Detroit Finally Gets the Statue of RoboCop It's Been Over 15 Years in the Making
After nearly two decades of planning and delays, Detroit has finally welcomed its long-awaited RoboCop statue. The gleaming bronze figure of the iconic sci-fi character was unveiled on Wednesday outside 3434 Russell Street, marking a triumphant moment for fans who have been waiting to see this vision of justice come to life.
The idea for the statue dates back to 2011 when someone with the Twitter handle @MT tweeted a cheeky suggestion that Detroit should join Philadelphia in having a statue of Rocky Balboa. The proposal included a tongue-in-cheek boast about RoboCop's hypothetical prowess against the boxing icon, which might have caught the attention of then-Mayor Dave Bing.
However, it wasn't until years later that something concrete happened. A crowdfunding campaign was launched by Brandon Walley, which eventually raised over $60,000 to commission and build the statue. George Gikas of Venus Bronze Works brought RoboCop to life with his skilled craftsmanship.
Despite some hiccups along the way, including numerous setbacks and bureaucratic red tape, Pete Hottelet and Omni Consumer Products contributed $25,000 to support the project, as well as designing a plaque with QR code linking fans to more information about the statue at easternmarket.org/robo-cop-statue.
And now, RoboCop proudly stands watch over Detroit.
After nearly two decades of planning and delays, Detroit has finally welcomed its long-awaited RoboCop statue. The gleaming bronze figure of the iconic sci-fi character was unveiled on Wednesday outside 3434 Russell Street, marking a triumphant moment for fans who have been waiting to see this vision of justice come to life.
The idea for the statue dates back to 2011 when someone with the Twitter handle @MT tweeted a cheeky suggestion that Detroit should join Philadelphia in having a statue of Rocky Balboa. The proposal included a tongue-in-cheek boast about RoboCop's hypothetical prowess against the boxing icon, which might have caught the attention of then-Mayor Dave Bing.
However, it wasn't until years later that something concrete happened. A crowdfunding campaign was launched by Brandon Walley, which eventually raised over $60,000 to commission and build the statue. George Gikas of Venus Bronze Works brought RoboCop to life with his skilled craftsmanship.
Despite some hiccups along the way, including numerous setbacks and bureaucratic red tape, Pete Hottelet and Omni Consumer Products contributed $25,000 to support the project, as well as designing a plaque with QR code linking fans to more information about the statue at easternmarket.org/robo-cop-statue.
And now, RoboCop proudly stands watch over Detroit.
So I'm thinking, what's up with all these statues popping up in cities across the US? It's cool that Detroit finally got its RoboCop statue after 15 years of planning 
, but I wonder if there are people out there who just don't like public art or something. Like, do some folks think it's too tacky or expensive? 
Also, $60k from a crowdfunding campaign isn't bad at all - that's how you fund your passion project! 
But the fact that it took so long to get made might be a bummer for some fans who were stoked when they first heard about it in 2011 
. Oh well, RoboCop is here now and I'm sure he'll keep Detroit safe from crime 
!
I mean, I love the nostalgia and all, but can't we just get some new attractions around here? It's like they're trying to make up for something. Anyway, I guess it's about time Detroit had its own superhero. The bronze figure looks pretty cool, though! And hey, at least there's a QR code for fans who wanna learn more 
. Maybe this'll bring some new life to Eastern Market? Only time will tell... 
I mean, who wouldn't want a towering figure of the cybernetic lawman in their city? The whole process seemed super frustrating with all those delays and setbacks, but it's great to see it all came together. The crowd-funding part is really cool too, shows that even small amounts can add up to make big things happen 
I'm so hyped that finally RoboCop's statue is up in Detroit! It's crazy it took 15+ years to get here. I think it's awesome that a random tweet from 2011 sparked the idea, and then Brandon Walley's crowdfunding campaign really made it happen. The fact that Pete Hottelet and Omni Consumer Products supported the project too shows how passionate fans are about this iconic character.
. I wonder if there'll be any cosplay events or fan meetups around the statue...
. It's kinda cool how the idea started on Twitter back in 2011 and just kinda took off from there 
. And props to Brandon Walley for starting that crowdfunding campaign, got that bronze dude built 
! Now I'm curious, who knows if people will actually go check out that link on the plaque? 
. Now if only they could get a statue of Bladerunner's Roy Batty next 
.
. The fact that a random tweet back in 2011 sparked the whole thing is wild 
Now, idk about the delay and bureaucratic red tape stuff... maybe thats just how city planning goes sometimes...
and i'm curious to see what other details we're gonna get with that qr code on the plaque 
how big are we talking in terms of scale for the statue btw? bronze 10ft tall, or something way smaller 
. The process sounds super complicated with all the setbacks and red tape, but it's awesome that it's finally done and fans can see the iconic character in person 
I mean, 15 years is a pretty long time, but I guess it's about time we had some sci-fi representation in the city that invented Motown and the auto industry lol 
), but RoboCop's gonna be way more interesting than some sweaty boxer 
. And can we talk about how lit it is that they had to crowdfund the whole thing? Like, what's next, gonna have a Kickstarter for a statue of Biggie Smalls in Brooklyn 
. Seriously though, I'm hyped to see this bad boy standing tall outside 3434 Russell Street 
.