A “life-sized Mobile Suit Gundam” space robot was unveiled to media gathered at Yokohama’s Yamashita Pier on November 30 by Evolving G, an otaku entertainment facilities operator under the umbrella of Bandai Namco holdings, Inc.
The giant moving figure from the long-running anime series was installed at GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA, along with other Gundam related facilities, by the Suginami Ward based company to mark this year’s 40th anniversary of the popular anime series first television broadcast. The installation and events had been postponed for two months due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19.
The life-size Gundam measures 18 meters in height and weighs about 25 tons. It has 24 moving parts with drive motors having been installed at the neck, waist, both legs and other joints, as well as the palms and fingers, allowing the head, arms, both legs and other parts to move. The appearance of the huge statue is based on the first-generation Gundam RX-78, with some modifications to enable it to move, Evolving G’s spokesman said.
The anime icon’s robot will be open to the public for a fee from December 19, 2020, to March 31, 2022.
(You can read the full article via this link. This article was first published on December 4, 2020, on JAPAN Forward, who aim to reveal the true face of Japan to the English speaking world in areas ranging from politics to sports and pop culture.)
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