China builds giant Optimus Prime out of junk

12:00 PM on 07.19.2010   |   Bob Muir

Last week, we saw an Optimus Prime built out of everyday household items. That was last week. This week, Optimus Prime comes in the form of 40 feet and 6 tons of junk.

Yes, China has seen fit to enter the Japan-dominated giant robot circuit with their own champion (of Japanese origin). As is only natural for a Transformer, the statue is made of recycled car parts, like tires and engines. It took five truckloads of parts to finish building Prime, though it could have been more than meets the eye if it actually took five trucks.

The bootleg Prime is stationed in Beijing's Green Dream Park, near the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium used for the 2008 Olympic Games. It is part of a park-wide showcase featuring environment-themed exhibits intended to encourage green thinking among Japanese. 

Unfortunately, Junktimus Prime comes up a full 20 feet short when compared to the 1/1 scale Gundam, which as of July has taken up residence in Shizuoka City, home of the Bandai Hobby Center where gunpla (Gundam kits) are made. Furthermore, the Gundam now has a beam saber. Seems like it would cut through this Optimus Prime like butter. China needs to get serious with their robots if they hope to stand a chance in the inevitable robot wars that lead to the creation of a Skynet-like AI. All hail our inevitable robot overlords!