RGM-79GS GM Command Space Type is the space-use half of the GM Command programme, a mass-production mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989, U.C. 0079). The Earth Federation developed it from the RGM-79D GM Cold Districts Type in the last weeks of the One Year War, alongside the ground-use RGM-79G.
What it does in the story
The pair was designed to answer pilots unhappy with the original GM and to be ready for the planned counter-offensive in space. The Space Type arrived too late, and in too small a number, to shift the war, so most went to colony and base defence, with two assigned to the Scarlet Team defending the Ribo colony at Side 6.
What makes it different
-
The backpack separates it from the ground version.
The two machines differ mainly in propulsion layout for 0G and 1G. The ground GM Command puts downward-pointing thrusters at the bottom of the backpack; the Space Type spreads them around the pack facing several directions, with about 10 percent more output, more apogee motors and more propellant.
-
It was the first GM to use a mono-eye.
The series was the first in the GM line to adopt the mono-eye camera in the head, done to improve producibility. Extra head sensors for environment monitoring came with it, and a shoulder antenna strengthens communication against civilian frequency interference.
-
Its beam gun sits between a rifle and a spray gun.
The BOWA BG-M-79F-3A was a testbed for a weapon category that did not exist yet. A large beam accelerator and battery pack on the rear give it pinpoint penetration plus a side effect of cutting a target's internal systems, disabling rather than destroying it.
-
The shield has a hole for the shoulder vernier.
The NFHI RGM-M-Sh-AGD is curved and carries an anti-beam coating with better heat resistance than earlier models. An opening at the top lets the shoulder vernier pass through, and the inside has a weapon latch plus two spare magazines, hence the pilot nickname Command Shield.
How big is it?
- Head height: 18.0 m, per the machine's spec listing; overall height not listed
- 1/144: roughly 12.5 cm
Why buy from P-Rex Hobby
P-Rex Hobby is a Bandai Recommended Hobby Store with 20,000+ customers served and 1800+ five-star reviews. US orders ship duties prepaid with no import fees, and Route Package Protection is available at checkout.
Frequently asked questions
1. How is the Space Type different from the ground GM Command?
The backpack and its thruster layout. The Space Type spreads thrusters around the pack facing various directions for zero gravity, with about 10 percent more thrust, more apogee motors and more propellant; the ground version points its thrusters down from the bottom.
2. Why is a machine built for ordinary pilots called a Command type?
It was not designed as a commander's unit. Production was small, the machines went to experienced pilots first, and those pilots were often made commanders of new platoons, so the reputation attached to the suit rather than its specification.
3. Was the GM Command Space Type at Side 6 in the OVA?
Two units were assigned to the Scarlet Team defending the Ribo colony at Side 6, which is the colony the OVA is set in.
4. How many beam sabers does it carry, and where?
Two, both stored on the rear skirt armour. The suit also mounts two 60mm vulcan guns in the head and carries the beam gun as its main handheld weapon.
Background sources: RGM-79GS GM Command Space Type — Gundam Wiki · ジム・コマンド宇宙戦仕様 — 日本語版 Wikipedia
