When creating the Megalon suit, Nakano, based the face based on the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, modeled the body after cicadas, and based its movements on grasshoppers. Other insects briefly considered were dragonflies and ladybug, with the choice of the rhinoceros beetle said to due to their popularity among children at the time.
Radio Announcer:
And now for the latest news flash: Earthquakes are still being experienced in many parts of the Pacific. It is feared many lives have been lost. According to the National Seismic Institute, the disturbances were undoubtedly caused by the nuclear ...
Hiroshi Jinkawa:
...
One of the nude pinups on the rear window of the truck hauling the container changes between scenes.
The 1976 U.S. Cinema Shares release omits approximately 3 minutes from the original Japanese version in order to get a G rating. The deleted scenes include: the opening credits; a brief shot of young Rokuro being abducted and taken away in a car; several shots of the men in a truck, with pages from nudie magazines hanging behind them; an extended fight scene as Hiroshi escapes from the Seatopian; the truck drivers throwing a man off a cliff; the kidnappers asking "what the hell is that?" and yelling "go to hell!"; several brief shots of blood and violence when the brothers break into their home; and the Commander getting crushed to death by a giant boulder. This is the version that remains available on several cut-price video labels.
Japanese
$760,000 (estimated)