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Tetsujin 28/Gigantor Statue's Full 18-m Height Unveiled

The scaffolding has been removed from the "life-size" statue of Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Tetsujin 28-go (IronMan 28 or Gigantor) on Tuesday — thus revealing the statue's full 18-meter (59-foot-tall) height for the first time in Kobe, Japan. The Sankei Shimbun paper posted photographs of the painted statue without the scaffolding. The official website of the project has posted a time-lapse photograph sequence of the statue's construction. The Kobe Shimbun paper is streaming a video of the head being attached on the YouTube website, and an individual posted another video from Tuesday.

The KOBE Tetsujin Project's monument is intended as a symbol of the city's revival after the 1995 Kobe Earthquake. It is being built at Wakamatsu Park in Nagata Ward, which was the ward hardest hit by the temblor. The statue also celebrates the life of one of Kobe's most well-known native sons; Yokoyama not only created the Tetsujin 28 manga and anime, but also Giant Robo and Sally the Witch. The project raised 135 million yen (US$1.40 million), partly through the city's investment of 45 million yen (US$470,000) and through sales of "Tetsujin Curry."

Since the 50-ton statue is not "standing" straight up, it is actually 15.3 meters (50.2 feet) high. It is roughly the same size as the "life-size" Gundam statue that was temporarily erected in Tokyo Bay's artificial Odaiba island this past summer. The Tetsujin 28 statue was initially scheduled to be completed in spring of 2008, but its completion ceremony is now slated for Sunday, October 4.

Sources: Sankei Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Slashdot Japan

Image © Hikari Productions/KOBE Tetsujin Project 2009