MS-09R Rick Dom

Template:Infobox/Mobile Weapon Ver.2 The MS-09R Rick Dom (リック・ドム, Rikku Domu^?) is a mass production space combat mobile suit and variant of the MS-09B Dom. It was first featured in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam.

Technology & Combat Characteristics

A space use version of the MS-09B Dom, the MS-09R Rick Dom replaced the original's thermonuclear jets with thermonuclear rockets, and the propulsion units in the legs and skirt have been modified. By abolishing the compressor and expanding the combustion chambers, it achieves four times the thrust compared to thermonuclear jets. It can sustain a high acceleration of about 6G for 40 seconds and has propulsion capabilities nearly three times that of the Zaku II.

For combat, the Rick Dom relied on the same weapons and tactics as the ground use Dom. Its standard armament consists of a 360mm bazooka that can destroy an enemy mobile suit or heavily damage an enemy warship, a heat saber for close combat, and a chest-mounted scattering beam gun to blind enemy pilots and sensors. To increase its combat abilities, an experimental beam bazooka was developed and used by several Rick Doms, but unfortunately, it is never put into mass production.

Because of its bulkier build, a Musai-class could only carry two Rick Dom in its main hangar, as opposed to three of the smaller (but weaker) Zaku IIs.

Armaments

• Scattering Beam Gun

A chest mounted scattering beam gun. Does little damage to enemy mobile suits, but can be used to blind enemy pilots for several seconds.

• Heat Saber

The Rick Dom's main close combat weapon, it uses thermal energy to superheat its blade to melt through the armor of an enemy machine. It has an electrical discharge function and can store high charges via the application of Minovsky particle physics. As the heat saber degrades during use, it is discarded after usage.

• H&L-GB05R/360mm Giant Bazooka

A bazooka for MS that fires rocket-propelled 360mm physical rounds. Liquid fuel supplied through a pipe from the Rick Dom's hand is injected as a primary propellant, and then the projectile's speed is increased by rocket motor ignition. It is fed by a 10 rounds magazine, and a single round can blow the torso off of an enemy mobile suit.

• Ex-T2-2 Beam Bazooka

An experiment weapon developed near the end of the war and given to the Rick Dom. Its use requires the Rick Dom's energy systems to be modified. The bazooka has its own internal reactor, rather than an E-cap, and is, essentially, a Musai deck gun scaled down for mobile suit use. Due to using a reactor rather than an E-cap, the bazooka is capable of a single sustained blast or several short bursts, requiring a lengthy recharge period of approximately 10 minutes before it can be used again.

• 120mm Machine Gun

A standard weapon for Zaku type mobile suits. It is a shell firing gun that does not require energy to be used, however its effectiveness against heavy armor is very limited. It uses a 100-round drum magazine.

• MMP-80/90mm Ver.8 Machine Gun

An alternative to the 120mm Machine Gun. It used 90mm bullets instead of 120mm type, allowing for a greater firing speed and better penetration capabilities. The machine gun is fed by a 32 rounds magazine.

• H&L-SB25K/280mmA-P Zaku Bazooka

A bazooka originally developed for anti-ship use. It fired explosive rounds that were quite effective against the armor of Earth Federation battleships and MS.

• Shield Lance

A weapon used by Zabi's royal guards, as its name suggests, it is a lance with a shield attached to it. This allows the pilot to switch back and forth between offense and defense. The only downside of this weapon is its heavy weight, which reduces the Rick Dom's speed and mobility.

• Knuckle Shield

The knuckle shield is a modified Zaku II shoulder shield carried on the arm, with the curve of the armor fitting over the mobile suit's hand. One of the modifications is the additions of three spikes placed on the plate that rests in front of the hand. These spikes make the knuckle shield an effective bashing weapon.

• Sturm Faust

A simplified, disposable rocket launcher. As the warhead is not equipped with a guidance device, it is extremely hard to use the Sturm Faust to hit a moving target accurately. However, it is still a highly destructive portable weapon. Can be stored on waist armor.

• Heat Sword

A melee weapon originally developed for the Gouf line of mobile suits. Like the Zaku's heat tomahawk, the heat sword's blade is heated to high temperatures in order to increase its cutting capacity.

History

The Principality of Zeon sought to replace their line of MS-06 Zaku II mobile suits with more advanced machines late into the One Year War in order to break the stalemate by countering the Earth Federation's own mobile suit development. For its terrestrial war front the Zeon forces deployed the MS-09B Dom, a fast-moving heavy assault mobile suit that would serve as the successor of the MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type.

Because of the success of the ground use MS-09B Dom, its producer Zimmad began work on a space-use variant. To acquire the needed data, Zimmad modified an MS-06F Zaku II by replacing the standard legs with larger Dom-style legs equipped with rocket thrusters. This allowed the MS-06RD-4 Zaku High Mobility Test Type to maneuver as the new mobile suit was predicted to. Though destroyed in battle the test data was recovered and used to produce the MS-09R Rick Dom.

Major battles that Rick Dom mobile suits would participate in would include various skirmishes near Side 6 to destroy White Base and the RX-78-2 Gundam, the Battle of Solomon on December 25 where ace pilot Anavel Gato would use a Rick Dom and earn the nickname "Nightmare of Solomon."

Because the Principality of Zeon was pushed off the Earth shortly after the introduction of the MS-09B Dom its space-use variant had a longer production run, but even then it would last for only a few months as in the final weeks of the One Year War the Principality of Zeon would begin focusing their production capabilities to produce the high-performance MS-14 Gelgoog model mobile suit and its variants. However because of their dire situation all three major front-line mobile suit; the Zaku, the Rick Dom, and the Gelgoog would be used before the end of the war on January first of UC 0080.

An improved model of the Rick Dom, the MS-09R-2 Rick Dom II, was produced very late in the war as part of the United Maintenance Plan, which was an initiative to improve the performance of existing mobile suit models and standardize the parts used in their construction in order to improve the cost efficiency of both construction and maintenance.

Variants

• MS-09R-2 Rick Dom II
• MS-09R Rick Dom (Stutzer)
• MS-09RS Rick Dom Anavel Gato Custom
• MS-09RS Rick Dom C.A. Custom
• MS-09R Rick Dom Dozle Zabi Custom

Gallery

Izubuchi design

MS IGLOO: Apocalypse 0079 version

Rick Dom (Gihren Zabi's Royal Guards Unit) armed with Shield Lance

Head Unit

Body Unit

Arm Unit

Leg Unit

Heat Saber

H&L-GB05R/360mm giant bazooka

H&L-SB25K/280mmA-P Zaku Bazooka

Beam Bazooka

MMP-80/90mm Ver.8 Machine Gun

Sturm Faust

Knuckle shield

SD Rick Dom as featured in SD Gundam G Generation Wars

MS-09RS Rick Dom (Beam Bazooka Test Type) as featured in Gundam War card game

Rick Dom (Zeon Remnant Unit) as featured in Gundam War card game

A pair of Rick Doms prepare to launch (from Mobile Suit Gundam TV series)

Close-up of Rick Dom's torso and cockpit

Rick Dom in motion

Rick Dom armed with H&L-GB05R/360mm Giant Bazooka.

A destroyed Rick Dom, armed with 120mm Machine Gun

Rick Dom being struck by RGM-79 GM

Rick Dom armed with Beam Bazooka and Heat Saber as seen on Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Record: Avant-Title

Rick Dom as seen on Z Gundam TV series

Rick Dom as seen on Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight Axis- Red Blur

Rick Dom as seen on Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight Axis- Red Blur

Manga

Shin Matsunaga's Rick Dom with Heat Sword (from MSV-R: Rainbow's Shin Matsunaga)

A pair of Rick Doms escorting the Big Ruf (MSV-R: Rainbow's Shin Matsunaga)

Gunpla

1/144 Original MS-09R Rick Dom (1981): box art

1/144 Full Colour Model MS-09R Rick Dom (1988): box art

1/144 HGUC MS-09 Dom/MS-09R Rick Dom (2006): box art

1/100 MG MS-09R Rick Dom (1999): box art

1/60 HY2M Glorious MS-09R Rick Dom (2003): box art

Rick Dom (Zeon Remnant Unit) model conversion based on 1/144 HGUC MS-09R Rick Dom: modeled by Masayuki Okada (Dengeki Hobby)

Action Figures

Mobile Suit in Action (MSiA / MIA) MS-09R Rick Dom (2004): package front view.

High Complete Model Progressive (HCM-Pro) MS-09R Rick Dom (2004): package front view.

HCM-Pro) MS-09R Rick Dom (Re-issue New Marking Version; 2007): package front view.

Zeonography "MS-10 Pezun Dowadge / MS-09R Rick Dom" (2004): package front view.

Zeonography "MS-10 Pezun Dowadge" figure: sample product (left) with parts convertible to MS-09R Rick Dom figure (right)

Notes and Trivia

• The "Rick" in its name stands for space-use. The Rick Dom would begin the tradition of space-use mobile suits being prefixed with "Rick".
• In SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online, the Rick Dom is given its Beam Bazooka and shares the same melee and secondary weapon as  the normal Dom.

References

Rick Dom: information from 1/144 Full Color Model MS-R09 Rick Dom modelling manual (1988)

See Also

• MS-09R Rick Dom (Thunderbolt Ver.)

External links

• MS-09R Rick Dom on MAHQ.net