Pilot - Amuro Ray, Sayla Mass, Ryu Jose
Registry Number - RX-78-2
Height - 18.5 Meters
Weight - 60.0 Tons
Material - Luna Titanium Alloy
Creator - Earth Federation "Operation V"
Deployed - UC 0078
Weapons -
60mm Vulcan Gun x 2
Beam Saber x 2
Beam Rifle x 1
380mm Hyper Bazooka
Beam Javelin x 1
Gundam Hammer x 1
Gundam Hyper Hammer x 1
Shield x 1
UC 0078-0079
The Gundam was the third Mobile Suit created by the Earth Federation after hearing rumors of the advanced Mobile Suit technology the Principality of Zeon was designing. Created in UC 0078, it was part of "Operation V" and was the third in a group of three prototype Mobile Suits. The Gundam was quite superior to the RX-75-4 Guntank and RX-77-2 Guncannon. The Gundam, with the right equipment, was able to launch long-range, mid-range and short-range attacks against Zeon enemy Mobile Suits. As with the Guntank and Guncannon, the Gundam used the Core Block system, which allowed the pilot a means of escape as well as defense should anything happen to the Gundam. Using that technology, the Gundam was able to complete mid-air dockings which allowed the Gundam to enter into combat quickly. In UC 0079, the Gundam was being tested in Side 7 where it was scheduled to be collected by the Federation vessel White Base. During the transfer, Side 7 was attacked by the Zeon and only one Gundam prototype survived. This remaining prototype, along with the other surviving Guntank and Gundam prototypes, was salvaged by the White Base. Amuro Ray, a Newtype, became the pilot of Gundam and gradually mastered the Gundam in combat. The Gundam participated in almost all of White Base's battles and can be credited as having saved the ship from destruction on a few occasions. Due to Amuro's advanced Newtype skills, the Gundam was unable to keep up with his quick reflexes and had to be fitted with a magnetic coating to reduce the friction created by the movement of the joints. In the final battle of the One Year War, Gundam fought against Char in the MSN-02 Zeong. After destroying everything but Zeong's head section, Gundam entered the fortress of A Baoa Qu where it was finally destroyed. All that remained was the Core Block, which saved Amuro's life and allowed him to escape before A Baoa Qu was completely destroyed. Gundam, with the skills of Amuro Ray, was the instrument that turned the tide of the war in favor of the Earth Federation. From the end of the One Year War, Gundam became the single most famous Mobile Suit in history.
Note: The "Rollout Colors" version of the Gundam shown here was originally what the RX-78-2 Gundam was to look like. Yoshiyuki Tomino (the creator of Gundam) based the Gundam's design on the Stormtrooper from Star Wars and wanted the color scheme to be similar as well. However, he was pressured to adopt a more colorful paint scheme so that the line of Model Kits that was to be produced could use the new color injected plastics. Personally, I would have liked the original color scheme and believe he should have changed it when the Gundam Movie Trilogy was released.
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