The Life Size Iconic Gundam RX-78 | Diver City

Day 3 (continued) | 29th March 2014 | Life Size 1:1 Gundam RX-78

Kev is a big fan of anime and there was one thing that he made mandatory on our holiday itinerary and that was to visit the life size 1:1 scale model of Gundam RX-78 at Diver City in Tokyo.

Gundam RX-78 is a fictional robot known in Yoshiyuki Tomino’s anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. As part of the 30th Anniversary of the Gundam series, a project was launched back in 2009 to build a 1/1 real size scale Gundam in Japan. It measures 18 meters tall and it currently stands in Diver City, Odaiba.

The Gundam series is culturally a significant part of Japan and though the series had been made many years ago, it is always recognised and remembered.

We made our way through the large shopping complex with only one thing on our mind and that was to aim straight to Gundam. When we found it, we were absolutely compelled to see the iconic Gundam up close!

I for one was amazed at the stature and magnificence and it certainly is structurally surreal. In intervals throughout the day, there is a 15-20 minute light and sound anime show with smoke effect which does add to the drama and appeal, however, we had expected the real life model to move (which it did) but underwhelmed by the small movements it made L Nonetheless, we were still extremely impressed by this giant Gundam and left us in wonderment of this incredible attraction.

Diver City is a huge mall with a large food court within it. It was a nice place to shop but personally for me, it lacked a bit of jazz, so I left empty handed. Near Odaiba, there is also the Rainbow Bridge which lights up in the evening and serves as a good observation platform. We didn't get a chance to walk over to soak in the sights, but we saw it whilst on the train to Odaiba.