Interest
Life-Size Gundam Gets 1/1 Zaku Counterpart — on iPhone
posted on by Egan Loo
mecha next to the "real" 18-meter-tall (about 59-feet-tall) Gundam statue in Shizuoka, Japan. The iconic red MS-06S Zaku II mobile suit is the personal ride of Char "Red Comet" Aznable, the nemesis of the Gundam protagonist and pilot Amuro Ray.
Yahoo! Japan says that it will release the free augmented-reality app "soon," and the app will display the virtual Zaku II from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m every day until September 30. The "life-size" Zaku II will only appear if the camera on the iPhone 3GS or 4 with the app is pointed at a spot next to the Gundam statue. (The app uses the newer iPhone models' magnetic com sensor and assisted GPS system to pinpoint its direction and location.) The app can also display a smaller virtual Zaku II (pictured below) anywhere that the places a printable marker template.
The Gundam statue is officially moved to the central Japanese city of Shizuoka, the self-described "model capital of the world."
Earlier this year, a similar app cancel this and other promotional campaigns less than two days later because the influx of visiting fans disrupted the lives of local citizens.
Sources: Mainichi Shimbun, animeanime.jp
Images © Sotsu, Sunrise
© 2010 Yahoo! Japan Corporation
