You should never take away plastic models from a true Otaku. Case in point: A 29-year-old factory worker named Yoshifumi Takabe was arrested in Kobe in Western Japan for burning down his house after his mother threw away his collection of Gundam action figures.

The mother was inside the house when Takabe doused it with kerosene and set it on fire. She and Takabe himself were able to escape unharmed, but the two-story building (2,700 square feet) burned to the ground. According to police, Takabe was so shocked about the loss of his Gundam models that he decided to kill himself by setting his house on fire.

The mother threw away the figures without asking him first. Japanese police is still investigating the size of Takabe’s now lost collection.

Gundam is one of the most famous anime series and has a huge following in Japan. The 30th anniversary of the series was celebrated by erecting a 20m tall Gundam statue in Tokyo bay in June this year (pictured).

Via IT Media [JP]