LM312V04 Victory Gundam – MechaBay | Mobile Suit Victory Gundam

The LM312V04 Victory Gundam was a prototype close combat transformable mobile suit developed by the League Militaire as their flagship unit against the Zanscare Empire during the Zanscare War in UC 0153.

The “LM” in the model code denoted its manufacturer, the League Militaire, whilst the “312” indicated the third generation of the Victory Project development programme. The “V04” suffix designated it as the fourth prototype in the Victory Gundam line, following the development of the LM111E02 Gun-EZ.

History

The Victory Gundam emerged from the League Militaire’s Victory Project, launched in UC 0153 from their Kolin factory near Eastern Europe’s Point Kasarelia (in the former Czech Republic). Its goal was to design and mass produce advanced new mobile suits to counter the Zanscare threat, as the Earth Federation had collapsed into political and military insignificance following decades of conflict.

The League Militaire networked its groups scattered across various areas making it possible to produce mobile suits at each individual factory. They revived the legendary mobile suit Gundam as a symbol of the resistance movement against the Zanscare Empire. The V Gundam became their symbol of victory against oppression.

The E02 development code is proof that the Gun EZ was developed before the V Gundam. The Gun-EZ served as a testbed for many of the technologies later incorporated into the Gundam, allowing the League Militaire to develop mass-production capabilities whilst working on the more advanced Victory Gundam prototype.

The Victory Gundam first saw combat when thirteen-year-old Uso Ewin was forced to pilot it during a Zanscare attack on Kasarelia. Despite his youth and inexperience, Uso proved to be a natural pilot and became the Victory Gundam’s primary operator throughout the conflict.

Design

The Victory Gundam was built around a Core Fighter base, the Victory Gundam could separate into a Top Fighter and Bottom Fighter, each of which could be docked with a Core Fighter or operated via remote control from another Core Fighter. This modular/docking design not only increased the chances of pilot survivability, thus allowing a pilot to continue fighting if part of his mobile suit was damaged or destroyed, but also allowed for replacement of destroyed Top Fighter or Bottom Fighter modules mid-battle if the need arises.

The mobile suit could separate into three main components: the Core Fighter containing the cockpit and main reactor, the Top Fighter (upper body), and the Bottom Fighter (lower body). Each component could operate independently or be combined in various configurations for different mission requirements.

Core Fighter system

The head and main generator of the V Gundam, said to the B-part, is a block that transforms into a core fighter. This Core Fighter incorporated the head of the Gundam itself, a design element that became standard for subsequent Victory Gundam variants. The Core Fighter measured 8.6 metres in overall length and could operate as an independent fighter craft with its own armaments and propulsion systems.

Minovsky flight system

The Victory Gundam was also the first mobile suit to feature the Minovsky flight system, a miniaturized Minovsky craft system designed to keep the mobile suit floating in mid-air at any altitude while it maneuvered with its rocket and vernier thrusters. This system was much more efficient and made for greater combat flexibility than the Zanscare mobile suits’ beam rotor system, and the Minovsky flight technology later served as the basis for the successor LM314V21 Victory 2 Gundam’s much more advanced Minovsky drive.

The Victory Gundam is also equipped with the “Minovsky Flight” system, a simplified Minovsky craft system designed to keep the mobile suit hovering in mid-air at any altitude, allowing it to dedicate all thrust from its rockets and verniers to maneuvering. As a result, the Victory Gundam has unprecedented mobility in Earth’s atmosphere, even in mobile suit mode.

Size and efficiency

The Victory Gundam was significantly smaller than previous Federation mobile suits, standing only 15.2 metres tall with an empty weight of just 7.6 metric tonnes. This miniaturisation was part of a broader trend in late Universal Century mobile suit design, allowing for more efficient operation and reduced resource consumption whilst maintaining combat effectiveness.

Armaments

The Victory Gundam carried a balanced loadout of both energy and projectile weapons, designed for versatility in combat operations.

Vulcan gun

A pair of head-mounted 25mm revolver cannons served as the Victory Gundam’s vulcan guns. They have lower rate of fire and less ammunition than the 60mm vulcans commonly used by mobile suits decades ago, which are too large for a miniaturized mobile suit. However, the high accuracy of the Victory Gundam’s fire control system compensate for these shortcomings.

Beam saber

The beam saber is a small device held in the mobile suit’s hands when deployed and is powered by a rechargeable energy capacitor. It emits high-energy Minovsky particles to form a blade-shaped I-field (via manipulation of electromagnetic fields), and then fills this I-field shell with superheated Minovsky particle plasma to produce an effective cutting blade. The Victory Gundam was equipped with four beam sabers stored in recharge racks in the forearms.

Additionally, a large beam field capable of destroying several Sinope-class battleships can be generated when the beam from one of victory Gundam’s beam saber is combined with the beams spread out from the beam trident’s emitters.

Beam shield

By generating a plane of energy similar to the blade of a beam saber, the beam shield can block both beam and projectile weapons. Two beam shields mounted on the forearms provided defensive capability against both beam and projectile weapons.

Beam rifle

A standard hand carried ranged beam weapon is the beam rifle, which fires concentrated mega particles that can damage any ordinary armor not specially treated to resist it. It can be mounted on any of the Gundam’s hardpoints, allowing more than one rifle to be carried into battle if required.

The Victory Gundam’s beam rifle is modular, with a small beam pistol serving as its core. Parts of the beam rifle can be purged to reveal this beam pistol. While boasting a rapid firing rate, the beam pistol is only effective at close range.

Hardpoints

An attachment point for weapons, shields, spare ammunition, or optional mission-specific equipment. Hardpoints can also be used to store carried weapons when a mobile suit needs its manipulators free for other purposes. The Victory Gundam is equipped with 8 hardpoints, 4 located on arms in mobile suit mode and on main body of Top Fighter, 2 located on the side armor in mobile suit mode and on main body of Top Fighter, 2 located on the legs in mobile suit mode and on main body of Bottom Fighter.

Heavy weapons

The mega beam rifle along with the 8-handed beam saber was stored at the armory on the solar cell satellite Hiland. It wasn’t developed by the League Militaire and it seems to have been created for another mobile suit quite a while ago, but it is completely compatible with the V Gundam.

Known pilots

Uso Ewin - primary pilot
Marbet Fingerhat
Oliver Inoe
Juca Meilasch
Cronicle Asher
Odelo Henrik
Tres Mares

Variants

The Victory Gundam served as the basis for several variants developed by the League Militaire:

The LM312V06 Victory Gundam Hexa was a commander variant with enhanced sensors and communications equipment. It was distinguished from the original model by its lack of the traditional Gundam V-fin on the head, and the addition of two large “rabbit-ear” type communications antennae.

The LM312V04+SD-VB03A Victory Dash Gundam featured an Overhang Pack that mounted a pair of high-powered beam overhang cannons, thus turning this upgraded Victory Dash Gundam into an excellent fire support unit. In addition to a higher output reactor to power the overhang cannons, the Overhang Pack also mounted a set of more powerful thrusters and additional verniers to help the mobile suit overcome the Pack’s additional weight.

Behind the scenes

The Victory Gundam was designed by Hajime Katoki, who served as the main mechanical designer for Mobile Suit Victory Gundam. The competition to select a designer for the new Gundam appears to have taken place around the beginning of 1992, with only three contenders under consideration—Junya Ishigaki, veteran Gundam designer Kunio Okawara, and rising star Hajime Katoki.

The candidates were asked to design a transforming and combining mobile suit made up of upper and lower body parts connected to a Core Fighter, in the tradition of the original Gundam. Katoki’s design was chosen for its successful integration of the Core Fighter system with modern mobile suit aesthetics.

Katoki’s Core Fighter design, which incorporated the head of the Gundam itself, survived essentially unchanged into the final version. This innovative approach became a defining characteristic of the Victory Gundam series.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam

External links

LM312V04 Victory Gundam on MAHQ
LM312V04 Victory Gundam on the Gundam Wiki