RGM-79SC GM Sniper Custom

The RGM-79SC GM Sniper Custom was a mass production general purpose mobile suit developed by the Earth Federation Forces for skilled pilots during the latter days of the One Year War.

The “R” in the model code meant it was a Federation model and the “GM” denoted it was a Gundam mass production mobile suit. The “79” in the model code indicated it was developed from the RGM-79 GM, the “S” stood for “Sniper”, and the “C” indicated it was a “Custom” variant.

Despite its name, the GM Sniper Custom was a general-purpose unit capable of long-range missions. It was originally featured in the original design series Mobile Suit Variations (MSV).

History

Unsatisfied with the performance of the RGM-79 GM, a number of Federation ace pilots requested an improved version of the mobile suit. As a result, two modified GM variants were produced: the RGM-79L GM Light Armor and the GM Sniper Custom.

After the Battle of Solomon, modification of the RGM-79 into the RGM-79SC GM Sniper Custom took place at the newly captured Solomon and Luna II. Twenty-four early production units were produced by Luna II as part of the third production run. In total, less than 50 GM Sniper Customs were constructed due to cost issues.

The GM Sniper Customs were mostly assigned to escort fleets and defend transport ships in dangerous space sectors. A small number was assigned to special forces units to carry out sabotage and surprise attacks on Zeon forces stationed at each Side.

These units often had various customisations applied to them by their pilot. The unit piloted by Lieutenant Francis Backmeyer was said to be the most heavily armed, and roughly half of all units imitated his loadout. Tenneth A. Jung, the Federation’s top ace pilot during the One Year War, also piloted a GM Sniper Custom. Jung was an expert in long-range combat whose shooting skills were highly praised, and he had a kill record of 149 mobile suits shot down and 3 ships destroyed during the war.

Design

The GM Sniper Custom featured a higher output reactor to power a long-range beam rifle for sniper missions, as well as an optional fixed beam saber mounted on a forearm for close combat, and external storage racks for other optional weapons. Extra thrusters were added to the legs as well as an improved booster backpack, giving the GM Sniper Custom speed and performance almost equal to the powerful RX-78-2 Gundam prototype.

Due to the extra heat generated by this equipment, vents and cooling systems were added to the waist and legs. A “face guard” shield for the head’s sensors was also added, providing additional protection for the GM Sniper Custom’s sensors without hindering its ability to detect and acquire targets.

The GM Sniper Custom had an ultracompact Minovsky power plant that generated an output of 1,390 kW. It had rocket thrusters that generated 68,000 kg of thrust total. The mobile suit featured a standard cockpit in its torso and was armored with titanium alloy materials. Its sensors had a detection range of 7,300 metres.

Armaments

The GM Sniper Custom’s standard weapons were its R-4 beam rifle for ranged attacks and an optional box-type beam saber unit for melee combat.

R-4 beam rifle

The R-4 beam rifle was the GM Sniper Custom’s primary weapon. It was powered by a rechargeable energy cap and could be stored in a storage rack on the rear waist armor when not in use. The rifle drew its rounds from energy capacitors (E-caps), clips of charged Minovsky particles. Minovsky particles broke down matter at a molecular level, allowing the beam rifle bolts to penetrate even the thickest armor.

Box type beam saber unit

The box type beam saber unit could be mounted on the forearm and was hand-carried in use. The beam saber used an I-field to contain Minovsky particles within the shape of a blade. Minovsky particles broke down matter at a molecular level, meaning that the beam saber could cut through almost any material.

Beam gun

The beam gun was powered by a rechargeable energy cap and could be stored on storage racks on the legs. This provided additional ranged firepower for the mobile suit.

Twin beam spray gun

The twin beam spray gun was a double-barreled version of the BR-M-79C-1 Beam Spray Gun. This design suppressed barrel heating by firing alternately from the two barrels. The beam spray gun featured three fire modes: a basic single shot mode, an area suppression burst shot with a widened beam focus, and a range shot with the ability to cause damage over a wide area.

Folding hand beam gun

The folding hand beam gun was a secondary beam sidearm stored on the side skirt armor or on the inner side of the forearm via a bracket. Its grip could be folded up during storage, making it a compact backup weapon.

Known pilots

• Francis Backmeyer
• Lon Cau
• Tenneth A. Jung
• Jaime Carmona
• Cain Ragnard

Variants

• RGM-79SC GM Sniper Custom (Shimoda Team) – A variant operated by the Shimoda team featuring a heavier weapons loadout including 4-tube missile launchers mounted on the backpack over the shoulders.
• RGM-79SC GM Sniper Custom (Tenneth A. Jung Unit) – The personal unit of ace pilot Tenneth A. Jung, featuring a distinctive dark green colour scheme and the L-3 Sniper Beam Rifle.

Behind the scenes

Okawara Kunio was the original mechanical designer for the MSV version. Katoki Hajime designed the Gundam: The Origin MSD version, and Takigawa Kyoshi created The Blazing Shadow version.

The GM Sniper Custom was first featured in the original Mobile Suit Variations design series, which expanded the mechanical designs from the original Mobile Suit Gundam series with additional variants and custom units.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Variations
• Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Record UC 0081

External links

• RGM-79SC GM Sniper Custom on the Gundam Wiki
• RGM-79SC GM Sniper Custom on MAHQ