HGUniversal Century

RGC-80S GM Cannon (with Rocket Bazooka)

An old-school GM mold dressed up in Origin blue and handed a bazooka too big for its own good.

MechaGrade Score

3.3/5

GM Cannon (with Rocket Bazooka) · 1/144 · 2020

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2020

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This one is a nostalgia kit wearing a new coat of paint, and I say that with affection, not disappointment.

The frame underneath is the same HGUC GM engineering from the early 2000s, so the joints are simple ball-and-swivel rather than anything fancy, but the Origin blue and white color separation is genuinely sharp and the new Balzac 380mm rocket bazooka is a fun oversized centerpiece. I like this kit. I just would not call it cutting edge.

Best for: Universal Century completionists and GM fans who want the Origin-colored Space Assault Type on the shelf

The full review

What it is

This is the RGC-80S GM Cannon Space Assault Type dressed for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin MSD, a P-Bandai exclusive that takes the long-running HGUC GM frame and reissues it in a clean navy and white scheme with a newly molded Balzac 380mm rocket bazooka standing in for the usual cannon backpack. Building it feels like visiting an old friend. The gate placement is straightforward, the runners snap together with the confidence of a design that has been refined over two decades, and the blue plastic in particular looks good straight off the sprue with almost no painting needed to read as finished.

The catch

The engineering shows its age. Knees and elbows are single-hinge double-joints rather than the more forgiving ratchet or polycap setups newer HG lines use, so deep dynamic poses take some coaxing and the torso only really tilts forward, it does not twist. The bigger practical gripe builders keep raising is the rocket bazooka itself, when it is held in the right hand it tends to bump into the shoulder-mounted rocket gun, so getting a clean two-weapon pose takes some fiddling with the wrist and shoulder angle. As a P-Bandai exclusive it also runs pricier than a standard-line HG for what is, underneath the new parts, an older mold.

Who it's for

If you are chasing a complete Universal Century GM lineup or you love the Origin manga's design work, this is worth tracking down, the color scheme alone sells it and the bazooka gives you a display piece none of the standard HGUC GM releases offer. If you are new to Gunpla or want the most articulate, modern-feeling build for your money, skip this one and look at a newer HG mold instead, the joint engineering here just is not built for the kind of dynamic posing current kits handle without a second thought.

The build story

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

The build itself is quick and low-stress, this mold has been refined since the original 2000s-era HGUC GM release so the gates are easy to clean and parts click together without fighting you. The molded blue and white plastic reads as finished with barely any paint needed, which is the standout part of sitting down with this kit.

Articulation is where you feel the kit's age, the head swivels and hinges fine, the arms and legs get double-jointed elbows and knees, but the torso only tilts forward and there is no waist twist to speak of. The Beam Spray Gun and the new Balzac 380mm rocket bazooka can both be held in either trigger-finger hand, though the bazooka's bulk means it tends to clash with the shoulder rocket gun in two-weapon poses, so plan on adjusting the shoulder angle to get a clean shot.

Lore & trivia

01The GM Cannon Space Assault Type carries the Balzac 380mm rocket bazooka, a weapon newly molded for this kit rather than recycled from an earlier GM Cannon release.
02In the Gundam: The Origin MSD storyline, the GM Cannon descends from the RCX-76-02 Guncannon First Type and was pushed into intermediate-range support duty after that earlier design struggled at the Battle of Mare Smythii.
03The suit saw deployment on the North American and African fronts before most units were lost at the Battle of A Baoa Qu.
04This kit was released as a Bandai Hobby Online Shop (P-Bandai) exclusive rather than through general retail.