FA-78 Full Armor Gundam – MechaBay

The FA-78 Full Armor Gundam was a heavily armoured and highly manoeuvrable Gundam-type mobile suit deployed by the Moore Brotherhood in the Thunderbolt Sector.

The “FA” in the model code stood for “Full Armor”, indicating it was equipped with additional armour and weapons systems as part of the Full Armor Operation. There was another type of Full Armor Gundam with similar model number, the FA-78-1, but it had different details and equipment. Both mobile suits were developed under the ‘Full Armor Operation’, and their differences were a result of experimenting with various systems and equipment.

History

The FA-78 Full Armor Gundam was developed as part of the Full Armor Operation, an enhancement programme for Gundam-type mobile suits. Like other mobile suits of the Moore Brotherhood, the Full Armor Gundam had special seals on its joints and large backpack to protect them from the debris drifting in the Thunderbolt Sector.

Late in the war, the Full Armor Gundam was assigned to Io Fleming, a pilot in the Moore Brotherhood force that was fighting Zeon in the ruins of Side 4, known as the Thunderbolt Sector. This was only due to the fact that Io was the closest thing to an ace pilot the Brotherhood had due to him surviving the destruction of his RGM-79 GM (Thunderbolt Ver.) and capturing a MS-09R Rick Dom (Thunderbolt Ver.).

One of the Full Armor Gundam’s first sorties was viewed by the Living Dead Division as the Full Armor Gundam brutally tore apart a helpless MS-06 Zaku II (Thunderbolt Ver.) and cementing his threat of being around when Jazz music was heard.

After witnessing the power of the Moore Brotherhood’s Full Armor Gundam, the Zeon’s Living Dead Division, which was operating in the same area, decided to deploy the MS-06R Zaku II High Mobility Type (Reuse “P” Device).

Design

The Full Armor Gundam was fitted with numerous pieces of body armour, a large backpack and had much more weaponry than other mobile suits of its time. The full-armor equipment was fully modular and could be easily equipped or removed as needed. The Full Armor Gundam’s added body armour, the large backpack and most of the weaponry could be purged when they are damaged or not required, reducing dead weight.

To prevent the weight of the added equipment from reducing the mobile suit’s mobility, thrusters and apogee motors were installed on the shoulders, legs and large backpack. The large backpack was also fitted with two rocket boosters, and the Full Armor Gundam’s total thrust was considered to be comparable to a high mobility-type mobile suit.

The cockpit of the Full Armor Gundam is located in a core block within the machine’s torso. During an emergency, the core block can be ejected and will transform into an emergency pod to allow a speedy escape from the battlefield.

Armaments

The Full Armor Gundam (Thunderbolt Ver.)‘s standard weapons were vulcan guns for point defence, beam sabers for melee combat, and an array of ranged weapons including a large beam cannon, missile pods, rocket launchers, and a twin beam rifle.

Vulcan guns

A pair of fire-linked vulcan guns were mounted in the Full Armor Gundam’s head. Though not powerful, their high rate of fire meant they were employed to intercept enemy missiles and units, as warning shots, and to destroy lightly armoured targets.

Beam sabers

The Full Armor Gundam carried two beam sabers for melee combat. The beam sabers used an I-field to contain Minovsky particles within the shape of a blade. Minovsky particles broke down matter at a molecular level. This meant that the beam saber could cut through almost any material.

Large beam cannon

The Full Armor Gundam was equipped with a large beam cannon that provided substantial firepower against enemy mobile suits and ships. This weapon was one of the most powerful beam weapons available to Federation mobile suits at the time.

6-tube missile pod

A 6-tube missile pod was mounted on the Full Armor Gundam, providing it with additional firepower against multiple targets. The missiles could be used for both anti-mobile suit and anti-ship operations.

Rocket launchers

The Full Armor Gundam was equipped with five rocket launchers that provided heavy bombardment capability. These weapons were particularly effective against enemy formations and fortified positions.

Twin beam rifle

The twin beam rifle was the Full Armor Gundam’s primary ranged weapon, featuring two beam emitters that could fire simultaneously or independently. The rifle drew its rounds from energy packs (E-packs), clips of charged Minovsky particles. Minovsky particles broke down matter at a molecular level, allowing the beam rifle bolts to penetrate even the thickest armour.

Shields

Using the two sub-arms on the large backpack, the machine could wield up to four shields, greatly increasing its defensive capabilities. The full-sized shield used by the Full Armor Gundam has a different shape from that of the RX-78 and is also larger in size. It is made of multiple laminate layers, but can still be penetrated. Up to four full-sized shields can be equipped—two held by the sub-arms, one mounted on the twin beam rifle and one mounted on the set of five rocket launchers. The shield also has a grip on the back for holding by the normal hands and an attachment point for mounting directly onto the forearm.

Sub-arms

A pair of simple manipulators mounted on the front of the large backpack. They are articulated and can be used for various purposes, such as exchanging energy packs or weapons, removing the rocket boosters, holding shields, etc.

Known pilots

Io Fleming

Behind the scenes

Yasuo Ohtagaki was the original mechanical designer. The Full Armor Gundam was designed specifically for the Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt series, representing a unique take on the Full Armor concept that emphasised both heavy firepower and maintained mobility through additional thrusters.

The design philosophy differed from the original FA-78-1 Full Armor Gundam by focusing more on practical battlefield application in the debris-filled Thunderbolt Sector, with special attention to protecting the mobile suit from the hazardous environment whilst maintaining combat effectiveness. In the Thunderbolt series, this version is distinguished from other Full Armor variants through its specific equipment loadout and operational deployment.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky

External links

FA-78 Full Armor Gundam (Thunderbolt Ver.) on the Gundam Wiki
FA-78 Full Armor Gundam (manga) on MAHQ