RX-78 Gundam Series

The RX-78 Gundam is a series of fictional testbed mobile suits in the Gundam Universal Century developed by the Earth Federation. The titular mobile suit of the series, the RX-78-2 Gundam, is a member of this series. RX-78-2 Gundam served as the iconic symbol of the Gundam universes, which sparkled creation of different Gundam Stories.

History


The RX-78's initial concept was that of a powered armor, the primary design for Yoshiyuki Tomino's proposed series Freedom Fighter Gunboy. The series later changed its name to Mobile Suit Gundam and Kunio Okawara was given Tomino's concept to shape into a finalized design for the anime. Okawara did various designs, including the original design on the right, before settling on the current, more samurai-styled design (see below picture). One of the common questions asked is why did the enemies in the series keep referring to the RX-78-2 as White while it is a mix of blue, red, and white. Tomino's response in the novel version of Gundam is that the original design was to be a grayscale machine, made up of mostly white and light gray coloring. However, Sunrise disapproved of the coloring and insisted the unit to be painted in brighter colors to attract attention like other Super Robot anime at that time. As a side note, Katoki Hajime stated in the Gundam Sentinel special edition that, the MSA-0011 S Gundam also went through a similar process but the reason for it is because Bandai authorities thinking the S Gundam did not give a Gundam-ish look until he painted it in the colour scheme of RX-78-2.

RX-78-2 later received various variations including a preceding model RX-78-1 and later models RX-78-3~8 by Okawara. Other mechnical designers also add in to design units like Yutaka Izubuchi's RX-78-NT-1 from Mobile Suit Gundam 0080, and Shoji Kawamori's and Katoki Hajime's Gundam Development Project designs from Gundam 0083. It has also been redesigned for several times by other artists; in particular, the Katoki Hajime version of the Gundam (referred to by Gundam fans and Bandai themselves as Ver. Ka) has become popular enough to be made into both injection plastic model kits sold by Bandai and resin-based garage kits sold by their B-Club subsidiary.

Cultural Influence
The appearance of the unit is not limited to Gundam series. RX-78-2 Gundam is one of the basic units that appear in the Super Robot Wars series, ever since the first game for the Game Boy. The RX-78-2 also receives multiple cameo appearances in the anime Sgt. Frog. The current Bandai models' label classification also uses the head of the Gundam as its icon.

Later series keep referencing the nightmare brought along pilots during the One Year War of having a white Mobile Suit appearing in the middle of the battle field, and anything white is mistaken as a Gundam type Mobile Suit, due to the infamous RX-78-2.

The RX-78 is a pop culture icon in Japan, to the point where Pepsi released several series of Pepsi bottles with special-edition bottle caps featuring miniature statues of various Mobile Suits from the many Gundam anime released over the years. The RX-78 was one of three of these designs (the other two being both the normal Zaku and Char's red Zaku) to get multiple miniatures during the first promotional campaign, including both a full-body sculpture and a sculpture of its bust.

In Fiction
There are two major subsets of mobile suits within this series:
 * Those developed under the Project V plan, and
 * Those developed under the Gundam Development Project.

History
The deployment of the Principality of Zeon's mobile suits, the MS-05B Zaku I and the MS-06F Zaku II, in the One Year War had given the small nation a major tactical edge over the much larger Earth Federation. Capable of propellant-less maneuvering thanks to their AMBAC systems, and able to be retrofitted to suit a variety of missions and environments, they easily outclassed the Federation's arsenal of fighters and ground vehicles. Realizing that the gap needed to be closed, the Federation instituted Project V (the Vinson Plan in the English translation), a development program that would produce a Federation mobile suit design that would be able to be mass produced. While the ultimate result of the program was the RGM-79 GM, the engineers in the project tested several design concepts for the mass-production units in the RX-78 series. Some of the developments in the RX-78 models were later incorporated into the GM line, but many were scrapped due to cost and/or complexity. The official stance is that only 8 RX-78 were produced during the One Year War and this should not be confused with RX-78-[1~8]. The last number is associated with the model number instead of the quantity of units. There were 8 variations of the RX-78 thus having designations ranging from RX-78-1 to RX-78-8. However, the original 8 units were continuously remodeled and therefore create a misunderstanding that there were a larger number of RX-78 units produced. However, the EFAF (Air Force) created their own RX-78E (GT FOUR/Gundam Transformer/Flight & Operations Unifications Reactors) and is different from the 8 RX-78s produced. Another extra unit is the RX-78XX which uses scrap parts of the RX-78s and are also not considered to be one of the 8 units. The NT-1 is actually RX-78 unit 4 remodeled (original model unknown). After the One Year War, the GP series are numbered after the RX-78 convention but of course are newly produced units.

The RX-78 series introduced Minovsky particle weaponry to mobile suits, developing and deploying the first successful beam rifle and beam saber. These would form the primary component of mobile suit weaponry for at least the next century and a half. The core block system, which allowed the RX-78's pilot to escape the destruction of his mobile suit in a functional aerospace fighter, would be dropped for expense from subsequent units but reused on occasion (most notably in the Anaheim Electronics MSZ-010 Double Zeta Gundam during the First Neo-Zeon War) and resurrected by the League Militaire in the UC 0150s on the LM312V04 Victory Gundam. Survivalability was also a key issue, since the Federation could only make a few Gundam units, both the self learning computer and mobile suit had to survive. The use of Luna Titanium alloy for armor solved these problems; 1. It was lightweight. 2. It was extremely durable, point blank range shots fired from the Zaku's 120mm machine gun, and 280mm bazooka's had little if not no effect on the RX-78-2 Gundam.

After the cessation of the One Year War, the Federation opened up a black-ops mobile suit development program, the Gundam Development Project, in order to develop mobile suits to fill roles that had appeared in analysis of combat operations from the One Year War. The major reason that the project was designated black-op was because of the RX-78GP02A Gundam Physalis, which was armed with an atomic bazooka in violation of the Antarctic Treaty. After the events of Gundam 0083, the records of the Gundam Development Project were stricken from the official record.

The RX-78 line was finally superseded in UC 0087 by the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II developed by the Titans.

RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam


The RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam is the third Mobile Suit Series produced under the Project V, developed and tested in the utmost secrecy at the incomplete Side 7 colony. Unlike the other two mobile suits, the RX-77-2 Guncannon and the RX-75-4 Guntank, which emphasis on firepower, the Prototype Gundam was designed as melee mobile suit, with a very high mobility. It was also the first to feature several new technologies, including the energy cap-based beam rifle (making the Gundam the first mobile suit to pack the firepower of a battleship) and beam saber. Once the RX-78-1 was tested, designs were upgraded and enhanced, bringing along the RX-78-2 Gundam. All the RX-78-1 models were thus upgraded into the newly improved RX-78-2 model.

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations model kit series, design by Kunio Okawara.

Manufacturer: Earth Federation

User: Earth Federation

Unit type: Prototype General-Purpose Mobile Suit

Head height: 18.0 meters

Empty weight: 42.4 tons

Full weight: 59.0 tons

Construction: Luna Titanium alloy on Semi-Monocoque Frame

Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1380 kW

Fixed armament:

60mm Vulcan Gatling Guns x 2, mounted in head

Beam Saber x 2, stored in recharge racks in backpack

Optional hand armament:

Beam Rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap



RX-78-2 Gundam
The most famous of all the RX-78 models, the RX-78-2 Gundam was built as the second stage (test type) for the RX-78 series. Like the two other RX-78, the RX-78-1 and RX-78-3, it carried the Core Block modular mobile suit design, comprised of three modules:


 * the Core Fighter, which formed the cockpit and torso;
 * the A block, which consisted of the upper torso, arms, and head; and
 * the B block, which consisted of the hips and legs.

The initial idea of the Core Fighter was as a form of escape if the gundam were to be destroyed, allowing the irreplacable data collected by the learning computer and the pilot to escape from a replaceable machine. Another idea was that the Core Fighter could be launched into the field as a support fighter, and the A and B blocks could be delivered by another vehicle (the Federation developed a support unit, the Gunperry, for this role) if needed for a mid-air conversion into a mobile suit. The 3 RX-78 were slated in September UC 0079 to be transported from the development facility at Side 7 for evaluation when Zeon special forces under the command of Char Aznable attacked the colony where the RX-78-2 was developed. The resulting destruction left both the RX-78-2 and the mobile suit carrier White Base in the hands of young, inexperienced operators, most notably the young Amuro Ray, who became the RX-78-2's main pilot due to his skill at handling the machine. The RX-78-2 then saw combat in a variety of environments, including deep space, urban settings, the desert, and even the ocean, performing admirably in each. After the RX-78-2 Gundam was seen as a success, the Federation sold off the designs to other Federation mobile suit makers. Because of this many versions would be seen, such as the Blue Destiny Units, the FA-78-1 Gundam Full Armor Type and the improved FA-78-2 Heavy Gundam, the RX-78NT-1 Gundam Alex, and the RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type.

Late in the war, the Federation installed a magnetic coating on the joints of the RX-78-2, improving the response time of the mobile suit (which was starting to lag behind the reaction time of Amuro, whose budding Newtype abilities were growing exponentially). In the final battle of the One Year War, the Battle of A Baoa Qu, the RX-78-2 was severely damaged, then destroyed by Char in his MSN-02 Zeong. Nevertheless, the RX-78-2 performed admirably throughout its service in the One Year War. The very design, name, and motif (the now famous, "parade" colour scheme) of the RX-78 would echo nearly a century later. Even during the Zanscare conflict in UC.0153, the appearance of a Gundam type is unmistakable,

The RX-78-2 and its descendants would serve as the Federation's prototype, high-performance mobile suits, with newer variants appearing throughout the Universal Century. Known evolutions of the RX-78-2 include the following:
 * Gryps Conflict
 * RX-178 Gundam Mk-II
 * RX-178+FXA-05D "Super Gundam"
 * MSZ-006 Ζ Gundam
 * MRX-009 Psyco Gundam
 * MRX-010 Psyco Gundam Mk-II
 * First Neo-Zeon War
 * MSZ-010 ΖΖ Gundam
 * FA-010S Full Armor ΖΖ Gundam
 * MSZ-010S Enhanced ΖΖ Gundam
 * Second Neo-Zeon War
 * RX-93 ν Gundam
 * Crossbone Vanguard Conflict
 * F90 Gundam Formula 90
 * F91 Gundam Formula 91
 * Zanscare Empire Conflict
 * LM312V04 Victory Gundam
 * LM314V21 Victory 2 Gundam

First appear in episode 1 of Mobile Suit Gundam Gundam Rising. Design by Kunio Okawara.

RX-78-3 3rd Gundam "G-3 Gundam"


During the attack on Side 7, in September UC 0079, two of the three RX-78 Gundam prototype mobile suits were destroyed. The destroyed parts made their way to the Pegasus-Class assault cruiser White Base, and then to the Earth Federation's General HQ in Jaburo. Once there, the parts were cobbled together and the RX-78-3 "G-3" Gundam was born. The G-3 Gundam became a testbed for the magnetic coating that was later applied to Amuro Ray's RX-78-2 Gundam. Visually, the G-3 is very similar looking to the Gundam, except for its gray and blue paint scheme.

In the novel version of Mobile Suit Gundam, the G-3 became Amuro Ray's mobile suit in the later half of the war after his Gundam was destroyed in battle with Zeon Newtype Lalah Sune. It had the magnetic coating added to the joints to increase response time for its pilot. Other than the gray color scheme, it is identical to RX-78-2. The G-3 Gundam was later destroyed in battle by a member of Char's Rick-Dom Squad.

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations model kit series, design by Kunio Okawara.

Manufacturer: Earth Federation

User: Earth Federation

Unit type: Prototype Test-Unit Mobile Suit

Head height: 18.0 meters

Empty weight: 43.4 tons

Full weight: 60.0 tons

Construction: Luna Titanium alloy on Semi-Monocoque Frame

Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1380 kW

Equipment: Magnetic Coated Joints

Fixed armament:

60mm Vulcan Gun x 2, mounted in head

Beam Saber x 2, stored in recharge racks in backpack

Optional hand armament:

Beam Rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap

380mm Hyper Bazooka, clip-fed, 5 rounds per clip plus 1 round in chamber



RX-78-4 4th Gundam "Gundam G04"


Deployed to the 16th Autonomous Mobile Squadron and assigned to the Pegasus-class warship, the Thoroughbred, the RX-78-4 Gundam G04 was designed to be able to use a prototype mega beam launcher with destructive power equivalent to that of a capital ship. In order to power such a weapon, the RX-78-4 was outfitted with a heavier power plant than its brother unit, the RX-78-5. Like the RX-78-5, the RX-78-4 can be outfitted with a booster system which extends the operational range and time of the mobile suit in space operations. The RX-78-4 only used the mega beam launcher once, in order to stop a reinforcing fleet from Granada. Though the launcher was successful in destroying the fleet, the load it put on the RX-78-4's power plant was too much for the unit to bear, and resulted in the RX-78-4 taking severe damage and killing its pilot. This version of events has always been in dispute. During the final battles of the One Year War there were unconfirmed accounts of the RX-78-4 showing up in battle. (In the comic version the artist created the story that Luce was killed and he insert the "IF" it happened story later, the story told us that Ford brought Luce out of Unit 4 before it explode, and after that Unit 4 (Repaired) and Unit 5 was in service till the end of the battle of A Bao A Qu.)

First appear as part of Kunio Okawara's MS Collection original design series, design by Kunio Okawara. The design was updated to be use in Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters In Space video games by Hajime Katoki.

Manufacturer: Earth Federation

User: Earth Federation

Unit type: Prototype Mobile Suit

Head height: 18.0 meters

Empty weight: 42.6 tons

Full weight: 80.2 tons (86.5 tons when equipped with beam launcher)

Power generator output: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1550 kW

Special equipment: Booster pack (Bst)

Fixed armament:

60mm Vulcan Gun x 2

Beam Saber x 2

Hand Beam Gun x2, mounted on forearms

Optional hand armament:

Beam Rifle

Mega Beam Launcher

Pilot: Luce Kassel



RX-78-5 5th Gundam "Gundam G05"


Deployed to the 16th Autonomous Mobile Squadron and assigned to the Pegasus-class warship, the Thoroughbred, the RX-78-5 Gundam G05 was designed for space combat. As such, the RX-78-5 was able to be outfitted with a booster system that extended its effective range and operating time. Due to its late introduction in the One Year War, the RX-78-5 saw little extended action - however, it was deployed to protect Zeon Prime Minister Darcia Bakharov from Zabi loyalists at the end of the war. In an animated clip, after the RX-78-4 was damaged, its coolant was removed and installed onto the RX-78-5, along with some other parts. The RX-78-5 remained in service until the battle of A Bao A Qu. After the Zeon surrender, the RX-78-5 was returning to its mother ship. Unfortunately, the pilot did not notice a damaged Gelgoog was hidden in the rubble and the RX-78-5 was destroyed by the Gelgoog, sniped through the back with its beam rifle.

First appear as part of Kunio Okawara's MS Collection original design series, design by Kunio Okawara. The design was updated to be use in Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters In Space video games by Hajime Katoki.

Manufacturer: Earth Federation

User: Earth Federation

Unit type: Prototype Space-Combat Mobile Suit

Head height: 18 m

Empty weight: 42.9 t

Full weight: 80.5 tons

Power generator output: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1480 kW

Special equipment: Booster Pack (Bst)

Fixed armament:

60mm Vulcan Gun x 2

Beam Saber x 2

Hand Beam Gun x2, mounted on forearms

Optional hand armament:

Beam Rifle

Gatling Gun

Pilot: Ford Romfellow



RX-78-6 6th Gundam "Mudrock Gundam"


Perhaps the pinnacle of the Project V RX-78 units, the RX-78-6 "Mudrock" Gundam was a hybridization of the RX-78 series and the sister RX-77 Guncannon units. Like the Guncannon, the RX-78-6 mounted heavy weaponry as standard armament in the form of two 300 mm cannons. Like its sibling RX-78 units (and very much unlike the Guncannon), the RX-78-6 was extremely maneuverable, courtesy of vernier thrusters incorporated in its design. On paper at least, the RX-78-6 was a beast of a machine, more than a match for any of the Zeon MS of the time - which is why the suit's failure to perform well in the field is rather shocking. Deployed in defense of the Pegasus-class Blanc Rival (albeit in an uncompleted form), it was severely damaged by the Zeon Midnight Fenrir special operations team. Hurriedly repaired and completed, it saw service at California Base, and in an attempt to prevent Midnight Fenrir from using an HLV to leave Earth near the end of the One Year War - that battle left the RX-78-6 severely damaged, and the Federation determined that it was not feasible to repair the unit. Some speculate its pilot, Lt. Agar, is responsible for its failure.

First appear as part of Kunio Okawara's MS Collection original design series, design by Kunio Okawara. The design was updated to be use in Mobile Suit Gundam 0079: Zeonic Front video games by Hajime Katoki.

RX-78-7 7th Gundam
Appeared in M-MSV

This unit was not completed within the One Year War. It served as the Base of the FA-78-3 and HFA-78-3.With only the basic frame built, both FA-78-3 and HFA-78-3 were never built.

First appear as part of Kunio Okawara's MS Collection original design series, design by Kunio Okawara.

Manufacturer: Earth Federation

User: Earth Federation

Unit type: Space Combat Mobile Suit

First deployment: UC 0079

Head height: 18.3 meters

Base weight: 39.2 tons

Powerplant:: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1670 kW

Fixed armaments:

Beam Saber x 2, stored in recharge racks on backpack

60mm Vulcan Gun x 2, fire-linked, mounted in head

Optional hand armaments:

Beam Rifle, powered by rechargeable e-cap, power rating unknown

Optional Fixed armaments:

FA-78-3, HFA-78-3 (FHA-78-3) 

RX-78-8 8th Gundam
Appeared in MSV

The last of the RX-78 project, should exist but the only known element is the number. As specified in the MSV, after the production of G-3, there were five more suits numbered number 4 through 8, however, no further information is given in any other places.

Manufacturer: Earth Federation

User: Earth Federation

RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 "Gundam Alex"
Initially, the Federation was rather skeptical about the existence of Newtypes, having none of their own to evaluate (as opposed to Zeon, which had set up the Flannigan Institute for Newtype research.) However, the performance of Amuro Ray in the RX-78-2 clearly illustrated the battle effectiveness of Newtype pilots to the Federation. Realizing that such pilots would need a mobile suit optimized for them, the Federation developed the RX-78NT-1 Gundam "Alex" by remodeling a RX-78 unit 4 (model unknown) as their 'ace in the hole' at the end of the One Year War. The model was probably a 78-1 which was the prototype(s) built at Jaburo or the 4th 78-2(#4), where #1 and #3 were destroyed and #2 is Amuro's. The Federation planned to test the RX-78NT-1 at Side 6, then ship it to the White Base for Amuro to pilot in the Battle of A Bao A Qu. However, the actions of the Zeon Cyclops covert operations unit resulted in the RX-78NT-1 being severely damaged prior to the battle. The NT-1 was finally heavily damaged by an MS-06FZ Zaku Kai. The Federation soon disassembled the NT-1 and used its parts on other research.

As the Federation had not researched the extent of Newtype powers (such research would not become available until the acquisition of the Flannigan Institute by the Federation), the RX-78NT-1 did not have any sort of psycommu control. Instead, the RX-78NT-1 was optimized at every level for the vastly superior reaction time of Newtypes. Test pilot Christina MacKenzie (an Oldtype) noted that the machine was incredibly powerful, almost to the point that it was out of control. The other major innovation was that the RX-78NT-1 was the first mobile suit to feature the panoramic cockpit and linear chair, affording the pilot a 360-degree view of the battlefield. The RX-78NT-1 also featured the optional | Chobham armour, an external set of armor which improves the defense of the RX-78NT-1 but covers some of its weaponry.

According to the Master Grade instruction manual, "Alex" is an acronym for "Armored Layers EXperimental", referring to the NT-1's use of Chobham armor.

First appear in Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, design by Yutaka Izubuchi.

ガンダムNT-1

RX-78XX Gundam Pixie
A variant of RX-78 series, the Gundam Pixie was a high performance close-combat groundforce mobile suit created by the Earth Federation Forces for use by their ace pilots during Operation Odessa. The Gundam Pixie was significantly lighter than its RX-78 brethren, and as a consequence is a faster and more agile unit. However, it is relatively lightly armed, with a conventional shell-firing submachine gun and a pair of small beam knives.

Only a single Gundam Pixie was known to be constructed, and it was being stored at Albatross Base in the Gobi Desert in preparation to be transferred to the Pegasus-class assault carrier White Base for use at Odessa. When Principality of Zeon forces in the area commenced Operation Desert Dragon and attacked Albatros Base the Gundam Pixie was commandered by Captain Bork Cry of the Albatross transportation team to fight off the legions of Zeon mobile suits. The ultimate fate of the Gundam Pixie is uncertain. The unit may have been destroyed on the night of October 19th, UC 0079, engaged in a fierce battle against Captain Henry Boone, leader of Zeon's Wolfgar Team, piloting his MS-08TX Efreet, and the rest of the Wolfgar Team, which had successfully infiltrated Albatros Base. Major Nacht Gaddish, commander of the Albatros Base, fled in a Medea, abandoning Bork and the Gundam Pixie. In the end only one thing is certain: the Gundam Pixie never arrived on the White Base as planned.

First appear in Mobile Suit Gundam: Cross Dimension 0079 video game, design by Kunio Okawara.

RX-78/C.A. Casval custom Gundam/a.k.a. Char Aznable custom Gundam
In the game Gihren's Greed, one of the parallel timeline of Universal Century where Zeon Forces won the One Year War, Char Aznable will leave Zeon and start building up a new faction, Neo Zeon (differ from the original Axis Neo Zeon in ZZ gundam), to seek other ways to finish his revenge against the Zabi's. Joining New Types and research teams from both Earth Federation and Zeon factions. The research team combined their knowledge in making mobile suits and created the RX-78/C.A., honouring the Earth Federation team's superb creation RX-78-2, the appearance of the unit is exact duplicated from it. However, the inside of the unit used a lot of Zeon technology and is completely different from the original RX-78-2. During the development of this unit, the fine tuning used the data of Char Aznable and there for it is just like a custom unit built just for him and also painted red. Record showed that this unit has encountered combat with the white RX-78-2 Gundam.

Manufacturer: Neo Zeon User: Neo Zeon Unit type: Prototype General-Purpose Mobile Suit Head height: 18.0 meters Base weight: 43.4 tons Construction: Gundarium alpha Alloy (Lunar Titanium) Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1380 kW Fixed armament: 60mm Vulcan Gun x 2, mounted in head Beam Saber x 2, stored in recharge racks in backpack Optional hand armament: Beam Rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap Hyper Bazooka Gundam Hammer Hyper Hammer Beam javelin Pilot: Casval Rem Daikun (a.k.a Char Aznable)

http://www.mahq.net/Mecha/Gundam/gihrensgreed/rx-78-casval.jpg

Gundam Development Project models
Please see Gundam Development Project.