MS-09R Rick Dom

The MS-09R Rick Dom was a space combat mobile suit mass produced by Zimmad for the Principality of Zeon. It was developed from the ground combat MS-09 Dom.

The “MS” in the type code indicated it was a mobile suit. The “09” model number denoted it was the ninth design for this type, and the “R” variant code meant it was the Rick Dom variant.

History

Near the end of the One Year War, the focus of combat shifted from Earth to space. The Principality of Zeon redirected all its production resources to manufacturing space combat mobile weapons in preparation for decisive space battles.

When Zeonic halted development of its space combat MS-11 Act Zaku, Zimmad quickly developed a space-use mobile suit based on its successful ground combat MS-09 Dom. A MS-06RD-4 Zaku II, a modified MS-06F Zaku II, was used to gather flight data for the Rick Dom.

The Rick Dom served as Zeon’s primary space mobile suit until the introduction of the MS-14A Gelgoog. Production lines at Side 3 and Granada manufactured Rick Doms, with existing Dom production facilities easily converted for Rick Dom production.

Late in the war, Zeon initiated the United Maintenance Plan to streamline manufacturing by standardising parts across mobile suits. This led to the Rick Dom being redesigned as the MS-09R-2 Rick Dom II.

The Rick Dom saw significant action in major battles including the Battle of Solomon and Battle of A Baoa Qu. In one notable engagement, twelve Rick Doms from the Conscon Mobile Fleet were destroyed within three minutes by the White Base team, with nine units shot down by Amuro Ray in the RX-78-2 Gundam.

Design

The MS-09R Rick Dom adapted the Dom’s design for space combat by replacing its hover jets with standard rocket thrusters. It retained the Dom’s basic frame while incorporating enhanced space maneuverability systems.

The Rick Dom’s larger frame meant a Musai-class cruiser could only carry two units compared to three Zaku IIs. However, its enhanced capabilities made it a worthy successor to the aging Zaku II as Zeon’s mainline space mobile suit.

Armaments

The Rick Dom’s standard weapons were a scattering beam gun for defence, and a heat saber for melee combat. It could also use weapons designed for the Zaku II line.

Scattering beam gun

A beam weapon mounted on the left side of the Rick Dom’s chest. Its small focusing coil caused beam particles to lose cohesion, making it incapable of damaging enemy mobile suits. Instead, it was used to temporarily blind enemy pilots or overload visual sensors.

Heat Saber

The Heat Saber Type 7 was a battery-powered melee weapon refined from the Dom’s design. It featured a rod-shaped blade that could be superheated to melt through enemy armor. The saber was stored in a recharging rack when not in use.

Giant bazooka

The H&L-GB03K/360 mm giant bazooka served as the Rick Dom’s main weapon. It was fed by a 10-round magazine and used liquid fuel injected from the Rick Dom’s hand as primary propellant, with additional acceleration from a rocket motor.

Beam bazooka

The Ex-T2-2 beam bazooka was an experimental weapon developed for the Rick Dom. Unlike other beam weapons, it had an internal reactor and did not draw power from the mobile suit. While powerful, it required ten minutes to recharge between uses. Due to frequent explosions during testing, it never reached mass production.

120 mm machine gun

The ZMP-50D/120 mm machine gun was originally developed for the Zaku II. It used a 100-round drum magazine and required no power to operate, though this limited its effectiveness against heavy armor.

Known pilots

• Butsham
• Breniss Ox
• Gerald Sakai
• Gabriel Zola
• Shin Matsunaga
• Challia Bull
• Lilia Flaubert

Behind the scenes

Okawara Kunio was the original mechanical designer.

The Rick Dom made a brief cameo appearance in Mobile Fighter G Gundam.

Variants

• MS-09R Rick Dom (Dozle Zabi Custom)
• MS-09R Rick Dom [Stutzer]
• MS-09RS Rick Dom
• MS-09R-2 Rick Dom II

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs Zeon DX
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
• Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: Apocalypse 0079

External links

• MS-09R Rick Dom on the Gundam Wiki
• MS-09R Rick Dom on MAHQ