The life-size statue of the Scopedog from Armored Trooper Votoms is on display with its iconic Red Shoulder at Inagi Pear Park since August 1, 2022. The limited-time color was originally set for display until October 31, 2022. The Inagi City Tourism Bureau has newly announced that it will extend the display through 2022 Christmas Day. People in Japan can still see the special design from Chirico Cuvie’s Red Shoulder Battalion until December 28, 2022. [Thanks, Hobby Watch!]
The life-size Scopedog statue from the Votoms series made its first public appearance at the Inagi Pear Park in March 2020. The city of Inagi is best known as the birthplace of Kunio Okawara, the mechanical designer for Votoms and the inaugural Mobile Suit Gundam. While Sunrise is better known for showcasing the life-size statue of RX-78-2 Gundam in Odaiba and Yokohama, it also placed 1/5 scale statues of Amuro Ray’s Gundam and Char Aznable’s Zaku II in Inagi in 2016.
The Armored Trooper Votoms franchise began when its first TV anime show aired in Japan in 1983. The Real Robot show tells the story of Chirico Cuvie, a soldier who has to survive on his own after his former army pursues him for discovering a secret. The protagonist is also known for piloting a customized version of Scopedog, the 3.8 meters (12.5 feet) tall Armored Trooper.
The series also had multiple OVAs released afterwards, such as The Last Red Shoulder in 1985 and Pailsen Files in 2007. The latest OVA entry, Votoms: Alone Again, appeared in 2011.
Armored Trooper Votoms has also made multiple appearances in the Super Robot Wars crossover game series. The latest title that included the series’ storyline is the 2019 Super Robot Wars T. Bandai Namco also added Chirico’s Scopedog with a brand-new loadout in an Expansion Pack for the globally-available Super Robot Wars 30 in April 2022.
