KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Fans of the anime Gundam can now view a gigantic version of the robot at the Gundam Factory in the city of Yokohama, with its official opening date confirmed.
The gigantic machine went viral recently after a Twitter video showed the robot moving its head, arms, legs and torso with ease.
Located outside the Gundam Factory, the robot measures 18 meters tall and weighs 25 metric tons.
Life-sized Gundam in Yokohama is now in testing mode.pic.twitter.com/51HVoraPb7
— Catsuka (@catsuka) September 21, 2020
While the robot and the facility itself were due to open to the public on October 1, the unveiling was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Gundam Factory is now officially scheduled to open its doors at 10am on Saturday, Dec 19 announced Japanese pop culture website, SoraNews.
The facility is divided into two sections with the Gundam Lab being a museum-style display of how the full-scale mobile suit was put together and an AR experience that simulates what it would be like to sit in the cockpit of the 18-meter (59-foot) tall Gundam and survey the urban landscape of the surrounding city.
The bigger draw, though, will be the Gundam Dock Tower, which allows you to climb up into the maintenance scaffolding that surrounds Gundam and get an up-close look at the artistic passion and engineering know-how involved in bringing the gargantuan anime icon into the real world.
The lengthy planning and development process of the massive robot took about six years to ensure each piece met weight restrictions to prevent its limbs from buckling.
The robot reportedly has 24 moveable parts that work seamlessly.
