RX-79［G］ Gundam Ground Type

RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type is a limited mass production Gundam that was the beginning of the ground based RX-79 series of mobile suits. The unit is first featured in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team

The RX-78 development program, in addition to the experimental RX-78 Gundam, managed to generate a significant stockpile of mobile suit parts. The Federation, not wanting to have such parts go to waste, used these stockpiles to create a line of pre-production mobile suits used to field test mobile suit tactics. In order to cut down on costs, most of the armaments and parts of the Gundam Ground Type were also used for the RGM-79[G] GM Ground Type

Technology & Combat Characteristics
While Project V was underway, the Federation also began production of experimental units using spare parts originally intended for the RX-78 Gundam. Using these parts they built approximately twenty specialized ground combat-model christened the RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type during the mid-part UC0079.

Though in many ways similar to its RX-78-2 predecessor, the RX-79[G] was quite a bit different in other ways, particularly in its armament. The beam sabers were stored in the legs, as the backpack mounted an equipment rack to carry storage containers, parachute packs, or other field options. The head vulcan guns were removed, as the head now carried a periscope for underwater and trench warfare. Although sporting a smaller generator than the RX-78, the Ground Type Gundam still had the generator power to use a beam rifle, though it was often equipped with a standard 100mm machinegun or a heavy 180mm cannon. A single vulcan gun and a multiple-use "multi-launcher" mounted in the torso's left breast rounded out the new armament. In order to make use of space, two extra ammunition magazines for the machinegun were placed on the sideskirt armor.

As the RX-79[G] was built out of spare parts from Project V, replacements parts were very limited. Luckily the RGM-79[G] shared 80% of the same parts as the Gundam, making field repairs easier but sometimes resulted in a few customized mobile suits.

Armaments

 * Vulcan Gun


 * Multi-launcher


 * Beam Saber


 * NF·GMG-Type.37/100mm Machine Gun


 * NFHI·GMCa-type.09/180mm Cannon


 * P.B.R-0079/A12 S-000011 Beam Rifle


 * Bazooka


 * 6-tube Missile Launcher


 * Net Gun

History
The RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type was used most notably by the Kojima Battalion operating in Southeast Asia, which fielded 12 RX-79[G] units, with the other eight participating in various operations on Earth. However, because the RX-79[G] were constructed from spare RX-78 parts, repair of damaged units became a tricky matter due to the unavailability of replacement parts. The result was the creation of custom RX-79[G] units such as the RX-79(G)Ez8 Gundam Ez8 piloted by Kojima Battalion 08th MS Team commander Shiro Amada, or Karen Joshua's Gundam with a GM Ground Type head. Federation Research and Development used three RX-79[G] units in their EXAM development program (see entry on Blue Destiny below).

Variants

 * RX-79[G]Ez-8 Gundam Ez8
 * RX-79BD-1 GM Blue Destiny Unit 1
 * RX-79BD-2 Blue Destiny Unit 2
 * RX-79BD-3 Blue Destiny Unit 3