Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s Tetsujin 28-gō (鉄人28号, Iron Man #28, usually known in the US as Gigantor) is set to be permanently immortalised in Kobe as a 18m life size statue, and is nearing completion.
The statue, which will have it’s final base at Wakamatsu Park, was planned to be finished in August, but has now been pushed back to the end of September, with its official unveiling is due in October.
It can be seen in more detail below:
Unlike Bandai’s by now exceedingly famous RX-78 life size Gundam at Odaiba, the Tetsujin 28 is intended to commemorate the revitalision of Kobe, after the 1995 earthquake that nearly destroyed the city. As such, the statue’s main construction site is at Nagata Ward, the place hardest hit by the quake, though now fully recovered.
Costing some 135 million yen, it was also chosen as a memorial to Yokoyama-sensei himself, as a noted mangaka and one of Kobe’s most famous sons.
Partly funded by the city (who paid around 45M yen), the rest was garnered from sales of “Tetsujin Curry”. Unlike the Bandai’s Gundam, this statue cannot be moved, and so it will be a permanent feature.
Doubtless it is hoped that as a stimulus to tourism the Iron Man will more than recoup the investment…
Via the Kobe Shimbun.
Where is my Mazinger statue, Japan?
Oh right.
IT’S IN FUCKING SPAIN.
Who wants to see rx-78-2 and gigantor beat the crap out of each other?the winner gets to fight godzilla
godzilla will be no match for the both of them.
THIS WILL CATCH THE NUCLEAR WEAPON THAT WILL BE LAUNCHED BY KOREA TO JAPAN!
First the giant gundams.Then, manga museums.Next, a giant Tetsujin robot?!
Why Japan wasted all the government money to built some characters from some manga? Yea,some said as a momentum from famous manga artist,blablabla.Why not then built gaint Astro Boy or Son Goku then. They famous.
Most they get those money from selling mangas,animes, some jobs(liked maid cafe) ect to worldwide.
I dunno, they have creative ideas on money making.
Ask them then.
COOL………….
But EVA is still the BEST !!!!
sheesh….still a kid.Space Runaway Ideon still holds the great casualty record in anime history.