Toru Furuya and Hiroko Moriguchi on Stage! Report of the April 25th Opening Ceremony of the Life-Size vGundam Statue at Lalaport Fukuoka

On Sunday, April 24th, an opening ceremony was held in front of mass media for the Life-Size vGundam Statue (RX-93ff νGundam), which will finally be unveiled today, Monday, April 25th.

The Life-Size vGundam Statue is the latest life-sized Gundam statue and the tallest to date. It stands within the premises of Mitsui Shopping Park Lalaport Fukuoka, which will open on Monday, April 25th.

It was a splendid event. Other than Mr. Toru Furuya, the voice of Amuro Ray, and the singer Ms. Hiroko Moriguchi, Mr. Koji Fujiwara, Bandai Namco Entertainment’s CGO (Chief Gundam Officer), also attended the ceremony. Director Yoshiyuki Tomino sent a video comment, and a special performance of the completed Life-Size vGundam Statue made its debut. Furthermore, it was announced that Ms. Moriguchi would sing the theme song of Mobile Suit Gundam Cucuruz Doan's Island, the movie that will be released in movie theaters on Friday, June 3rd, and she performed a mini-concert.

Without further ado, here is the report of the ceremony.

First off, Mr. Fujiwara talked about the reason behind the project of placing a life-sized Gundam statue in Fukuoka and said, “It was because we wanted to spread the wonderfulness of Gundam not only in Japan, but more widely in Asia and the rest of the world. To Fukuoka’s Gundam fans: come and liven the Gundam fandom together with us!”

Next, Director Tomino commented on the giant size of the Gundam in his video letter explaining, “It was originally a worker robot used in construction sites in the universe, so we made it this big considering that the pilot might stay inside the Mobile Suit for two or three days as they worked.” He added that the RX-93 vGundam was destroyed in the events that took place in Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, so they recreated the RX-93ff vGundam from the remaining blueprints of the RX-93 vGundam. That is the reason for the differences in design.
After pointing out that some things could only be made sure of after building it, he commented that “Building this Gundam taught me that even something this big can move gently. That’s how I gained a completely different point of view: Gundam must never be used as weapons.”
At the end of his video comment, he sent out a message. “I’d be grateful if you could think hard about the act of creating things while you move your body in experiential activities.”

Then, Mr. Furuya, who voices Amuro, smiled as he talked about the Life-Size vGundam Statue. “It has a strong impact, and you can feel its weight. You feel as though it might start walking any moment now.” He added, “The vGundam is my favorite Mobile Suit.”
In Mobile Suit Gundam Cucuruz Doan's Island, he stars as Amuro again forty years after the theatrical release of Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space. He confesses that “I was anxious about voicing the fifteen-year-old Amuro after a forty-year blank, but I was also extremely happy. The characters depicted by Director Yasuhiko have a wealth of expressions all the time, so I was able to play my part without hesitations.”
When asked about what’s the movie’s strongest point, Mr. Furuya replied, “The hand-to-hand fight between Mobile Suits was cool and beautifully portrayed. It felt extremely real. It feels like a fight scene in a Japanese period movie, typical of Director (Yoshikazu) Yasuhiko, and it’s fantastic to see.”

n her ending greetings, Ms. Moriguchi said, “I’ve been singing songs for Gundam since I was seventeen, so this was an incredibly joyful time for me. I’m overwhelmed with emotions.” Mr. Furuya wrapped up the event, saying, “Of course Mobile Suits are cool in Cucuruz Doan's Island, but in this movie, you can also see the warmth of people’s hearts and how there can be mutual understanding in the face of position differences. I’ll be honest with you: you’re going to cry. Don’t miss watching it at the theater,” and the curtain fell on the event.

(Gundam Info Editorial Department)

Location: Mitsui Shopping Park Lalaport Fukuoka Forest Park
On display starting on Monday, April 25, 2022
Height: Max height 24.8 m (head height 20.5m)
Surface Area: 1129.6 ㎡
Lot Area: 167.3 ㎡ (14.6 m in diameter) *the lot area of the circle around the statue
Weight: 80t (excluding footing beams)
Materials: structure - steel, finish - FRP
Operational Parts: Right shoulder (whole arm), head
Lightning: 62 spots

Gundam Park Fukuoka is a general entertainment facility made up of three areas.
It comprises GUNDAM SIDE-F, an area selling merchandise; VS PARK WITH G, a sports entertainment area; and namco, an amusement area.

■GUNDAM SIDE-F
Gunpla will be sold here, starting from RG, ENTRY GRADE, and BB Senshi versions of the RX-93ff νGundam, as well as Gundam Base-limited and event-limited items.
It will also sell all sorts of merchandise, from Haropla to action bases, paints such as Gundam Markers, and apparel items. Don’t miss the latest Gundam information and the ten-meter-wide, six-meter-tall giant monitor.

・RG 1/144 RX-93ff νGundam
On sale starting Monday, April 25, 2022
Price: 4,950 JPY (including tax)

・ENTRY GRADE 1/144 RX-93ff νGundam
On sale starting Monday, April 25, 2022
Price: 1,430 JPY (including tax)

・BB Senshi RX-93ff νGundam
On sale starting Monday, April 25, 2022
Price: 1,650 JPY (including tax)

■VS PARK WITH G
VS PARK WITH G is a new type of variety sports facility created in collaboration between Gundam and VS park to make you feel like you’re in a TV game show.
At VS PARK WITH G Lalaport Fukuoka, visitors can find Nigekiru WITH G, where you challenge the RX-93ff νGundam to a ten-meter race; Yokekiru WITH G, where you have to dodge to the left and right jet stream attacks that come from Doms drawing closer to you; and six other activities, all in a special Gundam design exclusive to Gundam Park Fukuoka.
Visitors can also find walls with the many famous lines from the Gundam franchise at several spots in the facility, as well as photo spots in collaboration with the RX-93ff νGundam.
There are a one-day free pass and a 120-minutes ticket to choose from. As it is indoors, visitors can enjoy a total of 27 activities to their heart’s content without worrying about the weather.

■namco
This collaboration area between an amusement spot and the Gundam series is decorated with the RX-78-2 Gundam color palette, Haros, and lights shaped like Fin Funnels in a 1/100 scale. Visitors can enjoy games while being immersed in the world of Gundam.