Whoa, hold on a second! We know Amazon Japan now sells giant robots, but we didn’t know someone else had made something this big! This mecha looks like it’s at least twice as tall (and three times as awesome) as the one offered by the online retailer. Don’t you need a permit to build something that huge?
Actually, the only legal paperwork involved in this photo was for model-making supplies, as that’s not a real giant robot, but a scale replica. What’s more, the way it appears to be standing with its head almost in the rafters of the structure housing it isn’t thanks to a mere trick camera angle, but rather the considerable skills of the modeller who also crafted a miniature hanger for his compact mobile suit.
Pictured here is the handiwork of Twitter user Masato_1979, whose real name is Masato Yamazaki. Masato says he’s gotten really into the latest series in the Gundam anime franchise, and rather than sit around twiddling his thumbs while waiting for the next weekly episode of Gundam Reconguista in G, he’s decided to put his digits to better use making this awesome model of the TV show’s G-Arcane mobile suit.
Gのレコンギスタにはまり
— MASATO D (@MASATO_1979) January 15, 2015
我factoryにて“Gーアルケイン”を建造中!? pic.twitter.com/yosjXxw7zI
As proof that he didn’t really rent a beat-up old warehouse and build a 1:1 scale giant robot, here’re a few more shots using a small bottle of model paint and Masato’s finger as size references.
▼ And no, he’s not a 60-meter-tall monster from Attack on Titan.
@MASATO_1979 RTがいつのまにやら増え、本物との誤解を若干招いてしまったので格納庫(工場)の製作中&大きさ比較用に画像を貼ります。 pic.twitter.com/l7eJK068Xr
— MASATO D (@MASATO_1979) January 17, 2015
▼ An early teaser shot of the G-Arcane model
My factoryにてGを開発中!? pic.twitter.com/t8lo7Ntwg5
— MASATO D (@MASATO_1979) January 11, 2015
The irony here is that in order to make something that appears very big, Masato has to put in a huge amount of time and effort making parts that are very, very small.
▼ It’s no doubt a strain on his eyes and hands, and sometimes even on his nose, as he says he has to suppress the urge to sneeze at times like this.
この手のサイズを切り出して使うんだけど、沢山切り出した時に限ってくしゃみ。・・・(T^T) pic.twitter.com/oSeHLvB8GY
— MASATO D (@MASATO_1979) February 5, 2015
Masato’s intricately constructed hanger has also appeared with vehicles based in reality, such as the aircraft seen here.
明けましておめでとうございます。
— MASATO D (@MASATO_1979) January 1, 2015
本年もよろしくお願い致します。
1/72scale
作品名【日はまた昇る】 pic.twitter.com/oMJS65e4o2
1/72scale ジオラマ
— MASATO D (@MASATO_1979) January 7, 2015
機体は【連山】
一応後ろ姿という事で!#バックショット晒すとRTが来る pic.twitter.com/P9I1rb9eZx
▼ The building looks great even without any military hardware parked in-frame.
【模型ネタ】
— MASATO D (@MASATO_1979) January 6, 2015
1/72scale
木と廃屋。
初日の出を使ってスマホで撮影してみました! pic.twitter.com/51bX2jwVQl
This isn’t the first time Masato has wowed his followers by pairing a model mobile suit with a model building. Back in 2013, he made people do a double take as they thought for a moment that the giant statue of Gundam in Tokyo’s Odaiba had swum across the bay to Hamamatsu Station. What really happened, though, is that Masato made a 1:150 scale version of the railway hub, and plonked an equally amazing Gundam model down in front of it.
これ何が凄いって、ガンダムが実物大なんじゃなくて、浜松駅が1/150スケールのミニチュアだってこと。pic.twitter.com/oA0oxLtRPj
— Gasoline (@debabocho) October 12, 2013
Still, we have to say the newer G-Arcane is even more impressive. Considering the amount of time and resources he’s able to put into his hobby, and the level of skill and experience obviously involved, we’re going to guess Masato is already out of his teens. If so, maybe the talent and passion he’s displaying are enough to make Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino rethink writing off everyone over the age of 20.
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