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After the success of the Type 66 Maser Beam Tank, work began on a new model. Finally produced in 1970, the vehicle was altered at the base of the cannon. Removed were the coils and side turrets, focusing more on the mobility of the cannon. This lowered the mass of the vehicle, while placing greater emphasis on the giant ray gun.
A few years later, the tank saw its first use. As the space monsters Gigan and King Ghidorah were laying waste to Tokyo, the tanks were deployed in the countryside. As the creatures left the city, a contingent of Type 66 Maser Beam Tanks and Type 70 Maser Beam Tanks swung into action. Lacing Gigan with electric cannon fire, the cyborg collapsed to its knees. Still taking fire, the beast tried to hide in a forest to deflect the rays, although the beams sliced through the trees, hitting the monster. Turning their efforts to King Ghidorah, the ray struck the three-headed terror. However, the multi-headed space monster retaliated. Launching its gravity beams, the maser tank army was quickly destroyed as the two monsters continued their bloody advance across Japan.
A year later, both versions of the Maser Beam Tank were deployed against the monster Megalon. Following the destruction of a dam, the beast walked into a large field. The area, however, was swarming with the self defense force, which opened fire on the Seatopian deity. The creature proved sturdy enough to weather the huge show of firepower, though, and eventually went on the offensive itself. Firing electrical bolts from its horn, the attack engulfed the Maser Beam Tanks in fire, decimating them. With the strike force defeated, the monster continued toward Tokyo. |
