Fans were out in force to pay their respects to the life-size Gundam before it is dismantled.
Ollie BarderToday marks the last day of the life-size Gundam in Tokyo, as it is now going to be dismantled. However, not only are there plans to create a life-size Gundam that walks by 2019 but we are also getting a replacement statue in the form of the Unicorn Gundam later this year.
Considering that today is the last time you will be able to see the life-size Gundam in Tokyo, people were out in force to pay their respects. You need to understand that in Japan and across Asia, Mobile Suit Gundam and its varied progeny, are as big a deal as Star Wars in the West, if not more so.
Thankfully, Bandai had some great news for Gundam fans, as the life-size RX-78-2 Gundam will get replaced with the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam later in the year. The interesting thing here is that the original Gundam is only 18 meters tall, whereas the Unicorn Gundam is closer to 24 meters. That's a noticeable size increase.
To replace the life-size Gundam, we will be getting a similarly proportioned Unicorn Gundam later... [+]
From the promotional image released online (shown above), this version of the Unicorn will also be in Destroy Mode. It also seems that the internal psycho-frame parts are colored pink as per the start of the series but it wouldn’t be too difficult to also have the frame turn green, like in the final episodes.
The fact we are getting the Unicorn Gundam is also interesting. The original Gundam is definitely a classic as well as popular design but the Unicorn is more international in terms of recognition. This is down to the fact the series uses more modern animation and received an extensive worldwide release.
There is definitely a coordinated strategy underway to bring all manner of Japanese mecha related properties Westward, which in turn will boost sales of merchandizing and tourism.
The life-size Gundam is already a very popular tourist attraction and I think that the choice of the Unicorn to replace it, albeit temporarily, is a shrewd move.
The life-size Gundam is still as majestic as when it was originally unveiled back in 2009.
Ollie BarderThe event today was also called the “last shooting”, which is a reference to the end of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, and it had thousands of fans crammed into the area around the life-size Gundam while representatives from Bandai explained the company’s future plans for the exhibit.
Apart from the upcoming Unicorn Gundam, there are also plans to have a life-size Gundam walk by 2019. This is an important date on two counts, as it not only marks the 40th anniversary of Gundam but is also a year before the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
In the meantime, the Gundam Front museum on the 7th floor of Diver City in Tokyo will be open until April 5. So if you want to visit that before it closes down, then you have a month left in which to do so. However, Bandai is planning to replace this museum with a model kit focused exhibit called Gundam Base in the summer.
In any case, I managed to say goodbye to an old friend today and I, like many others, will be happy to welcome the Unicorn Gundam when it turns up in Tokyo later in the year.
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