by Consider why Gundam is not mass-produced.
“The RX-78-2 Gundam is probably one of the most famous robots in the world.” It is the main character of the popular anime “Mobile Suit Gundam” and is an ultra-high-performance mobile suit (hereafter referred to as MS) that is feared as the “white devil” by the enemy Zeon forces.
Equipped with a beam rifle that the Zeon forces had not put into practical use when it first appeared, it overwhelms the Zeon Zakus in shooting combat. Equipped with a beam saber in close-quarters battle and high mobility, it is also very active against outnumbered enemy forces.
As for its defense, its heavy armor made of Luna Titanium (there is also a material called Gundarium α) alloy does not accept Zaku machine guns. In addition, it is depicted as a versatile weapon that can handle atmospheric re-entry and underwater battles. It seems that there are almost no defects or initial failures as weapons.
Even though the Earth Federation Forces were able to develop such a high-performance mobile suit, they are mass-producing downgraded GMs. Although GM can use beam weapons, it is inferior to Gundam in firepower. Even if Zaku can compete to some extent, its defense power and athletic performance are considerably reduced.
“Why was a low-performance GM mass-produced when an ultra-high-performance aircraft could be developed?” The explanation is that “Gundam is very expensive,” but mass production will somewhat reduce the cost. Furthermore, there are new Gundam-type MSs and advanced GM-type MSs that are said to have “performance similar to Gundam,” so you can see that it’s not impossible to build.
“The Gundam is a machine that can be built but cannot be mass-produced.” There is a reason why “mass production is not possible.” This is my guess, but I think that the definition of “what is Gundam” is within the Earth Federation Forces. “GM Sniper Custom has performance close to Gundam, but it doesn’t meet the definition of Gundam, so it’s GM.”
I believe that this “definition of Gundam” is “armored with Luna Titanium alloy,” “emphasis on beam weapons and hand-to-hand combat,” and “a distinctive head that distinguishes it from a GM.”
Luna Titanium Alloy is a metal mined mainly in Luna Two and has a very high hardness but is challenging to process. Therefore, it is also called “Gandarium Alpha” in some documents.
“Gundam” is probably a “Gundam” because it is a “mobile suit for hand-to-hand combat designed to use Gundarium α as armor.” Even the GM Sniper Custom, a high-end mass-produced machine, has titanium-based alloy armor, not Luna Titanium.
Luna Titanium armor is used in land battle GMs, but this is the first aircraft, and the definition was unstable. And there is also a setting where “the cost of armor was high, and full-scale mass production was impossible”. So it may have been partially supplemented with substitute materials. In addition, the ground combat GM is inferior to the ground combat Gundam in generator output. Even if it can use beam weapons, it is low in power, so it can not be called a “Gundam.”
In addition, Luna Titanium (Gandarium Alpha) seems to be mined mainly in Luna Two. Still, the Earth Federation Forces lost space supremacy for a while after the start of the One Year War.
“That’s why even if you want to make a “Gundam” with Gundarium armor, you can’t transport armor materials.” In addition, the Commonwealth’s industrial capacity was severely damaged due to the colony drop, and the yield of Gundarium, which requires a lot of time and effort, was probably too low.
Another factor is that Amuro’s success made “Gundam” a political entity. The Federation should have known that Zeon feared Gundam as the “White Devil.”
By concentrating Gundarium armor on some of the ace pilot MS and equipping its head with the characteristic “two horns and twin eyes,” it is said that “a white devil has appeared on the battlefield.” This means that the pressure effect is expected.
In the world of Gundam, the combination of “ace + high-performance machine” often surpasses “many mass-produced machines.” By supplying Gundams only to pilots who can do that, the “Gundam legend” will expand and become a threat beyond reality (if a mass-produced machine adopts a Gundam face, it will be perceived as “surprisingly easy to defeat”). , this effect cannot be targeted).
In fact, in “Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket”, Zeon will use even nuclear weapons prohibited by the Antarctic Treaty to destroy the new Gundam, so this propaganda is highly effective. The Gundam MS’s setting was sealed after “Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ,” probably because “Gundam” has become a political existence.
There is a question on the Internet, etc., “Why is Gundam painted in conspicuous white and blue, even though it is a military weapon?” People recognize it as a Gundam and fear it.” It’s the same as Zeon’s Char riding a red aircraft.
In addition, you can’t tell if the face is different from the GM’s until you get close, so I don’t think it’s necessary to adopt a Gundam face that seems to be low in productivity, such as the GM Sniper type, even if it’s a high-performance machine that fights away from the opponent. It must have been done.
After the sequel “Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam,” Gundarium became the norm for MS armor. Still, the propaganda effect of “Gundam” built up from the One Year War was recognized in the Universal Century, and “If a Newtype rides, It is thought that the flow of “super-high-performance aircraft that will not be shot down easily and will be very active” has become “Gundam face.”
