With the unveiling last night, I went over today with the crowds to see what the new life-size Unicorn Gundam was like and I am happy to say that it was fantastic.
In that, this life-size RX-0 Unicorn Gundam has replaced the RX-78-2 Gundam that was taken down earlier this year. The original life-size Gundam was meant as a temporary installation back in 2009 but due to its sheer popularity, it stayed. However, it did move around and had a brief stint in Shizuoka before coming back to Tokyo.
What makes this new Unicorn Gundam exhibit different though is that it partly transforms between its two modes.
In the Gundam Unicorn novels and spin-off anime, the Unicorn Gundam has two modes, that of Unicorn Mode and Destroy Mode. The former is where the Gundam’s name comes from, as it has a single unicorn-like horn atop its head, but the Destroy Mode is where its true Gundam lineage lies (shown below).
What makes the Unicorn Gundam unique is that its body is full of psycho-frame material, which glows pink or green when piloted by a sufficiently powerful Newtype. The psycho-frame structure within the Unicorn Gundam also makes it an extremely dangerous mobile suit, as it can take control over other Newtype weapons and use them against its enemies.
The design of the Unicorn Gundam is also somewhat unconventional even by Hajime Katoki’s standards but it has been a popular mobile suit with fans, so it is not surprising that it has been given the life-size treatment.
However, the complexity of the transformation has been simplified somewhat with this life-size version. While some parts of the shoulders, head and calves shift around, the rest of the transformation isn’t really recreated.
This means that the internal psycho-frame parts are seen even when in Unicorn Mode, though they obviously don’t light up.
While I went and saw this during the day, I would recommend that if you are to visit the life-size Unicorn Gundam in Tokyo then do so at night. That way you will get to see the psycho-frame lit up very nicely indeed.
Don't forget that the Unicorn Gundam and all manner of other famous Gundam mobile suits are playable in Gundam Versus on PS4, which is out on September 29 in the West.
In any case, I am curious to see what life-size Gundam, we will end up with next but in the meantime, we have Banagher Links’ ride of choice standing in Odaiba and that is something wonderful to behold.
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