MS-14 Gelgoog

The MS-14A Gelgoog is the final and most powerful mass production type mobile suit produced by the Principality of Zeon during the One Year War of the Mobile Suit Gundam anime.



By the middle of the One Year War, the Principality of Zeon was well aware that the Earth Federation was researching and developing mobile suit projects to counter the Zeon's army of mobile suits. Despite the Zeon's advanced mobile suit technology, the appearance of the RX-78-2 Gundam with its beam rifle technology followed by the mass production RGM-79 GMs equipped with the Beam Spray gun quickly negated the Zeon's advantage.

The Principality of Zeon decided that its mobile suits need to incorporate the vastly superior beam/laser technology into its mobile suit designs. So, when the plans for the new mobile suit (MS-11 Gelgoog) showed up, they redesigned the plans to be able to use the beam/laser technology. The plans for the original "MS-11 Gelgoog" only allowed it to use ballistic weapons like the machine gun, and its power output is unable to handle a Beam-based technology weapon. After redesigning the plans, the mobile suit is capable of using Beam-based weapons. Removing the designation "MS-11" and shifting it to the Pezun Project's "MS-11 Action Zaku", they redesignate the new mobile suit plans to "MS-14", but retaining the name.

The high-performance A-Type Gelgoog was equipped with a twin-bladed beam saber (referred to as a beam naginata due to the shape of the blades, though it was actually very different in function from the traditional Japanese weapon) and a high-output beam rifle, a first for a Zeon mobile suit. The Gelgoog was a superior mobile suit in every aspect to the MS-06F Zaku II and even the new MS-09R Rick Dom.

While the Gelgoog was the most powerful production-type MS of the One Year War by a considerable margin, matching or slightly exceeding the Earth Federation's RX-78-2 Gundam unit, it was never produced in the numbers required to counter the sheer numbers of RGM-79 GMs that walked off the production lines before the end of the war. It is possible that if the Gelgoog had been pushed into production even two weeks sooner, it may have been able to secure independence for Zeon. However, Zeon's practice of dividing the Principality's limited design and production resources among numerous mobile suit and mobile armour projects made this impossible.

The last major problem with the Gelgoog was that it had mainly rookie pilots inside the cockpits, as most of Zeon's more experienced pilots had been killed in earlier battles. These novice pilots had seen little or no combat before the Battle of A Baoa Qu, and could not use their Gelgoogs effectively enough to counter the Federation's less powerful GM models, piloted by skilled veterans of the Battle of Solomon.



After the war, some units were taken by the Federation to serve as high-performance aggressor trainer units, while others escaped into deep space with various Zeon remnants; the majority had either died at A Baoa Qu or were marched off to the scrapper's torch. Similar to Zaku II and Rick Dom, some Gelgoog were modified into MS-14A Gelgoog [Stutzer] by remnants of the Zeon forces, as they no longer had any production capabilities for any new mobile suit designs. The Gelgoog "Stutzer" was enhanced with winch units, which were able to launch wire-guided arm parts that could entangle enemy machines with wire, or throw hand grenades at them while the mobile suit itself remained hidden. Additionally, the Stutzer feature extra armor that almost completely cover its upper body and replaced old backpack with special parts. These extra parts contain supplemental thrusters and propellant tank to increase it's mobility. Some examples of old MS-14 Gelgoog survived postwar in museums.

MS-14B Gelgoog High Mobility Type
When the Principality of Zeon Zeon military began field testing of its MS-14S Gelgoog prototype mobile suits during the last weeks of the One Year War, it was already hard at work on variants of the powerful new Gelgoog line. One of the first variants to be produced was the MS-14B Gelgoog High Mobility Type, which was essentially a standard Gelgoog equipped with a more powerful booster backpack, greatly increasing its speed and mobility. Twelve of the original twenty-five MS-14Ss would be modified into this B-type during field testing by the Ace Corps, which included Zeon's famous "Crimson Lightning" ace pilot, Major Johnny Ridden. When the Gelgoog line went into mass production, an additional 55 B-type Gelgoogs were produced, participating in the Battle of A Baoa Qu at the end of the war.

MS-14C Gelgoog Cannon
When the plans for the new MS-14 (formerly MS-11) Gelgoog were completed, twenty-five prototypes, under the designation YMS-14S (the Y in YMS-14S means it is a prototype Mobile Suit) were produced; twenty-four of the machines were given to the Chimera Corps. Of the twenty-four original Units nine would be modified into the MS-14B Configuration. One unit served as the personal suit of Johnny Ridden. The rest would be fitted as Gelgoog Cannons. One of them was the signature unit of fellow Chimera Corps pilot Thomas Krutz, with his custom tan/army green color scheme. In addition to the thruster pack added to the B-type, the MS-14C or Gelgoog Cannon would be fitted with an RA-2 Beam Cannon.

The Gelgoog Cannon was quite versatile in that it could carry a variety of hand weapons including beam rifles and bazookas, and even mount optional rocket launchers in place of its forearm jet engine thrusters. And by using the B-type's powerful backpack, it had enough thrust to keep itself maneuverable despite the added weight in weaponry.

The Gelgoog Cannon proved quite capable as both a fire support and anti-fleet unit, as twelve of the fifteen Gelgoog Cannons built were deployed in "Operation Clarion," a preemptive strike against the Earth Federal Forces' Tianem Fleet rallying point. Despite the loss of two Gelgoog Cannons (and three more being damaged), the damage inflicted against the Federal fleet impressed the Zeon military, manufacturing enough parts to assemble 122 more units. Fortunately for the Federation, the end of the war made sure that these additional Gelgoog Cannons were never assembled.

MS-14D Desert Gelgoog
A variant of Gelgoog designed for desert and tropical environments, the Desert Gelgoog feature dust sealing and improved cooling systems. Armed with a beam rifle and armed buster cannon on left arm, it also equipped with a scope for use during travel or for hiding in the sand to prepare an ambush. However, the beam niginata/twin beam sword featured in original Gelgoog was missing.



MS-14F Gelgoog Marine
This mobile suit is a refined version of the MS-14A Gelgoog. Since Zeon lost the war, not many resources were left for the Delaz Fleet. To meet this problem, it was actually simplified. It had lower propulsion, acceleration and was slower to make a 180 degree turn compared to the original Gelgoog. Most units used an MMP-80 machine gun instead of a beam rifle to lower the cost. The anti-beam shield was replaced by a spike shield equipped on the left arm, a refined version of the Zaku's shoulder shield. The twin beam sword was replaced with a pair of standard beam sabers, 110 mm machine guns were also installed into its forearms for support in close combat. The Gelgoog Marine was no match for the EFSF's new GM Customs and units in the Gundam Project, but it did successfully fufill the plans of the Delaz Fleet. Like other Zeon MSs, the Gelgoog Marines served as training units for EFSF pilots after being captured.

There are also a MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander Type, a minor upgraded model of Gelgoog Marine. In addition to slightly higher performance, the Gelgoog Marine Commander Type also features wrist-mounted 40 mm vulcan guns and uses a MRB-110 beam rifle instead of machine gun. The knuckle shield used by Gelgoog Marines was replaced by a large shield similar to one used by the MS-14A Gelgoog. Only a handful of these units were produced with at least three being assigned to the Cima Fleet, one of the Gelgoog Marine Commander Types was used by Lieutenant Colonel Cima Garahau during Operation Stardust.



MS-14G Gelgoog Ground Type
These units were almost identical to the standard Gelgoog, except that the parts needed for usage in space were removed. Also, the MS-14G was equipped with an arm Gatling gun, an arm launcher and a smaller shield. As they were produced in such small quantities they were given to aces and higher ranking pilots. One of these units was used by Zeon ace pilot Visch Donahue to defend the Hughenden Zeon H.L.V. base in Australia on January 1, 0080. However, he would be defeated by the Federation's White Dingo Team.

MS-14J ReGelg
Seen during the First Neo Zeon War, MS-14J ReGelg is old MS-14A Gelgoog upgraded by Axis with new technology. The name ReGelg stand for REfined GELGoog. It has large shoulder binders which contain thrusters and verniers to boost it mobility. It also has pair of external propellant tanks on backpack, this backpack also equipped with missile pod. Other weapons include grenade launcher, beam rifle and beam saber.

MS-14Jg Gelgoog Jäger
An upgraded model of Gelgoog under United Maintenance Plan, one of Zeon's attempts to simplify both construction and operation of their Mobile Suits. The MS-14Jg Gelgoog Jäger, or simply Gelgoog J, featured more powerful thrusters and additional verniers. To offset the increased propellant use, it also carried a pair of large external propellant tanks on the backpack. It was primarily armed with a large beam machine gun that boasted high accuracy (in fact, the Jäger was nicknamed the Gelgoog Sniper). Like other later model Zeon Mobile Suits, it was also capable of carrying other Zeon weaponry such as the powerful bazooka or MMP-80 machine-gun. It was more than a match for the EFSF's GMs and other mass-production units. Several were used in minor skirmishes in the Side 6 area.

In a what-if scenario in the video game Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space, the infamous "White Wolf of Solomon" Shin Matsunaga receives a customized white Gelgoog Jäger and fights at the Battle of A Baoa Qu. In reality, he had been recalled to Side-3 since before the Battle of Solomon and was not present at A Baoa Qu (his own customised Zaku was discovered in Solomon by the Federals and destroyed). However, considering that Zeon often assigned powerful units such as the Jäger to their best pilots, it is not difficult to imagine the feared ace being assigned one but not have the chance to use it.

MS-14S Gelgoog Commander Type
When the plans for the new MS-14 Gelgoog were completed, twenty-five prototypes, under the designation YMS-14S (the 'Y' in YMS-14S means it is a prototype Mobile Suit) were produced; twenty-four of the machines were given to the Chimera Corps, AKA the Ace Pilot Corps. The remaining unit was assigned to Char Aznable, who piloted it against Amuro Ray's RX-78-2 Gundam in two sorties. Later on in the war, the designation "Y" in YMS-14S was removed, renaming it MS-14S Gelgoog Commander Type. Originally a prototype, it is now converted into a Command Unit's High Performance Mobile Suit.

Featuring a high-powered generator, various thrusters to aid mobility, a large oval-shaped shield, a Beam Rifle, and a Beam Naginata, the MS-14S Gelgoog Commander Type rivals the capabilities of the Earth Federation's RX-78-2 Gundam piloted by Amuro Ray. In fact, the power generator, Beam Rifle, and Beam Naginata features a higher output than the RX-78-2 Gundam. Its speed and mobility exceeds even the RX-78-2 Gundam, as proven by Char during his first sortie in his MS-14S Gelgoog Commander Type with Amuro Ray's RX-78-2 Gundam during the One Year War. On the other hand, it has thinner and less durable armor than the Gundam (which is built with luna titanium alloy), and the lack of built-in weapons makes the Gelgoog easier to disarm (which Amuro literally did) and leave weaponless.

Proving to be an excellent design, the Zeon forces only made slight changes based on feedback from the test pilots. A significant change was adding more armour to make it more durable, but cutting down some of the Gelgoog's speed. Once finalised, they decided to put it under mass production to counter the Earth Federation's mass-produced RGM-79s, which were slowly but steadily pushing deeper into the Principility of Zeon's territories. The mass-produced version was then designated MS-14A Gelgoog.

In the strategy game series Giren's Greed, nearly all of Zeon's ace pilots can be given customised Gelgoogs. This includes aces who were canonically killed before the Gelgoog's debut such as Ramba Ral and the Black Tri-Stars, who can be spared their fates through the player's decisions.

MS-14A Gelgoog
Manufacturer: Zeonic Company Operator: Principality of Zeon; African Liberation Front; civilians Unit type: mass production high efficiency general purpose mobile suit Dimensions: head height 19.2 meters Weight: empty 42.1 metric tons; max gross 73.3 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1440 kW Armament: twin beam sword, stored in recharge rack on back, hand-carried in use; beam rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap; shield, can be optionally stored on backpack Pilot(s): Anavel Gato, Katz Kobayashi, Reccoa Londe, Masai N'gava, Dido Kaltoha, Elo Meloe

MS-14B Gelgoog High Mobility Type
Manufacturer: Zeonic Company Operator: Principality of Zeon Unit type: mass production high efficiency general purpose mobile suit Dimensions: overall height 19.6 meters; head height 19.2 meters Weight: empty 53.5 metric tons; max gross 76.8 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1440 kW Armament: twin beam sword, powered by rechargeable energy cap, stored in recharge rack on back, hand-carried in use; beam rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap Pilot: Johnny Ridden

MS-14C Gelgoog Cannon
Manufacturer: Zeonic Company Operator: Principality of Zeon Unit type: mass production artillery mobile suit Dimensions: overall height 19.5 meters; head height 19.3 meters Weight: empty 55.8 metric tons; max gross 79.8 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1440 kW Armament: RA-2 beam cannon, mounted on backpack over right shoulder; twin beam sword, powered by rechargeable energy cap, stored in recharge rack on back, hand-carried in use; beam rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap; 3-tube missile launcher Pilot(s): Thomas Kurtz, Brenev Auggs, Gerald Sakai

MS-14D Desert Gelgoog
Manufacturer: Zeonic Company Operator: Principality of Zeon Unit type: general purpose desert combat mobile suit Dimensions: head height 19.8 meters Weight: empty 19.8 metric tons; max gross 43.7 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated unknown Armament: armed buster, mounted on left forearm; beam rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap

MS-14F Gelgoog Marine
Manufacturer: Principality of Zeon Operator: Principality of Zeon (Cima Fleet); Earth Federation Forces Unit type: mass production space combat mobile suit Dimensions: head height 19.2 meters Weight: empty 45.1 metric tons; max gross 81.3 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1440 kW Armament: 2 x 110 mm machinecannon, mounted on forearms; 2 x beam saber, stored in recharge racks in hip armor, hand-carried in use; MMP-80/90mm Ver.8 machine gun, clip-fed, 32 rounds per clip; knuckle shield Pilot(s): Chuck Keith, Bergman

MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander Type
Manufacturer: Principality of Zeon Operator: Principality of Zeon (Cima Fleet) Unit type: mass production space combat mobile suit Dimensions: head height 19.2 meters Weight: empty 40.5 metric tons; max gross 80.0 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1490 kW Armament: 2 x 40 mm vulcan gun, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2 x 110 mm machinecannon, mounted in forearms; 2 x beam saber, stored in recharge racks in hip armor, hand-carried in use; shield, mounted on either forearm; MRB-110 beam rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap Pilot: Cima Garahau

MS-14G Gelgoog Ground Type
Manufacturer: Principality of Zeon Operator: Principality of Zeon Unit type: ground use mobile suit Dimensions: head height 19.2 meters Weight: empty 42.12 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1440 kW Armament: twin beam sword, stored in recharge rack on back, hand-carried in use; arm Gatling gun; arm launcher; shield, can be stored on backpack; beam rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap Pilot: Visch Donahue

MS-14J ReGelg
Manufacturer: Neo Zeon Operator: Neo Zeon Unit type: mass production general purpose mobile suit Dimensions: overall height 23.1 meters; antenna height 21.0 meters Weight: empty 43.7 metric tons; max gross 82.6 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1890 kW Special Equipment: 2 x external propellant tank, ejectable, mounted on backpack Armament: 8-tube missile pod (uses AMS-11S small missile), mounted on backpack; 2 x grenade launcher, mounted in forearms; 2 x beam saber, power rated at 0.62 MW, stored in recharge racks in backpack, hand-carried in use; beam rifle, power rated at 2.18 MW, powered by rechargable energy cap, with attached grenade launcher, 1 round Pilot: Illia Pazom

MS-14Jg Gelgoog Jager
Manufacturer: Zeonic Company Operator: Principality of Zeon Unit type: mass production general purpose mobile suit Dimensions: head height 19.2 meters Weight: empty 40.5 metric tons; max gross 80.3 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1490 kW Special Equipment: 2 x external propellant tanks, ejectable, mounted on backpack Armament: 2 x 110 machinecannon, mounted in forearms; large beam machine gun, powered by rechargeable energy cap Pilot: Shin Matsunaga

YMS-14 Gelgoog Prototype (MS-14S Gelgoog Commander Type)
Manufacturer: Zeonic Company Operator: Principality of Zeon Unit type: commander's high efficiency mobile suit Dimensions: Overall Height unknown; Head Height 19.2 meters Weight: Unknown Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, power output unknown Armament: Beam Naginata (Twin Beam Sword), stored in recharge rack on back, hand-carried in use; Beam Rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap; Shield, can be optionally stored on backpack Pilot: Char Aznable