1973 Wind Mill - ウインドミル by 関西精機 (Kansai Seiki — Kasco)

Name: Wind Mill - ウインドミル
Year: 1973
Company: 関西精機 (Kansai Seiki — Kasco)

In this article I will discuss Kasco's Wind Mill, but also other similar machines that came before and after it.  According to Onitama's Minidrive Encyclopedia, Wind Mill was first made in 1973.

via ミニドライブ大百科 (Mini-Drive Encyclopedia)

The machine appears in the 1974/1975 game directory:

1974/75 machine directory advertisement

via

@306Tlr shared these internal pictures of Wind Mill, newly acquired by the elecmeca research arcade.

This style of game has a long history.

Conveyor was released in the UK in 1945 and was very popular:

1945 Conveyor by Stevenson & Lovett

A lesser-made version had the player travelling down instead of up:

Roller Coaster [inspired by Stevenson & Lovett, these were scratch-made by a fan]

Here is a timeline of the Japanese machines:

1973 Wind Mill - ウインドミル by 関西精機 (Kansai Seiki — Kasco)

1981 Circus by 関西精機 (Kansai Seiki — Kasco)

1997 冒険宝島 (Adventure Treasure Island) by ショーケン (Shoken)

2013 ハムハムくるくる大脱走 (Ham ham round and round big escape) by ホープ (Hope)

At the Elecmecha Institute, the owner has salvaged many eremeka machines and made them operational again.  This is their rescued Wind Mill:

via