Full-Scale MOVING GUNDAM in Japan - Gundam Factory Yokohama

This is the world's first ever full-scale moving Gundam and it will activate in 10 seconds. Standing at over 18 meters tall, this full-scale moving replica of mobile suit Gundam model RX-78F-00 is the latest addition to the modern skyline of Yokohama city. This colossal animatronic replica weighs in at an impressive 25 tons, and excluding the 18 flexible knuckles in its hands, features 24 moving joints, enabling it to perform unlike any other Gundam replica that has come before it. Residing here at the Gundam Factory Yokohama, RX-78F-00 now stands as a guardian over the city. The facility will open to the public on December 18th, but at this pre-launch event, we were privy to this unique performance, so the show you see in person might be a little different. In 2009, I was in charge of the Gundam factory, and I was able to make it happen. At the time, a lot of people were asking me to make it move, but I wasn't able to do it at the time, so I took on the challenge of making a 10-year-old Gundam, and I was able to put it together. When you were a junior high school student, you were able to make a plastic model of the Gundam. Did you ever imagine that you would be able to make a moving Gundam like this? No, I didn't think about it at the time, but I've been involved in the making of things like this for a long time, so if someone were to make one, I wanted to be involved in it myself. What was the most difficult part of the design? There are a lot of motors and drive systems that go into the Gundam, so we had to make sure that the outer parts were well-concentrated and that there was enough space for the motors to go in. We also had to make sure that the shape of the parts that go into the Gundam was the same. We also had to make it a little lighter in order to make it move. In order to make it lighter, we had to think about what kind of material we were going to use, and what kind of shape we were going to use, and what kind of weight we were going to use. After enjoying the view on the deck, you can head to the cafe for some Gundam-themed lunch, or check out a whole bunch of exclusive merch over at the store. Also, if you're hoping to see the show more than once, you're in luck, as the Gundam will perform two different test sequences every hour, giving you plenty of opportunity to marvel at this incredible feat of engineering.