Hot off the heels of the High Grade GM, I’m back with another build. This is another bit of old school cool, another very simple kit, and all in all a very appropriate followup. I give to you the High Grade Guncannon (Revive version):
About the Guncannon
Like the Guntank, the Guncannon’s real life purpose was twofold:
- To sell toys
- To get into trouble during battle scenes so that the Gundam could swoop in and save the day.
But there’s also an in-universe explanation for its existence. Here is what the Gundam wiki has to say:
A middle-range support mobile suit developed simultaneously with the RX-78 Gundam and the RX-75 Guntank as part of Operation V, the Guncannon adopted the same Core Block System as the other two units. Due to its role as an artillery support unit, the Guncannon's design prioritized durability over mobility, and it was not equipped with any melee weapons. However, its armor was particularly heavy, capable of surviving a direct hit from a MS-09R Rick Dom's giant bazooka.Similar to the Guntank, the Guncannon's main weapons were a pair of shell-firing cannons, chosen for their reliability over beam weapons. These cannons could be optionally swapped out for a pair of spray missile launchers. Unlike the Guntank, however, the Guncannon's generator output allowed it to equip a beam rifle. It was also equipped with a pair of head-mounted vulcan guns and hand grenades for attacking enemy strongholds.
Though its head design appeared to be simpler than the Gundam's head, the Guncannon's sensor system was in fact more complicated than the Gundam's due to its need to engage in artillery warfare. This "twin eyes with goggles" sensor design was later inherited by the RGM-79 GM. While the Guncannon's mobility was adversely affected by its weight, it was still comparable to that of the Zeon's MS-06 Zaku II. Furthermore, the backpack thrusters have sufficient thrust to enable jumping maneuvers under gravity for a short period of time.
In other words, the Original Trio of Earth Federation mobile suits breaks down as follows:
- Gundam - mid-to-close range main unit
- Guncannon - mid range support unit
- Guntank - mid-to-long range support unit
That … actually makes a lot of sense! Three units that can cover all ranges of attack.
Weapons and Stuff
To get a better understanding of how and why the Guncannon works best at medium range, consider its weapons.
First, we have the shoulder cannons. These are similar to the Guntank’s, but there’s one key difference - they’re not as big, and thus they don’t have as much range. The Guncannon doesn’t need to get up in your face to hit you with them, but it does need to get in closer relative to its comrade.
Next, consider its Beam Rifle. The wiki has the following to say about it:
This particular beam rifle is classified as a XBR-L type despite its model number, and is specialized for sniping. Compared to the XBR-M type beam rifle used by the Gundam, it was harder to use but had higher accuracy and longer range.
Take a close look at the Rifle, and you will indeed notice that it is bigger than the Gundam’s, with a longer barrel and possibly a bigger scope:
It may not be a true sniper rifle, like the GM Sniper II uses, but it definitely looks like something you’d use at slightly longer range.
Replacement for the Guntank?
In Gundam: The Origin (as well as the _Mobile Suit Gundam_ compilation movies), the Guncannon is not a companion to the Guntank, but rather its replacement. At a certain point in the story, the White Base's sole Guntank is replaced with a Guncannon and is never seen again.
Variants
Like the Gundam, the GM, and to a lesser extent the Guntank, there are all sorts of Guncannon offshoots and successors that came after it. I’m not going to chronicle all of them, but suffice to say that while some of them look a bit different, they all carry on the same basic design, with two guns strapped to their shoulders.
About the Model Kit
Whenever Bandai comes out with a new line of model kits, they often choose the Grandaddy Gundam to be the first kit of the line.
They did it for Real Grade:
And they did it for Entry Grade:
But when they launched the HGUC line all the way back in 1999, they chose a different mobile suit to be HGUC #1. They chose the Guncannon:
That’s right, the HGUC line is almost 25 years old at this point. That means some of those early kits are pretty ancient, which is why Bandai decided around 2015 to create brand new “Revive” versions of some of the line’s oldest kits, so that they might look and feel more modern.
I’m not sure if it’s coincidence or not, but ultimately they chose HGUC #1 to be the first one to be revived. This Revive model is the version of the kit I have, and I’ve heard lots of good things about it.
For reference, here is the original model:
It’s certainly not bad, but it looks a bit too boxy in some places.
Now here is the Revive version:
I think the original model is slightly more TV accurate in some ways, but it also looks a little too stiff and boxy. Too toylike if you ask me. Meanwhile, while the Revive kit takes some slight liberties with the design, I think it looks more dynamic, sleek, and modern (without making too many changes of course).
Another nice thing about this kit is that it comes with unit number decals so that you can customize the look of your model. You can choose beteween 108 (Kai’s unit), 109 (Hayato’s unit, at least in the film adaptation where he stops using the Guntank), and 203 (which is some other unit that participated in the battle of A Baoa Qu).
About the Build
This is the second build in a row where I’m going to use some mobile suit-specific decals from waterslide decal sheet #37. Though in the case of the Guncannon, there aren’t quite as many useful decals, so It’s not going to be marked up quite as heavily as the GM was.
Overall, this is such a simple kit that I don’t think it’s going to be too challenging.
Other Thoughts
One of the iconic - if not infamous - characteristics of the Guncannon is its firing pose where it gets on its hands and knees:
According to the box, this model kit can recreate this pose. I can’t wait to try it.