There’s some unfortunate news for folks who were considering heading to the Gundam Factory Yokohama early for the debut of the 18 meter tall, moving, life-size Gundam. The official site noted that Pre-Open, Limited Gundam Factory Yokohama Special Experience that was supposed to be held on Saturdays and Sundays has been canceled, and the October 1, 2020 opening day date has been delayed. The schedule has been altered as a result of the spread of COVID-19. [Thanks, Anime News Network!]
The Gundam Factory Yokohama Special Experience had previously been announced and detailed on both the Japanese and English versions of the Gundam sites. People who would have attended what is essentially a “first look” at the facility. Every element wouldn’t have been open, but people could have seen the Gundam, paid to check out the Gundam Dock Tower observation deck, and done a little shopping at its exclusive store.
To help better visualize things, the Gundam Channel released a time-lapse video back on May 14, 2020 to show how the building of the dock and the framework for the life-size Gundam.
The Gundam Factory in Yokohama, Japan at the Yamashita Pier. The statue was supposed to be unveiled and the event space was originally scheduled to open on October 1, 2020 and remain open until around October 3, 2021. The space will consist of the Gundam Dock with 18 meter tall Gundam, a G-Dock Tower people can pay to access, and a Gundam Lab complex with an Academy exhibit, a Conference Room for special events and workshops, a Gundam Base Yokohama Satellite Store with exclusive items, and a Gundam Cafe Yokohama Satellite restaurant.
A new life-size Gundam debut date and Gundam Factory Yokohama opening dates will be announced later in 2020.