Not to be outdone by Tokyo, the city of Kobe is now planning to unveil their own gigantic mecha guardian, the venerable Tetsujin 28 (aka Gigantor), as an 18-meter/59-feet 1:1 scale statue. The project is expected to cost $1.4 million, with about a third being paid by the city of Kobe, the rest being funded by businesses and donations. The statue’s unveiling is on Oct 4, 2009 and will be located at the Shin-Nagata Train Station in Kobe, Japan.

Originally a manga from the mid-1950s, Tetsujin was later adapted into a TV series which was the first to feature a giant robot, a trend that developed into its own genre. Compared to the more sleek and sharp-angled Gundam in Tokyo, Tetsujin has a rounder, more retro look that makes it equally as cool; Tetsujin is pulp-mecha, if you will.

Check out this post from Danny Choo for photos of the assembly of Tetsujin, as well as some videos.

I think that it is obvious now that Japan is indeed preparing their new mecha army and that we are about to witness the heralds of this new era with Gundam and Tetsujin. I for one welcome our new mecha overlords.

What I want to know now is: when is the Macross Valkyrie statue coming? And will it transform? Come on Japan, make me happy!