Gundam Has Entered Its Musical Era With These Ridiculously Cute Otamatones
Forget beam rifles. Forget giant bazookas. The next great weapon in the Universal Century might just be a very strange musical instrument.
Hamee is bringing Mobile Suit Gundam to the world of Otamatone with a special collection featuring the RX-78-2 Gundam, Char’s Zaku II, and Haro. And honestly, seeing the legendary Gundam turned into an adorable musical toy is something we probably did not have on our Universal Century bingo cards.
The officially licensed Otamatones are priced at $49.99 each and are available through Hamee.
The concept is as silly as it sounds, but that is exactly what makes these so fun. The Otamatone is a small electronic instrument with a long stem and a very expressive face. Players can slide their fingers along the stem to change the pitch, then squeeze the cheeks to add vibrato.
Yes, you can literally squeeze Haro's cheeks to make music!
The Gundam, Zaku II, and Haro versions feature exclusive designs based on the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, giving fans three very different choices. The Gundam feels like the obvious Amuro pick, while the Char's Zaku II version looks like it belongs on the desk of someone who has spent far too much time arguing about whether Char was actually three times faster.
And then there is Haro.
Haro does not need a mobile suit. Haro needs a tiny musical instrument and apparently has no problem becoming the star of the show.
Each Otamatone measures approximately 10.6 inches, or 27 cm, and runs on three AAA batteries. The package also includes instructions and a practice sheet, so even those of us with absolutely zero musical talent can at least attempt to produce something resembling a song.
You can play in low, medium, or high pitch, and the compact size means you can take it pretty much anywhere. Hamee even suggests bringing it along for camping and campfire singalongs.
Imagine sitting around a campfire with your friends, someone pulls out a guitar, and you casually respond by deploying a Char's Zaku II Otamatone.
That is not a concert.
That is psychological warfare.
The best part is that you can grab different versions and have friends play together to create their own little Gundam orchestra. I can already imagine a Gundam, Zaku II, and Haro performing the most cursed version of "Beyond the Time" ever recorded.
The Gundam Otamatone collection is currently listed at $49.99 each on Hamee, although the Haro version is presently shown as backordered.
At this point, I'm not saying Gundam fans need these.
I'm just saying that if your GunPla shelf suddenly has a Gundam Otamatone sitting next to it, nobody is allowed to judge you.
Because honestly, it would be pretty funny.
