Most of the events and promotions organized by energy drink maker Red Bull are thoroughly in the “XTREME” category. As a matter of fact, sometimes the names of the events are so intense that we have only the vaguest idea of what happens in them, such as the Red Bull Rampage, Red Bull King of the Rock Tournament, and Red Bull Cape Fear.
However, Red Bull has a bit of a playful, silly side to it too, as shown in a contest it sponsors in which entrants launch their home-made flying machines from a pier and see who can travel the farthest distance before hitting the water. But even then, Red Bull can’t help but do things in the most XTREME way possible, and in the competition’s latest iteration, held in Japan, they killed giant anime robot Gundam.
The name of the event is the Red Bull Flugtag, which means “flight day” or “airshow” in German. It’s not so much a showcase of cutting-edge aeronautical and acrobatics, though, as it is a showcase for daredevil tinkerers who are focused more on laughs than significant flight capability.
Red Bull’s most recent Flugtag took place last weekend in Kobe, specifically on the water of the city’s harbor. A crowd of roughly 20,000 spectators showed up to watch entrants leap off the platform, with contestants sitting in gliders and clinging to a large bunch of balloons in the mix.
続々と発射っ！ #フルーグタグ
ニコ生配信はこちら>> win.gs/1LHPRj5 https://t.co/lKBmdgFJrd
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Red Bull Japan (@redbulljapan) October 31, 2015Regulations for the flying machines vary from Flugtag to Flugtag, and we’re not sure what the exact rules were for the Kobe event. Apparently giant robots were A-OK, though, because one team showed up with a large-scale replica of Gundam, anime’s most storied and respected mecha.
“But wait,” you anime-savvy RocketNews24 readers are no doubt saying, “Gundam can’t fly!”
Exactly.
【シュール】2万人を集めたレッドブル・フルーグタグ。全国から選ばれたチームが次々と神戸港に飛び立っていく(?)様子をまとめた映像を公開しました>> redbull.com/jp/ja/stories/… #フルーグタグ https://t.co/eGqxS3rxql
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Red Bull Japan (@redbulljapan) November 02, 2015After being pushed what appears to be a team of saboteurs from the Principality of Zeon, Gundam toppled gracelessly into the sea, striking the water in a painful-looking two-stage belly flop that proves no, in reality, Red Bull does not give you wings.
ガンダム、飛距離40cm #フルーグタグ https://t.co/5giupLTMH7
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Red Bull Japan (@redbulljapan) October 31, 2015Sadly, the mobile suit does not appear to have been outfitted with the C-Armor package, RX-79 series waterproofing, or any other optional equipment to help it function in the marine environment, as after completing its “flight” Gundam simply did the dead mecha’s float. Thankfully, the Flugtag looks to be a fan-made model, and is not the 1:1-scale Gundam statue that guards Tokyo’s Odaiba. As such, Japan’s capital is still under the mecha’s protection, at least until someone decides to enter it in Red Bull’s Cliff Diving World Series.
Source: Twitter/@redbulljapan
Top image: Twitter/@redbulljapan
Origin: Red Bull kills Gundam as it dumps anime’s most famous mecha into Kobe’s harbor 【Video】
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