Full-Scale Gundam in Japan

We all feel comforted by the presence of important figures from your childhood, even if they’re fictional. But have you ever thought that any of these figures might stand sixty feet tall, watching over your community? Introducing: the 1/1 scale Gundam stationed in Shizuoka, Japan.

shizuoka gundam

Standing nobly like the deities Shiva, Zeus and Thor, the sheer size of this Gundam conveys a trust and comfort in the numerous Gundam series that is widespread in the Japanese community. Indeed, it seems that this massive Gundam was assigned the status of a guardian. Whether it’s considered a national hero of sorts, a proud symbol of Japan or has been embedded in the Japanese culture so deeply that its absence became senseless, its charisma will eases everyone in its company.

The effort put into designing and building this statue must have been immense, because the only thing it doesn’t have in common with the Gundams from the T.V. series is their role galactic warfare. The Gundam’s figure appears to be flawless from head to toe and has an awesome paint job, too. Mighty and monumental, the Gundam gazes honorably in the distance, contemplating the land and people whom its duty is to defend.

A cool feature of the Gundam in Shizuoka is that it can expel great tufts of smoke from the rockets on its back and breastplates. Since it resembles the Gundams from the T.V. series so closely, I actually thought that it was going to fly when I saw the rockets start smoking in the video:

Also, it’s fitting to have chosen this Gundam to prop up because its only weapons seem to be swords, following the suit of Japanese Samurai.

The time-lapse technique in the video, often used to portray the fluid changes in wildlife, metropolitan areas or even petty affairs, adds a profound quality to the depiction of the Gundam as it stands against the tests of time, forever watching over its beloved land.

If you’re a big fan of Gundams you’ll also want to look into Gundam Firearms, and if you thought the time-lapse effect was cool in this video you’ll really appreciate the article Freedom Gundam Rules the Galaxy…of Paper.

Via: 1/1 Scale Gundam in Time-Lapse