Title: RX-178 Gundam Mk-II (Titans Colors)
Scale: 1/144
Brand: Bandai
Grade: High Grade Universal Century (HGUC)
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Kit No.: # 30
Series: Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Release Date: 05/2002
Suggested Price: ¥ 1,000
No. of Parts: 114 + P.C.-123 + polycap sprue
Plastic colors: dark blue, dark gray, light purple-gray, yellow, red
Gimmicks: super poseability, collapsible shield, docking hardpoint on back
Where to Buy: Price: $18.08 (Free Shipping) >>Buy from Amazon<<
HGUC RX-178 Gundam Mk-II (Titans Colors) Gunpla Gallery
Built by Hypnos.Lee and shikan0079, customized built [A.E.U.G.] by N.G.T.Factory
Infomation of RX-178 Gundam Mk-II
The RX-178 Gundam Mk-II is a mobile suit that appears in the anime series Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. It is an upgrade over the famous RX-78-2 Gundam that served in the One Year War.
General and Technical Data
Model number: RX-178
Code name: Gundam Mark II
Unit type: prototype general purpose mobile suit
Manufacturer: Earth Federation Forces (Titans)
Operator(s): AEUG (Anti-Earth Union Group); Titans
First deployment: December UC 0086
Accommodation: pilot only, in panoramic monitor/linear seat cockpit in torso Dimensions: overall height 19.6 meters; head height 18.5 meters
Weight: empty 33.4 metric tons; max gross 54.1 metric tons; mass ratio 1.44 Armor materials: titanium alloy/ceramic composite
Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 1930 kW
Propulsion: rocket thrusters: 4 x 20300 kg; vernier thrusters/apogee motors: 10 Performance: maximum thruster acceleration 1.50 G
Equipment and design features: sensors, range 11300 meters
Fixed armaments: 2 x XB-G-1048L (Titans) / A*E-Br*G-Sc-L (AEUG) beam saber, power rated at 0.45 MW, stored in recharge racks on backpack, hand-carried in use
Optional fixed armaments: VCU-505EX-Gry/Ver.009 (Titans) / VCU-505EX-V*B/Ver.012 (AEUG) 60mm 2-barrel vulcan pod, 1400 rounds total, mounted on head; RX*M-Sh-VT/S-00018 (Titans) / RX*M-Sh-VT/S-001 (AEUG) shield, mounted on either forearm
Optional hand armaments: BOWA*XBR-M-86-C2 (Titans) / A*E-Br*XBR-87-C (AEUG) beam rifle, power rated at 2.6 MW, powered by replaceable e-pac, 2 spare e-pacs stored in shield; H-Baz-85-Gry/Ver.045 (Titans) / H-Baz-87-A*E/Ver.004 (AEUG) 360mm hyper bazooka, clip-fed, 7 rounds per clip plus 1 round in chamber, can be stored on rear skirt armor storage rack; AE/ZIM.C-BAZ-531 clay bazooka, clip-fed, 7 rounds per clip plus 1 round in chamber, can be stored on rear skirt armor storage rack
Technology & Combat Characteristics
In both purpose and appearance, aside from its color scheme, the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II is designed to be a direct descendant of the RX-78-2 Gundam.
Weapons-wise, the Gundam Mk-II's armament and optional armament are in essence a reflection the weapons employed by the original Gundam, though those in themselves are a standard set of weaponry for both Earth Federation and AEUG mobile suits. The only fixed weapons of the suit are two beam sabers, but the Mk-II can carry a vulcan pod, a shield, a beam rifle, a hyper bazooka and a clay bazooka if necessary.
It also features what had become the standard 360-degree panoramic screen and linear seat. The multiple panels of the panoramic screen make up a single 360-degree display, which covers the entire inner surface of the spherical cockpit. The image displayed on this screen is a computer simulation constructed from the cameras distributed around the mobile suit's exterior. The viewpoint is that of the mobile suit's head, and the image is carefully edited to remove the mobile suit itself. The linear floating seat is suspended in the center of the cockpit, supported by a linear arm which electromagnetically counters G-forces and impact shocks in order to protect the pilot. When used in conjunction with the 360-degree panoramic screen, the linear floating seat also gives the pilot a larger field of view and eliminates blind spots.
More importantly the Gundam Mk-II is the first mobile suit to be built utilizing the new movable frame concept. This new concept, rather than placing the armor on top of the mobile suit's internal mechanism, grafts the armor directly to the frame, thus giving the mobile suit the range of joint movement more like that of a human being, at the same time reducing the overall weight. It incorporates all the mobile suit's vital mechanisms, thus increasing responsiveness, reliability, and energy efficiency as well as making it far more agile. For a brief time period this makes the Gundam Mk-II one of the most agile mobile suits available, however the purpose of the mobile suit was to test the concept, so while the theft of all three units was a serious blow to the Titans, it was ultimately not that important as they already had the data needed to develop more advanced mobile suits.
Armaments
Beam Saber - The only fixed armament of the suit are two beam sabers for close combat, which, like the ones of the original RX-78-2 Gundam, were stored in recharge racks on the backpack of the suit when not needed. While the Titans used beam sabers of type XB-G-1048L, the Anti-Earth Union Group used the type A*E-Br*G-Sc-L. Both types however had their power rated at 0.45 MW.
Beam Rifle - Since beam rifles were now a common equipment of most mobile suits, the Mk-II was also equipped with one as its main armament. Again different types of the rifle were used by the Titans and the AEUG, with the former using the model BOWA*XBR-M-86-C2, while the later outfitted the suit with a A*E-Br*XBR-87-C beam rifle. Each rifle had its power rated at 2.6 MW and was powered by a replaceable e-pac, with two spare e-pacs stored in the shield of the suit.
Clay Bazooka - An armament used only be the AEUG so far is the AE/ZIM.C-BAZ-531 clay bazooka. Like the hyper bazooka it was clip-fed and capable of carrying seven rounds per clip plus 1 round in its chamber. Again additional clips could be stored on the rear skirt armor storage rack. Unlike the hyper bazooka, the clay bazooka carried adhesive pellets in order to disable an enemy unit.
Hyper Bazooka - For heavy firepower, the Mk-II could carry a large hyper bazooka, which was clip-fed and capable of carrying seven rounds per clip plus 1 round in its chamber. Additional clips could be stored on the rear skirt armor storage rack. As with nearly all the other weapons, different types of the bazooka were used by the two groups, with the Titans using an H-Baz-85-Gry/Ver.045 bazooka, while the AEUG used a model of type H-Baz-87-A*E/Ver.004.
Shield - As with most other mobile suits, the Mk-II carries a single physical shield for defense on its left arm. While the Titans use a shield of type RX*M-Sh-*VT/S-00018, the AEUG's Gundam shield is of type RX*M-Sh-VT/S-001.
Vulcan Pod - Although the Mk-II didn't mount the standard vulcan guns on the head, it is able to be outfitted with a 60 mm 2-barrel vulcan pod on its head, capable of carrying a total of 1400 rounds. The vulcan guns are housed in the left side with two firing ports, while the right side functions as a balancer and magazine. This optional weapon was developed because installation space in the head unit could not be reserved for mounting the vulcan guns.
History
The RX-178 Gundam Mk-II are three prototype mobile suits developed by the Titans in UC 0087. The Gundam Mk-II's design effectively traded armor and weaponry in favor of increased mobility - a very large factor in melee combat common in mobile suit deployment.
When word of these black-and-blue painted Gundams reached the Anti-Earth Union Group, Quattro Bajeena - (Principality of Zeon's infamous "Red Comet") - led a team which infiltrated the Titans' Green Noa 1 space colony. With the help of a young boy, Kamille Bidan, son of the Gundam Mk-II's principal designer Franklin Bidan, Quattro managed to steal all three mobile suits.
Following the theft of the Gundams, two were sent to Anaheim Electronics to be dismantled and studied, while the AEUG kept the last one in its service, painting over the dark Titans' color and giving it a navy blue-on-white color-scheme.
The Gundam Mk-II was given to many of the AEUG's best pilots, including the young rookie Kamille Bidan and later to former Titans officer Emma Sheen. The Gundam Mk-II, with its antiquated titanium and ceramic composition, limited mobility and weaponry, soon proved ineffective against many of the Titans' new and transformable mobile suits. Yet it would still play part in many of the AEUG's most important missions, such as the attack on Jaburo, or the battle against the MRX-009 Psyco Gundam in Hong Kong.
Eventually to improve performance the AEUG commissioned Anaheim Electronics to build a new support craft for the Gundam Mk-II. Anaheim Electronics was successful and created the FXA-05D G-Defenser, a fighter craft that could dock with the Gundam Mk-II to create the RX-178+FXA-05D Super Gundam which has superior speed, mobility, and firepower.
Despite this upgrade, the Gundam Mk. II would still suffer in performace compared to the Titans latest mobile suits during the final days of the Gryps Conflict, and again when it was called to service during the First Neo Zeon War against Neo Zeon and their superior mobile suits. During this time, the Mk. II was never officially designated a pilot, although it was most often the mobile suit of Elle Vianno. The loss of the G-Defenser during the Gryps Conflict, combined with Elle's weak piloting skills severely downgraded the Mk. II's potential.
After the end of the First Neo Zeon War, the Gundam Mk. II was severely damaged against the NZ-000 Queen Mansa and abandoned by Elle. It is said the unit was recovered and repaired, but ultimately retired from service after the AEUG was re-absorbed into the Earth Federation, being put into storage alongside the Zeta Gundam.
Variants
- RX-178-X0 Prototype Gundam Mk-II
- FA-178 Full Armor Gundam Mk-II
- RX-178+FXA-05D Super Gundam
- MSF-007 Gundam Mk-III
- Musha Gundam Mk. II
- RX-178 Gundam Mk-II B
- RX-178-4 Gundam Mk-II Unit 4
Miscellaneous Information
Pilot(s): Kamille Bidan, Emma Sheen, Char Aznable (aka Quattro Bajeena), Katz Kobayashi, Jerid Messa, Kacricon Cacooler, Franklin Bidan, Elle Vianno, Mondo Agake, Chara Soon, Beecha Oleg, Elpeo Ple, Jack Bayard
Appearances: Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam; Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ; Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: AEUG VS Titans; Gundam Evolve; Mobile Suit Gundam Ecole du Ciel; Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam Vs. Gundam; Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam Vs. Gundam Next; Dynasty Warriors: Gundam; Mobile Suit Gundam: Climax U.C.; Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ Side Story: Mirage of Zeon; Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam 1/2 UC 0087: Another Story; Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs.
Original mechanical designer(s): Kunio Okawara (principal design), Mamoru Nagano (principal design), Kazumi Fujita (principal design and cleanup) [Source: wikia & mahq]
1/144 HGUC RX-178 Gundam Mk-II (Titans Colors) Model Kit Reviews
The menacing version of the Gundam Mk-II has arrived in the HGUC line. This kit features all the goodies you'd expect, including the beam rifle, bazooka, shield and beam saber, as well as full posability and articulation. The kit is pre-colored and snap-together, so no paint or glue is required to complete it.
Video Review by masterkent1
Review by Jameson Leaser
Excellent! After the release of the HGUC Gundam, I was hoping they'd get around to this kit. It also seems they're honoring the original release by not putting out exactly the same kit - In the Gundam's case, calling it the RX-78-2 versus the original HG's RX-78. In This case, the RX-178 released was the Titans color version.
Typically pleasant HGUC proportions, with a nice removable vulcan gun pod which you'll have to paint to get it to look right, but don't worry - this part flexes very little going on or off, so there shouldn't be any paint flaking off.
Great work here too, with highly articulated shoulders, though the shoulders move up and down versus front and back, giving the kit the ability to shrug. The backpack is also nicely done, with a ball-and socket joint for the beam saber mounts versus the peg-and-hole mount of the earlier HG. A removable part on the backpack reveals a socket to either mount the shield or dock a G-Defenser (I'll get to that). A hook on the rear skirt plate unfolds for the 360mm hyper bazooka, though the mont holes on the hip plates are non-functional.
Typically superb HGUC arms. No complaints here. You'll have to paint the backs of the hands to make them look as they should.
Surprisingly articulated legs - The feet pinch half-closed (once again showing they were thinking ahead - I'm getting to it) and are mounted on nice, sturdy ankles which the lower leg parts fit around. The knee joint isn't the post-in-polycap affair as in previous releases - well, not mainly. The knee has a polycap encased in a plastic knee joint, which the lower leg parts attach to horizontally, not vertically. This can cause problems if you decide to paint the power cables on the back of the knee (as I did) The top part of the knee joint is a post which fits vertically into the upper leg. The hip joint is HGUC tough.
The folding shield in this kit can be displayed in both open and closed modes with a tab on the lower half of the shield fitting into the non-functional eye slit on the upper half (I would have liked something like this in the HGUC GP01 and GP01Fb), and is molded with two nicely rendered spare e-pacs. I've never seen Zeta Gundam, so my painting guides have been this website and the box instructions, which can be confusing at times. The kit shown on the box is colored like the Perfect Grade Titans RX-178, which doesn't have the yellow triangular patterns on the shield that this website shows it does.
The shield attaches to the arm by a clip-like plastic part similar to the HGUC GP01 and GP01Fb that fits into a polycap contained within the suit's forearm. The clip has two mounting posts, just like the GP01's though it is slightly more detailed. With a little finagling (it's a word now), the arm clip can be used to mount the shield on the backpack hole where the G-Defenser would attach in the AEUG version. The beam rifle and hyper bazooka are molded entirely in medium purple gray, so painting is necessary to make them look as they should. THis can cause a problem with the bazooka, as it is held in the hook on there rear skirt by wedging the upper handle of the bazooka (which is painted) under the bottom of the top part of the rear skirt hook assembly (if you have this kit, you'll see what I mean). What it boils down to is scraped paint on the bazooka if you're not careful.
A major problem I had with this suit is it's dedicated right-hand beam saber, molded ENTIRELY in dark blue, which can require at LEAST two paintings if your favorite red beam saber color (mine is fluorescent red, which is hard to come by) is semi-transparent. Ultimately, as with my HGUC GM and Zeta Gundam, I chopped off the attached blade, drilled a tiny tiny hole and stuck one of my many spare clear Gundam beam saber blades into it (NOTE: you may notice as I did that the beam saber hilts which attach to those backpack mounts have little holes just about the right size for Gundam beam saber blades in them - DON'T USE THEM THAT WAY - it's a good way to ruin a beam saber blade!). This kit also comes with stickers for Units 01, 02, and 03, if you don't want your kit to be anonymous.
Very tight little kit, great for fooling with in the way Master and Perfect Grade kits aren't. The relatively light weight the well-made polycap joints bear keeps kits like these in poses that larger scale kits could never hold, though there is more painting involved. Of course, since this suit is also featured with a different color scheme, a second RX-178 release was inevitable....
Video Review by TFfanmaiku
Review by Willis DeYoung
This kit is part of the HGUC line of model kits. The kit is from the anime Zeta Gundam from 1985 the sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam from 1979. The kit is ten years old being released in 2002 but holds up well with other HGUC kits. This is the Titans Version of the kit.
This kit Includes:
- Beam Rifle
- Hyper Bazooka
- Beam Saber
- Vulcan Pod System
Color Scheme:
- Dark/Navy Blue
- Black
- Red
- Yellow
- Dark Gray
Review by HGGundamReviews
Value: 5/5
Quality: 5/5
Design: 4/5
The Rx-178 Gundam Mark-II is a very nice model. Its design and armaments make it a very nice display piece. It's only out of the box drawback is a wrong color in the plastic. All the weapons, hands and joints are molded in a light purplish grey so painting is required to make them look proper.
The model does not include clear beam blades for its included beam sabers. Even though they were designed to accept beams. The model has a included a special hand part that has the beam saber, handle and blade molded as a single part. This will require detailed painting in order to look proper. Though if you have extra blades (SB-6) from other models they will fit in the included handles.
The decals included are very nice. metallic stickers for the eyes and head cameras. As well as a sheet of clear peel off unit id numbering stickers.
There isn't a opening cockpit on this model, however the upper section of the chest is removable to show some inner detail the the exterior top of the cockpit area. Again if you are going to display this area open painting will be required as its molded into the larger part of the chest in a very dark blue plastic.
The included Vulcan pod for the head again needs detail painting. and some putty to fill a very large hollow area under the right side of it.
Overall the MK-II while needing some TLC in construction is a very nice model, and in this modelers personal opinion one of the best Gundam designs in all of UC.
1/144 HGUC RX-178 Gundam Mk-II (Titans Colors) Model Kit and Reviews
Source: www.scalemodelmuseum.com
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