Gundam Development Project
Encyclopedia
The following are a list of mobile weapons that appeared in the Japanese OVA series Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
, which is part of the Gundam franchise, as well as related media.
came to an end. This was a relief on both sides, because the long war had drained resources and lives. During the postwar reconstruction effort, the Federation began to scale back funding in an effort to regain lost revenue while fighting the war. But the military argued that they should be exempt from the budget cuts, because there were still remnants of the Principality of Zeon unaccounted for. The Federation agreed, and in October UC 0081 passed the Federal Forces Reconstruction Plan in an effort to get the military back into shape. One week later, the Gundam Development Project was secretly started as part of the Reconstruction Plan.
During the One Year War, the Federal Forces had been forced to make do with any company willing and able to develop mobile suits for use against the Zeon, but under the supervision of the Admiralty, the production of mobile suits for the Federation was limited to Anaheim Electronics. The Reconstruction Plan rolled out the Birmingham-class battleship, the refitted Salamis-class cruisers, and the refitted Magellan Kai-class battleships, but it was the Gundam type mobile suits that were to be the center of attention. The Federation was so impressed with Anaheim Electronics that they remained the primary supplier of Federation mobile suits even after the Gryps Conflict where Anaheim was believed to have sided with the AEUG.
In Phantom Bullet it says:
"Destroyed in a combat against Zeon forces Xamel team."
In Dengeki Hobby Magazine "Gundam Secret Weapons", it says:
"Caught in the collapsing wreckage of an abandoned ship."
In Gundam Wars card commercial appeared in Dengeki Hobby magazine, it says:
"Due to all the equipment, the balance of the machine is lost and self-destructed on the test run."
No evidence points to one explanation being more accurate than the others. However, a combined story might have been:
"During a test run, GP00 encountered Zeon forces and was forced into battle (just like GP03 in Gundam Evolve 4). While battling Zeon forces, due to all the equipment, the balance of the machine was lost. After losing control, the machine crashed into the collapsing wreckage of an abandoned ship (which was abandoned due to the battle) and is destroyed."
However, the most important part is "It was destroyed due to an unbalanced design"
Thus leading the project team on separating the features into different units, which is the 01~04.
This unit never appeared in 0083. Originally appeared in ファントムブレット (Phantom Bullet), which is supervised by Sunrise. Later it reappeared in Gundam War commercials in Dengeki Hobby magazine to demonstrate the unit card function. The card number on the card was taken away.
The appearance of this unit in The Encyclopedia of Gundam Ver. 1.5 confirmed the official status.
was the first of three Gundam type mobile suit prototypes completed under this plan.
The RX-78GP01 was designed to be an adaptable mobile suit, able to operate under any condition on Earth or in space; to that end its design is superficially similar to the other RX series Gundams. Unlike previous suits, this was one of the first to re-introduce the core fighter concept in its design, utilizing the recently developed FF-XII Core Fighter II as the cockpit. The RX-78GP01 was taken to Australia
's Torrington Base for terrestrial testing, where it was commandeered by (and later assigned to) Federation ENS (later LTJG) Kou Uraki in his effort to retrieve the RX-78GP02A.
One major innovation in the RX-78GP01's arsenal was the addition of a beam rifle that used removable energy capacitor clips called e-pacs. Previous beam rifle designs had the energy capacitor integrated into the rifle directly, resulting in the rifle becoming dead weight once the capacitor was depleted. With e-pacs, beam rifles can be used indefinitely as long as the pilot has a ready supply of replacement e-pacs. The RX-78GP01 has three e-pacs (one mounted on the rifle, two held in reserve on the shield) in its normal deployment configuration.
The RX-78GP01 was said to be designed to operate both on Earth and in space; however, in order to be effective the unit must be reconfigured for each environment. After suffering heavy damage while en route to Von Braun, the Gundam was retooled into the RX-78GP01Fb Gundam Full Vernian Zephyranthes at the Anaheim Electronics facility on the Moon. The Full Vernian unit differed from the regular unit in a couple of ways. First, it had a set of Universal Boost Pods mounted behind the shoulder for better maneuverability. Secondly, the Core Fighter II's wings were removed and replaced with additional fuel units - the Universal Boost Pods replaced the wings on the Core Fighter II.
This version was a formidable opponent in space. The Full Vernian boasted increased maneuverability and a wide range of weapons that the unit could utilize, which made it a high priority for the Zeon movement to find and destroy. This unit was destroyed at the Naval Review in 0083 after an intense fight against Anavel Gato and the stolen RX-78GP02A.
was designed to counter developments of Zeon mobile suits armed with nuclear weapons. The Physalis' flight system consists of thruster packs that extend from the shoulders. It is armed with beam sabers and a bazooka that fires a MK-82 warhead hidden in a canister on the back of the mobile suit. The GP02's shield is just as tall as the mobile suit and has a wider area to help protect the mobile suit from the shock wave and radiation from nuclear blasts. It also contains the bazooka's barrel, which can be removed and linked up with the warhead canister prior to firing.
The Physalis first appears in the episode "Gundamjack," when it is sent along with the GP01 Zephyranthes for testing at Torrington Base in Australia. Zeon officer Anavel Gato infiltrates the base and escapes with the mobile suit, which sets off much of the plot in the first half of the series. It is later revealed that the hijack was part of a plan to destroy the Federation forces at Konpei Island in the episode "The Nightmare of Solomon." When Kou tracks him down after the attack in the following episode, both of their mobile suits suffer severe damage and destroyed.
After being alerted to its existence in the episode "Colliding War Zones," the Albion crew proceed to get it in the following episode despite interference from a Federation officer who informs them that the GDP was suspended. Pilot Kou Uraki uses the GP03 to boost the Albion's efforts to stop Operation Stardust and defeat main antagonist Anavel Gato. However, Gato's resilience results in the destruction of the Orchis I-field generator and the Solar System blast in the episode "A Storm Raging Through" renders the mobile armor unusable.
was designed as a special high-speed assault mobile suit, being equipped with a pair of "stürm booster" thrusters added on to increase top speed and range. However, the project was cancelled because of cost considerations regarding it having the same role as the RX-78GP01Fb. Anaheim Electronics was left with a half-completed prototype, which the company's former Zeon engineers later acquired and completed as the AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra. The Gerbera Tetra makes its only appearance in the episode "A Storm Raging Through" as Cima Garahau's personal machine. It is destroyed when the Dendrobium Orchis impales it with its mega particle cannon.
mobile suit made famous by fighting alongside the original Gundam.
The GM Cannon II is also heavier armed than its predecessors. It is equipped with two shoulder-mounted beam cannons, unlike the Guncannon, and can carry a 90mm machine gun as well as a beam saber for close combat. It also includes two 60mm vulcan guns mounted in the head, but these are usually strictly last-resort weapons. To power these strong weapons the GM Cannon II has a stronger reactor. It is also very heavily armored, featuring Chobham armour
based on the same design as the Gundam NT-1 "Alex". However, it suffers for this durability, sacrificing speed and mobility. A GM Cannon II on its own has been shown to not be able to fend for itself due to opponents being able to outmaneuver it, unless its opponent also lacks speed, though this is usually due to pilot inexperience with the enhanced machine.
Although it isn't known how many GM Cannon II models were produced, it is known that two units were stationed on the Albion and used during Operation Stardust in UC 0083.
The GM Cannon II was later deployed by the AEUG during the Gryps Conflict. These units were painted forest green on gray with an orange visor.
It is equipped with multiple missile launchers, mega particle cannons, two detachable claw arms (plus four non-detachable ones), and a set of anti-beam I-field generators.
The Neue Ziel first appears in the episode La Vie En Rose, when series antagonist Anavel Gato rendezvous with the Axis Advance Fleet and gives the mobile armor to him as a gesture of goodwill from the Axis leadership. Over the next two episodes, Gato uses the mobile armor to devastating effect as he and the Delaz Fleet try to see Operation Stardust through. Heavily damaged following the Solar System II's blast in the last episode, "A Storm Raging Through," Gato pilots the Neue Ziel into a last attack on the Federation fleet and makes a kamikaze run into a Federation Salamis-class cruiser.
Upgraded Dra-Cs would later appear as part of the Sleeves' arsenal in Gundam Unicorn.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
is a 13-episode anime OVA series set in the Gundam universe. The first volume containing two 30-minute episodes was released in Japan on May 23, 1991. Subsequent volumes, containing one 30-minute episode each, followed every one or two months; the final volume went on sale on September 24, 1992...
, which is part of the Gundam franchise, as well as related media.
History of the Gundam Development Project models
As described in the Gundam Officials, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory and MS encyclopedia, on January 1, UC 0080, the One Year WarOne Year War
The is a fictional conflict from the Universal Century timeline of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam metaseries. The One Year War is very similar to World War II, the major difference being that The One Year War is in a science fiction setting and some major battles occurred in space...
came to an end. This was a relief on both sides, because the long war had drained resources and lives. During the postwar reconstruction effort, the Federation began to scale back funding in an effort to regain lost revenue while fighting the war. But the military argued that they should be exempt from the budget cuts, because there were still remnants of the Principality of Zeon unaccounted for. The Federation agreed, and in October UC 0081 passed the Federal Forces Reconstruction Plan in an effort to get the military back into shape. One week later, the Gundam Development Project was secretly started as part of the Reconstruction Plan.
During the One Year War, the Federal Forces had been forced to make do with any company willing and able to develop mobile suits for use against the Zeon, but under the supervision of the Admiralty, the production of mobile suits for the Federation was limited to Anaheim Electronics. The Reconstruction Plan rolled out the Birmingham-class battleship, the refitted Salamis-class cruisers, and the refitted Magellan Kai-class battleships, but it was the Gundam type mobile suits that were to be the center of attention. The Federation was so impressed with Anaheim Electronics that they remained the primary supplier of Federation mobile suits even after the Gryps Conflict where Anaheim was believed to have sided with the AEUG.
RX-78GP00 Blossom
GP00 is said to be a model tested before 01~04 was designed and was the first of the Gundam-development Project series. This model was to be designed to contain all the special features and concepts of the GP series (and therefore if this one had actually succeeded, all the other four would not have been designed.). However, the configuration shown here as the primary test run only contains a mega beam rifle, a multi-sensor and a core fighter. The machine was destroyed, but it is disputed as to exactly how.In Phantom Bullet it says:
"Destroyed in a combat against Zeon forces Xamel team."
In Dengeki Hobby Magazine "Gundam Secret Weapons", it says:
"Caught in the collapsing wreckage of an abandoned ship."
In Gundam Wars card commercial appeared in Dengeki Hobby magazine, it says:
"Due to all the equipment, the balance of the machine is lost and self-destructed on the test run."
No evidence points to one explanation being more accurate than the others. However, a combined story might have been:
"During a test run, GP00 encountered Zeon forces and was forced into battle (just like GP03 in Gundam Evolve 4). While battling Zeon forces, due to all the equipment, the balance of the machine was lost. After losing control, the machine crashed into the collapsing wreckage of an abandoned ship (which was abandoned due to the battle) and is destroyed."
However, the most important part is "It was destroyed due to an unbalanced design"
Thus leading the project team on separating the features into different units, which is the 01~04.
This unit never appeared in 0083. Originally appeared in ファントムブレット (Phantom Bullet), which is supervised by Sunrise. Later it reappeared in Gundam War commercials in Dengeki Hobby magazine to demonstrate the unit card function. The card number on the card was taken away.
The appearance of this unit in The Encyclopedia of Gundam Ver. 1.5 confirmed the official status.
RX-78GP01 Gundam "Zephyranthes"
As described in the MG model manual and MS encyclopedia, at the conclusion of the One Year War, the Federation opened the Gundam Development Project, aimed at creating mobile suits superior to those that Zeon had developed. The RX-78GP01 Gundam ZephyranthesZephyranthes
Zephyranthes is a genus of 71 species in the Amaryllis family . There are numerous hybrids and cultivars. Common names for species in this genus include fairy lily, rainflower, zephyr lily, magic lily, Atamasco lily, and rain lily.The name is derived from Ζέφυρος , the Greek god of the west...
was the first of three Gundam type mobile suit prototypes completed under this plan.
The RX-78GP01 was designed to be an adaptable mobile suit, able to operate under any condition on Earth or in space; to that end its design is superficially similar to the other RX series Gundams. Unlike previous suits, this was one of the first to re-introduce the core fighter concept in its design, utilizing the recently developed FF-XII Core Fighter II as the cockpit. The RX-78GP01 was taken to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Torrington Base for terrestrial testing, where it was commandeered by (and later assigned to) Federation ENS (later LTJG) Kou Uraki in his effort to retrieve the RX-78GP02A.
One major innovation in the RX-78GP01's arsenal was the addition of a beam rifle that used removable energy capacitor clips called e-pacs. Previous beam rifle designs had the energy capacitor integrated into the rifle directly, resulting in the rifle becoming dead weight once the capacitor was depleted. With e-pacs, beam rifles can be used indefinitely as long as the pilot has a ready supply of replacement e-pacs. The RX-78GP01 has three e-pacs (one mounted on the rifle, two held in reserve on the shield) in its normal deployment configuration.
RX-78GP01Fb Gundam Full Vernian "Zephyranthes"
The RX-78GP01 was said to be designed to operate both on Earth and in space; however, in order to be effective the unit must be reconfigured for each environment. After suffering heavy damage while en route to Von Braun, the Gundam was retooled into the RX-78GP01Fb Gundam Full Vernian Zephyranthes at the Anaheim Electronics facility on the Moon. The Full Vernian unit differed from the regular unit in a couple of ways. First, it had a set of Universal Boost Pods mounted behind the shoulder for better maneuverability. Secondly, the Core Fighter II's wings were removed and replaced with additional fuel units - the Universal Boost Pods replaced the wings on the Core Fighter II.
This version was a formidable opponent in space. The Full Vernian boasted increased maneuverability and a wide range of weapons that the unit could utilize, which made it a high priority for the Zeon movement to find and destroy. This unit was destroyed at the Naval Review in 0083 after an intense fight against Anavel Gato and the stolen RX-78GP02A.
RX-78GP02A Gundam "Physalis"
The only mobile suit in the UC timeline to have a nuclear strike capability, the GP02A PhysalisPhysalis
Physalis is a genus of plants in the nightshade family , native to warm temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world. The genus is characterised by the small orange fruit similar in size, shape and structure to a small tomato, but partly or fully enclosed in a large papery husk derived...
was designed to counter developments of Zeon mobile suits armed with nuclear weapons. The Physalis' flight system consists of thruster packs that extend from the shoulders. It is armed with beam sabers and a bazooka that fires a MK-82 warhead hidden in a canister on the back of the mobile suit. The GP02's shield is just as tall as the mobile suit and has a wider area to help protect the mobile suit from the shock wave and radiation from nuclear blasts. It also contains the bazooka's barrel, which can be removed and linked up with the warhead canister prior to firing.
The Physalis first appears in the episode "Gundamjack," when it is sent along with the GP01 Zephyranthes for testing at Torrington Base in Australia. Zeon officer Anavel Gato infiltrates the base and escapes with the mobile suit, which sets off much of the plot in the first half of the series. It is later revealed that the hijack was part of a plan to destroy the Federation forces at Konpei Island in the episode "The Nightmare of Solomon." When Kou tracks him down after the attack in the following episode, both of their mobile suits suffer severe damage and destroyed.
RX-78GP03 Gundam "Dendrobium Orchis"
First appearing in the episode "La Vie En Rose," the Dendrobium Orchis was conceptualized as a special unit designed for large-scale defensive space operations as a result of Federation interest in the deployment of Zeon mobile armors during the One-Year War. It comprises two units:- Orchis
- The mobile armor portion of the GP03, the Orchis is the unit's main combat system. The mobile armor has two weapon racks that have a total of 16 large canisters, which can contain micromissiles or replacement weapons. It's main armament is a mega beam cannon on the right side of the unit and the entire system is protected by an I-field generator on its port side.
- RX-78GP03S Dendrobium Stamen
- Located in the "cockpit" portion of the Orchis, the GP03S is a mobile suit that controlled the entire mobile armor. The head vulcans present in the other two GDP units were not installed in the Stamen and replaced by advanced sensor units to complement the omnidirectional linear seat system in the cockpit. The machine also has two tail binders attached to its hips to help with maneuverability and waldoRemote manipulatorA remote manipulator, also known as a telefactor, telemanipulator, or waldo , is a device which, through electronic, hydraulic, or mechanical linkages, allows a hand-like mechanism to be controlled by a human operator...
arms to pick up weapons from the Orchis containers. The Stamen can also function as an independent combat unit by ejecting from the Orchis in case the mobile armor is damaged beyond repair.
After being alerted to its existence in the episode "Colliding War Zones," the Albion crew proceed to get it in the following episode despite interference from a Federation officer who informs them that the GDP was suspended. Pilot Kou Uraki uses the GP03 to boost the Albion's efforts to stop Operation Stardust and defeat main antagonist Anavel Gato. However, Gato's resilience results in the destruction of the Orchis I-field generator and the Solar System blast in the episode "A Storm Raging Through" renders the mobile armor unusable.
RX-78GP04G Gundam Gerbera
Although it does not appear in the series itself, the RX-78GP04G Gundam GerberaGerbera
Gerbera L. is a genus of ornamental plants from the sunflower family . It was named in honour of the German botanist and naturalist Traugott Gerber who travelled extensively in Russia and was a friend of Carolus Linnaeus....
was designed as a special high-speed assault mobile suit, being equipped with a pair of "stürm booster" thrusters added on to increase top speed and range. However, the project was cancelled because of cost considerations regarding it having the same role as the RX-78GP01Fb. Anaheim Electronics was left with a half-completed prototype, which the company's former Zeon engineers later acquired and completed as the AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra. The Gerbera Tetra makes its only appearance in the episode "A Storm Raging Through" as Cima Garahau's personal machine. It is destroyed when the Dendrobium Orchis impales it with its mega particle cannon.
GM Cannon II
The RGC-83 GM Cannon II is a heavy-duty support type mobile suit designed to provide covering fire for its teammates. While it is the second version of the UC 0079 RGC-80 GM Cannon, it more closely resembles the RX-77 GuncannonRX-77 Guncannon
The RX-77 Guncannon is a fictional mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam anime series, originally designed and illustrated by Kunio Okawara. One of earliest mecha designs in the Real Robot genre, Guncannon's concept of a heavily armored humanoid machine with dual shoulder cannon became the...
mobile suit made famous by fighting alongside the original Gundam.
The GM Cannon II is also heavier armed than its predecessors. It is equipped with two shoulder-mounted beam cannons, unlike the Guncannon, and can carry a 90mm machine gun as well as a beam saber for close combat. It also includes two 60mm vulcan guns mounted in the head, but these are usually strictly last-resort weapons. To power these strong weapons the GM Cannon II has a stronger reactor. It is also very heavily armored, featuring Chobham armour
Chobham armour
Chobham armour is the name informally given to a composite armour developed in the 1960s at the British tank research centre on Chobham Common, Surrey, England...
based on the same design as the Gundam NT-1 "Alex". However, it suffers for this durability, sacrificing speed and mobility. A GM Cannon II on its own has been shown to not be able to fend for itself due to opponents being able to outmaneuver it, unless its opponent also lacks speed, though this is usually due to pilot inexperience with the enhanced machine.
Although it isn't known how many GM Cannon II models were produced, it is known that two units were stationed on the Albion and used during Operation Stardust in UC 0083.
The GM Cannon II was later deployed by the AEUG during the Gryps Conflict. These units were painted forest green on gray with an orange visor.
AMA-002 Neue Ziel (New Goal)
The AMA-002 Neue Ziel (also called the AMA-X2 or AMX-002 Neue Ziel) is Mobile Armour developed by Axis engineers out of a mobile suit Char Aznable used in the first Battle of Axis (depicted in the manga Char's Deleted Affair).It is equipped with multiple missile launchers, mega particle cannons, two detachable claw arms (plus four non-detachable ones), and a set of anti-beam I-field generators.
The Neue Ziel first appears in the episode La Vie En Rose, when series antagonist Anavel Gato rendezvous with the Axis Advance Fleet and gives the mobile armor to him as a gesture of goodwill from the Axis leadership. Over the next two episodes, Gato uses the mobile armor to devastating effect as he and the Delaz Fleet try to see Operation Stardust through. Heavily damaged following the Solar System II's blast in the last episode, "A Storm Raging Through," Gato pilots the Neue Ziel into a last attack on the Federation fleet and makes a kamikaze run into a Federation Salamis-class cruiser.
MS-21C Dra-C
The MS-21C Dra-C is a space-only, high-interception mobile suit manufactured by the Delaz Fleet. Built from an MS-06F2 Zaku II for its upper torso, it has a pair of large propellant tanks where a Zaku's legs is located. It is armed with a 40mm vulcan gun on its right arm and a beam saber-equipped shield on its left arm. The Dra-C is not equipped with an AMBAC (Active Mass-Balance AutoControl) system, relying on main thrusters and a pair of large, vernier-laden shoulder pods for attitude control.Upgraded Dra-Cs would later appear as part of the Sleeves' arsenal in Gundam Unicorn.