While the Gundam Factory Yokohama pop-up closed back in March, fans will get another chance to see the Mobile Suit as a life-size Gundam statue will appear in Osaka in 2025.
This new statue was revealed at the Gundam Conference Summer 2024 which was released a few days ago. While there were plenty of Gundam-related announcements there, one of the conference’s key highlights was the reveal of the life-size statue that will go up in Osaka next year; after all, the similar statue in Yokohama was a huge draw when it was open.
While the statue isn’t there yet, the reveal came with a new video that gives fans an idea of what to expect:
The statue will be part of the Gundam Next Future Pavilion which will be part of Expo 2025 in Osaka. It’s not clear what fans can expect inside the pavilion, but what’s clear is that the new statue is a major draw, especially as it will be the first of its kind in the Kansai region.
Instead of being a moving statue like the one in Yokohama, this one will have a kneeling pose, though there will be a beam of light along with other lighting effects that should make it a dazzling sight to see at night, at least based on the concept images.
If it looks similar to the Yokohama Gundam, that’s because this statue won’t be an all-new work. Instead, parts of the Yokohama Gundam (aka the RX-78F00/E) will be used to create this statue.
Take note that as this is part of Expo 2025, the Gundam will only be there for six months. This is much shorter than the over three years that the Gundam Factory Yokohama statue was present.
Still, fans should have plenty of time to book tickets to Osaka as the Gundam Next Future Pavilion will be open from April 13 to October 13, 2024.
Source: Bandai Namco JP