Gundam’s Real-Life Mech Announces Extended Closure

Mobile Suit: Gundam has been telling the story of its popular mech suits for decades since the first anime series arrived in the 1970s, with the franchise becoming so popular in fact that a Walking Gundam in the real world has been erected. Unfortunately, it seems as though the statue unlike any other will be taking a long hiatus this summer, thanks in part to needing maintenance, as was released in an official statement from the Gundam Factory that houses the unique mech.

The official statement from Gundam Factory Yokohama, the locale where the Walking Gundam statue can be seen, reads as such:

“*GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA is closed from May 9 (Mon.) to July 15 (Fri.), 2022 for “Moving Gundam” maintenance. Thank you for your understanding. *Tickets for July 16 2022 onwards will be posted on the website once it has been confirmed.”

Luckily, this closure, as far as we know, isn’t permanent though Gundam has taken some hits when it comes to some of their locales in Japan, especially with the shuttering of the Gundam Cafes throughout the country this year. The franchise that began in the 1970s certainly isn’t in danger, however, of going away any time soon thanks in part to the number of animated projects it has set for its future. 

Currently, the unique Gundam statue is set to continue taking steps forward until May 31st, 2023, meaning that fans of the Gundam series will still have plenty of time to see the mech in action before it, presumably, is taken out of the public eye.

While there are no Gundam statues that are erected in North America, Netflix is currently working on a live-action adaptation that will hit the streaming service in the future, with the director of Kong: Skull Island, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, attached to bring this story of mech battles to life. While casting and a release date are still in the dark, this would be a major step forward for the anime franchise. 

Will you try to see the Walking Gundam statue before it walks into the sunset next year? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of mobile suits.