Photo/Illutration A full-size and movable Gundam to be shown to the public at Yamashita Pier in Yokohama Port from Dec. 19 ((c) Sotsu Co. and Sunrise Inc.)

YOKOHAMA--Not even the COVID-19 pandemic could stop Gundam, as a full-size and movable replica of the mighty robot hero prepares to make its delayed debut at Yamashita Pier in Yokohama Port. 

An operating company announced on Sept. 29 that the 18-meter-tall and 25-ton Gundam model will be shown to the public starting on Dec. 19. 

The exhibition was originally scheduled to begin from Oct. 1, but was postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

At a news conference held by the operating company at Tokyo’s Akihabara on Sept. 29, film director Katsuyuki Motohiro, who has been involved with the project from the start, said he hopes that many kids come to see the movable Gundam.

“I am looking forward to seeing how they will feel about the movable Gundam created by our generation, who had been influenced greatly by the TV animation,” he said. 

Admission tickets will go on sale from Oct. 2 for the exhibition, which is scheduled to run through the end of March 2022.

The Gundam exhibition in the port is part of the project to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the popular animated TV series “Mobile Suit Gundam.”

It is the major event in the project of “Gundam Factory Yokohama,” organized by a group comprised of Bandai Namco Group and others, and the city of Yokohama.

The massive Gundam replica has been completed, and its movements are being checked and adjusted in the final stages.

A 9,000-square-meter site in a corner of the pier’s former warehouse district will be borrowed for the Gundam exhibition from the city of Yokohama.

A 25-meter-tall facility to store the Gundam will be built, and a complex facility will also be constructed to accommodate the exhibition rooms to explain the mechanisms of the movable replica as well as a cafe and shops.

At the storage facility, visitors can get an up-close view of the figure from a special observation deck 15 to 18 meters high.

The Gundam will be manipulated from the remote control room with the latest robot technology.

Visitors must reserve the date and time of their visit in advance. Adults and visitors 13 or older will be charged 1,650 yen ($15.64) for admission. An additional payment of 3,300 yen is required for visitors 7 and older to enter the special observation deck. Taxes are included for both fees.

In a meantime, tickets will be sold via the internet and a special app. Check the official website of the project for further information: https://gundam-factory.net/

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