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After travelling from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and then onwards to Tokyo, Watanyu Pinyo, a young student from Phayap University, is thrilled to finally see his favourite animation model Gundam RX782 standing 18 metres tall in the Japanese capital's Shiokaze park.

"It's so cool that the animation is now 30 years old," he says. Watanyu spent hundreds of thousands of baht to attend the anniversary event, which also included a visit to the Gundam Big Expo at the Tokyo Big Sight not far away.

More than a million fans have flocked to the park since RX782 took up residence here on July 11. Tomorrow, the robot will be disassembled and moved to another venue, although the location has yet to be revealed.

Every night, the organiser has thrilled spectators with a brief light and sound Gundam show, moving the robot's head, lighting up its eyes and releasing smoke from 14 different spots over its body.

An iconic symbol in the Gundam mecha or mobile suit collections, the original RX782 was chosen for replication from animated figure into the first real scale robot ever made. The budget was set at 1,800 million yen (Bt656 million), with Bt600 of that amount going for production alone and the fibreglass for the model being made in Thailand then shipped to the Land of the Rising Sun for finishing and installation.

Created by Sunrise Animation, "Gundam" first hit Japanese TV screens back in 1979. The series arrived in Thailand two years later, airing on weekdays at 5pm under the title "Apiniharn Gundam" (literally "The Magic of Gundam") and luring kids away from the playgrounds and into their homes to watch the robots fight.

Set in the future, "Gundum" tells the story of war between people on Earth and those who migrate to space due to overpopulation and environmental damage from industrialisation. The fight uses the giant piloted robots called mecha (mobile suits) with Gundam as the protagonist.

The 30th anniversary celebrations aside, the Gundam scale model is also part of the Green Tokyo project, which is campaigning for a green city and is part of the proposal for the city to host the 2016 Olympics.

"The 'Mobile Suit Gundam' theme includes a passion for the environment that matches Tokyo's plan to expand the city's green areas," says Yasuo Miyakawa , managing director of Sunrise Animation's Gundam Character Works department.

Tsutomo Suzuka, assistant manager of Namco Bandai Asia, who produced the model, says Gundam is still popular because the story is suitable for all ages, though most fans in Japan are adults and older teenagers.

"And the design is really cool," adds Suzuka," who also acts as Chief Gundam Overseas Officer (CGGO) for Bandai.

"The stories are not complicated and they also connect with peoples' own lives."

Gundam is still very popular in the East Asian region, with fans in Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore snapping up some 20,000 million yen worth of plastic models every year.

But Suzuka pours cold water on any hopes that the franchise will come to the big screen with the robots played by real actors as American fans have seen with the "Transformer" story.

"We consider "Gundam" as an animation only," he says firmly.

"Generally, Gundam has two groups of fans: anime fans and plastic model fans" says Vichien Vangveravongsa, general manager of the Dream Express (DEX), which owns the Gundam copyright in Thailand.

"I'm an anime fan but that lead me to become interested in models later," says Watanyu, clutching the boxed model of Gundam Wing he's bought to take back to Phayao.

 

Gundam comes to Thailand

 

Fans can celebrate the Mobile Suit's 30th anniversary in Bangkok from October 21 to 25, as DEX company brings the Gundam showcase to town along with a host of activities.

The Bt10-million event will feature the fibreglass model albeit reduced to half its size budget and without arms in an exhibition at Paragon Cineplex.

Like in Japan, there'll be a Gundam history showcase and a special room filled with posters, t-shirts and models.

Okawara Kunio, one of three creators of Gundam franchise, will give interviews and talk about his work during the expo while leading model maker Mark Bakuc will hold workshops and tutorials for all model geeks.

Admission to the expo is free.

The writer travelled to Tokyo as a guest of Siam Paragon and DEX Company.