Finally! To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Gundam anime/manga/toy/video game franchise, an 18-meter-tall (59-foot-tall) "life size" Gundam statue will be built in Tokyo this July.
Part of the "Mobile Suit Gundam 30th Anniversary Project," the structure in Odaiba's Shiokaze Park will stay up for only two months and be built from fiberglass-reinforced plastic over a steel frame and coated in a layer of awesomeoness. Fifty points on the Gundam statue will emit light, and mist will shoot out of 14 different points on the statue. The 1/1 scale Gundam will boast a moveable head.
This is the largest Gundam statue ever constructed in Japan. In the 1990s, a 33-foot-tall LM312V04 Victory Gundam was constructed. There is also a fan-made 23-foot-tall 1/3 scale MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam in Japan. Though, this isn't the first time a life-sized Gundam has been created.
Back in 2007, a 1/1 scale Gundam was built for Fuji-Q Highland amusement park at the foot of Mt. Fuji; however, this statue did not stand upright and was built lying down on the floor.
Staring this July, it will be possible to view the 59-foot-tall Gundam free of charge. No kidding, some folks will just look out their window.
