Interest

Life-Size Freedom Gundam Statue in Shanghai Opens for Public Viewing

The life-size Freedom Gundam statue in front of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Jinqiao in Shanghai was opened for public viewing on Wednesday. The completion of the statue coincides with the opening of the Gundam Base gunpla store in the same shopping complex.

A cornerstone-laying ceremony was carried out on the Gundam's head on Monday. Using a large-scale crane, the head was lifted 18 meters into the air and placed onto the body of the statue. The formal opening ceremony will be held on May 28, and it will be streamed online via the Chinese video streaming service bilibili.

To commemorate the opening of the statue, Premium Bandai opened orders on Wednesday for two new Gunpla models, a small toy, and six apparel items inspired by Freedom Gundam. These items can be purchased in Japan from the "Freedom Gundam Ver. GCP Popup Shop" website.

Protagonist Kira Yamato pilots the 18.03-meter-tall (about 59-foot-tall) ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam mobile suit midway through the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed anime series. The statue is the first overseas one in Sunrise's "Life-Size Gundam Statue Project." A moving RX-78-2 Gundam statue from the first Mobile Suit Gundam anime held its grand opening for public viewing in Yokohama on December 19.

A previous life-size RX-78-2 Gundam statue debuted in Japan in July 2009. That statue was replaced in September 2017 with a life-size RX-0 Unicorn Gundam statue from the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn anime. The Unicorn Gundam statue can light up and move various panels to "transform" between Unicorn Mode and Destroy Mode.

Source: Gundam.info (Link 2)