Buy This Giant Robot That Transforms Into A Vehicle And Live Your Gundam Dream

Few vehicles on planet Earth (emphasis on “Earth,” because, you know, spacefaring billionaires might disagree) also qualify as robots, but that’s the case with the Tsubame Industries Archax. Inspired by giant Gundam robots from anime and built in Japan, it’s basically a $3 million real-life mech suit for the ultra-wealthy, or your friendly neighborhood supervillain.

Here’s a rundown of exactly what this mechanized marvel can do, how it works, and where you can bid on it, assuming you have a spare Scrooge McDuck money bin lying around.

Read: Costly Union Contracts Could Push Automakers Towards Robot Workers

Built of metal and fiber-reinforced plastic, the Archax can lift its arms, wave, and transform from “robot” to “vehicle” mode and back again. At the end of each of its four legs is a Yokohama tire similar to the ones found on forklifts. A motor on the back of the robot drives the rear wheels. That’s right, this is a RWD robot and it weighs 7,000 pounds (3,175 kg).

The pilot operates the robot from inside of a single-occupant space in the center of the machine. There, they can see the outside world through video feeds that display on four screens in the cabin. A DC300V battery powers all of the motors on the Archax.

At its quickest, it can only go 6 mph (9.6 km/h). Will that be enough to woo a potential buyer when it goes over the auction block at SBX Cars? Maybe. It’s certainly going to turn heads and that might be the whole point.

Photos SBX

SBX Cars is a new auction platform that hopes to capitalize on the fame garnered by Alex Hirschi, a Dubai-based influencer known as “Supercar Blondie.” At the time of writing it appears to have completed only one auction, the sale of a Tesla Cybertruck for $170,000. In general, the site appears to be targeting super high-end clientele. Cars like the Aspark Owl and the Hyperion XP-1 Prototype will evidently go on sale there.

In reality, the sale of the Archax Robot appears to be more of an attention-getting effort than a legitimate attempt to establish the SBX platform. Being a new player in a space already crowded with both well-known and less familiar brands, from Hearst Media’s Bring-A-Trailer to ‘quirks and features’ Doug Demuro’s Cars&Bids and even Motor1’s Sotherby’s Motorsports platform, it needs something flashy to stand out.

One thing is certain: you won’t find this mediocre robot and lackluster car on other auction platforms.

In any case, if your bank account needs a mech-sized dent and you’ve always dreamed of piloting your own Gundam, then the auction you can find here at SBX Cars might be your moment to shine – or maybe just quietly melt your credit card.