DETROIT'S ROBOCOP STATUE
"Thank you for your cooperation... Goodnight"
PROJECT DETAILS
Officially licensed with MGM from the film RoboCop (1987) by Omni Consumer Products and Imagination Station, the form was sculpted by artist Mark Dubeau (Tippett Studio), involving a multi-year painstaking restoration of the original armor from the first film.
The sculpt was 3D scanned, upscaled and milled using a six-axis CNC machine to produce a high-density polyurethane foam model, which was then cast using resin sand molds at Venus Bronzeworks in Detroit by master artisans Giorgio Gikas, Jay Jurma, and Nadine Chronopoulos.
The entire installation is surrounded by a 4-inch concrete sidewalk with 6-inch sections near the statue, all placed over an aggregate base course and subgrade. The plaza also includes ornamental fencing (42 inches high with 3-inch square posts), in-ground LED lighting fixtures positioned around the statue base for dramatic uplighting, decorative aggregate surfacing, and extensive landscaping with trees, shrubs, and perennials to create an attractive public gathering space.
Installation was completed on December 3, 2025 after a 14.8 year build and homing process.
MATERIALS
Bronze, Steel, Determination
CONSTRUCTION
10 foot tall, bronze statue with interior armature, weighing over 2.5 tons (~3,500lb statue with a 1,635lb stainless steel disc base). The foundation is constructed with 5,000 psi concrete, measuring 6 feet in diameter and extending below grade, reinforced with twenty-six #11 vertical rebar bars and #5 horizontal rebar ties spaced at 12-inch intervals.
The statue sits atop an 18-inch tall concrete containment curb/podium featuring #4 horizontal rebar and #3 vertical rebar spaced every 12 inches on center, with a 1-inch chamfer detail. The statue is secured to the foundation through six connection points using an array of 16" steel footings that are cored and epoxied into the concrete prior to statue placement.
The dedication plaque is, naturally, machine-readable: a QR code, a first for a permanent public artwork, which defictionalizes RoboCop's Directive 1: Serve the Public Trust.
Full Project History: www.easternmarket.org/robo-cop-statue/