When I built the Jesta Cannon, I mentioned that I did so in part because I wanted to use its guns with another model. That would be this one right here, the HG Command Quan[T]:
About the Mobile Suit
The Command Quan[T]1 is a remix of two mobile suits, but unlike all the other remixes from Battlelogue, one of the two is an SD Gundam.
To be specific, it combines the Quan[T] from Gundam 00, and the SD Command Gundam.
About the Command Gundam
This was tough to research. I can’t guarantee all my facts are straight, but I did my best.
As far as I can tell, the Command Gundam comes from a very old line of SD Gundam models from the early 1990’s. I’m not sure if this line was made to promote something, or if it started off as it’s own thing, and then promotional content was made for it later. I know that it appears in the Game Boy game SD Gundam Gundam: G-Arms, and in SD Gundam Command Chronicles, which I’m pretty sure is a manga.
Years later, the setting of Command Chronicles would eventually be used as the basis for the TV show SD Gundam Force, though apparently the Command Gundam itself doesn’t appear in it. In fact, for decades, its only animated appearance was in a single short film, Musha Knight Command SD Gundam Scramble.
But despite largely vanishing from the spotlight after the early 90’s, the model was presumably very popular. So popular, in fact, that it makes a major cameo in Gundam Build Fighters, where it is lauded as being a fantastic model for beginners.
The Command Gundam may be small, but it’s such a cool (if somewhat generic and seemingly obvious) idea. A camo colored mobile suit that looks like it should be piloted by John Matrix? Sign me up.
High Grade Command Gundam?
Now, while I can’t read minds, I’m willing to bet that a lot of fans have at one point had the same thought that I did - “Why haven’t they made a full sized version of this thing?”.As it turns out, they did. Or at least, they designed one. It originally appeared in the photonovel Gundam Build Fighters Honoo, though I can't tell if they ever made it into a commercial model. Gundam Kits Collection has a post about it, but the details are scarce.
About the Quan[T]
The Quan[T] is the “final” mobile suit Gundam 00’s theatrical finale. It was used heavily in promotional material, but doesn’t show up in the actual film until the very end.
That means it doesn’t get to do all that much before the story wraps up, other than use its quantum powers to teleport around. While the Gundam Wiki claims that it has a formidable arsenal, the instruction manual for the Command Quan[T] disagrees, as it says the following:
So we have a mobile suit that wasn’t really intended for combat, and which doesn’t end up doing a whole lot with its limited screen time. It’s not quite a blank slate, but it’s close enough. Perhaps that’s why Bandai decided it was a good candidate to serve as the scaffolding for a full sized re-imagining of the Command Gundam …
About the Mobile Suit
… because that’s really what we have here - a new, full sized interpretation of the Command Gundam that uses the Quanta as its foundation.
Let’s do a side by side comparison:
There are bits of the original Quanta design that peek through - the thighs and forearms the same, and you can see a little bit of the original head poking through. But everything else (including the rest of the head) has been bulked up. In fact, if you were to look at this mobile suit without knowing anything about it, I’m willing to bet that, unless you’re a Gundam 00 diehard, you might not even realize that it’s based on a 00 design in the first place.
And that, my friends, matters a lot to me. I dislike post-Season 1 Gundam 00 so much that I want nothing to do with it. Doesn’t matter if there is a character or a mobile suit I might potentially like in isolation. I’d rather just ignore it all. So when I originally saw this model kit, and thought it was mainly a variant of the Quan[T], I likewise wanted nothing to do with it. But once I realize there’s barely any actual Quan[T] left in it, my impression flipped. I know that sounds shallow and petty, but at least I’m honest about it.
About the Model Kit
You might be wondering - why did I need the Jesta Cannon’s rifles for a model kit like this, which is already armed to the teeth?
It has a huge rifle of its own, a huge shield (which also has a gun, and two smaller, detachable knives), a shoulder mounted missile launcher, and a sword. How many more guns could it possibly need?
Answer - at least one more. The gun on the shield is small and a bit hard to see, and while the missiles are cool, I mentally separate missiles and grenades as distinct from guns. Which means that it arguably has more swords than guns, and that seems weird for a variation of the Command Gundam. I figured it would look pretty cool if it duel wielded two rifles, and the Jesta’s looked like they would be good fits.
Other Thoughts
- Because this is a re-imagining of the Command Gundam, rather than a strict recreation, it doesn't have the same weapon set as its SD counterpart. It also places its missile launcher on the opposite shoulder. This doesn't really mean anything. I just figured I'd point it out.
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In _Gundam Breaker Battlelogue_, the Command Quan[T] is piloted by Takuma Nagitsuji. Takuma is the (formely silent) playable protagonist of Gundam Breaker 3:
The face is standoffish, but the posture is insecure
- For what it’s worth, apparently Quan[T] is pronounced “Quanta”. [return]