RX-178 Gundam Mk-II

The RX-178 Gundam Mk-II was a prototype general purpose mobile suit developed by the Earth Federation Forces elite unit Titans.

The “R” in the type code meant it was a Federation model¹ and the “X” indicated that it was an experimental mobile suit. The “17” in the code number denoted its development at Gryps while the “8” indicated it was the eighth design there.

History

After the One Year War, the Titans secretly developed mobile weapons in preparation for their plan to subjugate the Earth Sphere. One of their earliest designs was the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II, based on the famed RX-78-2 Gundam. The Titans designed the Gundam Mk-II for use in atmosphere under gravity, specifically in space colonies. They built three prototype units at their base in Gryps colonies with plans for mass production.

When the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG) received intelligence about the prototype Gundam Mk-II, they decided to capture a prototype unit both to acquire the movable frame technology and expose the Titans’ secret project to the Earth Sphere. On 2 March UC 0087, AEUG pilot Quattro Bajeena led a team of RMS-099 Rick Dias units into the Gryps II space colony on a reconnaissance mission, with capturing a Gundam Mk-II as a secondary objective.

With help from Kamille Bidan, Quattro’s team captured all three prototype units, marking the start of the Gryps Conflict. The Titans fought to recapture the Gundam Mk-II suits but ultimately failed, though they managed to heavily damage Unit 02. The AEUG disassembled Unit 01 and Unit 02 and shipped them to the lunar factory of their ally Anaheim Electronics for reverse engineering. The AEUG frontline forces retained Unit 03 for their new pilot Kamille Bidan and repainted it in AEUG colors.

As the war progressed, the Titans deployed more powerful mobile weapons that outclassed the Gundam Mk-II. Though Anaheim Electronics made progress with Project Zeta to develop next generation mobile suits for the AEUG, they needed to provide interim upgrades to match the Titans. The first was the Flying Armor, a sub-flight system based on new waverider technology developed for the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam.

When Kamille received the Zeta Gundam, the AEUG assigned the Gundam Mk-II Unit 03 to Emma Sheen. Anaheim Electronics developed two competing plans for a support system: a Full Armor concept and the FXA-05D G-Defenser. The AEUG ultimately selected the G-Defenser, which could combine with the Gundam Mk-II to form the RX-178+FXA-05D Super Gundam, putting it on more equal footing with the Titans’ high performance variable mobile suits.

The Gundam Mk-II Unit 03 sustained heavy damage at the end of the Gryps Conflict in early UC 0088. After repairs aboard the Anaheim Electronics ship La Vie en Rose, it remained in service until critically damaged at Axis during the final battle of the First Neo Zeon War.

Design

The RX-178 Gundam Mk-II pioneered the revolutionary movable frame concept. The mobile suit was built around a skeleton frame that mounted all components like thrusters, fuel tanks, and weapons. The Titans designed it with minimal armor, arguing that the advent of portable beam weapons meant a couple of well-placed shots would destroy a mobile suit regardless of protection. Rather than weighing the suit down with ultimately ineffective armor, they favored a lighter design that provided greater speed and maneuverability.

The Gundam Mk-II had a powerful ultracompact fusion reactor generating 1,930 kW for enhanced propulsion. Four main rocket thrusters provided 81,200 kg total thrust (20,300 kg each), while ten vernier thrusters enabled precise control. The movable frame’s leg sections had rigidity issues associated with the structural material’s strength, a problem that persisted even after six design revisions. Another serious design flaw was the use of titanium alloy ceramic composite armor when other mobile suits had adopted the lighter and more durable Gundarium alloy.

The mobile suit featured the new standard panoramic cockpit with linear seat in its torso, along with sensors having a detection range up to 11,300 meters. It could equip the Flying Armor sub-flight system for atmospheric flight capability. The G-Defenser pack provided atmospheric reentry capabilities and increased mobility.

Armaments

The Gundam Mk-II’s standard weapons included beam sabers for melee combat and various optional ranged weapons. The Titans and AEUG used different models with similar capabilities.

Beam sabers

The Gundam Mk-II carried two beam sabers stored in backpack recharge racks, rated at 0.45 MW. The Titans used the XB-G-1048L model while the AEUG used the A·E-Br·G-Sc-L model. The beam sabers used an I-field to contain Minovsky particles within a blade shape that could cut through almost any material.

Beam rifle

For ranged combat, the Gundam Mk-II wielded a 2.6 MW beam rifle powered by replaceable e-pacs. The Titans’ BOWA·XBR-M-86-C2 and AEUG’s A·E-Br·XBR-87-C models had similar capabilities. The rifle featured adjustable output settings to vary shot power and e-pac consumption. Two spare e-pacs could be stored on the shield.

60 mm vulcan pod

Unlike most mobile suits with built-in head vulcans, the Gundam Mk-II mounted an optional 60 mm twin-barrel vulcan pod. The Titans’ VCU-505EX-Gry/Ver.009 and AEUG’s VCU-505EX-V·B/Ver.012 models each carried 1,400 rounds firing at 1,600 rounds per minute.

360 mm hyper bazooka

For heavy firepower, the Gundam Mk-II could equip a magazine-fed hyper bazooka stored on the rear skirt armor. The Titans’ H-Baz-85-Gry/Ver.045 and AEUG’s H-Baz-87-A·E/Ver.004 models each held 7 rounds per magazine plus one in the chamber.

Clay bazooka

The mobile suit could also use a clay bazooka designed to fire adhesive rounds for immobilizing enemies, though it could also use conventional explosive shells. The magazine held 7 rounds plus one in the chamber.

Shield

A shield mounted on either forearm provided defense against both projectiles and melee attacks. The Titans used the RX·M-Sh-VT/S-00018 model while the AEUG used the RX·M-Sh-VT/S-001. The shield could switch between an expanded state and a collapsed state, and its surface had an anti-beam coating that gradually degraded with each beam impact. It could store two spare e-pacs for the beam rifle, though this blocked the shield’s view port. A missile launcher containing three missiles could be equipped to the back of the shield’s lower half, as seen in the movies.

Known pilots

• Kamille Bidan
• Emma Sheen
• Quattro Bajeena
• Katz Kobayashi
• Jerid Messa
• Kacricon Cacooler
• Franklin Bidan
• Elle Vianno
• Mondo Agake
• Chara Soon
• Beecha Oleg
• Elpeo Ple
• Jack Bayard

Variants

• FA-178 Full Armor Gundam Mk-II
• RX-178+FXA-05D Super Gundam
• RX-178B Gundam Mk-II B

Behind the scenes

Okawara Kunio, Nagano Mamoru and Fujita Kazumi were the principal designers for the version in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, with Fujita handling the design cleanup.

Appearances

Anime

• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ

Manga

• Mobile Suit Gundam Ecole du Ciel
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Define

Games

• Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme vs
• Dynasty Warriors Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Climax UC
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Spirits of Zeon Dual Stars of Carnage

External links

• RX-178 Gundam Mk-II on the Gundam Wiki
• RX-178 Gundam Mk-II on MAHQ

Footnotes

1. Federation in Japanese is renpou, hence the use of “R”. ↩