Gundam Moped Inspired by Char's Zaku Robot Auctioned (AnimeNewsNetwork)

*From Anime News Network *

The Yahoo! Auctions Japan website is hosting an auction by the user “katsudouka” for a moped customized after the MS-06S Zaku II from the Mobile Suit Gundam anime. The MS-06S Zaku II robot with the distinctive red color scheme served as the personal unit for Mobile Suit Gundam character Char Aznable, the nemesis of the Gundam protagonist and pilot Amuro Ray. 

Katsudouka launched the auction on May 23 and it will end on May 30. At press time, the auction had attracted three bidders, and the top bid price was 112,000 yen (about US$1,380). The moped is a Suzuki Address V100 Alba model with a custom sponge rubber antenna and other decorations, and it is located in Yokohama City in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. Katsudouka apologizes as someone who is not an evolved “Newtype” human, and therefore could not push the moped beyond its normal capabilities. (Thanks to a line of dialogue in the first Gundam series, Char’s MS-06S Zaku II is well-known among fans for being “three times faster than” a regular Zaku II.)

The Zaku II — in Char’s red color scheme or the more typical green of the regular mass-produced variants — is an iconic mobile suit unit dating back to the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. It has recently appeared on Hawaiian-style shirts and standing alongside the “life-size” Gundam RX-78-2 via an augmented reality application for mobile phones.

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