Who could win in a fight between giant robot statues: Tetsujin 28 or Mobile Suit Gundam?

by Chris MaGee

What is it with Japan and statues of giant robots at the moment? You'll remember that last month we reported that a 15-metre (49-foot) tall, 50-ton statue of the iconic manga robot Tetsujin 28 (a.k.a. Gigantor) is being erected in Kobe, the hometown of the manga's creator Mitsuteru Yokoyama, as a symbol of the reconstruction of the city after the devastating 1995 Kobe Earthquake.

Now we have word from Anime News Network that Tokyo's Odaiba island will be getting its own giant robot statue in July, this time representing the the RX-78-2 Gundam from the "Mobile Suit Gundam" animated series. This year will mark the 30th anniversary of the series which chronicles a war taking place on a futuristic Earth that's being waged with giant humanoid mobile suits.

The statue will dwarf Kobe's Tetsujin 28 by a good ten feet, but unlike its counterpart it will not be permanent. Its designers are building the Gundam with fiberglass-reinforced plastic over a steel frame with plans to only have it on view for the summer after which it will be disassembled. So, I guess that answers the question as to whether Tetsujin 28 could beat the RX-78-2 Gundam. Gundam just doesn't have the endurance...