Interest
Life-Size Patlabor Now Down for the Count
posted on by Eric Stimson
A life-size Patlabor Ingram, a mobile suit used by the police forces of the Mobile Police Patlabor series, has been touring Japan this year, visiting sites like Kichijouji, the QVC Marine Field in Chiba and the Lalaport Toyosu shopping mall. But now its progress has been stalled, thanks to someone who apparently climbed onto it on the night of October 28.
The Labor is usually stood upright at special events, but a part on its left hand has been damaged somehow, leaving it flat on its back for the time being. It lies at the Roppongi Hills Arena in Roppongi, Tokyo, where it had been stood up for display at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Fan reaction on Twitter was grumpy, with users calling the culprit "lame," a "fool" and speculating on their motives. Others wryly noted the similarity to a scene in The Next Generation -Patlabor-, the film it's promoting.
The life-size model is one of two created at the cost of several tens of millions of yen (several hundred thousand US dollars). Part 5 of the Patlabor film series premiered on October 18; Parts 6 and 7 are scheduled to premiere on November 29 and January 10, respectively.
[Via Hachima Kikou]
