Type 90 Maser Cannon
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The Type 90 Maser Cannon (９０式メーサー殺獣光線車 90-Shiki Mēsā Ya-jū Kōsen-sha, lit. Type 90 Maser Beast Killer Beam Car) is a fictional weapon that first appeared in the 2002 Toho Godzilla film Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.
Developed in 1990 as a direct successor to the Type 66 Maser Cannon, the Type 90 did not see action until the emergence of King Ghidorah in 1999. With the assistance of Mothra, the JXSDF's Anti-Megalosaurus Force (AMF) was able to dispatch the three-headed terror. Unfortunately, it was called into action later that same year when a second Godzilla landed at Tateyama. The AMF was shocked at how little effect the Type 90's beams had against the King of the Monsters, and the battle proved to be a disaster. The Japanese government began construction of a new anti-Godzilla weapon, Kiryu, which was completed by 2003. However, Type 90 Maser Cannons were still used to support Kiryu in his battle against Godzilla in Tokyo. The following year, the Type 90 was upgraded into the Type 90 Maser Cannon (Improved) (９０式メーサー殺獣光線車<改> 90-Shiki Mēsā Ya-jū Kōsen-sha < Aratame >, lit. Type 90 Maser Beast Killer Beam Car (Improved)), now equipped with the more powerful yellow-colored Maser beam fired from Kiryu's mouth cannon. The improved Type 90s tried to hold off Godzilla from approaching Tokyo again, but were unsuccessful. Fortunately, Godzilla was defeated by the combined efforts of Mothra, her twin larvae, and the upgraded Kiryu.
In the continuity of Godzilla: Final Wars, the Type 90 Maser Cannon was utilized during the Earth Defense Force's decisive final battle against Godzilla in Antarctica. While the Maser Cannons were destroyed, the Gotengo successfully sealed Godzilla under the ice.
Development
The Type 90 Maser Cannon was primarily designed by Hiroshi Maruyama, with contributions by Shinji Nishikawa. Initially, it was planned to simply use the Type 66 Maser Cannon from The War of the Gargantuas mostly unchanged in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, but the designers ultimately created a more modern and improved successor model. The designers initially planned to have the tractor pulling the Type 90 move on wheels, but director Masaaki Tezuka chose to have it move on tank treads like the Type 66. Tezuka wanted to include Maser Cannons in the film as he felt they were an iconic symbol of Toho's special effects movies aside from Godzilla.
Both large and small miniatures were created for the Type 90, as well as a full-size tractor. The Type 90 was designed with all personnel inside the tractor rather than having some inside the cannon itself, the only model of Maser Cannon besides the CLT-95 to do so.
For Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. a miniature of a Type 90 Maser Cannon was created to be depicted on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier for a battle with Godzilla at sea. The scene was never filmed, but the miniature was used to depict a Type 90 being destroyed by Godzilla's atomic breath.
History
Millennium Series
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
In 1999, when a second Godzilla attacked Tateyama, the AMF deployed their newest Maser Cannon model, the Type 90, to stop him. The Masers' power, already reduced by the rain, was ineffective against Godzilla, who wiped out a large portion of the AMF's forces. Following this failure, the AMF began construction of a new anti-Godzilla weapon, Kiryu, which featured an oral-mounted Maser Cannon. Several Type 90 Maser Cannons later assisted Kiryu in his battle against Godzilla in Tokyo.
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
When Godzilla came ashore in Tokyo, several improved Type 90 Maser Cannons were deployed to stop him while Kiryu was being repaired. However, the King of the Monsters easily obliterated them with his atomic breath.
Godzilla: Final Wars
Type 90 Maser Cannons were deployed by the Earth Defense Force alongside the Gotengo to battle Godzilla in Antarctica in a decisive final confrontation. The Maser Cannons proved ineffective, as they were all destroyed early in the battle, though the Gotengo eventually succeeded in burying Godzilla under the ice.
Capabilities
Maser Cannon
- Armed with a 150,000 volt atomic heat ray.
Tractor
- Operated by a crew of two people.
Filmography
Gallery
Production
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
The Type 90 Maser Cannon and tank props on set
Screenshots
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
Merchandise
Choro Q Type 90 Maser Cannon
Bandai Toho Machine Chronicles Type 90 Maser Cannon
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