If you’re a fan of Gundam, then you’ve probably heard of – or even been to – the Gundam Base in Odaiba, Tokyo. It had the first life-sized Gundam statue, which was replaced in 2017 with the Unicorn Gundam. Now, you’ll probably want to add Yokohama to your bucket list, as a life-sized, moving Gundam will be unveiled there, at the Yamashita Pier.
The moving statue will be made under the “Gundam Factory Yokohama” project, with the final unveiling happening in Summer 2020. This also happens to coincide with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The moving Gundam statue will measure about 18 meters tall. Beyond that, no details on the actual movement was shared. Based on the promotional image, it will probably be able to walk, and maybe strike a few poses in slow motion.
The original Gundam statue in Odaiba had very limited head movement, with the cockpit opening to reveal a screen inside. The statue of Unicorn Gundam that replaced it was not much better – it transformed between its Unicorn mode and Destroy mode, which includes a lot of panels sliding around and lighting up in the latter.
(Source: Gundam Factory Yokohama)
