MGUniversal Century

RGC-80 GM Cannon

A P-Bandai only fan-favorite variant that finally gives the workhorse GM its own MG spotlight, and does it justice.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

GM Cannon · 1/100 · 2015

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2015

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the GM finally getting the respect a background unit rarely gets.

It takes the familiar MG GM inner frame and dresses it in the stocky, cannon-heavy MSV silhouette, and the result is a kit that feels distinct rather than recolored. I came away impressed by how much personality a support suit can carry when Bandai actually tries. The catch is that it was P-Bandai exclusive, so getting one at a fair price now takes patience.

Best for: UC completionists and MSV fans who want the definitive GM support-variant on their shelf next to the RX-78-2

The full review

What it is

The GM Cannon takes the proven MG GM body, the same double-jointed elbows and knees, the pull-out shoulder joints, the 360 degree waist, and bolts on the signature long-range cannon and hyper bazooka loadout that made this suit a favorite in the MSV art books. Building it felt like meeting a familiar face in different armor. The gray and orange color separation on the body comes molded rather than painted on, so the suit reads correctly right out of the runners, and the water-slide decals for the MSV markings add the kind of unit-specific detail that regular GM releases skip entirely.

The catch

This was a Premium Bandai online-exclusive release (first in 2015, reissued again since), so it never sat on regular shop shelves and secondary market prices swing depending on when you're looking. The shoulder cannon itself is mostly a visual centerpiece rather than a fully posable weapon, it swivels up and down and not much else, so don't expect gun-cannon dynamism out of it. A few builders have flagged the ABS-to-plastic joints on the side skirts as prone to popping loose over time, which is a known GM-frame quirk more than a Cannon-specific flaw, but it means a little cement or careful handling goes a long way.

Who it's for

Grab this one if you already like the MG GM line and want the version with actual firepower and a story behind it, or if you're building out a One Year War Federation lineup and want something other than another plain RGM-79. It rewards people who enjoy MSV deep cuts more than someone hunting for a flashy centerpiece kit. Skip it if you specifically want a cannon accessory with full range of motion, or if paying secondary market prices for a limited release doesn't sit right with you. As a display piece next to a standard GM or an RX-78-2, it earns its spot.

The build story

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

The build runs through the same trusted MG GM assembly sequence, so gate placement is clean and nub cleanup is straightforward if you've built any GM-frame kit before. The cannon and bazooka assemblies add a few extra steps over a standard GM build but nothing that trips up an intermediate builder. Panel lines on the new MSV-specific armor pieces are crisp enough that a wash pays off nicely.

The standout here is how much the color-separated molding does the heavy lifting. You get the correct gray-and-orange MSV scheme without picking up a brush, and the water-slide decals for the unit markings are a nice touch over stickers. Combined with the double-jointed limbs and the 360 degree waist rotation inherited from the base GM frame, it poses well for a support unit, even if the headline cannon itself is more for looks than for posing.

Lore & trivia

01The RGM-79 GM was the Earth Federation's first mass-produced mobile suit of the One Year War, rushed into service to counter Zeon's Zaku II.
02The GM Cannon is part of the Mobile Suit Variations (MSV) line, a body of supplementary material that expanded the original anime's mobile suit roster with unofficial background variants.
03This MG version was a Premium Bandai online-exclusive, first released in August 2015 and later reissued, rather than a standard retail kit.
04Standard GM armament includes head-mounted 60mm vulcans and a beam saber, with the Cannon variant swapping in a long-range cannon and 380mm-class ordnance in place of the usual beam rifle.