G-Bull
Support tank developed by the Earth Federation.
The G-Bull was a support tank developed by the Earth Federation Forces during the One Year War. It was formed by combining the FF-X7 Core Fighter with the torso of the RX-78-2 Gundam and the A-Parts of the G-Fighter.
History
The Earth Federation Forces developed the G-Parts system during the One Year War to allow the RX-78-2 Gundam to adapt quickly to different combat situations. The G-Bull configuration was created by combining the Gundam’s torso with the A-Parts of the G-Fighter.
The G-Bull first deployed on 11 November UC 0079. It required two crew members to operate—one pilot in the canopy cockpit of the A-Parts who acted as the navigator, and another in the Core Fighter cockpit who served as the gunner.
Design
The G-Bull combined the upper body of the RX-78-2 Gundam with the A-Parts of the G-Fighter after removing the Gundam’s abdominal armor. The A-Parts consisted of a nose section with a canopy cockpit, caterpillar treads for ground mobility, and beam cannons.
The design allowed for quick reconfiguration in the field, with the Gundam able to separate from the A-Parts when different combat capabilities were needed. Two of the Gundam’s shields were mounted on the sides of the G-Bull to protect the exposed Core Fighter and arms.
The G-Bull’s high generator output came from combining the power plants of both the Gundam and G-Fighter. However, its significant weight of 75 tonnes limited its operational environments.
Armaments
The G-Bull’s standard weapons were beam cannons for ranged attacks, missile launchers, and shields for defence.
Beam cannons
A pair of beam cannons were mounted on the top of the A-Parts, behind the canopy cockpit. These experimental weapons used energy capacitor (E-cap) technology similar to the Gundam’s beam rifle but delivered greater firepower. The dual generator setup of the combined units allowed for extended operation time compared to the G-Fighter’s standalone configuration.
Missile launchers
The G-Bull had a retractable 2-tube missile launcher mounted in the nose section of the A-Parts. These provided additional ranged attack options against both ground and aerial targets.
Shields
Two RX·M-Sh-008/S-01025 shields were mounted on either side of the G-Bull for protection. These were the same shields used by the Gundam, featuring a triple honeycomb structure with Luna Titanium alloy alloy outer layer and high-density ceramic material sandwiched between aramid fibres.
Beam rifle
The G-Bull could optionally equip the BOWA·XBR-M-79-07G beam rifle from the Gundam. This revolutionary weapon had an output of 1.9 megawatts and used E-cap technology to fire concentrated Minovsky particles. A single shot could destroy most mobile suits, matching the power of a battleship’s main gun.
Known pilots
- Amuro Ray
- Sayla Mass
Behind the scenes
Okawara Kunio was the original mechanical designer.
The G-Bull only appeared in the Mobile Suit Gundam TV series. Tomino Yoshiyuki felt it was too reminiscent of the super robot genre rather than the real robot genre he envisioned. This led to its omission from the compilation movies.
Appearances
- Mobile Suit Gundam
- Gundam Evolve