With the city of Kobe only months away from the completion of a 59-foot model of the iconic giant robot Tetsujin, Japan is this much closer to realizing its dream of a giant robot national army.
Work on a life-sized Gundam in Odaiba, Japan was only completed a matter of weeks ago, but another Japanese city is already nearing the construction of its own life-sized giant robot statue. The robot in question this time is one of the icons of giant robot history, Tetsujin 28-go, known in the English-speaking world as Gigantor and arguably the original gangster of giant robots in Japanese culture.
Tetsujin will stand in Kobe's Wakamatsu Park and match the Odaiba Gundam in height at 59 feet. Construction of Tetsujin's parts will end in July and the statue should be constructed and make its debut in late September or early October. Since it won't be standing upright but in an action pose, it'll technically only be some 49 feet off the ground from top to bottom, but hey, that still makes it a giant robot in any book.
While the Gundam statue commemorated a watershed moment in Japanese pop culture history - the 30th anniversary of the first Gundam anime - the Tetsujin will serve as a symbol for something a bit more serious. In 1995 Kobe was hit with a devastating earthquake - the statue is meant to serve as a monument to the revival of the city in the years afterward. Tetsujin's creator, Mitsuteru Yokoyama, was born in Kobe, and the statue will stand in Nagata Ward, the part of Kobe that was worst hit by the disaster.
The project has cost about $1.4 million, with the city itself pitching in nearly half a million and sales of Tetsujin-branded curry also providing funding (only in Japan). The statue will weigh 50 tons, and unlike the Gundam statue, does not feature any moving parts. Which is too bad, but also unlike the Gundam statue, it'll be on display permanently, which is good and nice to know since that means it'll be good to go when the giant robot wars begin.
Check out some video of Tetsujin under construction - it's probably the closest thing you'll ever see to what building a giant robot really looks like.
Japan, the leader in the robot apocalypse. Oh well, at least we won't be stomped out by evil looking robots, we get to be crushed by colorful icons we know and love...
I think America should makes this into a "giant robot Arms race." I mean, it's a small jump from autonomous giant robots to human controlled giant robots (one might argue that the latter is indeed an intermediary of the former), and I don't want my kids to all speak Japanese just because America didn't take the threat of the development of real life MechWarriors seriously enough.
HobbesMkii: I think America should makes this into a "giant robot Arms race." I mean, it's a small jump from autonomous giant robots to human controlled giant robots (one might argue that the latter is indeed an intermediary of the former), and I don't want my kids to all speak Japanese just because America didn't take the threat of the development of real life MechWarriors seriously enough.
Rednog: Japan, the leader in the robot apocalypse. Oh well, at least we won't be stomped out by evil looking robots, we get to be crushed by colorful icons we know and love...
Thats stupid. Everyone knows that when the machines gain sentience, they'll create a giant army of smaller robots, and it will be up to the giant robots, piloted by a team of 5 spunky 20-somethings, to save us all.
I throw my hat in for the 6th one who appears as an enemy, but ends up coming back at the pivotal moment and saving everyones ass.
Rednog: Japan, the leader in the robot apocalypse. Oh well, at least we won't be stomped out by evil looking robots, we get to be crushed by colorful icons we know and love...
Thats stupid. Everyone knows that when the machines gain sentience, they'll create a giant army of smaller robots, and it will be up to the giant robots, piloted by a team of 5 spunky 20-somethings, to save us all.
I throw my hat in for the 6th one who appears as an enemy, but ends up coming back at the pivotal moment and saving everyones ass.
I second that. Extra points if they use too much hair gel or show signs of angst.
Rednog: Japan, the leader in the robot apocalypse. Oh well, at least we won't be stomped out by evil looking robots, we get to be crushed by colorful icons we know and love...
Thats stupid. Everyone knows that when the machines gain sentience, they'll create a giant army of smaller robots, and it will be up to the giant robots, piloted by a team of 5 spunky 20-somethings, to save us all.
I throw my hat in for the 6th one who appears as an enemy, but ends up coming back at the pivotal moment and saving everyones ass.
I second that. Extra points if they use too much hair gel or show signs of angst.
Even more points if their hair is oddly colored and they fight another giant robot or alien thing every week.
Rednog: Japan, the leader in the robot apocalypse. Oh well, at least we won't be stomped out by evil looking robots, we get to be crushed by colorful icons we know and love...
Thats stupid. Everyone knows that when the machines gain sentience, they'll create a giant army of smaller robots, and it will be up to the giant robots, piloted by a team of 5 spunky 20-somethings, to save us all.
I throw my hat in for the 6th one who appears as an enemy, but ends up coming back at the pivotal moment and saving everyones ass.
I second that. Extra points if they use too much hair gel or show signs of angst.
I must have missed that episode. I just remember lots of sexism and racism. And everyone being retarded.
Holy crap, Gigantor... Was I the only one who thought he was shaped like a giant vibrator? Haha, still, this is awesome. Too bad the Gundam will be taken down, it should be a mainstay just like this one. Officially more awesome than any other monument in the world. Japan wins. Best $1.4 Million spent ever!
Would be cool if they built them in the same spot together as a permanent monument. Mobile Suit Gundam, Tetsujin/Gigantor, and crowded around at their feet could be Kaneda from Akira on his big awesome red motorcycle, Vampire Hunter D, Goku from Dragonball and on his shoulder would sit Astro Boy. I think that would cover all of the ground-breaking pioneers of the industry. Unless someone wants to take a wack at building a 1:1 ratio replica of the ship from Star Blazers and have that as the base of the statues or behind them all. XD
HobbesMkii: I think America should makes this into a "giant robot Arms race." I mean, it's a small jump from autonomous giant robots to human controlled giant robots (one might argue that the latter is indeed an intermediary of the former), and I don't want my kids to all speak Japanese just because America didn't take the threat of the development of real life MechWarriors seriously enough.
hahaha "giant robot Arms race" that's right instead of a defense program nicknamed "Star Wars" it'll be "Transformers" (tell that to some history teachers, they might chuckle lol)
milomalo: well america always can build a "optimus prime" or a real size "megazord"
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers was created with stock footage of a Japanese Sentai series called Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, a show that bears practically no plot relevance to MMPR. What we call the Megazord is really known as Daizyujin (alternatively spelled Daijuujin) or "Great Beast God" in English.
Either way, I would LOVE to see a statue of this done. I'm unfamiliar with which Sentai shows were more popular than others in Japan so I'm sure they'd choose a different Mecha... probably the first one they ever introduced in Battle Fever J in 1979. It's ugly as sin, but I wouldn't put it pass them considering they're building freakin' Gigantor. @_@
milomalo: well america always can build a "optimus prime" or a real size "megazord"
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers was created with stock footage of a Japanese Sentai series called Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, a show that bears practically no plot relevance to MMPR. What we call the Megazord is really known as Daizyujin (alternatively spelled Daijuujin) or "Great Beast God" in English.
Either way, I would LOVE to see a statue of this done. I'm unfamiliar with which Sentai shows were more popular than others in Japan so I'm sure they'd choose a different Mecha... probably the first one they ever introduced in Battle Fever J in 1979. It's ugly as sin, but I wouldn't put it pass them considering they're building freakin' Gigantor. @_@
oh the nostalgia....
To bad none of them even remotely work, just statues
Sigh, if only America would bould something cool. Billions of dollars of military equipment we never et to see? Bah! I want a 100 ft statue of the coolest robotic type creature around, Android 17.
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Japan Building Another Life-Sized Giant Robot
With the city of Kobe only months away from the completion of a 59-foot model of the iconic giant robot Tetsujin, Japan is this much closer to realizing its dream of a giant robot national army.
Work on a life-sized Gundam in Odaiba, Japan was only completed a matter of weeks ago, but another Japanese city is already nearing the construction of its own life-sized giant robot statue. The robot in question this time is one of the icons of giant robot history, Tetsujin 28-go, known in the English-speaking world as Gigantor and arguably the original gangster of giant robots in Japanese culture.
Tetsujin will stand in Kobe's Wakamatsu Park and match the Odaiba Gundam in height at 59 feet. Construction of Tetsujin's parts will end in July and the statue should be constructed and make its debut in late September or early October. Since it won't be standing upright but in an action pose, it'll technically only be some 49 feet off the ground from top to bottom, but hey, that still makes it a giant robot in any book.
While the Gundam statue commemorated a watershed moment in Japanese pop culture history - the 30th anniversary of the first Gundam anime - the Tetsujin will serve as a symbol for something a bit more serious. In 1995 Kobe was hit with a devastating earthquake - the statue is meant to serve as a monument to the revival of the city in the years afterward. Tetsujin's creator, Mitsuteru Yokoyama, was born in Kobe, and the statue will stand in Nagata Ward, the part of Kobe that was worst hit by the disaster.
The project has cost about $1.4 million, with the city itself pitching in nearly half a million and sales of Tetsujin-branded curry also providing funding (only in Japan). The statue will weigh 50 tons, and unlike the Gundam statue, does not feature any moving parts. Which is too bad, but also unlike the Gundam statue, it'll be on display permanently, which is good and nice to know since that means it'll be good to go when the giant robot wars begin.
Check out some video of Tetsujin under construction - it's probably the closest thing you'll ever see to what building a giant robot really looks like.
[Via Anime News Network, Gizmodo]
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