Gundam Archives

The RX-75 Guntank: A Prototype Mobile Suit

The RX-75 Guntank, also known as the RX-75-4 Guntank, is a mobile suit from the Mobile Suit Gundam television series. It was the first prototype Earth Federation Forces mobile suit developed by Operation V, a top-secret research and development program.

Design and Features

The Guntank has a unique design, with a torso and arms similar to a mobile suit, but with caterpillar treads for legs. It was initially designed to be piloted by a crew of two, with a gunner in the canopy-style cockpit on the head and a driver in another cockpit in the torso. However, it was later changed to be controlled by a single pilot in the canopy-style cockpit. The Guntank uses the Core Block System, which allows the cockpit to eject in case of emergency and unfold into the FF-X7 Core Fighter.

Armaments and Equipment

The Guntank’s main weapons are twin 120mm cannons, which are effective at long and medium ranges. Its arms have four-barrel missile launchers instead of hands, providing good cover fire against enemy tanks and aircraft. However, the Guntank’s design was primarily for ground combat, resulting in poor maneuverability in space.

History

The RX-75 Guntank was developed when the first rumors of the Principality of Zeon’s mobile suits reached the Federation. Only one of the Guntank units survived the attack on Side 7. This last prototype made its way to the Pegasus-class assault cruiser White Base, where it fought alongside the RX-77-2 Guncannon and the RX-78-2 Gundam. After the death of the Guntank’s pilot Ryu Jose, the mobile suit was upgraded to be used by a single pilot in the canopy-style cockpit.

Variants

There are several variants of the Guntank, including the RX-75 Guntank Mass Production Type and the Guntank Psycommu Type, which was featured in the parody Mobile Suit Gundam-san.

In Popular Culture

The Guntank has appeared in various forms of media, including video games, manga, and anime. It has also been featured in several model kits and action figures.

Trivia

• The Guntank’s design was inspired by tanks and other ground vehicles.
• In most video games, the Guntank’s primary role is a base destroyer that has to be escorted by close-combat capable MS.
• The Guntank’s primary weakness is its inability to turn its torso, making it difficult to aim its cannons at moving targets.