RX-79［G］ Gundam Ground Type

The RX-79 Gundam is a series of fictional mobile suits in the Gundam Universal Century developed by the Earth Federation.

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.

RX-79 Gundam(Mass-Production Review Unit)/Prototype GM
Due to the high specification of RX-78 series, most of the parts that failed to meet the quality control of the RX-78's production line were still usable, and had high performance specs. The stockpiles of these parts inspired the engineers of the Earth Federation to start a new line of Mobile Suit using them. That is RX-79 Gundam(Mass-Production Review Unit)/Prototype GM (ガンダム(量産検討機)/プロトタイプジム), which served as the test-bed for further refinement of the GM. The legs were the first part to be reviewed and determined to be too complicated to mass-produce. The thruster units were simplified and the more expensive thruster parts were used to produce a small number of RGM-79[E] for space combat. Less expensive parts were then used to increase the ground performance and technology put into use in the RX-79[G] as Ground combat units for more testing. Finally, they were able to produce the RGM-79[G] ground combat GM. Due to the high cost of the camera eyes, RX-77 main camera was used in the GM series instead of the Gundam Head. By this period, the Earth Federation finished the production line of GM and used a lot of simplified parts tested on the RX-79.

RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type
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. 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 head. Federation Research and Development used three RX-79[G] units in their EXAM development program (see entry on Blue Destiny below).

First appear in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team OVA, design by Kunio Okawara.

RX-79[G]Ez8 Gundam Ez8
As the One Year War continued to drag on, the Earth Federation Forces began to put the vast majority of their resources towards creating and maintaining the mass-produced GM line of mobile suits. This left many of the Federation's older units without the adequate supplies needed to undergo repairs and regular maintenance. This put more trouble to the RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type since they were constructed primarily of spare parts left over from the RX-78 development project anyway. Due to such supply shortages, when 08th Mobile Suit Team pilot Ensign Shiro Amada's RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type was all but destroyed during an ambush on the Zeon's prototype Apsalus II mobile armor, it had to be rebuilt from the ground up.

The resulting amalgama of spare parts was given the new model number RX-79[G]Ez8, code named the Gundam Ez8 (Ez8 standing for "Extra zero-8". The designation "Ez8" appears to be a reference to the M4A3E8 "Easy Eight" variant of the M4 Sherman medium tank of World War II). The Gundam Ez8, despite being constructed largely of spare parts, was actually capable of slightly higher performance then the RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type. By removing the fixed weapons in the left side of the chest the Kojima Battalion engineers were able utilize the extra space to improve upon the engines and reactor, which gave the Gundam Ez8 higher generator output, better propulsion, greater thrust, and superior general performance. The Gundam Ez8's armor placement was also revised, giving it added protection around the cockpit block and chest, and around the ankles.

To compensate for the removal of the chest-based vulcan and the multi-launcher the Gundam Ez8 had a 12.7mm anti-personnel machine gun placed in the mecha's abdominal region, as well as twin 35mm machine guns mounted in the head. The Ez8 still retained the two beam sabers stored in the compartments in the sides of the legs, and was still capable of using all of the armaments its predecessor could although Shiro heavily favored the 100mm machine gun. The traditional Gundam "V-fin" communications array that was mounted on the forehead was also done away with, opting instead to replace it with a more durable rabbit-ear communications antenna on the right side of its head. The Gundam Ez8's backpack design was unchanged, which still allowed it to mount mission packs and field equipment options.

Shiro Amada's Gundam Ez8 would continue to see service in the South-eastern Asian theatre during the One Year War, until it was destroyed during the battle to overtake Zeon's mountain facility where the completed Apsalus III was about to emerge.

First appear in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team OVA, design by Kunio Okawara.



RX-79Ez8 Gundam Ez8 Kai
Some of the SD Gundam G Generation games also include an upgraded version of Gundam Ez8, the RX-79Ez8 Gundam Ez8 Kai. This uncanonical variation first appeared in the alternate storyline of SD Gundam: G Generation Gather Beat. The Ez8 Kai is modified to allow it to be used in space combat and can be equipped with custom parts to become the RX-79Ez8/HAC Gundam Ez8 Heavy Armed Custom or the RX-79Ez8/HMC Gundam Ez8 High Mobility Custom. The HAC parts armed the Gundam Ez8 Heavy Armed Custom with two Salamis class cruiser beam cannons, while the HMC parts featured additional verniers to increase it's mobility. However, since Ez8 Kai is based on the original frame of Gundam Ez8, which was not designed to support such equipment packs, the HAC parts' mass increase reduced the Ez8 Kai's agility to where it could not fight effectively in close-combat, while HMC parts would use too much energy and force the Ez8 Kai to use the less-powerful beam spray gun II instead of its standard beam rifle.

RX-79BD Gundam "Blue Destiny" Series
While Zeon recognized the effectiveness of Newtypes in battle, they also realized that natural Newtypes were very rare. Zeon thus experimented with increasing the number of Newtype-class pilots in two ways:


 * Development of artificial Newtypes, which did not produce results until too late in the One Year War, and


 * Development of control systems that would allow regular pilots to operate at Newtype skill levels.

Zeon researcher Professor Chlust Morses, as part of the latter program, developed the EXAM system and then defected to the Federation, bringing the EXAM technology with him. The Federation immediately began their own EXAM program, code named Blue Destiny, to take advantage of this technology. RX-79BD-1 GM Blue Destiny Unit 1, RX-79BD-2 Gundam Blue Destiny Unit 2, and RX-79BD-3 Gundam Blue Destiny Unit 3 were built from RX-79[G] units, though the RX-79BD-1 used a GM head, rather than a standard Gundam head.

The stress that EXAM exerts on the pilot, however, limited any widespread adoption. EXAM lead researcher Alf Chamara went through several test pilots until he found the perfect candidate in Federation test pilot Yuu Kajima. Kajima spearheaded the California Base assault in the RX-79BD-1, where he confronted the Zeon MS-08TX(EXAM) Efreet Custom, an EXAM mobile suit piloted by Zeon ace Major Nimbus Schterzen in combat, resulting in the destruction of both the RX-79BD-1 and the MS-08TX(EXAM). Schterzen then stole the RX-79BD-2 and escaped to space, forcing Kajima to pursue him with the RX-79BD-3. The two EXAM units then clashed in space, resulting in Schterzen's defeat at the hands of Kajima, and the destruction of both the RX-79BD-2 and the RX-79BD-3.

First appear in Sega Saturn video game Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story THE BLUE DESTINY, design by Kunio Okawara.