automatically spring back to life, ready to take the next shot.
