| “ | "Magnificent. It's a superb mobile suit." "I think so, too, sir." |
” |
—Anavel Gato and Kou Uraki, while the former was disguised as a Federation officer | ||
The RX-78GP02A Gundam "Physalis" (aka "Physalis", GP02A) is the second of four mobile suits in the Gundam Development Project featured in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. Originally belonging to Earth Federation, it was stolen and piloted by Delaz Fleet's ace pilot, Anavel Gato.
Technology & Combat Characteristics[]
The Gundam "Physalis" was initially supposed to be an assault-use, heavy mobile suit similar to the Principality of Zeon's Dom series. This was eventually dropped and replaced by the goal of being the most powerful MS to date. Inadvertently, this led to the Physalis being armed with the most deadly weapon available, a nuclear warhead. The second research division of Anaheim Electronics in charge of developing the Physalis was mainly comprised of former Zeon engineers, so Zeon-based technology is strongly incorporated into the mobile suit.
Due to the jamming effects of Minovsky particles, guided precision nuclear weapons were rendered unusable and because of this, strategic nuclear warheads that served as a deterrent and as a means of retaliation were useless. Thus, the only viable choice is a tactical nuclear warhead meant for use in combat situations with friendly forces nearby and tend to have a lower explosive power than the strategic nuclear warheads. However, this is not always the case, as the Mk-82 warhead used by Physalis has an explosive power comparable to a strategic nuclear warhead despite its tactical classification.
The Physalis uses an atomic bazooka to launch the Mk-82 warhead, but due to the bazooka's relatively short firing range, the mobile suit's armor was designed to be both heat and shock resistant to protect itself from the nuclear blast. Similarly, to ensure the pilot's safety when the Physalis operates near the blast area, its cockpit was designed to be more impact resistance and with higher pilot survivability than normal mobile suit's. Instead of a Core Block System, the Physalis utilized a spherical cockpit block that was first proposed at the end of the One Year War, and it is protected by multiple layers of composite armor and cushioning material.
The cockpit itself is also filled with powerful neutron moderators to better protect the pilot from the harmful effects of being near the blast area. In case of emergency, the cockpit can be ejected with explosive bolts. The Physalis also carried a large shield that contains a powerful cooling system. This shield also stores the barrel of the bazooka when the weapon is not in use. Other weapons of the Physalis included two head-mounted Vulcan guns and two beam sabers stored in the side skirt armor.
Despite its bulky appearance, the Physalis is highly maneuverable and can hover when operating under gravity. This is thanks to the newly developed high-output generators installed in the mobile suit, as well as the pair of 'Flexible Thruster Binders' mounted on the shoulders that house multiple thrusters. Overall, the Physalis is a powerful mobile suit even without its nuclear weapon. It was also rumored to be designed to work in tandem with its brother unit, the RX-78GP01 Gundam "Zephyranthes".
While nuclear weapons were abhorred due to their destructive effects, the leaders of the Earth Federation Forces viewed them as a necessary evil to maintain its superiority in the post-One Year War period. In fact, the Principality of Zeon had deployed or attempted to deploy nuclear weapons on multiple occasions during the war, even after the signing of the Antarctic Treaty. Furthermore, the Antarctic Treaty only prohibited the "use" of nuclear weapons as opposed to the "development" and "storage" of them. Thus, the Physalis was technically not a violation of the treaty.
There were also some that viewed the Antarctic Treaty as a wartime treaty that was defunct in the post-war period, but there were others that thought differently. Aiguille Delaz of the Delaz Fleet, a Principality of Zeon remnant group that eventually stole the Physalis, was an example, albeit a radical one. He considered the treaty still in effect as he did not recognize the peace treaty signed at the end of the One Year War. He then used this supposed violation by the Earth Federation Forces to rationalize the capture and use of the Physalis and its nuclear weapon.
Armaments[]
- 60mm Vulcan Gun
- A pair of shell-firing armament built into the head. Low offensive power, only used to restrict enemy movement, and lay down a wall of suppressive fire due to their rapid fire capability.
- A.E.Blash AEXB-909L Beam Saber
- An improved beam saber model developed for heavy mobile suits, a pair of them are stored in Physalis' side skirt armor. The magnetic field shaping its beam blade was thinner than previous models, but due to its prototype nature, its output and magnetic field intensity can be adjusted.
- AE/ZIM.G-BAZ-0186-A Atomic Bazooka
- The primary weapon of the Physalis, it can load a single Mk-82 nuclear warhead that is carried separately in the backpack. Although the bazooka only had a single shot, its effect is not to be underestimated, as demonstrated when Anavel Gato used it to destroy two-thirds of the Earth Federation Forces fleet gathered for the Naval Review at Confeito. The nuclear warhead must be used carefully, for even the Physalis' armor and cooling system can only protect the mobile suit from the edges of a nuclear explosion. The Atomic Bazooka is a two-piece system. The warhead is loaded into the rear end, which is mounted on a swivel located on the back of the Physalis' right shoulder, while the barrel of the bazooka is stored in its shield. The two halves of the bazooka lock together when used to fire the nuclear warhead, and the entire weapon can be jettisoned after use.
- Mk-82 Nuclear Warhead Rocket
- A type of nuclear warhead called a "self-restraining thermonuclear bomb," which explodes while retaining the degenerate layer of Minovsky particles it contains, creating a fireball of ultra-high temperature and enormous neutron radiation that lasts for several seconds.
- NR-Sh-02-RX/S-00013 Shield
- The Gundam Physalis is equipped with a specialized shield. This large shield is not only a defensive measure against physical and beam attacks, it also protects the Physalis from the heat and shock of a nuclear explosion. It also features a powerful liquid nitrogen cooling system to cool the mobile suit, and is where the Atomic Bazooka's barrel is stored when the weapon is not in use. Thus, damage to the shield can hinder the Physalis' ability to launch a nuclear attack. Also, since the shield's protective range does not extend to the legs, the legs are equipped with equivalent armor and cooling functions.
- Beam Javelin
- In the manga, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Rebellion, Gato's Gundam GP02A utilized this weapon from a defeated RGM-79V GM Night Seeker. It is a spear-like weapon with several beam blades at the top. Due to its long handle, the beam javelin has a long reach, providing a considerable advantage in close quarters combat. It can also be used as a throwing weapon.
- 135mm Anti-Ship Rifle
- Developed in the early phase of One Year War, the long-barreled 135mm anti-ship rifle is used by various Zeon mobile suits for long-range sniping attack against Federation's warships. It fires highly accurate solid rounds which can heavily damage the Federation's Salamis-class cruiser. During the events in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Mayfly of Space 2, Gato's Gundam Physalis is armed with this weapon.
History[]
In UC 0083, the Pegasus-class assault carrier MSC-07 Albion collected both the RX-78GP01 Gundam "Zephyranthes" and the RX-78GP02A Gundam "Physalis", and shipped them to the Earth Federation's Torrington Base in Australia for terrestrial testing. Thanks to the help of a Delaz Fleet supporter in Anaheim Electronics, former Zeon ace pilot Anavel Gato a.k.a The Nightmare of Solomon managed to sneak aboard the Albion and stole the Physalis after a nuclear missile from the Torrington Base's stockpile had been loaded into it. Taking advantage of a long range missile bombardment initiated by his teammates, followed by a blitzkrieg attack by a pair of MS-09F/trop Dom Tropens, Gato in the Physalis began making his getaway, but not before being confronted by Ensign Kou Uraki in the Zephyranthes. The two engaged in a beam saber battle but Kou was overwhelmed when he discovered he was battling the "Nightmare of Solomon".
As Gato made his escape with the Physalis, he set out to rendezvous with a Komusai II shuttle so that he could get the Physalis into space. However, the shuttle was destroyed when Kou's Zephyranthes attacked with a machine gun, but the Physalis escaped undamaged. With the loss of the Komusai II, Gato and his team were forced to go to their backup plan, and headed straight for the coast to rendezvous with the U-801, a refit Jukon-class submarine.
In order to ensure success in their mission, the Zeon team set up an ambush to destroy the pursuing Earth Federation Forces mobile suits in the mist shrouded rocks by the shore. However, the enemy had expected this and managed to turn the tables, destroying the Physalis's two escort machines. Gato and the Physalis ended up getting into another beam saber duel with Kou and the Zephyranthes. With Gato's skill, the Physalis quickly overpowered its brother unit, however the Gundams' designer, Nina Purpleton, arrived and advised Kou to thrust the beam saber into the Physalis's shield, which damaged the Physalis's cooling system. With little choice, Gato escaped with the Physalis on a mobile suit transport hovercraft.
Gato took the Physalis to the Kimberlite Base in eastern Africa where Zeon remnant forces gave Gato an old H.L.V. to take the Physalis into space. During the launch, the Kimberlite Base's mobile suit forces fought with the mobile suits of the Albion to buy Gato time. As the H.L.V. was taking off, the Albion fired its main guns, nearly hitting it, but the H.L.V. escaped into space.
In space, Gato returned to the Delaz Fleet, bringing the Physalis to their secret base. The mobile suit was then used as a propaganda tool on an Earth Sphere-wide broadcast speech made by Admiral Delaz. Delaz called the Earth Federation hypocritical and underhanded for creating a mobile suit capable of deploying nuclear weapons despite it being in violation to the Antarctic Treaty.
After making their intentions clear with the speech broadcast, the Delaz Fleet headed to Konpei Island, with the Physalis serving as a key component to their battle plan. Knowing that they could not win in a head on battle, Delaz intended to make use of the Physalis's nuke. Using the Physalis's high speed and agility, Gato slipped through a debris field left after the One Year War, and then through Earth Federation defenses on the edge of the Naval Review. Once in position, Gato fired the nuclear weapon, destroying or disabling two-thirds of the gathered Earth Federation space fleet at the Naval Review.
As Gato made his escape, he and the Physalis once again faced Kou who was piloting the upgraded RX-78GP01-Fb Gundam Full Burnern "Zephyranthes". The two pilots and machines engaged in an intense battle, this time with Kou matching Gato evenly thanks to his new found experience and more powerful Gundam. The battle eventually ended in the mutual destruction of both machines, though both pilots survived.
The data of the Physalis was later used to produce the Axis mobile suit AMX-017 Gigantic, another tactical-nuke using mobile suit.
A refurbished unit appears in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Define, fitted with the latest parts from Anaheim Electronics. Kylie Johnson of Club Works recommends it as a candidate for the base model of a new MS for the AEUG (introducing it as a successor to the Dom MS), and Captain Quattro Bajeena is the test pilot, but he points out its maneuverability problems due to its old basic design.
Variants[]
Gallery[]
Lineart[]
_head.jpg "RX-78GP02A(GUNDAM GP02A) head.jpg (293 KB)")
Anime[]
.png "Gundam \"Physalis\" Beam Saber Stored 01 (0083 Ep1).png (3.58 MB)")
.png "Gundam Unit 1 & Unit 2 Destroyed 01 (0083 Ep10).png (5.28 MB)")
Manga[]
Illustrations & Artwork[]
_-_MS_Girl.jpg "RX-78GP02A - Gundam (Physalis) - MS Girl.jpg (214 KB)")
Games[]
.png "RX-78GP02A Gundam GP02 (Gundam Versus).png (151 KB)")
Gunpla[]
![1/100 MG "RX-78GP02A Gundam GP02A [Coating Version]" (Limited Gundam 20th Anniversary edition; 2000): box art](/wiki/File:Gunpla_MG_ltd_GundamGP02A-Coating_box.jpg "Gunpla MG ltd GundamGP02A-Coating box.jpg (558 KB)")
_GP02A_Front.jpg "SDG (BB Senshi) GP02A Front.jpg (87 KB)")
_GP02A_Back.jpg "SDG (BB Senshi) GP02A Back.jpg (87 KB)")
Action Figures[]
Gashapon[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The "Physalis" appears in episode 5 of Gundam Build Fighters, where its color scheme is similar to the Trial Version in the Anaheim Journal.
- The GP02A's anti-ship rifle in Mayfly of Space 2 was the exact same model as the one seen in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin.
- Some materials depict the Physalis with a Zeon symbol painted on the lower half of its shield, although this did not appear in Stardust Memory.
- According to the Language of Flowers, "Physalis" means "falsehood". This would fit with the Delaz Fleet's belief that the Zeon's War of Independence never ended, that the construction of the GP-02A was against the Antarctic Treaty and that the Earth Federation was being a hypocrite for building such a machine.
- In the game Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space, the Gundam "Physalis"'s Atomic Bazooka also doubles as a Beam Bazooka, with the nuclear warhead as its single-use special attack.
- The seizure of the GP02A is a common level in the Super Robot Wars series, often with other forces besides Zeon and Anavel Gato attempting to capture it if the 0083 story is not the primary focus.
- In the SRW Alpha series, Gato attempts to successfully capture the GP02A. In Alpha Gaiden, the Moonrace forces under Gym Ghingham's command attempt to seize it for their own purposes. In Alpha 2, Yazan Gable attempts to do so for similar reasons.
- In various video games, the GP02A is given other weapons or attacks to enhance its usage outside of just the Atomic Bazooka. For instance, in Gundam Battle Assault and its sequel, the GP02A can fire regular bazooka shells (though designed like the warhead) and attack with its shield, while in Super Robot Wars Compact for Wonderswan Color, the GP02A is given the GP01's beam rifle instead.
- In SD Gundam Neo Battling, the "Physalis" is referred to as "Atomic Gundam".
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