I found this kit the same time I found Command Gundam. I’m not going to say I’ve been looking for it forever, but it’s been on the wishlist for a decent amount of time. You know what they say about getting it when the getting’s good and all …

This here is the High Grade Gundam X, from the 1996 TV show After War Gundam X.

Spoiler Preface!!!

This post contains a whole bunch of spoilers for Gundam X. You may want to skip it if you haven’t watched the show.

About Gundam X (The Show)

Gundam X is one of many Gundam TV shows that takes place in an alternate universe that’s separate from the original Universal Century timeline. However, while most AU’s attempt to tell their own stories with their own themes, Gundam X was intentionally written as a commentary on - and deconstruction of - the UC.

It has its own alternate version of Zeon (named the Space Revolutionary Army), its own alternate version of the Earth Federation (named the United Nations Earth), and even its own alternate version of Newtypes.

In a nutshell, the show is a sort of “What If?” scenario that asks “What if Zeon won the One Year War?”. It takes place in the post-apocalyptic aftermath of the 7th Space War, which the SRA ultimately won by dropping not one, not two, but literally dozens upon dozens of colonies on the Earth. This led to a nuclear winter, and eventually a new era/calendar named the After War period.

There are two important things to know about Gundam X. First, it was the fourth consecutive Gundam show to broadcast in as many years. The second is that Sunrise ended up cutting its production run down to 39 episodes (most Gundam shows typically run for 48-50 episodes).

It is difficult to say whether the shortened run was due to fans genuinely not liking the show, or simply suffering from Gundam fatigue (the fact that so few mobile suits from the show have been turned into modern model kits may give us a clue as to the truth).

Whatever the case may be, I highly recommend that you don’t sleep on this one. Gundam X is both a fascinating deconstruction of the Universal Century, as well as an extremely fun, well written Gundam adventure in its own right. It is by far one of my favorite AU’s in the entire metaseries.

About the Gundam X (the mobile suit)

The Gundam X (or GX for short) is the show’s titular mobile suit. It was a limited production mobile suit that served as the United Nation Earth’s last ditch trump card, as it was equipped with a superweapon known as the Satellite Cannon.

Simply put, the Satellite Cannon is like the Wing Zero’s Buster Rifle on steroids. Whereas that gun could fire a pinpoint shot through the wheel shaped colonies of Gundam Wing:

The Satellite Cannon packs enough punch to put a much larger whole through the much larger sized O’Neill cylinder colonies featured in Gundam X:

The catch to all this is that the Satellite Cannon requires massive amounts of microwave energy in order to fire. The UNE’s solution to the problem was to build solar energy collection/transmission satellites across the Earthsphere (as well as one on the moon). These transmitters can beam energy directly to the Gundam X (provided they have line of sight).

Additionally, the Gundam X is equipped with the Flash System, which allows a Newtype pilot to use their psychic abilities to control multiple GX Bits (basically pilotless drone versions of the Gundam X).

At the end of the 7th Space War, the UNE’s ace pilot Jamil Neate fired upon the approaching SRA colonies with a complement of GX Bits:

Unfortunately, all of that firepower was not enough to take down all of the colonies dropped by the SRA. Ultimately the colony (colonies?) drop decided the war.

But as it turns out, there was at least one GX left intact and unused, hiding in an underground UNE facility. It laid there, untouched, for 15 years after the war, until series protagonist Garrod Ran accidentally came upon it. He takes it as his own personal mobile suit, and from there the story of Gundam X begins.

The Satellite Cannon in the After War Period

The Satellite Cannon still works in the After War period. That being said, it is a bit tougher to use. All of the energy transmission satellites were destroyed during the war, leaving the moon-based relay as the only option left. That means the cannon can only be used during a full moon, as that’s the only time in which there is a clear line of sight to the Mobile Suit.

Despite this, Garrod does use the cannon quite a few times in the early episodes of the show, and each firing leads to some high quality destruction porn:

Standard Weapons

In addition to the Satellite Cannon, the Gundam X has a “standard” set of armaments. I put “standard” in quotes because most of this gear is anything but standard. It’s cooler and more clever than usual.

Beam Saber

Garrod relies heavily on the Beam Saber throughout the early episodes of Gundam X, and it’s easy to see why.

Most Beam Sabers are essentially Star Wars lightsabers. They’re cylindrical tubes that project a thin beam blade. That’s not the case for the GX. The handle is a massive, boxy thing, and the beam blade is long, wide, and jagged.

I like to think of it as a less derpy version of Epyon’s sword.

Also, the handle is stored on the butt end of the Satellite Cannon, which is I just think is neat.

Pulling a Sneaky

One cool thing about storing the handle in the Satellite Cannon is that the Satellite Cannon can rotate. This means the handle can be positioned wherever is most convenient for the situation, such as this scene here where Garrod gets one over on an opponent:

Shield Buster Rifle

First things first: this is not a Buster Rifle in the same tradition as the Wing Gundam’s Buster Rifle. It looks and operates more like a traditional Beam Rifle. My guess is that the name “Buster Rifle” was simply re-used to help Gundam Wing fans feel comfortable and familiar while watching Gundam X.

Second, as the name implies, this is a combination weapon that serves as both gun and shield:

It’s an idea that’s very clever, seemingly practical, and very toyetic all at once. But it works better in theory than in execution.

Think of it this way - how exactly does the GX hold it when in shield mode? Does it still hold the grip like it would in gun mode? If so, then the shield is going to face upward (which isn’t exactly conducive for deflecting oncoming attacks).

Or is the grip of the gun on a hinge, so that the face of the shield can flip forward?

Or does it somehow mount to the wrist like a normal mobile suit shield?

I tried looking for examples from the show, but the results were inconclusive. For example, in this scene it looks like it’s holding the shield in a traditional pose:

The rifle’s grip is at the very back, so unless it is on a hinge, then this stance is impossible. There’s no way it could contort its arm to make it work otherwise.

In this scene, notice how the hand is near the center of the shield:

This is only possible if it was mounted to the wrist (since, again, the grip is at the back).

Lastly we have this pose, which is the only one where it might plausibly be holding onto the grip:

It’s tough to tell, since we can’t see how the left arm is positioned.

Ultimately, the answer to this problem is “the animators didn’t really care, so the shield does whatever they needed it to in any given scene”. Which, fair enough I guess. But I’m curious to see how this translates in the model kit itself.

Chest Vulcans

Unlike most Gundam-type mobile suits, the GX has Vulcan Cannons in its chest rather than its head:

Also, it has four of them, instead of just two. Presumably this gives it a bit more firepower than usual, though in practice they’re not any more or less effective than traditional head-mounted Vulcans.

Shoulder Vulcan

As far as I remember, this is not a part of the GX’s original equipment. It’s an extra weapon added by the maintenance crew of the Freeden. It shows up - and gets destroyed - in Episode 5:

It’s a Gatling-style cannon attached to a hardpoint on the shoulder. According to Gundam Wiki, it’s meant as an extra bit of firepower for Earth-based combat.

Breakdown of the Satellite Cannon

The Satellite Cannon is made out of two components. These are the wing shaped panels on the backpack. When active, they unfurl into four panels in the shape of an X (hence the name of the mobile suit).

The Reflector Unit is basically a giant battery. It stores all the energy beamed down from the Satellite System.

Interestingly, the Reflector Unit can also be used as a propulsion system. It can expend its energy to create lift and thrust for the mobile suit, which explains why it doesn’t have traditional thrusters:

Satellite Gem

The green gem/crystal thing in the chest of the GX is not decorative. It's actually the receptacle for the energy from the Sattelite System.

The second component is the cannon itself. This rests squarely in the center of the backpack, and it can pivot freely on its axis. Of course, it can also flip forward in order to fire.

Lastly, it should be noted that the Beam Rifle can be holstered on the backpack. I don’t recall exactly where you can see this in the show, but somehow I know it’s possible.

Fate of the Mobile Suit

Despite being the name of the show, the Gundam X doesn’t last very long in its original form. It only takes ten episodes for it to be shot up:

After this it immediately gets rebuilt as a new, Satellite Cannon-less (but still really cool) form called the X-Divider.

Nevertheless, I’d argue that the GX in its original form is the show’s most popular and iconic mobile suit.

About the Visual Design

I’ve written and rewritten this section of the post several times now. I know how I feel about the design of the GX, but I’m having trouble figuring out the best way to explain it. So I’m just going to put all my thoughts out there. If they’re messy and unreadable, so be it.

I can’t look at the GX without thinking of it as some sort of final, “best” iteration of a certain design aesthetic promulgated throughout the three alternate universe Gundam shows of the 1990’s¹. Take a look at these “lead” mobile suits from G Gundam and Gundam Wing:

God Gundam aside, all of them have some sort of green gem in their chests (and thus add a fourth color - green - to the standard Gundam color palette of red/blue/yellow).

And Shining Gundam aside, they all have wings - or some sort of wing-like appendages - strapped to their backpacks.

In my opinion, these two trends tend to make a given mobile suit feel very Super Robot-y. Now, that’s entirely appropriate for an over the top show like G Gundam:

Neither God Gundam nor Shining Gundam is among my very favorite designs, and I think they’d look ridiculous in any other show, but in the end they both feel “right” given the context of their setting.

Moving onto Gundam Wing, I’ve said it before, and I’ll likely say it again many times more, but I don’t like its two lead mobile suits.

Both suits use a much darker color palette than the ones from G Gundam, and I think each color ends up clashing with the rest.

They also look far too busy, with too many different colors in each section of the body. And that’s to say nothing of the fact that the whole Super Robot vibe is at odds with the show’s self-serious nature.

But then we get to the GX, and suddenly everything gets better:

Maybe it’s just me, but I think the GX is clearly an iteration of Wing Gundam and Wing Zero’s aesthetic at the very least, albeit one that fixes all of their problems.

So what’s its secret? How does it achieve such a great look?

I think it starts with its choice of color palette. The GX swaps out the dark blue used in Gundam Wing - and the bright blue used in G Gundam - for not one, but two different colors. One is a dark turquoise, and the other is a very subtle purple tone.

This is important for a few reasons. First, it gives it a very strong 90’s vibe that no other mobile suit from the decade really tries to capture, and that in turn gives it a strong sense of identity that the other designs lack.

Second, not only do the two colors pair well with each other, but they also pair well with the green in the chest. Indeed, the GX might be the only design from this era in which the green doesn’t feel like a clashing color.

Next, consider the placement of colors. The GX is reminiscent of the Victory Gundam or the F91, in that most of the color is concentrated in the chest, while the limbs are largely plain and white.

It’s not a perfect comparison, as the GX does have some colored trim on its arms, legs, shoulders, and skirt armor. However, the trim uses that really subtle purple tone. In fact, it’s so subtle that (in my opinion) it acts like a neutral color, such as black or grey. It breaks up the monotony of the white armor, but it doesn’t pop or draw attention to itself. This makes the design feel less busy than it would otherwise.

On a related note, consider the accessories. On the Wing Gundam/Wing Zero, the shield and the wings are both very colorful. But on the GX, both the beam rifle and the Satellite Cannon are white, black, and grey. They complement, rather than take away from the main suit’s clean, mostly-white design.

Third, despite having a super laser strapped to its back, the GX feels a lot less like a Super Robot and a lot like a traditional Universal Century-style “Real Robot”. For example, the green gem in the chest is not a literal, ornamental gem. It has a functional purpose, which none of those other 90’s era designs can claim.

And even if you didn’t know that, there’s something about the shape of that area that feels practical. It’s embedded into the cockpit itself, as opposed to being slapped on top of it, and that makes it feels like a piece of equipment, rather than merely being decorative.

I also think the GX has a lot of the trademarks of a Real Robot. It has lots of hard lines and angles, and lots of vents and grills. It looks flashy, but also very functional.

Lastly, there’s one other design element that I want to touch upon. The Satellite Cannon gives the GX an asymmetric look, which I am a sucker for. I think that’s because asymmetric patterns imply a further level of practicality. It implies that the engineers were focused on making it functional, even if it came at a cost of elegance and beauty.

So there you have it. I think the Gundam X is a criminally underrated design. It introduces a bit of 90’s flash and edginess while still looking grounded and practical. Out of all of these AU Gundams, I think it may well be my favorite.

About the Build

I haven’t done any research on this kit before building it, so there are a few things I’m unsure of. For example:

• Does the Bream Rifle do the Shield Mode gimmick? And if so, how?
• Can you attach the rifle to the backpack?
• How color-accurate is the model out of the box? How much work is required?
• How does the Satellite Cannon work? Does it involve partsformations?

In terms of my approach to the build, this one is going to be straightforward. No shading, no weathering, and no extra decals. Just a normal build with good panel lines and color correction where needed.

Conclusion

I realize this was a very long intro post. What can I say? I really like this mobile suit, and I hope I’ll like this model kit as well. We’ll find out soon enough.