Friday, March 27, 2009

Space Invaders Game Bank - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» Back in 2003, Taito celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Space Invaders by releasing a replica of the Space Invaders tabletop game which was really a controller container which held a Dual Shock 2. It was highly collectible and NCS eventually sold out after keeping original inventory for 6 years. Taito shipped a boatload of Space Invaders products last year to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the franchise. This year, the 31st Anniversary of Space Invaders doesn't have the same cachet but that's not stopping Taito from keeping the Invaders merchandising train rolling.

Most piggy banks don't reward savers with entertainment. The Space Invaders Game Bank rewards coin-droppers with a thrilling (sorta) shoot 'em up. Players who insert a 100-yen coin in the coin slot will get to play a round of Space Invaders that's fairly faithful to the original from the sounds to the shields to the included color cellophane overlay. The game bank measures W200 x H105 x D95mm (7.87 x 4.13 x 3.74") in area and is listed as 1/6 scale on Takara's product sheet.

A 100-yen coin measures 2.26cm in diameter so the closest approximation that we have here in the USA is a nickel which spans 2.12cm. The nickel is slightly thicker at 1.95mm versus 1.75mm for the 100-yen coin but it's perfectly sized for the coin slot. Note that a quarter is too large but dimes and pennies may also be inserted into the slot for your personal savings. A little red trigger in the coin slot is activated whenever a nickel passes through. All preorders have shipped as of yesterday; new orders welcome.

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