HGUniversal Century

RCX-76-02 Guncannon First Type (Iron Cavalry Squadron Commander)

A theater-exclusive oddity that turns out to be a genuinely fun little tank-with-legs.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Guncannon First Type (Iron Cavalry Squadron Commander) · 1/144 · 2016

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a better kit than its exclusive-release, blink-and-you-missed-it origin story suggests.

Bandai took a design that predates the RX-78-2 by only a hair and gave it clawed hands, a swappable shoulder cannon or missile pod, and a gatling gun that actually plugs into the frame instead of just resting there. It is not going to out-articulate a modern HG, but for a suit built to look like a walking prototype tank, it moves better than it has any right to. I like it more each time I pick it back up.

Best for: Universal Century completionists and Origin fans who want the pre-Gundam prototype look done properly, not people chasing maximum poseability

The full review

What it is

This kit depicts the commander's paint job for Lieutenant Junior Grade Erdush's unit within the Iron Cavalry Squadron, the group of Guncannon First Types that fought at the Battle of Mare Smythii early in the One Year War. Visually it is the missing link between the Guntank and the RX-78-2, thick-legged, barrel-chested, with claw hands instead of proper manipulators, and I found that claw detail sells the whole "still figuring out mobile suits" era better than any paint job could. You get both the low-recoil cannon and the missile launcher for the shoulder mount, plus a shoulder-mounted gatling gun, so you can pick your silhouette. Building it felt quick and satisfying rather than demanding, which is exactly right for a kit that started life as a movie-premiere freebie.

The catch

The head cannot turn side to side at all, only tilt back on its hinge, because the shoulder-mounted weapons box it in. That is a real limitation if you like dynamic poses. It is also a small, sparse kit by modern HG standards, seven runners and a foil sticker sheet is not much plastic, so detail is simpler than a current-year release and some of the color separation leans on stickers rather than molded plastic. Because this was a limited theatrical exclusive rather than a mainline retail release, secondary market prices can run well above the original 2,100 yen tag, so budget accordingly if you are hunting it down now.

Who it's for

Grab this one if you are working through Universal Century history and want the Guncannon's earliest form done right, or if you just like oddball proto-suits with personality. The claw hands and swappable armament make it a fun display piece even sitting still. Skip it if you need full range-of-motion posing for photography or dioramas, the frozen head turn will frustrate you fast, and skip it too if you are not willing to pay above sticker price since this was never a mass retail kit. For everyone else chasing the pre-Gundam Federation lineup, it delivers.

The build story

What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.

This is a short, uncomplicated build, small parts count, minimal cleanup, and nothing that fights you going together. The claw hands are a departure from typical five-finger HG hands and clip on cleanly, and swapping between the cannon and missile launcher on the shoulder mount is simple enough to do after the kit is finished, not just at assembly time.

The engineering standout is how much personality Bandai packed into a stubby proto-suit silhouette. The double-jointed elbows and knees give real bend for a suit this blocky, and the 360 degree waist rotation helps a lot with torso twist since the head cannot turn. The gatling gun mounts directly to the shoulder rather than being handheld, which keeps the commander's loadout feeling authentic to the Iron Cavalry Squadron's actual gear.

Lore & trivia

01The Guncannon First Type was the Earth Federation Space Force's first formally adopted humanoid mobile weapon, developed at Anaheim Electronics' Von Braun plant from the earlier Mobility Test Type and Firepower Test Type prototypes.
02The Iron Cavalry Squadron fielded twelve of these suits organized into four three-machine teams, numbered 101 through 112, carried aboard a Pizarro-class mobile transport ship into the Battle of Mare Smythii in U.C. 0078.
03Unit 101, depicted in this kit, wore a distinct commander's color scheme because it was piloted by the squadron's leader, Lieutenant Junior Grade Erdush.
04This kit was originally a theatrical exclusive, sold at screenings of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin IV in Japan in November 2016 for 2,100 yen.