Available From HobbyLink Japan
By Cacophanus from Mecha Damashii
With Bandai seemingly determined to release all of the classic mobile suits from the original Mobile Suit Gundam in their updated Robot Damashii range, this new Guncannon is beautifully done and not only looks the part but also has some wonderful articulation.
The Guncannon is one of the three types of mobile suits aboard the White Base, with the Guntank and Gundam being the other two. Like the Guntank though, the Guncannon is meant as more of a mid- to long-range support mobile suit.
It’s piloted by the initial cowardly Kai Shiden, who later comes into his own and ends up both a formidable pilot and also probably one of the most emotionally-grounded characters in the series.
Originally, the Guncannon was an early design for when Mobile Suit Gundam was called Gunboy. Initially the design of Kazutaka Miyatake, it was apparently too realistic for the feel of the series, harking back more to Miyatake’s work on Starship Troopers.
Kunio Okawara later changed the design and brought it in-line with the other main mobile suits for the Federation.
While in the original anime the Guncannon is a new unit developed by the Federation, in Gundam The Origin it is in fact the much earlier and more rudimentary mobile suit that the Federation used (along with the Guntank).
This version is clearly from Mobile Suit Gundam though and as such is a lot more powerful than most of the Zeonic mobile suits of the era.
The Guncannon also becomes the mainstay backup for Amuro Ray in his Gundam once the White Base goes into space, which is something this toy caters to, as you can use various decals on it that are also supplied.
As Guncannon toys go this is both a rare addition to the mobile suit ranks and one that is done very nicely indeed.
The review will be popping up soon, so keep an eye out for that!