25-meter-high Gundam statue nearing completion

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:00 JST, January 3, 2022

FUKUOKA — The head of a full-size robot from the popular anime series “Mobile Suit Gundam” has been attached to its body in Fukuoka.

The 24.8-meter robot is scheduled to be revealed to the public in April, in tandem with the opening of the LaLaport Fukuoka big-box commercial facility currently under construction near JR Takeshita Station in Fukuoka’s Hakata Ward. The statue is based on the Nu Gundam, the model that appeared in the 1988 movie “Mobile Suit Gundam Char’s Counterattack.”

Members of the media watched on Dec. 22 as the statue’s head was lifted by a crane and mounted on the body, which has already been set up on the LaLaport grounds. This was the first time that the entire statue had been seen.

The next step involves painting the statue, which is scheduled for completion around February.

LaLaport Fukuoka is being jointly developed by Mitsui Fudosan Co., Kyushu Electric Power Co. and Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co.. It will house Gundam Park Fukuoka, along with clothing and food shops.