RX-78GP01 Gundam GP01 Zephyranthes – MechaBay

The RX-78GP01 Gundam GP01 Zephyranthes was a prototype general purpose mobile suit developed by Anaheim Electronics as part of the Gundam Development Project.

The “R” in the model code meant it was a Federation model and the “X” indicated that it was an experimental mobile suit. The “78” in the model code denoted that it was developed from the RX-78 line, “GP” stood for “Gundam Project,” “01” indicated it was the first unit in the series, and “Zephyranthes” was its flower-themed code name.

History

During its military reconstruction following the devastating One Year War, the Earth Federation Forces contracted a private company, Anaheim Electronics, to develop a series of new Gundam-model mobile suits to serve as conceptual testbeds for new and improved mobile suit technology.

The first of these new prototypes to come out of Anaheim’s Von Braun City lunar factory was the RX-78GP01 Gundam GP01, code-named Zephyranthes. Developed as part of the Gundam Development Project, the GP01 was a ground-use general purpose mobile suit intended to be an improvement of the RX-78-2 Gundam, which achieved exceptional battle results during the One Year War.

In terms of speed, weaponry and performance, the GP01 was still better than any mass produced unit fielded by the EFF at the time. However, its basic design was nothing more than a slightly improved version of the original RX-78-2 Gundam prototype. Being an experimental unit, it was equipped with an increased number of sensors, some of which were exposed due to being temporary.

The GP01 and its sibling unit, the RX-78GP02A Gundam GP02A Physalis, along with Anaheim Electronics systems engineer Nina Purpleton and her team of technicians, were brought aboard the assault carrier Albion to be delivered to Earth for testing under full gravity in October UC 0083.

Arriving at Torrington Base in Australia for the field trials, the GP01 was put into actual combat sooner than expected: the GP02A, armed with a nuclear warhead, was hijacked by Zeon remnants led by Anavel Gato. Novice EFF pilot Kou Uraki commandeered the GP01 in a failed attempt to recover the stolen GP02A.

However, Uraki’s undeveloped piloting abilities allowed him to push the GP01 beyond its expected performance levels, and Uraki was permanently assigned as the GP01’s pilot while the Albion pursued the stolen GP02A across Earth and into space. Unfortunately, the GP01 was not properly calibrated for space, and was soon critically damaged during a space battle against Zeon’s Cima Garahau.

Shortly afterward, the GP01 returned to Anaheim’s lunar factory for rebuilding and upgrading into the RX-78GP01Fb Gundam GP01Fb Zephyranthes Full Burnern.

Design

The GP01 was designed to allow movement closer to that of a human, a design concept that would eventually evolve into the Movable Frame. Compared to the RX-78, its sensors and balancer were upgraded or redesigned. Overall, the GP01 was designed as an adaptable mobile suit, able to operate under any condition on Earth or in space.

In order to ensure the survival of the pilot and the combat data, the GP01 retained the Core Block System. Equipped with this system, the pilot could eject either the upper or lower halves of the mobile suit in an emergency, or eject from the mobile suit altogether in a new-and-improved FF-XII Core Fighter II.

The GP01 had an ultracompact Minovsky fusion reactor that generated an output of 1,790 kW. Its propulsion system included rocket thrusters with a total output of 108,000 kg, providing excellent acceleration and maneuverability for both terrestrial and space operations.

Armaments

The RX-78GP01 Gundam GP01 Zephyranthes’s standard weapons were head-mounted vulcan guns for close-range defence and two beam sabers for melee combat.

60 mm vulcan guns

A pair of fire-linked 60 mm vulcan guns were mounted in the GP01’s head. These shell-firing weapons had a high rate of fire and were used primarily against lightly armored targets, missiles, and aircraft. While ineffective against mobile suit armor, they provided excellent point defence capabilities.

Beam sabers

The GP01 carried two beam sabers, stored in recharge racks in the backpack when not in use. The beam sabers used an I-field to contain Minovsky particles within the shape of a blade. These weapons could cut through almost any material not treated with anti-beam coating.

Beam rifle

One major innovation in the RX-78GP01’s arsenal was the addition of a beam rifle that used removable energy capacitor clips called e-pacs. Previous beam rifle designs had the energy capacitor integrated into the rifle directly, resulting in the rifle becoming dead weight once the capacitor was depleted. With e-pacs, beam rifles can be used indefinitely as long as the pilot has a ready supply of replacement e-pacs.

The RX-78GP01 had three e-pacs (one mounted on the rifle, two held in reserve on the shield) in its normal deployment configuration. The beam rifle was rated at 1.5 MW power output and included a mounted “jitte” beam saber blocking device for defensive purposes.

90 mm machine gun

For situations where beam weapons were not suitable or when ammunition conservation was necessary, the GP01 could be equipped with a 90 mm machine gun that fired conventional ballistic rounds.

Shield

The GP01 was equipped with a standard Federation shield for defensive purposes. The shield was notable for its ability to store spare e-pacs for the beam rifle, providing the mobile suit with extended combat endurance. The shield could be mounted on either arm as needed.

Known pilots

Kou Uraki

Behind the scenes

The RX-78GP01 Gundam GP01 Zephyranthes was designed by Shoji Kawamori for Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. Like the rest of the GP series of mobile suits, Zephyranthes is named with a flower theme. Its name is derived from Ζέφυρος (Zephyrus), the Greek god of the west wind, and ἄνθος (anthos), meaning flower, referring to the slender stalks.

The e-pac system introduced with the GP01 became a standard feature in many subsequent Federation mobile suits, representing a significant advancement in beam weapon technology and logistics.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam

External links

RX-78GP01 Gundam “Zephyranthes” on the Gundam Wiki
RX-78GP01 Gundam GP01 Zephyranthes on MAHQ