With Version 8 we released several new units from the One Year War (OYW) of Mobile Suit Gundam including reconnaissance types as well as some GM variants.
On the Zeon Side we see the Recon Zaku and Zaku Flipper, both of which are reconnaissance types that fulfilled a support role for Zeon most often in non-combat positions. The Recon Zaku is built on the MS-06S Zaku II Commander’s frame since it had improved thrust over a standard Zaku, it also had additional thrusters added to its chest to allow it to escape easier as a result we gave it the Interceptor role.
The Zaku Flipper is a refined version of the Recon Zaku, it has several sensor fins on its back which when in operation made a flapping motion and thus earning its name. Later on the the unique head of the Zaku Flipper is reused for a custom Gelgoog used by Jacobius Node while sniping in the manga MSV-R Return of Johnny Ridden.
Our other batch of units are the Zudah type, a competitor to the Zaku I. While the Zudah was a higher performing unit than the Zaku I it had a major defect, the Jupiter Engine which blew apart and destroyed the mobile suit during the testing phase. As a result the Zudah was placed on the shelf, its parent company Zimmad would later go on to develop the iconic and powerful Dom mobile suit.
Late in the war the Zudah was brought back into service with a new and improved Saturn engine. Propaganda videos were released implying that the Zudah was a secret weapon sealed away and brought out to defeat the Federation. In reality, the Saturn Engine was a cosmetic upgrade and still retained the explosive flaw of the Jupiter engine. The test pilots learned this flaw and most were able to work around this flaw. We opted to give the Zudah Performance 3 rationalizing that it had some tune up of parts late in the war and putting it a step above the standard Zaku II while keeping it’s explosive flaw anytime it uses the Full Throttle action.
As an Ace Unit we also added in the Hunter with Black Clothes (also translated as Hunter of Black Clothes) a short manga featuring a Zeon Ace piloting a Black Zudah who operates on the threshold of Earth’s inescapable gravity launching high speed sneak attacks on the Federation. It’s relatively short with a striking art style and is well worth the read.
On the Federation side we added a few variants. We already had the GM Intercept Custom with Fellow Booster in the game but it is restricted to Space type only and our Sandbox Mission packs haven’t yet reached space so we added in the GM Intercept Custom as a ground only option. Similarly, we added in the GM Cannon Space Assault Type which was a refined version of the GM Cannon used during the tail end of space operations in the OYW.
Lastly, we added in a Performance 2 variant for the standard GM. The Performance 1 variant at Cost 20 is meant to represent the early type GMs either the ones produced at Luna II or Jaburo that were done either for evaluation purposes or had to be rushed to the frontlines. Many of the early GMs had significant issues, the performance 2 GMs are representing the GMs that were rolled out or overhauled to remove the major performance kinks that had popped up. In some sources the early types are referred to as the RGM-79A while the late types are the RGM-79B. This is not to be confused with the RGM-79C or GM Kai (from 0083) which is also called a GM late type. Confused? Don’t worry, the GM lineage has gotten very confusing over the years as more and more GM variants are added into the One Year War being design and manufactured over the 3-4 month time span.
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