Is there any country better known for their love of big robots than Japan? Probably not.

When it comes to big robots there is perhaps no other franchise more synonymous with them than Gundam, which has seen various incarnations during its time as a TV series over the decades.

Gundam will reach its 40th anniversary next year, and to mark the occasion a life-size and moveable Mobile Suit statue is being erected at Yamashita Pier in the port of Yokohama in Japan.

The statue is being built at around about the same time as the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, so it unfortunately won’t coincide precisely with the 40th anniversary, but will serve as an homage to the iconic big robot series nonetheless.

The statue itself (Gundam 0079) is set to measure 18 metres tall, and will look like a life-size replica of the original Mobile Suit that first appeared four decades ago.

As far as the movement goes, it won’t be pulling off anything spectacular like it does in the series, but can hopefully be positioned in a few of the iconic poses that Gundam is known for.

At this stage it’s unclear if the statue will also include the Suit’s signature sword and shield. We’ve got fingers crossed for that.

With a handful of notable Gundam statues around Japan, it should be interesting to see how this life-size one stacks up.

[Image – Gundam Factory]