Mackinaw City's latest attraction: A giant Transformers statue

Move over Paul Bunyon, you've got company.

Tourists heading Up North usually think of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox once the mighty Mackinac Bridge comes into view. The lumberjack and his faithful companion can be found at Castle Rock in St. Ignace just north of the bridge.

Now, to the south, a giant Bumblebee Transformers statue towers not far from the bridge in Mackinaw.

Mack-A-Tron, a life-size Transformers sculpture, stands outside the Mackinaw Crossings shopping mall in Mackinaw City. The 30-foot tall statue arrived in early June, according to the Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau.

The sculpture brings to life Bumblebee, a robotic character from the Transformers franchise, featured in toys, games, books, comics, an animated series and films.

Michigan loves its Transformers, with four of the films were filmed in Detroit and the Mitten — most recently "Transformers: The Last Knight" in 2016.

Bumblebee was designed by Kalifano, a company that creates art from crystals, gemstones, recycled metal and more, according to MLive. It's made with auto parts and some pieces of Mackinac Bridge steel are also in it.

The statue was brought to Mackinac Crossings by the shopping distrcit's co-owners Joe and Enzo Lieghio, according to MLive.

The towering hunk of metal joins a small but growing army of Transformers. Similar life-size Transformers sculptures have been found across the U.S. and the world, including at the following locations:

• Albuquerque, New Mexico
• SXSW in Austin, Texas
• Chicago
• Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Elmo, Texas
• Paringa, Australia
• Singapore
• Stillwater, Oklahoma
• Washington D.C.