RoboCop statue stands tall in Eastern Market

• A viral fundraising campaign followed, raising $67,000 from more than 2,700 donors worldwide, per the AP.

Flashback: Released in 1987, "RoboCop" stars Peter Weller as the crime-fighting cyborg in a dystopian, crime-ridden Detroit.

State of play: The 11-foot-tall, 3,500-pound bronze statue was erected Wednesday at 3434 Russell St., across from Frank's Deli & Grill.

• Detroit sculptor Giorgio Gikas finished the statue in 2017, but finding a home for it wasn't easy.
• The Michigan Science Center, citing the pandemic, canceled plans to host it in 2021.

About three years ago, Jim Toscano, co-owner of the FREE AGE film production company, bought a building in Eastern Market and agreed to put it up outside.

• "It's too unusual, too unique, too cool not to do," Toscano told the AP.

We visited it Monday, and passersby couldn't help but stop and marvel at the crime-fighting cyborg.

What they're saying: Keisha Richard was leaving Marybelles Caché nearby when the statue caught her eye. She had to stop and take some pictures.

• "I grew up watching this — 'RoboCop' was my thing," Richard told Axios. "I think the statue is beautiful … I thought it would be more chrome-ish, but I like it."