We Hardly Knew Ye, Gundam

Now that the big-ass Odaiba Gundam (as I am officially dubbing it) is down for the count, let's reminisce over previous attempts to build life-sized robots out in the countryside. None of these is anywhere near the size of the one in Odaiba, but they are totems to the sheer willpower of otaku stuck in the far-flung suburbs.

 

This totally handmade, officially unsanctioned "Zeta III" has been around for years. It's 1/3 scale, supported by a frame, and stands under a roof. Look for it in the city of Komeya in Okayama prefecture.

 

This one is long gone. It was apparently created for a festival for a vocational school. I suspect there were a lot of similar attempts by crazed high-school and college kids back in the day.

This vaguely Mobile Suit-ish fellow is sort of an amalgam of a variety of anime robots. Fifteen or so feet tall, it stands guard at an intersection outside of Osaka.

I wish I knew where this "totem pole Gundam" dwells; there was no information other than the fact that it was "found on a certain kindergarten's field." How I miss the dangerous playground equipment of the Seventies and Eighties...

Comments

[hillsy]

Wow....great stuff, Matt! Now you need to get out to Kobe to report on the "big ass Kobe T-28". ;)

[yutte]

I didn't know there are lots of Gundam MSs or look likes out there. You will never find in Europe...

[MattAlt]

It's true... because they have MAZINGER instead! This is from Spain:

http://altjapan.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/05/el-festival-de-los-robots-revisited-1.html

[ryan]

"How I miss the dangerous playground equipment of the Seventies and Eighties..."

Me too:

http://media.divinecaroline.com.s3.amazonaws.com/ext/article_images2/vintage_playground/1.jpg

[Paul Segal]

There was also that 1/1 Gundam lantern at a lantern festival in Taiwan a couple of years back (the Engadget article on this is still up, but I can't find the original source); and the human-sized V2 Gundam statue in Europe, which I don't recall the exact location of.