RX-78-2 Gundam (anime)

Model number: RX-78-2/RX-78-02
Code name: Gundam
Unit type: prototype close combat mobile suit
Manufacturer: Earth Federation Forces
Operator: Earth Federation Forces
Rollout: July UC 0079
First deployment: 18 September UC 0079
Accommodation: pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso with Core Block System using FF-X7 Core Fighter
Dimensions: head height 18.0 meters
Weight: empty 43.4 metric tons; max gross 60.0 metric tons
Armor materials: Luna Titanium alloy
Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1,380 kW
Propulsion: rocket thrusters: 55,599 kg total (2 x 24,000 kg, 4 x 1,870 kg)
Performance: 180-degree turn time 1.5 seconds (1.1 seconds after magnetic coating upgrade); maximum ground running speed 205 km/h
Equipment and design features: sensors, range 5,700 meters; “learning computer” system; re-entry coolant system; magnetic coated joints (subsequent field upgrade)
Fixed armaments: 2 x 60mm vulcan gun, mounted in head; 2 x beam saber, power rated at 0.38 MW, stored in recharge racks in backpack, hand-carried in use; shield, can be optionally stored on backpack
Optional hand armaments: beam rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap; 380mm hyper bazooka, clip-fed, 5 rounds per clip plus 1 round in chamber; beam javelin; hyper hammer; Gundam hammer

The Principality of Zeon changed the face of warfare forever through the introduction of combat-ready mobile suits. The Earth Federation Forces were behind on developing their own mobile suits at the outset of the One Year War, and the top secret Operation V was their solution. The pinnacle of the project, led by engineer Tem Ray, was the high performance RX-78-2 Gundam. The Gundam implemented multiple new technologies, including the Core Block System, in which the cockpit transformed into the FF-X7 Core Fighter to increase pilot survivability (and secure valuable combat data). The Gundam also featured a learning computer that learned from a pilot’s input, and this data was used in the development of the mass produced RGM-79 GM. The Gundam’s other innovations included beam sabers and an energy cap-based beam rifle, which gave the suit the firepower of a battleship.

The Gundam made its combat debut on September 18, UC 0079, following an attack by Zeon ace pilot Char Aznable at the Side 7 colony where the Operation V suits were secretly under development. It fell to Tem Ray’s teenage son, Amuro, to pilot the Gundam and defend his colony from the Zeon forces. Soon after, Amuro and other civilians were pressed into service aboard the EFF’s new assault carrier, the White Base. Zeon forces chased the White Base and Gundam through space and across the Earth, even as the EFF began deploying its own mobile suits. As Amuro’s piloting skills grew, so too did his latent Newtype abilities, and eventually the Gundam started to wear down because it was unable to keep up with its pilot’s reaction speeds. To compensate, the Gundam received a field upgrade of electromagnetic coating, which reduced friction in the motors and joints. After many battles on Earth, the Gundam returned to space and participated in Operation Cembalo and Operation Star One – major offensives against the Zeon space fortresses of Solomon and A Baoa Qu. On December 31, the Gundam was destroyed in combat at A Baoa Qu against Char’s Newtype use MSN-02 Zeong, but the fight between the two pilots continued on foot. The Gundam became the most famous mobile suit of the One Year War, inspiring many successors that bore its name for decades to come.

Pilot(s): Amuro Ray, Sayla Mass, Ryu Jose
First appearance: Mobile Suit Gundam
Original mechanical designer(s): Kunio Okawara (Mobile Suit Gundam version), Hajime Katoki (Gundam: The Origin MSD and Cucuruz Doan’s Island versions)

Beam rifle

Head (Version 1)

Hyper bazooka (Version 1)

Rear view (Version 1)

Rear view (Version 4)

Shield