HG Origin Guncannon First Type

Introduction:

After a large project like the MG FA-78, I like to unwind by building a smaller kit. It's how I keep up my momentum as a builder and stay motivated to build future projects. A few weeks ago one of my nephews helped me to build and assemble this kit. When I pulled it off of the shelf on Tuesday it only needs a bit of touch up sanding and seam removal before painting it.

This is also the very last kit I purchased from Modelgrade before they closed up shop.

Mobile suit History:

The following is my own fictional history of this series of mobile suits and should not be considered canon. If you like this section please let me know and I may include more like it in future works.

Despite the lackluster performance of the Guncannon during its inaugural battle at Von Braun, this mobile site saw widespread deployment throughout the federation shortly after. Officially the Earth Federation indicated that too many resources had been dedicated to the development of the design to simply scrape the project. Rumors abound that lobbying efforts by Anaheim Electronics had hand in the decision.

Early production models of the Guncannon were identical to the models used during the battle of Von Braun. However, as production churned on: enhancements, modification, and adjustments to the design were made based on collected battle data and observations by Anaheim Electronics technicians and consultants stationed aboard Federation vessels. A substantial modification made during the production run replaced the three-pronged pincer-like hands with articulated humanoid type manipulators. The pincer manipulators struggled to manage the recoil from the mobile suit's rifle. The humanoid manipulators also provided a Guncannon with the ability to provide a swift punch to an enemy attempting to close for melee combat.

The early operators of the Guncannon were mainly veteran RB-78 Ball pilots, and the reassignment to the more heavily armed and armored Guncannon was generally perceived as an upgrade. Many pilots quickly adapted to the new mobile suit thanks in part to very similar cockpit layouts and control configurations.

Guncannons were mostly used to fill the role of mid-range fire support in fleet formations or used to outflank or ambush Zeon vessels. Rarely were Guncannons encouraged to engage the more maneuverable Zaku 1 in one on one combat. Variants of the Guncannon would serve throughout the Federation prior to and following the One Year War on many battlefronts. The last few Guncannons still in operation were phased out of front line service around the time the Titans started to dominate the hierarchy of the federation.

Kit Talk:

I've never really cared for the design of the original RX-77 Guncannon or any of it's derivatives very much. The designs strike me as being very simple and lacking the mechanical design that I really appreciate. Fortunately, this version has some great detail.

Early on I decided to that the stock color scheme of the early type model wasn't really doing it for me. The same goes for the 'arcade claw machine' style of hands. I used a set of builders parts HD hands and used the ball joint from the stock hands to ensure that they would fit the socket. If I had the chance I would have preferred to have a matching set of shoulder cannons similar to the RX-77.

I opted to push more color separation into the kit through the grey armor panels on the legs, arms, and backpack. If I were to paint the kit again I might have chosen an RG style of color separation with different shades of red.

There are a few seam lines across the kit that needed to be filled and a few seam lines that needed to be re-scribed. Despite these minor fixes, the basic kit is really nice and should not be overlooked.

If you like my work and would like to help me out, consider purchasing this and other kits from Amazon using this link or others featured on my site. Every purchase helps me out considerably and it doesn't cost you a dime!

Photos

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Action Poses

The shield seems like such an afterthought

The large EFSF decal is from the MG Thunderbolt Gundam. It fits the shape of the of the leg very well.

No melee weapons means using yer mitts.

When compared to the GP01fb Gundam from a similar era we can see how stocky and thicc the Guncannon is compared to the more heroic proportions of the Gundam.