RB-79 Ball

The RB-79 Ball is a fictional weapon from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. Its design was partially inspired by the EVA Pod from "". As a ubiquitous mobile weapon, it has been a popular subject for modeling enthusiasts, largely due to its unique and unusual design among the other vehicles within the Gundam universe.

The RB-79 Ball, introduced in the original Mobile Suit Gundam TV series, have also gained its appearance in Gundam Sentinel 0079, MS Igloo, Gundam Evolve, All of SD Gundam G-Generation series, Super Robot Wars series and Gundam Century. Originally designed by Kunio Okawara, it is also redesigned by Katoki Hajime for almost all of the other series.

Appearances

The RB-79 Ball is probably one of the most popular mobile weapons in the Universal Century timeline, second only to Gundam and Zaku. Designed by Kunio Okawara, the Ball was the only Mobile Pod seen in Gundam for over 26 years (1979~2006). In one episode of the new 3D animation productions, ', Zeon deployed their own mobile attack pod, the MP-02A "Oggo", in desperation. The Ball appears in various Gundam stories, including its first appearance in "Mobile Suit Gundam", "Gundam Sentinel 0079", ', "Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO", "", "Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam" and "Gundam Evolve". It also appeared in many of the Gundam video games, including the "Gihren's Ambition" series, the "SD Gundam Generation" games, the Versus series, and even in the Super Robot Wars series on more than one occasion.

Redesigns

The unit has received redesigns several times, including a redesign in Sentinel 0079 by Katoki Hajime, the later variation K type in 08th MS team (also seen in the SD Gundam games and MS Igloo), and the C type variation in Gundam 0083. The mangaka of Crossbone Gundam also based the designs of the RB-133 Ball and the side story unit "B Gundam" on the RB-79. In the story "Magical Ensign Blaster Mari", several MC coating-equipped Balls have also appeared.

The first redesign of RB-79 Ball in the Model Graphix magazine for Gundam Sentinel 0079 by Katoki Hajime was inspired by the space pod in the movie "" and Katoki said in the interview in Sentinel 0079 that he wanted to designed it to look like a one-man space pod NASA would build. He depicted it to have a similar impression of the working pod appearing in the new film The Abyss at that time directed by James Cameron

In modeling

The RB-79 has been a popular subject for modeling enthusiasts.Cannon Ball, special feature, Hobby Japan, Feb, 2005 issue.] Gundam Sentinel 0079, Mecha design, Model Graphix magazine] The popularity of the unit have granted it 3 different versions 1/100 Master Grade models. In February 2005, Hobby Japan made a special topic called "Cannon Ball", featuring the MG RB-79 Ver. Ka, calling it the "Last and Greatest featured product of 2004" The second version, the RB-79K was used as a base for the champion model "Cross-section" in the 2006 Japan Dengeki Gunpla competition by the Hong Kong modeller Tomoon Lee, and still won first place against the newest and very popular unit, "Strike Freedom Gundam". [Model Kit World issue 198, 5 Jun, 2007]

Role in plot

The RB-79 is mainly a grant unit in stories, it is normally seen as the unit easiest to produce in the story, with a few exception parody units Saku and Samu. The strength of the RB-79 comes from numbers, in the Gundam Battle (series) game, the RB-79 and RB-79C both got a secondary weapon named "Call Ball" and a SP attack summoning dozens of RB-79 and swarm the field with their 180mm cannons. However, the designer Katoki Hajime viewed the unit differently. In his design notes, he granted the RB-79 a much higher position as a war weapon, making it an attempt of the Earth Federation Forces to create a small size mobile armour, since the specs of the unit could be compared against the MS-09R Dom. [MG RB-79 Ball instruction manual]

Backstory

In the background story of Mobile Suit Gundam told in official books, the fictional One Year War between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon, the Federation lacked any sort of the mass-produced humanoid mecha, known as mobile suits. The Zeon forces laid waste to the Federation fleet with their mobile suits, the Zaku I and the later Zaku II. To counteract this, the Federation scrambled to make some sort of mobile weapon that could counter the Zeon attack. However, their new prototype mobile suit, the Gundam, was too costly to mass-produce, and their first mass-production mobile suit, the GM, just wasn't being fielded fast enough.

The RB-79 Ball mobile pod was created with the cancelled number of the V project RX-76 Prototype Ball. The Federation refitted about 1200 of the civilian-model space construction pods, known as SP-W03 mobile pods, and installed heavier armor platings and a 180mm recoilless cannon on top. The Ball mobile pod also had vernier thrusters mounted all along the body, which used solid-fuel explosives rather than more conventional liquid propellants. As an improvised conversion, the Ball was initially seen as ill-suited for combat, earning the nickname "Mobile Coffin" among EFSF pilots. It was, however, smaller, more maneuverable, and more stealthy than a mobile suit, and its real strategic advantages were its low cost and large numbers. Harassment from hit-and-run attacks by Federation's fast "Salamis" cruisers and their Ball squads proved to be a constant headache for Zeon supply fleets, who often had to deploy additional forces to escort its vulnerable "Papuas" and "Pazocks".

Parodies

A joke of the Ball unit is that if it is painted red and a horn is attached to it, it will become one of Char Aznable custom and became 3 times more powerful than an ordinary unit. This gag has at least appeared in two manga, one Super robot wars doujin manga was actually published by a branch of Bandai showing a Ball unit painted red, with a horn and stripped with ammo. Char Aznable seems to actually like it but was shot down in less than 3 panels, which is totally not helpful to the battle at all. An official manga published on Gundam Ace, where titled as "Why Char assassinated Kysilia" showing in place of where in the original story should be MSN-02 Zeong, Kysilia actually provided Char with a red ball, with two conical horns, labelled "Horns" next to them; an enlarged bottom thruster, labelled "3 times" next to it; the cannon was replaced by the hand of Zeong, labelled "Psycommu" next to it, referencing the traits of Char's Custom units. This unit is in fact designed by Katoki Hajime and he designed the box art for it to look like the MG model box as well in the back, along with other custom Ball units for other Zeon pilots.Another appearance is in the SD Musha Gundam series, the ball was called _ja. 暴流 (Bakuryu) and is the primary foot soldiers siding with the Gundam Warriors and Generals.

References

* Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam
** Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Skullheart
* Mobile Suit Gundam: Magical Ensign Baster Mary
* SD Musha Gundam series
* MS Igloo
* MS Igloo Apocalypse 0079

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