Yasuo Ohtagaki’s crazy take on the events of the Universal Century as seen in Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt has finally ended last Sept. 26, thirteen years after the first chapter came out. While the bits of the story seen in the 8-episode anime could still fit into the larger (and I hate using this term) canonical U.C., the manga obviously deviates to a considerable extent. And while I’m not caught up with the manga, I am aware of the interesting mobile suits introduced during its run, including the much-awaited namesake.
But before going there, let’s first check out the main Gundams Gundam Thunderbolt has introduced along the way.
The earlier chapters saw the introduction of Io Fleming’s Full Armor Gundam and the Atlas Gundam, the former of which is based on the MSV design slapped with several shields among other things. Both designs got Gunpla releases thanks to the anime adaptation, and both my copies are still in the backlog as I’m still intimated to build them. Let’s not forget Daryl Lorenz’ Psycho Zaku which became a popular design as well.
We were also introduced to the Gundam Ground Type-S, a variant specific to the assault landing ship Spartan. There’s also the Gundam Bouncer, a custom Gundam Ground Type-S used by the mercenary Falcon Monica as seen in the side story Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Sean the Sand Rat.
A couple of more popular designs from the manga were the Perfect Gundam and the Bull-G. The Perfect Gundam is basically the Psycho Zaku from earlier on dressed up with the armor from the Full Armor Gundam as part of Daryl’s mission to infiltrate Luna II. At the same time, Io is using the Perfect Zeong, a modification of a Zeong unit the Earth Federation Forces captured previously. Sent to stop the Perfect Gundam is the Bull-G, a mobile suit developed from the Guncannon II and is given a Gundam head for marketing purposes.
As the manga went to the its equivalent of the Gryps Conflict, it introduced the Gundam Mk-II as sort of a mass-produced unit, along with the Zeta Gundam and Hyaku Shiki. All of them are being operated by this version of the Titans.
And as Gundam Thunderbolt entered its final chapter, we are finally introduced to the namesake hero mobile suit, thirteen years after the manga started.
Many initially speculated this to be a version of the ZZ Gundam given the complicated design and that pose, clearly invoking how Judau would pose the ZZ Gundam after completing its docking sequence. Not until Yasuo Ohtagaki himself clarified this mobile suit as the Thunderbolt Gundam.
While technically not the ZZ Gundam, the Thunderbolt Gundam does share a lot of design elements with the former, chief of which being the head-mounted high-mega cannon. It also has a similar G-Fortress mode transformation as the ZZ Gundam, and I’ve included a high-resolution image of the panel showing the transformation below.
The Thunderbolt Gundam has three pilots, and they’re referred to in the manga as the Thunderbolt Team. I’m not sure if this mode can separate into multiple components like the ZZ Gundam or the S Gundam, but here’s a better look at this mode.
A Gundam-type prototype heavy transforming mobile suit developed by Anaheim Electronics for Team Thunderbolt. Equipped with a Psycommu System derived from the Zeong, it is piloted by Io, Lily, and Callisto.
The transformation looks relatively simple, with the nosecone and the rest of the torso folding down while the arms and legs straighten together with parts that will become the backpack unit.
While there currently are no plans for any kits of the Thunderbolt Gundam, that doesn’t stop people from creating 3D models or their own 3D printed kits. Unfortunately, this mobile suit only made an appearance in the literal last few panels of the manga so information is sparse. But at least we have the lineart for reference.
Again, I don’t know what the folks over at Sunrise is planning with the remaining Gundam Thunderbolt chapters yet to be adapted. And with the eight episodes that we got being one of the better received entries in the franchise, then at least continuing the adaptation should be in consideration. But I won’t hold my breath over anything for now,
