Maybe I'll Just Change This Blog into a Giant Japanese Robot Blog

So, the avalanche of giant robot stories continues, and instead of dribbling them out to you one by one, I figured I'd do some leg work and link a bunch o' them here.

• Such as this LiveJournal bulletin board posting that rates three different giant robots.
• The deliciously named blog Robot War Espresso has some very nice photos of the Tokyo Gundam robot at night.
• "KP" at The Cool Kids Table has lots of photos and information to prove the point that "that Gundam in Tokyo is only the beginning of the giant robot craze." Can't wait.
• New York-Tokyo has a story about a giant Gundam, but it's a different giant Gundam. A working one.
• Dark Diamond has a story about a treehouse giant robot. You read that correctly.
  
• I have to admit, I usually get very tired about all the attitude everyone thinks they must include in their blogs and online videos and online comments, but I found the video hosts of this Karmaloop video (which includes a segment on -- you guessed it -- giant freakin' robots) to be quite funny and well done:

The Japanese Keep Building Giant Robots

I hadn't intended this to become a blog series here, but InsightOnThingsThatMatter has a photo of yet another (non-Gundam) giant robot that's been built.

Even CBS News deems this worthy of a report!

Another Giant Gundam

Yesterday I posted a video about the giant (well, "life"-sized) Gundam that was built in Japan to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam. A later report says that the closing ceremony for the statue was canceled due to an approaching typhoon.

But just because the ceremony was canceled, of course, doesn't mean the giant robot still stands. All good things must come to an end, so by now, the 18-meter-tall guardian of truth, justice, and the Japanese way is probably well off into the solar system, fighting the Zeon forces.

But seeing that video reminded me of some photos I took of a display of large (but hardly life-sized) Gundam robots at San Francisco's downtown Metreon shopping mall a half-dozen years ago. There was a full-body Gundam, a huge Gundam head, and a full Zaku suit. (Please forgive me; I don't know exactly which iteration of Zaku this one was.)

All three of the statues were up on the second floor, right outside the (now-defunct) Things from Another World comic shop, which also sold lots of models, figurines, books, t-shirts, etc.

It was a nice display, but it, too, didn't last. I'm just impressed that the Zaku and the Gundam never got in a fight. Woulda really messed up the store.