A fresh take on old-school Pocket Monsters and mobile suits.
On the surface, Pokémon and Gundam seem like they couldn’t be more different. One is about tramping around the globe, looking for colorful creatures to form bonds with, while the other is about flying through space, looking for robots to blow up.
But the two franchises actually have a lot in common. Each has multiple anime and video game iterations plus decades’ worth of lore. Their biggest similarity, though, is that just as Pokémon is filled with a huge variety of inter-connected Pocket Monsters, each with their own unique strengths, weaknesses, and other characteristics, so too are there encyclopedias’ worth of information and technical specs for the vast array of Gundam mobile suits.
And as proof of how easily the franchises could mix, look no further than the handiwork of Imgur user Khrisamisu.
Proving that his love of the two franchises is long-term, Khrisamisu decided to take three of the most iconic old-school Pokémon and create mecha versions of them by sourcing parts from model kits of some of the most venerable Gundam mobile suits.
Charizard here began life as reptilian-looking Danazine mobile suit, to which Khrisamisu added accoutermants from a AEU Enact mecha and a custom paint job. The modeler has dubbed the finished version the PM-006 “Charlie” (006 being Charizard’s official Pokédex number).
Since Charizard is the evolved form of Charmander, one of the original starter Pokémon, Khrisamisu couldn’t let the other two beginning options go unrepresented. After enough experience, Squirtle will eventually transform into Blastoise, so with some parts from the Gusion mobile suit and extra MS Cannon 01, the PM-009 “Sheldon” is ready for battle.
Finally, just as Bulbasaur becomes Venusaur, so too can Venusaur now become PM-003 “Petunia.”
If you’re curious to see the steps that went into making these three awesome robots, Khrisamisu has documented part of the process here, and even includes information on the specific paints used to produce the Pokémon-like colors.
It’s a little surprising, what with so much Pokémon and mobile suite love going on, that neither Pikachu nor the Gundam-type robots themselves are anywhere to be seen, but maybe that’ll be Khrisamisu’s next project.