In seeming accordance with the war-torn universe they battle in, the giant Gundam statues in Japan don't have particularly long lifespans. The life-size Mobile Suits have served as imposing landmarks in Tokyo and Shizuoka, with perhaps the 18-meter RG 1/1 RX-78-2 Gundam previously situated outside of Diver City Tokyo in Odaiba as the most notable of the lot. Unfortunately, that Gundam was torn down on March 5th, ending a five year stand as the loyal protector of Odaiba. Those hoping to see a giant Gundam on their trip to Japan need not worry, however, as it turns out a probably bigger Gundam will be replacing it soon!

Here's a conceptual design of what the new Gundam might look like.

Via Gundam Info and the Gundam Fan Club, the outgoing Odaiba Gundam is handing the baton to a lifesize RX-0 Unicorn Gundam (Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn) arriving in the Fall of 2017 as part of the Gundam Project 2017. With the keywords of "real" and "physical experience" being tossed around for the project, one wonders if this new Gundam will feature capabilities previous statues did not. Listed between 19.7 and 21.7 meters depending on its "mode", it seems certain that the new Gundam Unicorn at Diver City will be even bigger than the previous statue.

While we await further details on exactly what this Gundam "experience" might include, the official account of the Gundam-park promotion below bids farewell to the outgoing Gundam statue.