Gundam turns 30, celebrates with the most awesome statue ever
Statue of Liberty? Striking, but a bit demure. Trenchcoat-clad Stalin statue in Gori, Georgia? Iconic, but disheartening. Giant RX-78-2 Gundam statue at Shiokaze Park in Tokyo, Japan? Unquestionably badass. The massive biped is currently under construction, part of a celebration for the 30 year anniversary of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. When completed it will be full-scale, standing 59-feet tall, weighing 35 tons, and even shooting "light or mist" from 50 different points along its structure. All systems should be fully operational by July 11 -- hopefully soon enough to stop the forthcoming Zeon armada.
[Via technabob]
[Via technabob]



















sweet
Gundam is AMAZING. I have collected many Gundam Models. RX-78-2 is a classic! Great choice. What grade of the model is this? Super super master grade? LOL
Too bad, this isn't made of Gundanium =(
Don't you mean lunar titanium alloy?
@MuSeW:
An understatement. Its more like "WOW. INCREDIBLE."
@Phil
Do your research =P
http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/Gundanium_Alloy
Does it move like a Gundam? If not, what kind of mobile suit is this?!
An immobile suit?
But it won't be ready in time for the 4th of July. It'd make for a sweet fireworks platform.
@bigd145
course, in japan, the fourth of july is only the fourth of july and not the us holiday, independence day.
@tom
Phil is correct... the original RX-78-2 was made from lunar titanium, not gundanium like later mobile suits such as the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam
According to that wiki page, Gundanium was only used in Gundam Wing. Gundarium is what was used in the years after the one year war (in the Universal Century timeline, not After Colony).
In other words, the wiki has owned all ye merry gentlemen.
@tom
Do your research, Gundanium Alloy is only ever mentioned in Gundam Wing. As far as other Gundam series (like in the UC universe, which this RX-78-2 is from) makes no mention of Gundanium Alloy. It does make mention, however, of Lunar Titanium, which was used in the construction of the RX-78 as Phil pointed out. Lunar Titanium was eventually named Gundarium alloy in the UC universe, but Gundanium is from Gundam Wing only.
forgot about perfect grade?
I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords
Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right!?
IIRC, Gundams are mobile SUITS, not robots. Someone has to be inside to pilot these things. They are more like vehicles. They are not autonomous.
@spam_free
No true, different series but still no pilot in the mobile suit.
http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/Mobile_Doll
@kal362:
I believe Mobile Dolls were controlled by a human using a variation of the Zero System; so they're not really robots.
Mobile dolls weren't even Gundams!
@Chris Lincoln
It's true that nearing the end of the war Zech's allowed Dorothy to control the mobile dolls via the ZERO system for a strategic advantage, however, earlier and conventional dolls, namely the Taurus and Virgo suits, used a computer system in the cockpit for execution of orders. Ofcourse, orders were dished out by commanders, but the dolls themselves made the decisions.
Checking for plane tickets as we speak.
Pretty cool, but man those Japanese are some crazy folk.
That's big.
I mean like, Gabby Hayes big.
Big.
bi, bii, small?
No wait, big
When I first saw that picture my first thought was Japanese world domination! (seriously, is there any other countries in the world where the people are crazy in love with everything robot and crazy enough to build giant robots??)
Still, even if this is not the beginning of the end of the world, building a giant, full scale replica of a Gundam mobile suit is unbelievable badass, and once again, this could only happen in Japan.
Dude, forget the Japanese. We have crazy terrorists, hording nuclear waste, building giant weapons of mass destruction.
Death by Robot would be a welcomed way to go.
Seems only Americans and maybe the religious-right have a serious death-wish seeing the devil in everything.
Meantime, Japan and the culture sees positives and good things with technology.
This could be the real deal, that there make it to take on north korea missile launch!!
These Japanese really want the end of the world really badly...
if you were Japanese, wouldn't ...
oh nevermind.
It's a Gundam not an Eva.
so am I the only one that thought those were the legs from that chinese sex themepark without the skin on them before reading the tagline?
sex deprivation is baaaaaaaaad!
Was wondering the same thing, just didn't know how they escaped the Chinese wrecking ball.
Wicked Cool.. I'll take two please!
So this is how it all starts, and how it all ends.
It's not a robot, it's a mobile suit/mecha, which is two very different things. One relies on computer generated AI, the other requires a human pilot.
No robot overlords here, move along.
It's a robot if you turn autopilot on.
I, for one, welcome our mobile suit/mecha overlords.
awesome! until it comes to life and goes Godzilla on their japanese asses
Whoa...
It's first stop is kicking Hasbro's butt for the Transformers
i liked mble suit gundam 8th MS team the best wing seciond and origanial 3rd
Did you like English class?
*Geek swoon*
I really hope Engadget follows up with this as construction continues....I'll forget to check it but I really wanna see this thing completed.
Im imaging the KIRF story in years to come...
The world is in an economic crisis and the Japanese are building giant toys... 驚くばかり!
A giant toys that can attract thousand of TOURI$T from all the globe.
Or just the internet
Hmm, i have this £5000 laying around.
What may i see todaythat would persuade me to travel to Japan?
Oh yes, a half built statute in commemoration of a cult cartoon, that ought to do it.
instead of stone use electronic ;-)
I hope they keep it, it can be their Statue of Liberty! Perhaps call it the Statue of Life...Gundam was life at one time for me lol
Awesome. Simply fucking awesome.
RX 79-2, First Gundam ever.
The Master Grade, and Real Detail series models are fun as hell to build and paint.
that is freaking sweet. I can't wait to see the completed version
Gotta hand it to the Japanese. They never cease to amaze me!
Next project: MS-06 Zaku II
I'm building - Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Gundam X-1 Full Cloth 1/100 Scale meow. So far, it's been my fav build of 16+ Gundam models I've built. One of the bigger ones too.
http://i44.tinypic.com/ehye6e.jpg
I haven't done any detail painting yet, nor finished the sweet crossbow rifle he has either.
dude, take that into a bar with you and if you come out without a girl on either arms, i will swallow that thing.
LOL@Oli D
OMG, "dude". Did your Mom run off with a Gundam and leave you and your Dad?
"dude, take that into a bar with you and if you come out without a girl on either arms, i will swallow that thing" Oli D
Care to explain this? I think I know what you were trying to do here, but failed miserably.
And besides, I could bring your ugly ass to the bar and still come out with a dozen bitches; I still wouldn't let you eat my model.
Use your 5000 pounds and enroll in some grammar classes.
well, do you want to see a real anime statue? take a look at this link in youtube and you will see the father of all mechas MAZINGER Z! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l2_NNoUAOY
pffft..
Just wait till Kondo turns 30.. and they build a 59 foot KHR-2HV - autonomous of course
does it work?
and the US defense department is saying they will curb the defense spending..?
I love Gundam!!!
fucking awesome.
where's the umbilical?
tomo
Now I feel OLD... I was there when they were first released on Japanese television!
Oh what a magnificent "statue"
Statue my ass - mark my words that bad boy is mobile in 2 years, combat tested in 3.
You can build a statue for the people, but its a life size replica for the Engineers.
I don't care if i realized this a day later, STILL F$%^&ING COOL. Make so it can be control and you got the dopest tech of the millinia.
@Chris Lincoln
It's true that nearing the end of the war Zech's allowed Dorothy to control the mobile dolls via the ZERO system for a strategic advantage, however, earlier and conventional dolls, namely the Taurus and Virgo suits, used a computer system in the cockpit for execution of orders. Ofcourse, orders were dished out by commanders, but the dolls themselves made the decisions.
Japanese prime minister: Kim Il-sung Tests of Ballistic Missiles have given me great cause for concern, we must retaliate.
Defense Minister: It was a clear act of war sir, Your idea to build the Giant RX-78-2 Gundam in Shiokaze Park was a great decision sir.
Japanese prime minister: Thank you, one must always have a defensive strategy planned to strike back at your "Enemies".
Defense Minister: They will never know what hit them prime minister!.
Japanese prime minister: Indeed Mr Hamanda. Indeed.