SHOGUN WARRIORS GODZILLA Instruction Sheet Variations (Mattel, 1978- )

 

Quite simply the greatest toy ever made--or very close to it--Mattel's giant Shogun Warriors Godzilla enjoyed a few years on store shelves and in Christmas catalogs, alongside the rest of the Shogun Warriors line.  Because of this, there are at least three variations to the included (and very rare) instruction sheet!

Let's look at these in the order I have put them in, and I will explain why as we go:

Version 1 (front)  Measures 7.25 by 5.5 inches, and has artwork of Godzilla from the waist up, facing the left.  You will notice there is no blurb for the Godzilla Game, which tells me it wasn't quite released yet.

Version 1 (back)  On the reverse, we have Raydeen, Great Mazinga, and Dragun. Fine print says "PRINTED IN JAPAN," which tracks, because the first version of the Shogun Warriors Godzilla was produced in Japan for Mattel.

Version 2 (front)  For some reason, the next instruction sheet is a full-sized page, at 8.5 x 11 inches.  Now Godzilla's artwork has been changed to a full-body image (adding tail instructions), with him facing the right.  There is also now a box promoting the awesome Godzilla Game, so the Warranty information has been moved to the left side.

Version 2 (back)  The back of the sheet looks unchanged, except for the fine print, which now says "PRINTED IN U.S.A."

Version 3 (front)  Now the size of the sheet has reverted back to 7.25 x 5.5 inches.  The front looks identical to Version 2.

Version 3 (back)  The reverse side is where we see new information:  Daimos has been added to the line-up, in place of Dragun.  This figure was the last addition to the line in America, and was added in 1979, so it makes sense that this version would come last, chronologically.

Now, is it possible there is a fourth iteration out there, somewhere? One thing I have learned over years of collecting is, anything is possible...so if something turns up, it will be included here, and added to our Godzilla Guide as well!