Specifications
The Gundam is an extremely versatile Mobile Suit, created by the Earth Federation Forces (EFF) as part of the RX Project.
The Gundam was developed to operate in conjunction with the RX-77-02 Guncannon, a medium-range artillery Mobile Suit, and the RX-75 Guntank, an artillery support Mobile Suit.
The Gundam is equipped with the Core Block System, a system allowing the cockpit to detach from the main unit and become the Core Fighter.
Its armament included head-mounted Vulcan cannons, Beam Sabers, as well as a Beam Rifle, a technology that even the Principality of Zeon had not yet managed to use.
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Extenders
The White Gundam is equipped with anchor points called "extenders," located on the Mobile Suit's frame and designed to allow the attachment of external equipment or weapons, such as a shield.
The White Gundam has a total of six extenders: one on each shoulder, one on each elbow, and one on each lower calf.
Armaments
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Head Vulcan: The White Gundam is equipped with a pair of "ammunition belt"-fed Vulcan cannons, installed on either side of the Mobile Suit's head.
These Vulcans are small-caliber weapons firing conventional projectiles. They have a high rate of fire, but a limited amount of ammunition. Their power is insufficient to damage the thick armor of Zeon Mobile Suits. However, they can inflict damage on equipment or lightly armored targets, such as sensors, missiles, vehicles, etc.
They can also be used to distract or intimidate opponents, but their use must be carefully managed due to their low ammunition capacity. - Shield: A thick defensive armor panel designed to withstand attacks from Zeon projectile weapons, the shield can be held by the White Gundam or attached to one of its extenders.
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Beam Rifle:A revolutionary weapon for its time, the Beam Rifle constitutes the primary armament of the White Gundam. It is a miniaturized version of a mega particle cannon, like those mounted on battleships.
The Beam Rifle is powered by a built-in rechargeable energy capacitor and uses charged Minovsky particle concentrations as ammunition. The resulting weapon develops power equivalent to that of a battleship's main cannon during the One Year War, allowing it to destroy a Zeon Mobile Suit in a single shot. The Beam Rifle is also equipped with a movable sensor, linked to the White Gundam's Fire Control System to ensure high precision. It also features a movable forward grip for better handling when firing.
- Beam Saber: The White Gundam is equipped with a pair of Beam Sabers, placed on the top of its thruster Backpack. This layout allows the mobile suit to easily draw them over the shoulder during close-quarters combat.
Once deployed, the beam saber takes the form of a small device held in the MS's hand and powered by a rechargeable energy capacitor.
It emits high-energy Minovsky particles to form a blade-shaped I-field, thanks to the manipulation of electromagnetic fields. This envelope is then filled with superheated Minovsky particle plasma, thus producing a blade capable of cutting efficiently.
History
To counter Zeon's advantage in mass-produced Mobile Suits, the Earth Federation Forces (EFF) launched Operation V on April 1st, UC 0079, with the goal of developing and then mass-producing their own MS.
As part of the Operation V RX Project, intended to provide the EFF with a decisive advantage against Zeon, the Gundam and other RX-series Mobile Suits underwent their final tests starting in August, at a secret EFF base located inside the Side 7 colony.
On September 18th, Zeon Major Char Aznable led a unit of MS-06 Zakus, composed of Denim and Slender, to infiltrate Side 7.
Char and Denim's Zakus destroyed nearly all of the RX-series weapon components present at the base, including those intended for the Guncannons and Guntanks.
While Denim's Zaku provided cover, Char seized the Gundam. At its controls, he eliminated an isolated Guncannon using his Beam Saber, before hijacking the EFF's Pegasus-class carrier. To take control of the ship, Char killed its captain, Paolo Cassius, and destroyed its main bridge.
The EFF then deployed its Mobile Suits to attack Char's fleeing fleet. From the Pegasus carrier, Char quickly sortied in the freshly captured Gundam to intercept his pursuers: the RX-78-01 01 Gundam as well as a Zaku captured by the EFF.
It was during this engagement that Char's Gundam used its Beam Rifle for the first time, destroying the EFF Zaku in a single shot.
He then engaged the 01 Gundam in a Beam Saber duel that was as fast as it was violent, from which Char and his Gundam emerged victorious.
The captured Gundam and the Pegasus-class carrier were turned over to Dozle Zabi, commander of the Zeon Space Attack Force. They were then analyzed by the research teams of Dozle and Kycilia Zabi, who found that the EFF's mobile weapon technologies were superior to those of Zeon.
Consequently, the planned development program for Mobile Armors equipped with the Psycommu system was canceled. The Pegasus-class carrier was repainted and renamed Sodon, before being integrated into the Space Attack Force.
Impressed by the Gundam's performance and following Char's recommendations, the Zeon High Command also suspended its MS-14 Gelgoog development program, then being led with Zeonic, to focus its efforts on reverse-engineering the EFF's Mobile Suit technologies from the White Gundam.
This work led to a remarkable evolution of Zeon MS. The next-generation machine that resulted was the gMS-01 Gelgoog, which took the name from the now-abandoned MS-14 program.
This event was a major turning point that would determine the outcome of the One Year War.
The Gundam remained Char's personal Mobile Suit for the remainder of the war. It was repainted in the characteristic red shade favored by Char, then received the new designation of gMS-α Red Gundam.
This new version integrated the Alpha Psycommu System, as well as remote-controlled weapons provided by the Flanagan Institute. These pieces of equipment were intended to further exploit Char's piloting capabilities as a Newtype.
Did you know?
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The term "White" in "White Gundam" is written in Japanese as 白い (shiroi, "white"), rather than the katakana ホワイト (howaito, the Japanese transcription of the English word white). This indicates that the color is primarily a visual description of the unit and is not officially part of the unit's name.
The name "White Gundam" is used as a marketing term to distinguish this version from the original RX-78-2 Gundam. However, this name is also used within the series' universe to differentiate this configuration from its subsequent transformation into the GMS-α Red Gundam. This is confirmed in the episode/chapter "The White Gundam," where the White Gundam's onboard computer screen simply identifies the unit as "Gundam."
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