Epoch Capsule Toys: Barcode Battler, Cassette Vision, 3D Ace Baseball
What can be more mini than a Famicom Mini? A miniature game console by Epoch as a capsule toy. I love consoles, I love miniatures, so I checked out this set of seven pieces.
Epoch might not be a big name in the West, but they are a big toy company in Japan and pioneered video gaming as well. Well before Nintendo, they sold Pong-type consoles in Japan and even had a dedicated console playing a variation of Space Invader (1980). Their first console with interchangeable cartridges was called Cassette Vision and released in 1981 – three years before the Famicom. The first programmable handheld console was also made by Epoch and there’s also Epoch’s most successful system, the infamous Barcode Battler.
A good reason for a gacha set with some of Epoch’s famous toys! This set has seven pieces in total. Let’s take a look at them piece by piece.
Barcode Battler
This is the easiest piece to assemble: no cables, no stickers. It’s modelled after the first Barcode Battler, which was a big success in Japan. The Barcode Battle is a simple RPG game: The device would read barcodes with its built-in scanner and add the computed stats to the hero or foe character. There are no graphics, only numbers.
Preprinted cards would offer codes that would work as either players, enemies or power-ups. It was way more fun to go on a hunt for a powerful barcode ans experiment with the codes of everyday products.
The capsule toy has a miniature of the first model in white with four small cards.
Barcode Battler II
The successor looks similar to the first model but featured enhanced connectivity. When connected to a Famicom (NES) or Super Famicom (SNES), it can work as a barcode reader for various games released by Epoch. This would unlock additional content.
The second Barcode Battler was released internationally, without the connection interface. It flopped. The hardware was seen as outdated in comparison to the Game Boy or Gear. Barcode Battler matches require imagination, even more than a session of D&D.
While the Famicom/Super Famicom interface is missing, the capsule toy can be connected to the gacha versions of Barcode Battler II2 C0 and Barcode Battler II2 C2.
Barcode Battler II2 C0 and Barcode Battler II2 C2
These were two add-ons for the Barcode Battler II, without a barcode reader of their own.
As with the main units, the capsule toy versions have nice details and no stickers. I’m not a big fan of the thin plastic wires that connect the three units. They are not loose enough to give enough freedom to place them.
Cassette Vision
This was Epoch’s foray into the market for consoles with interchangeable cartridges. The unique design featured two knobs for each player built into the console unit, along with two buttons.
The miniature depicts the original version, not the cost reduced Jr. model. The cartridge is removable and there’s a tiny sticker supplied as the cartridge label.
Epoch Super Cassette Vision
After the release of more advanced consoles by Nintendo and Sega, Epoch’s market share quickly dropped. Epoch reacted with the Super Cassette Vision. Controllers were no longer built in, but hard-wired to the main unit. The main unit also had a keypad.
The capsule toy has both a sticker (for the removable mini cartridge) and the stubborn wires (for the controllers). The black front part can be opened to store the controllers.
3D Ace Baseball
Last and certainly least, is the gacha version of Epochs baseball game. This is the only game that is still being sold by Epoch in full size. I’ve never played it, but I hope it’s better than the capsule toy miniature.
The baseball field is a sticker that is already applied to the unit. Mine wasn’t perfectly placed, which made inserting the other tiny plastic pieces even more difficult. Assembling this thing wasn’t a great experience.
Summary
Epoch likes to mix their capsule toys a bit, as both the baseball miniature as well as the two Cassette Visions were featured in other sets as well. It’s a pity that they didn’t use a print for the baseball field.
I was mainly buying this for the consoles, especially the two Cassette Visions. At 300 Yen, the capsule toys weren’t that expensive. But because I wanted all seven, I ordered a complete set. It’s unfortunate that this set isn’t composed of Epoch’s consoles only, including variants of the (Super) Cassette Vision and the Epoch Game Pocket Computer.
There is a second, more videogame-themed capsule toy collection by Epoch called Epoch’s TV Game Collection (エポック社伝説のゲーム) released in 2005. This set included the Cassette Vision, Super Cassette Vision and the various TV games. Two secret pieces could also be found by lucky few in capsules, a mini TV in silver or brown with insertable cards. Due to a lack of a rerelease, the full set is rare nowadays and sellers demand a premium price.
