New video shows Japan's noble 60-foot-tall Gundam robot taking a knee

Whether or not this colossal 60-foot-tall Japanese robot was making a political statement or simply stretching its legs isn't exactly clear, but witnessing the Gundam Factory Yokohama's ultra-cool creation taking a knee to test out its articulation is surely a sight to behold.

The last time we saw the imposing RX-78 Gundam robot, patterned after the titanic enforcers featured in the mega-popular Gundam anime, manga, and toy franchise, it was still unfinished.

This past summer it was missing its huge head and taking a tentative step outside its protective steel tower in a vital demonstration of its abilities leading up to a proposed coming-out party sometime this fall at the attraction site.

Now new footage has arrived of the area's most beloved bot, filmed by local enthusiasts at the Yamashita Pier and sped up for brevity. 

Finally completed after six years of planning and design, this impressive hi-tech iron giant weighs in at a hefty 28 tons and has 24 degrees of complete free motion, letting it take a leisurely tethered stroll anytime it so chooses — or at least when puny operators and support staff fire it up. It's also constructed with a pair of 6.5-foot hands engineered with articulated fingers and thumbs to swiftly smash out any alien threats to Earth.

An official public unveiling in the port of Yokohama is still a ways off due to the ongoing global pandemic, which will allow engineers to work out any remaining kinks and prepare for the day when their majestic Gundam machine will be formally introduced to the world. 

Credit: Gundam Factory Yokohama

"We have made the difficult decision to cancel the Special Experience preview event scheduled to begin this July and postpone our grand opening scheduled for October 2020," states the factory website. "We expect to have our grand opening within the year. Details will be announced as available."