Apparently the popular life-sized Gundam robot standing guard over Japan has inspired a trend. Now another popular robotic character from Japanese anime has received the real-life treatment.

This new giant robot, also known to Macross fans as the VF-25F Messiah Valkyrie fighter, is a faithful replica of the animated space-jet. If it were an actual working version, it could transform from its resting jet airplane form to its bipedal battle robot form (and even a third configuration that's a mix of the two). The robot model was built as part of the 30th Anniversary Macross Super Dimension Exhibition in Tokyo which runs until the middle of May.

You can check out a few images of the exhibit, or check out one visitor's video (skip to the 50 second mark) below.

Via MantanWeb