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@specialvehiclessection2
The ASV-99 Boxer, a staple in the construction labor field
Created by Shinohara Heavy Industries and released in early 1999, the Boxer quickly made a name for itself with its advanced third-gen technologies.
the Boxer proved exceptionally reliable. Its durability led to use beyond construction, most notably, it saw use by criminals who exploited its advanced systems to fight off the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, even managing to beat Unit 1s MPL-97S Pythons
Artwork by Yutaka Izubuchi entitled "Griffon vs Ingram", commissioned for the book "Patlabor the 3D Part 2 (Hobby Japan Special)", published by Hobby Japan, December 1990. Scanned from my personal collection.
The SV2s "Mini pato"
In Japan, the term Mini Pato is used to refer to kei cars serving in the metropolitan police, they are used as light patrol vehicles in congested areas.
In the SV2, the Mini Patos take on a different role, acting as a central command vehicle for unit captains.
The most notable example is Goto's car, commonly seen alongside Unit 2s Labor carriers and dedicated command cars.
Today, 10th of August, is Patlabor Day. It was officially recognised by the Japan Anniversary Association in 2018
Bandai Namco have announced today that the first two Patlabor movies are finally getting a 4K Ultra HD blu-ray release next year. Both sets will come with the 1998 5.1 remixed/rerecorded Japanese audio as well as the original theatrical audio, and the Bandai Visual USA English dub from 2006 and English and Japanese subtitles.
Both movie sets also come with an additional standard blu-ray with the same audio and subtitle specifications as well as trailers and a special booklet/storyboard collection, all housed in a special storage box. Each set costs ¥14,300, with "Patlabor the movie" being released on 28 January 2026 and "Patlabor 2 the movie" being released on 25 March 2026. If purchased from A-on Store or the Premium Bandai online store, you will receive a bonus postcard with a new illustration by Yutaka Izubuchi. If you purchase both from either store, in addition you'll receive a set of two B5 sized reprinted mini posters.
To promote the release of of the 4K Ultra HD blu-ray sets, the films will be released in cinemas again for a limited two week run, with "Patlabor the movie" screening from 3 October 2025 and "Patlabor 2 the movie" on 17 October 2025.
The Babylon Gate incident, June 1999
After previous skirmishes against the mysterious Griffon, Ingram unit 1 piloted by Noa Izumi finds itself in a fight against the Griffon yet again, this time in a port in Tokyo Bay. The battle is hectic, with three factions fighting for their own interests (Schafts Planning Division 7 who operate the Griffon, Schaft Security Services who aim to capture the leaders of Planning Division 7, and the SV2 who aim to capture the Griffon), eventually the Schaft Security Services are defeated, but not before detonating a mine on the Griffons back, leaving it exposed to an attack from the Ingram which gave the SV2 the upper hand, unfortunately, the Griffon had one more trick up its sleeve, it activated its "flight device" and managed to escape the scene before it was captured.
The Griffon would continue its terror campaign for several more months before the SV2 managed a decisive victory.
The cunning Kiichi Goto, captain of section 2s unit 2
Goto is well known within the Tokyo Police as a trouble maker of sorts, always utilizing out of the ordinary tactics to get the upper hand, his smarts have also likely been the cause of his assignment to the secluded Special Vehicles Section, as the higher ups feared he would ruffle too many feathers.
His direct subordinates have a great deal of respect for Goto, even though they disagree with some of his "evil" tendencies, such as making one of his officers investigate a case Goto himself had already figured out
The ARL-99 Helldiver, pride of the JSDF Airbone.
Developed from lessons learned with the AV-98 Ingram, the Helldiver was designed with agility and firepower in mind, meant for airdrops and reconnaissance duties.
Even though the JSDF has never deployed the ARL-99 overseas, the Helldiver has seen combat domestically several times, mostly notably when a squad of Helldivers was utilized to take down a rogue HAL X-10.
Photographs of the "Mobile Police Patlabor Headgear Plus Exhibition" which opens today, 1 August 2025 until 17 August 2025 at the 8th floor of Yurakucho Marui department store in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Entry to the exhibition costs ¥1,500 and is open from 11am to 7pm daily.
Photographs of the "Mobile Police Patlabor Headgear Plus Exhibition" which opens today, 1 August 2025 until 17 August 2025 at the 8th floor of Yurakucho Marui department store in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Entry to the exhibition costs ¥1,500 and is open from 11am to 7pm daily.
Isao Ohta, the dedicated and comically gung-ho pilot of Ingram unit 2
Even though he is one of the more experienced officers in Section 2, having previously been with the Police Mobile Unit, Ohta often gets carried away and makes less-than stellar decisions (like shooting at a room filled with hostages using his Labors revolver cannon). Despite his erratic behaviour, Ohta is still a kind man at heart, often trying to give his fellow officers advice, in his own way.
The AL-97 Series of military Labors. Widely utilized in the Japanese Self Defense Forces as their main frontline Labor
The AL-97 went through several upgrades during its service with the JSDF, first starting as the AL-97 Atlas in 1997, which was then upgraded to the AL-97B Samson standard and eventually the AL-97B-var Hannibal.
The most striking differences between the Atlas and its successors are its cockpit and weaponry, with the B variants dropping the glass canopy and the gatling gun, instead opting for a thick armored hatch and a 90mm minigun in a forearm compartment (Samson) or a 20mm machine gun mounted underneath the cockpit (Hannibal)
The AV-0 Peacemaker, a evolution of the iconic Ingram.
The Peacemaker arrived in 1999 to replace the outdated Pythons of unit 1. It was supposed to be more advanced than the Ingrams of Unit 2 in nearly every way, its most distinctive feature being the Neural Network System, which allowed for decisions to be made based on the senses of the Labor itself without relying on the operator. With this system, even in the event of a collision with a building due to a pilot error, the labor would reflexively take evasive action based on its own judgment.
Unfortunately, the Neural Network would be the Peacemakers downfall, in late 1999, the infamous Griffon used surrounding civilian infrastructure to force the police labors to take evasive action whenever they tried to engage, eventually defeating both of the Peacemakers without any major damage taken.
The MPL-97S Python, a often forgotten patlabor utilized by Unit 1 of the Special Vehicles Section.
The Python was the very first purpose built patrol labor, being incredibly innovative at the time of its release in 1997 with its humanoid appearance. Even though it was already outdated by mid-1998, the Pythons managed to hold their own until 1999 when they were replaced by the AV-0 Peacemaker
The MPL-96 Taisyo, a construction labor built by Shinohara Heavy Industries that was modified for police use.
The Taisyo was the first labor model to be used by the Special Vehicles Section 2 Unit 2, eventually being replaced by the AV-98 Ingram as the second generation of labors arrived.
