RoboCop statue

{{tweet |name=MT |username=MT |text= @mayordavebing Philadelphia has a statue of Rocky & Robocop would kick Rocky's butt. He's a GREAT ambassador for Detroit. |id=34702937087418368 |date=February 7, 2011 |access-date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227082733/https://twitter.com/MT/status/34702937087418368 |archive-date=February 27, 2011 |url-status=dead|ref =}}

{{tweet |name=Dave Bing |username=mayordavebing |text=@MT There are not any plans to erect a statue to Robocop. Thank you for the suggestion. |id=34698788601860096 |date=February 7, 2011 |access-date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211071750/https://twitter.com/mayordavebing/status/34698788601860096 |archive-date=February 11, 2011 |url-status=dead|ref =}}

In early 2011, Detroit mayor Dave Bing and his communications team solicited suggestions on Twitter for improvements to the city. On February 7, 2011, User @MT responded "Philadelphia has a statue of Rocky & Robocop would kick Rocky's butt. He's a GREAT ambassador for Detroit."{{efn|Philadelphia's statue of Rocky Balboa from the film Rocky has at various times been on display near the Rocky Steps outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.}} Bing replied to the tweet, writing "There are not any plans to erect a statue to Robocop. Thank you for the suggestion."{{cite news |title=RoboCop statue coming to Detroit |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/robocop-statue-coming-to-detroit-1.1036177 |work=CBC News |date=February 21, 2011 |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=June 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622131751/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/robocop-statue-coming-to-detroit-1.1036177 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Rubin |first1=Neal |title=Detroit's RoboCop has been moved — and he's almost ready for his close-up |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/01/22/detroit-robocop-statue-moved-to-display-space-walley-bing-venus-bronze-gikas/6609591001/ |work=The Detroit News |date=January 21, 2022 |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=January 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122175739/https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/01/22/detroit-robocop-statue-moved-to-display-space-walley-bing-venus-bronze-gikas/6609591001/ |url-status=live }}

File:David Bing 3928ded5aacd10b21cded561668a0444 (1).jpg]]

The exchange between the mayor and the user, who was identified as a "random dude in Massachusetts", quickly went viral on Twitter.{{cite news |last1=Jackman |first1=Michael |title=A decade later, Detroit's crowdfunded RoboCop statue is finally complete — but still awaiting a final home |url=https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/robocop-26514744 |work=Detroit Metro Times |date=February 24, 2021 |language=en |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327151219/https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/robocop-26514744 |url-status=live }} Within a day, RoboCop was on the front page of Reddit, a 'Build a Robocop Statue in Detroit' Facebook group had been started, and a Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund the creation of the statue. Articles about the RoboCop statue were written up in Reuters, Gizmodo, TMZ, and Jalopnik.{{cite news |last1=Oosting |first1=Jonathan |title=Detroit Mayor Dave Bing a Robocop villain on Reddit and focus of Washington Post profile |url=https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2011/02/detroit_mayor_dave_bing_a_robo.html |work=MLive |date=February 8, 2011 |language=en}}

Starting with a goal of $50,000, the crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter raised $67,436 from 2,718 people in six days. A $25,000 donation came from graphic designer Pete Hottelet of Omni Consumer Products, an entertainment licensing firm named after the fictional corporation that constructs RoboCop in the film.{{cite news |last1=Child |first1=Ben |title=RoboCop statue to guard Detroit after successful Kickstarter campaign |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/26/robocop-statue-detroit-kickstarter |work=The Guardian |date=September 26, 2013 |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=August 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819192105/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/26/robocop-statue-detroit-kickstarter |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Domanico |first1=Anthony |title=Lucky Detroit gets its own giant RoboCop |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/lucky-detroit-gets-its-own-giant-robocop/ |work=CNET |date=June 3, 2014 |language=en}} Within the week, "RoboCop" became one of the most-searched terms on Yahoo!

Actor Peter Weller, who portrayed RoboCop in RoboCop and RoboCop 2, recorded a video for Funny or Die that was released on March 14, 2011. In the video, Weller jokingly calls out Mayor Bing for deeming the RoboCop statue "silly". Weller also appeared in a video for RoboCharity, which was established by the Detroit foodbank Forgotten Harvest.

The prospect of a statue of RoboCop in Detroit was mildly controversial.{{cite news |last1=Thalmann |first1=Simon A. |title=RoboCop statue controversy sparks creation of RoboCharity to raise money for Detroit charity Forgotten Harvest |url=https://www.mlive.com/living/2011/02/robocop_statue_controversy_spa.html |work=MLive |date=February 20, 2011 |language=en |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=July 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710030542/https://www.mlive.com/living/2011/02/robocop_statue_controversy_spa.html |url-status=live }} Critics pointed to Detroit's portrayal in the RoboCop films as a "lawless hellscape" run by an evil corporation, reinforcing the city's image as "Hollywood's default example of urban decay". Others saw the statue as a waste of money, memorializing a fictional character while important projects in the city go unfunded.{{cite news |last1=Dwyer |first1=Dustin |title=Your move, creep: The RoboCop Statue will rise in Detroit |url=https://www.michiganradio.org/offbeat/2012-04-04/your-move-creep-the-robocop-statue-will-rise-in-detroit |work=Michigan Radio |date=April 4, 2012 |language=en |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330174828/https://www.michiganradio.org/offbeat/2012-04-04/your-move-creep-the-robocop-statue-will-rise-in-detroit |url-status=live }} A Crain's Detroit Business headline declared "This is what happens when irony runs amok".{{cite news |last1=Bunkley |first1=Nick |title=Calling on RoboCop to Help Detroit |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/17robocop.html |work=The New York Times |date=February 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421015111/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/17robocop.html |archive-date=April 21, 2012}} Later in 2020, the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests called into question the symbolism of erecting a statue dedicated to a police officer (albeit a fictional Cyborg (half-Human, half-Robot) one).

Having secured funding for the RoboCop statue, the organizers of the Kickstarter campaign, Jerry Paffendorf and Brandon Walley, began determining the material that would be used for the statue, selecting a foundry, beginning discussions about licensing rights, and determining where the statue would eventually be located. The original post on Kickstarter envisioned a seven-foot-tall iron statue based on a 3D scan of a RoboCop action figure.[https://archive.today/20240116085233/https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/imaginationstation/detroit-needs-a-statue-of-robocop Needs a Statue of Robocop"]. Kickstarter.com. Retrieved January 16, 2024.

File:ROBOCOP.jpger]]

A life-sized RoboCop model based on the original production designs was supplied by Fred Barton Productions for 3D scanning. The design was approved by MGM. It was 3D scanned at Across the Board Creations and digitally scaled. Foam forms were produced for the final casting following remilling at a west coast facility.{{cite news |last1=Fournier |first1=Holly |title=RoboCop is coming to Detroit, it's just a matter of when |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120404/METRO/204040383/RoboCop-coming-Detroit-s-just-matter-when |work=The Detroit News |date=April 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404212240/https://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120404/METRO/204040383/RoboCop-coming-Detroit-s-just-matter-when |archive-date=April 4, 2012}}

The Detroit-based sculptural restoration firm Venus Bronze Works was selected to create the RoboCop statue. Owner and sculpture conservator Giorgio Gikas has restored numerous monuments in Detroit, including The Spirit of Detroit, The Fist, and the Victory and Progress chariot at the Wayne County Building. Gikas was born in Greece and worked at Roman Bronze Works before moving to Detroit.

Foam forms for the statue arrived in Detroit in September 2013. In order to melt the bronze for the statue, a furnace had to be purchased. The last major molds were poured and completed in October 2016.{{cite news |last1=Hinds |first1=Julie |title=RoboCop statue team reveals that bronze pieces finally coming together |url=https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/2017/02/10/robocop-statue-detroit-update/97743076/ |work=Detroit Free Press |date=February 10, 2017 |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=June 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602165715/https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/2017/02/10/robocop-statue-detroit-update/97743076/ |url-status=live }} In the summer of 2020, as the Venus Bronze Works crew was placing the pelvis of the statue onto its legs, the statue was found to be leaning back. In order to correct the tilt, a slice of RoboCop's groin was shaved off and a plate was welded in.

The {{convert|11|ft|adj=on}} tall, {{convert|2.5|ST|adj=on}} bronze statue is welded to a stainless steel base that weighs half a ton. According to an employee at Venus Bronze Works, the legs and pelvis of the statue are tied to metal shafts which go into phalanges in the bottom. The base connects to lead pipes which can be dropped into holes on the base and filled with epoxy to keep the statue from moving when the ground freezes.{{cite news |last1=Pevos |first1=Edward |title=Detroit's giant RoboCop statue is real and it's spectacular, at 11 feet, 2.5 tons |url=https://www.mlive.com/life/2021/02/detroits-giant-robocop-statue-is-real-and-its-spectacular-at-11-feet-25-tons.html |work=Mlive |date=February 26, 2021 |language=en |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=November 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112180218/https://www.mlive.com/life/2021/02/detroits-giant-robocop-statue-is-real-and-its-spectacular-at-11-feet-25-tons.html |url-status=live }} The statue's kneecaps alone each weigh about {{convert|25|lb}}. A dark gray patina was used in the finishing of the statue.

The RoboCop statue does not depict RoboCop's gun—a Beretta M93R Auto 9, which could plausibly be hidden in his internal leg holster. Instead the statue portrays RoboCop in "an inviting and approachable gesture" with his left hand extending outwards, "as opposed to being armed and threatening."

There have been multiple setbacks during the construction and site location of the RoboCop statue. The projected completion and public unveiling of the RoboCop statue have repeatedly been announced or predicted in the years since the project's conception. During the construction of the statue, Venus Bronze Works owner Gikas was diagnosed with colon cancer. He was sick for one and a half years before recovering.

File:Peter Weller 2016.jpg portrayed RoboCop in RoboCop and RoboCop 2]]

A planned unveiling of the sculpture was expected to occur on June 3, 2014, which was declared "RoboCop Day" in Detroit. While the unveiling and an event at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters were cancelled, an actor dressed as RoboCop did throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park.{{cite news |last1=Sutton |first1=Benjamin |title=Detroit's Bronze RoboCop Statue Is NOT Being Unveiled Today |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sorry-detroits-bronze-robocop-statue-is-not-being-unveiled-today-32828 |work=Artnet News |date=June 3, 2014 |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204024215/https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sorry-detroits-bronze-robocop-statue-is-not-being-unveiled-today-32828 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Bleier |first1=Evan |title='RoboCop Day' celebrated in Detroit with the unveiling of a 10-foot RoboCop statue |url=https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2014/06/03/RoboCop-statue-unveiled-in-Detroit-as-part-of-RoboCop-Day/1871401812041/ |work=UPI |date=June 3, 2014 |language=en |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=August 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816083410/http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2014/06/03/RoboCop-statue-unveiled-in-Detroit-as-part-of-RoboCop-Day/1871401812041/ |url-status=live }} In March 2017, the Chicago firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill included RoboCop in a rendering of a plan for the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy. Speculation that the statue would be placed on the east riverfront was dashed when the firm said that it was a joke. The statue was predicted to be finished in 2018 and placed somewhere downtown.{{cite news |last1=Steinberg |first1=Stephanie |title=RoboCop statue to debut in Detroit spring 2018 |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2017/09/29/robocop-statue-debut-detroit-spring/106132876/ |work=The Detroit News |date=September 29, 2017 |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=December 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203193754/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2017/09/29/robocop-statue-debut-detroit-spring/106132876/ |url-status=live }} An article in Popular Mechanics announced the statue would be finished in March 2020.{{cite news |last1=Delbert |first1=Caroline |title=Detroit's Glorious Robocop Statue, Nearly a Decade in the Making, Is Almost Done |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a30521657/robocop-statue-detroit/ |work=Popular Mechanics |date=January 14, 2020 |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630225632/https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a30521657/robocop-statue-detroit/ |url-status=live }}

Multiple locations have been suggested for the placement of the RoboCop statue. Initially, the statue was planned to be located at Roosevelt Park, near Michigan Central Station.{{cite news |last1=Rubin |first1=Neal |title=RoboCop statue is finished — but you won't see it at the Michigan Science Center |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2021/02/24/robocop-statue-wont-stand-at-michigan-science-center-rocky-balboa-dave-bing/6804762002/ |work=The Detroit News |date=February 24, 2021 |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330175734/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2021/02/24/robocop-statue-wont-stand-at-michigan-science-center-rocky-balboa-dave-bing/6804762002/ |url-status=live }} Belle Isle was mentioned as a possible site for the statue, as was Wayne State University's TechTown campus. In May 2018 it was announced that the Michigan Science Center would be the site of the RoboCop statue.{{cite news |last1=Hinds |first1=Julie |title=RoboCop statue finds permanent home at Michigan Science Center |url=https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/2018/05/02/robocop-statue-detroit-michigan-science-center-home/573403002/ |work=Detroit Free Press |date=May 2, 2018 |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=June 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602165711/https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/2018/05/02/robocop-statue-detroit-michigan-science-center-home/573403002/ |url-status=live }} Later in 2021, the science center bowed out, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite news |last1=Hinds |first1=Julie |title=RoboCop statue loses home at Michigan Science Center because of pandemic |url=https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/movies/julie-hinds/2021/02/24/robocop-statue-detroit-michigan-science-center/4573034001/ |work=Detroit Free Press |date=February 24, 2021 |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225015428/https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/movies/julie-hinds/2021/02/24/robocop-statue-detroit-michigan-science-center/4573034001/ |url-status=live }} An offer from the mayor of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to have that city as a home for the statue was rejected by Brandon Walley. The mayor vowed to make an even larger RoboCop statue, possibly through 3D printing and funded through an initiative by a local Commodore 64 club.{{cite news |last1=Fuller |first1=John |title=Stevens Point Mayor wants giant RoboCop statue in Central Wisconsin |url=https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2021/04/22/robocop-statue-stevens-point |work=Spectrum News |date=April 23, 2021 |language=en}}

The likeness of RoboCop is owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Legal issues with the film studio have held up the public display of the statue. According to Dan Carmody of Eastern Market Corp., a definitive legal agreement had not been reached as of November 2022.{{cite news |last1=Pevos |first1=Edward |title=Detroit's massive RoboCop statue may finally see the light of day permanently |url=https://www.mlive.com/life/2022/11/detroits-massive-robocop-statue-may-finally-see-the-light-of-day-permanently.html |work=MLive |date=November 16, 2022 |language=en |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=November 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112180222/https://www.mlive.com/life/2022/11/detroits-massive-robocop-statue-may-finally-see-the-light-of-day-permanently.html |url-status=live }} The RoboCop statue is stored at an undisclosed location in the Eastern Market. Constructing a foundation for the statue and moving it into place were estimated to cost tens of thousands of dollars. The most recent prediction for the unveiling of the statue was for sometime in 2024. There were plans to invite actor Peter Weller to the unveiling, along with a screening of RoboCop.{{cite news |last1=Pevos |first1=Edward |title=Why it's taking so long to display Detroit's humongous bronze RoboCop statue |url=https://www.mlive.com/life/2023/11/why-its-taking-so-long-to-display-detroits-humongous-bronze-robocop-statue.html |work=MLive |date=November 9, 2023 |language=en |access-date=November 29, 2023 |archive-date=November 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113144729/https://www.mlive.com/life/2023/11/why-its-taking-so-long-to-display-detroits-humongous-bronze-robocop-statue.html |url-status=live }}

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{{reflist}}

• [https://www.facebook.com/Detroitdeservesrobocop/ Build a Robocop Statue in Detroit] Facebook group
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWdA9kIOQCU RoboCop Speaks to Detroit], Funny or Die, YouTube.

{{RoboCop}}

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Category:RoboCop (franchise)

Category:Monuments and memorials in Detroit

Category:Public art in Michigan

Category:Statues of fictional characters

Category:Statues in Michigan

Category:Bronze sculptures in Michigan

Category:Crowdfunding projects

Category:2021 sculptures

Category:Sculptures of men in Michigan