F90 Gundam F90

The F90 Gundam F90 (F90 being short for "Formula 90") is a mobile suit from the series of Mobile Suit Gundam F90 model kits, later adapted into manga.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The first suit of the Strategic Naval Research Institute's "Formula Project." The F90 Gundam F90 was a down scaled mobile suit, standing at only 14.8 meters compared to the RX-78-2 Gundam, which stood at 18 meters. Although the F90 was given a standard armament of a beam rifle, two beam sabers, and a solid shield, the unit was also given numerous hardpoints. These hardpoints allowed the F90 to take on external equipment for various roles in combat. The Gundam could be equipped with as many as 26 different configurations, meaning the F90 could be equipped for anything from heavy assault and support fire to underwater combat and atmospheric reentry. The configurations made the F90 one of the most versatile mobile suits of its time.

Armaments

 * 60mm Vulcan Gun
 * The F90 is equipped with a pair of head mounted Vulcan guns. The purpose of the Vulcan guns is to serve as a mid-close range defensive weapon. While it can normally do little damage against the armor of a mobile suit it serves as a much more efficient and cost-effective means to shoot down incoming missiles, as opposed to using the beam rifle, the power of which would be over kill and is far more limited in ammunition. The Vulcan guns are an offensive weapon designed to be used against small lightly-armored targets such as ground combat vehicles or attack helicopters.


 * Beam Saber
 * The beam saber is the standard close-combat melee weapon of mobile suits descended from the RX-78-2 Gundam. The beam sabers are powerful weapons that emit a blade of plasma contained by an I-field that can cut through any physical armor. The only way to fully defend against a beam saber is to block it with another beam saber or a beam shield. Because of the I-field a beam saber can be used to block an attack from a beam rifle, but this is a technique that requires considerable skill, and can only block an attack of so much power. The F90 is equipped with two beam sabers stored in recharge racks on the backpack.


 * Beam Rifle
 * The beam rifle is the standard ranged weapon of Earth Federation mobile suits. The technology of the beam rifle allows it to fire a compressed mega particle beam which can penetrate any physical armor, leading to the saying that any mobile suit equipped with a beam rifle had the power of a battleship at its disposal. The F90's beam rifle is powered by a replaceable e-pac and can mount on the waist weapons mount. The beams of a beam rifle can be blocked by an I-field or a beam shield.


 * Mega Beam Bazooka
 * An optional weapon of the F90 is the Mega Beam Bazooka, which can mount on the waist weapons mount. This weapon utilizing the technology of a beam rifle on a slightly larger scale, and is powered by a replaceable e-pac. The mega beam bazooka fires slower moving mega particles, causing its beam to widen and allowing the beam to cause damage over a greater area, ideal for dealing with battleships or catching multiple mobile suits off-guard.


 * Shield
 * Shields are simple in their design, being essentially thick slabs of metal that the equipped mobile suit can use to absorb the impact from attacks that, for whatever reason, cannot be dodged. However shields can only withstand so much pressure before becoming damaged themselves. As technology progressed it became necessary for shields to be treated with an anti-beam coating as a measure of defense against beam weapons which can normally penetrate any physical barrier, however the coating gets gradually burned away each time a beam strikes it until it is rendered useless.

Special Equipment & Features

 * Hardpoints
 * The F90 is equipped with 9 Hardpoints for mounting various external equipment and/or armaments to meet specific needs or combat situations. Potentially, the unit can be equipped with as many as 26 unique armament configurations, making the F90 extremely versatile.


 * Weapon Mount
 * The F90 is equipped with a weapon mount for any optional external weapon the unit cannot already carry. Typically, for the F90, it would be mounted by either the Beam Rifle or the Mega Beam Bazooka.


 * A.R. (Amuro Ray) AI system (Unit 1)
 * F90 Unit 1 was equipped with an assisting AI system, a system that was built upon Amuro Ray's piloting data. This AI system would supplement the pilot's own skill to increase unit performance.


 * C.A. (Char Aznable) AI system (Unit 2)
 * F90 Unit 2 was equipped with an assisting AI system, a system that was built upon Char Aznable's piloting data. This AI system would supplement the pilot's own skill to increase unit performance.

History
Following the Neo-Zeon wars, a time of relative peace began for the Earth sphere, without any major spacenoid uprising. Nevertheless, the Earth Federation Forces decided to maintain their military strength by creating newer mobile suits, designed for this new age. Although Anaheim Electronics had a virtual monopoly for several decades when it came to mobile suit production, the EFF created its own in-house development thinktank, which was called the Strategic Naval Research Institute (SNRI). This organization was tasked with the duty to create new scaled-down mobile suits, which were not only smaller and more lightweight but also mounted the newest weaponry and technology to cope with different combat situations and missions.

SNRI eventually started this project under the name "Formula Project", which resulted in the creation of the F90 Gundam F90. Two models of this suit were created and both were tested by the EFF's 13th Experimental Squadron. During testing a remnant Zeon force, calling themselves the "Oldsmobile Army", made its appearance at this time. They stole the F90 Unit 2 and carried it away to their base on Mars where it was reconfigured into the OMS-90R Gundam F90.

The Earth Federation reassigned the 13th Experimental Squadron, along with Unit 1, as the 13th Autonomous Fleet and was launched to Mars in order to destroy the Oldsmobile Army. On the surface of Mars the F90 Unit 1 would combat Oldsmobile mobile suits around Olympus Mons using equipment from several of its combat packages, primarily its Assault, Destroid, and Support packages. Within the Zeon's Oldsmobile base inside Mount Olympus Unit 1/Def Stallion engaged the OMS-90R Gundam F90 piloted by Bosch. Both Units were heavily damaged, but in a final move reminiscent of the final battle between the RX-78-2 Gundam and the MSN-02 Zeong, Unit 1 defeated Unit 2. The remains of both machines were retrieved and Unit 2 was rebuilt into the F90II Gundam F90II.

SNRI continued their Formula Project, which resulted in the creation of the more advanced and powerful F91 Gundam F91.

Variants

 * F90A Gundam F90 Assault Type
 * F90D Gundam F90 Destroid Type
 * F90E Gundam F90 Reconnaissance Type
 * F90H Gundam F90 Hover Type
 * F90M Gundam F90 Marine Type
 * F90P Gundam F90 Plunge Type
 * F90S Gundam F90 Support Type
 * F90V Gundam F90 VSBR Type
 * F90II Gundam F90II
 * F90II-I Gundam F90II Intercept Type
 * F90II-L Gundam F90II Long Range Type
 * F90III-Y Cluster Gundam
 * F90YKai Cluster Gundam Kai Prototype
 * OMS-90R Gundam F90

Trivia
The Gundam F90 (in an edited form) makes several cameo appearances in the American comedy movie "Grandma's Boy" in posters for "Gay Robot", a fictional video game made by Brainasium, where the majority of the film's characters are employed. Gay Robot itself is actually a character created by comedian, Nick Swardson (who was one of the writers of the movie, and starred in it as the main character's coworker), and it has appeared in several different shows, including a cameo appearance in the Futurama episode "Proposition Infinity", and several of his own segments in Swardson's own "Pretend Time" television series. The character itself bears no actual similarities whatsoever to the poster in "Grandma's Boy", or the Gundam F90, as he usually appears as a large, generic looking boxy robot on caterpiller treads. The poster appears most prominently in the scene where the main character, Alex (Allen Covert) finds the antagonist, JP (Joel Moore) standing in the hallway facing the black wall and trying to use his leather coat as camouflage. The large poster can be seen directly to Moore's left.