Ball Development History 

Kakarot’s notes: When it comes to the Vanilla Ball, there’s the Gundam Evolve version, the Sentinel 0079 version, the Ver.Ka, the Ms Igloo and then the MG version of the MS Igloo version. The first 3 are basically the Type C Ball, the MS Igloo Ball is a regular ball with Type C arms and the MG version is somewhere in between. For the sake of retconning these versions I kept the Vanilla Ball and then decided on 2 versions of the Type C. The OYW-ver Type C based on the MG Igloo ver (180mm cannon) and the post-OYW Type C of 0083 (120mm cannon). Also the Generator output and sensor radius is based on the regular ball because official sources say that the Type-C is “unchanged from the regular unit, except for the extra pair of arms” (again a reason why I’m putting Igloo’s Balls under the Type-C classification) The green crane arm ball is listed on the Gundam wiki as the RB-79G Ball Work Type, but seriously, it’s just the RB-79K with a crane arm. About the M type’s nicknames: literally translated they are “Locker included” (ロッカー付き) and “Lunchbox” (ランチボックス). I went for a more free translation. The F-type, unlike the normal Ball, only has one weight listed (simply weight). Since the F-type only adds stuff like armor and a backpack, I’m guessing that it’s heavier than the regular ball, which is why I listed the 21.5t as empty weight (vs the regular Ball’s 17.2). Because I know people will comment about the formations, while this is generally not seen in the anime, but is referenced in things like the MG GM manual (bottom right: www.dalong.net/review/mg/m17/p/m17_m0013.JPG) Of the 5 squads listen, 1 is pure balls (1 twin cannon and 4 singles), another is 3 GMs and 2 Balls and the other 3 consist of 5 GMs (of various nature) each. I accidentally said Zaku High Mobility Type instead of Zaku High Mobility Test Type.

Feds won the O.Y.W because they've got balls of steel.

They should have painted the shark mouth on the Fisheye, it fits so well Imagine being a Z'Gok pilot and suddenly you see a horde of shark mouths coming towards you, oh the terror...

The ball was almost part of the V project? That means it could have had Luna Titanium making it near indestructible. It would have been present when Amuro was escaping- Oh God... The Ball was this close to replacing the Gundam as the Ace weapon of the One Year War. Imagine a lone Ball going up against Char's Zaku II, and winning. Mobile Armor Ball! Someone should make a "What if the RX-76 Ball replaced the Gundam Amuro pilots?"

Shiro is a living legend. Only he has the guts and skill to use a Ball to its potential.

"Zeon forces dead ahead commander!" "Ready the crews it's time..." "You said you wouldn't do this again." "To..." "Commander, people are literally about to die. This isn't appropr-" "SHOW THEM OUR BALLS!"

Oh god... Doing one of these on the GM... ALL THE VARIANTS!

Proof that the Ball was an effective line of machines was that one managed to masquerade as a Gundam unit on the battlefield and defeat a group of enemy MS despite having no actual combat upgrades. Truly a soldier's machine.

So Kakarot is talking about Balls? Does that make them... ... ... .. . *DRAGON BALLZ!?*

If you think about it, a group of ball aces would be a real pain in the ass to deal with. You see a sparkle off in the distance, followed by lots of shells. Then you see them, and then they're speeding off to the edges of your sensor range. Cue more shells. Plus, their smaller profile makes them harder to hit.

Ah, the humble Ball. The thing that real men pilot in the Gundam UC universe.

The Glorious Ball, only true Warriors become Ace in Ball

We NEED a video on the Zaku... mostly to try to make sense out of the trillion variants it has. Awesome stuff man!

The ball gundam Truly thw ultimate weapon to surpass metal gear

Well at least no one try to install the EXAM system unto the humble Ball....... That will be a major blue ball

In terms of practicality and reality, the Ball could actually be developed even now as opposed to humanoid mecha. There are some that look like this used for deep sea exploration.

Thanks for making a video on the flying coffins.

So, Feddie GM squads had to split two balls between three GMs... That explains a lot!

*Atlas Gundam is waving at you* *Thundervolt sector is waving at you*

I've always seen the Balls more as a Support Artillery type machine VS the GM, I was un aware just how versatile these little buggers are, from a hit and run unit, to replacing fighters, I mean were going into Outlaw Star Territory there the Ball being a Proto Grappler ship almost. They're still a laughing stock unit but I see its usefulness and reasons for being used, And with the many varrents I see just how flexabile and easy the units are. Still I'd pick a Full MS over the Ball any day. If I did end up using a Ball it would be a strict support type unit hanging out in the back and providing artillery fire or hit and run attacks

That scene of the Ball getting kicked into a GM and exploding is literally the only time a Ball hit anything on screen in MSG.

Thanks for reviewing the meme suit

6:23 If only that ball girl from Thunderbolt had that one. Those Zeon would of regret ambushing her

So this is the best the Feds can make. Clearly the Feds made ALOT OF EFFORT.

The irony is that the pilots needed balls to fly a ball.

i know this isnt a Ball variant, but can we include the GM Juggler? which has 2 Ball pods as funnels/incom?

The ball did have pretty decent acceleration. But it was more of a linear acceleration unit. Which is why it was a hit and run machine. It used different types of thrusters from MS, and had no AMBAC system. Which is why it was generally fodder for Zakus. Though I won't deny an ace pilot could make good use of one. You also neglected to mention that there was a huge battle in which 1000 Balls participated in before the GM was ready. The Federation won that battle through sheer numbers. But took massive casualties as a result.

You can't be a GM without Balls, seriously though one of my favorite space units in the first gundam vs game.

Do the GM development history xD

Yeah the 133 Ball appeared in the Crossbone manga along with the F91s, at least these Balls can shoot at 3 targets simultaneously

Please please please give us more like this. A deep dive into Mobile Suit development and lore is awesome to have, and there are some crazy unit variants out there that nobody knows about (like the Fisheye). (Show some Late UC love if you continue this please. Maybe the Formula-series Gundams and their Silhouette counterparts?)

Please make more of these! I find it very hard to keep track of all the variants of mobile suits and a lot of times i find some information just doesnt make sense in realition to other, and these types of videos definently help clear that up. I'd love to see a video on GM's since its probably one of the most confusing lineages (for me atleast) with all the upgrades and variants all co-existing at the same time, its very hard to keep track off.

So, to use land vehicles as approximation, the Mobile Suits were essentially M1 Abrams Tanks to the Balls' Humvees. One is a highly effective, but also highly complex war machine, while the other is a workhorse platform that could be used for pretty much anything, and could be modified to serve more specialized roles.

Remember to keep your Ball's nice and cool to maintain efficient cannon fire! ;)

"About 1200 balls were produced..." I fucken lost it

Arin: "Yeah well i'm in a f*cking ball!" -Game Grumps

Ahhh...I remember beating a Gelgoog using a Ball back in the original Arcade Gundam Federtion VS Zeon game way back when...

take a shot every time ball or balls is said

The Federation had BALLS to use these in combat.

Lol imagine a entire military of these things.

I hope if this continues we get the guntank or guncannon next

As much as we all like to praise the Fed's balls of steel, we also need to remember. Where the Zaku and gm at?

Balls were like Tie Fighters. They seem weak until you realize you are outnumbered 4 to 1 or worse.

I think there are some other downsides kinda overlooked that help garner the name. Sure, the Ball has acceleration and sensors great for hit and run - which is a problem when not using hit and run and being fielded the same way as most mobile suits as a main line unit. That acceleration comes at a cost as most, if not all, actually use mostly solid fuel boosters using a controlled a explosion to generate propulsion which, has more limited use than the liquid fueled boosters of MS. It also lacks a AMBAC system, which has an effect on ability to maneuver and aim that give MS an edge in that field. The MS are typically more heavily armoured, beyond also carrying usually some sort of shield and can make themselves a smaller target, while the ball while already small has no ability to change it. Not to mention basically the entire ball is the cockpit, while a MS may take a hit that puts it out of action or severely damaged, but leaves a better chance the pilot can escape. It also has far more limited ammunition, and the 180 mm it has is already a chopped down version of the Guntank's which reduce it's ability to even pen armour let alone at any range like the Guntank. The Ball (best guess) can carry what 5-10 rounds of 180 mm ammo? The Base Zaku II that was mass produced the C type, that the likes of Char used, carried a 120 mm MG with 100 rounds, with more rounds in spare drums and a higher RoF. Not to mention the 280 mm Bazooka the Zaku could carry, or later beam bazooka's that they and the Dom carried. And while I can't find anything on it's speed vs many MS - it also takes more time to spin back around 180 degrees - meaning that even if it faced a Dom from the Delaz fleet (one of the slowest for an MS) that if they blew past each other the RD could spin back around and shoot faster. MS generally have - More Armour More Ammo Better mobility/Agility comperable or better weapons Better versatility Ball has - acceleration - cheap to make The Ball is at a massively distinct disadvantage in every field unless it can overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers, save maybe running away, and that assumes it has a top speed higher than any MS that tries to run it down because it means little if it can get to top speed faster but something else with an extra few seconds is say 50% faster and can run it down.

Zeon had Zakus. Fedies had Ball's.

The ball had better acceleration then literally anything else in the OYW. That is utterly ludicrous.

This kinda reminds me of the Urbanmech from Battletech. A couple glaring drawbacks compared to their competition combined with very unconventional shapes and comparatively cheap manufacturing costs make them both extremely memeable, but when you get past the jokes, they're both actually very capable machines that excel when used appropriately and their production numbers corroborate that. The Urbanmech is laughably slow with a tiny ammo pool, but it has very heavy armor for its size and a lot of fire power as long as it can keep its main gun fed, making it an excellent machine for urban ambush fighting, hence the name The Ball, on the other hand, is very frail, but its acceptable level of firepower and its high mobility make it very good, as you said, as a hit and run unit It's also worth noting that both machines were modified heavily throughout their lifetimes, being retrofitted for a variety of different rolls that could still compliment their inherent strengths and weaknesses

I'm so happy you know about the Gundam face Ball, it's my favorite.

Mobile pods are underrated. With MS getting bigger and more expensive after the OYW with little increase in their resistance to beam weapons, it'll be quite reasonable to make cheap, beam-armed units. It is like the situation with battleships: they performed quite well in their intended roles, but they became increasingly difficult to make with little increase in their effectiveness, making aircraft carriers a more viable option.

12.8m is huge. These balls are the size of semi trucks.

Damn good content.. also love that Shiro Amada shout-out, I couldn't agree more

Please do more episodes this was really entertaining.

Char feared one thing......THE BALL

The Ball was far better than the Zeon attempt at making them.

I actually want to know the backstory and everything on the A.L.I.C.E system in gundam Sentinel all i know it was inspired by the E.X.A.M system and the H.A.D.E.S system

Awesome video! You should absolutely continue this series. Great production. Keep it up!

There should be a dull looking gunpla champion ball in some gunpla builder series. A ball with twin GN drives, a trans am system, a minovsky reactor, an NT-D system and lot of funnels and claws.

going balls deep in that gundam history i see

Also consider the Thunderbolt sidestory, which gives us a variant with submachine guns on the second arm and the underwater version which is used for SONAR!

Clicked on this because the thumbnail was a Fisheye, I always love to see aquatic gear from gundam.

This is that one video I didn't know I needed in my life. I would love to see this 'Development History' series as a normal thing.

i could definitely see you doing more of these with more of the mobile suit production history. especially about the monopoly that is Anaheim Electronics and the the successor S.N.R.I.

According to MSVR Return of johnny Ridden, the Ball with the 180mm Cannon is used to intercept zeon suit at far. But due to the mobility of the zaku II, the ball's shot were evaded and the ball were eliminated when the zeon get closer. Hence, the flying coffin. Isn't it?

SHIRO!!! he slapped his future wife with his ball

I remember that in Gundam vs Zeta Gundam on the PS2, the Ball was a joke--until you had to fight a Big Zam. Suddenly, when beam weapons became useless, the tiny and harder to hit ball became a major contender because its cannon could actually damage a Big Zam while the fancier Zeta Gundam's beam weapons couldn't.

Out if all the mobile suits, I love the look of the civilian astray. Its name implies that you could afford one of you saved up. Plus I love a good underdog

You should do a GM Type C development history. Just got done watching the sniper video and noticed how many of them were based on the Command GM, would be cool to have videos for Type Cs and the other main GM types....along with the command type

Nice vid Kakarot, had no idea the Ball evolved so much.

0:14 says the ball is more than meets the eye while showing a zaku 2 kicking a ball like a soccer ball into a GM and killing them both instantly.

Thank you very much for doing the Ball justice

I would love to see a video on the development of the Colonies.

A Ball with an E-Cap powered beam gun would essentially be a Tie Fighter. Surprised the Feddies never went there. Heck, with an I-Field generator, you'd have a Tie-Defender.

Imagine a ball as a core for a Gundam, such as those with core fighters. Amazing. 😎

If they make another "Build" series I hope that they bring back the "Ball" in a big way. Like maybe having a bunch of trick out "Ball" with each have its own unique equipment and weaponry that combine together to form one powerful Mobile suite or Mobile Armor.

Please do more videos like these :-D and hey, how about your usual gunpla review? I really love watching your reviews too

whats that animation of the Prototype Gundam from?

so many types of Balls, its like shopping at a funeral parlor.

Nice job on this video. I can't wait to see the next on. If I were you I would make a video about GM's

Great video man!!! Hope to see more of this series!!!

Love this channel and I'm glad you gave the Ball a thorough analysis in this video. It's surprising that fans make fun of this unit, given that it is actually one of the more realistic designs for a space fighter in science fiction (most sci fi fighters tend to look more akin to modern day atmospheric fighters). It has thrusters on all sides, giving it a full range of mobility that could only be implemented in outer space. This combined with a cannon that can swivel makes it a pretty effective combat unit. The criticism that some people make that it doesn't have enough armor is pretty moot when beam weapons entered the war, considering most mobile suits could not take a direct hit from a beam weapon anyway, so in some ways this machine could be considered more effective due to its ability to pivot away from incoming fire. It would be better if it were armed with a beam weapon though, that is a pretty strong shortcoming later in the One Year War.

I'm surprised that no-one had the thought to cast a plaster mold that hid thrusters and the antenna of the mines to better hid them amongst the varies asteroid fields within space.

I love this idea! I really hope you keep it up!

If you ever played the first gundam arcade game the ball was the ultimate spam unit you were guaranteed to win with cost per units being way lower than the computer unit

The Ball isn't the Flying Coffin of the One Year War, the Dra-C is.

Dammit, it's too short. But great vid as always. Why not try the list of all of Zeon's mobile armors as most of these weren't getting some spotlight.

Awesome content and narrative.

Very cool. Can you do the zaku?

In my school vr game there's a veriont of the ball called the bolak ball which the most wtf thing ever made they are neo zeon balls that are surpport units and have nanobot cannons theses showed up in the boss fight against both neo zeeongs in 2 from near the fuel tanks there where 4 of them 2 each zeong and where then used for juggling by goalius

The most unreasonable cannon size. Things like this make me question this series sometimes.

Bianca Carlyle also piloted a ball if her tattoo are to be believed. She survive that meqn she one of the better ball pilot.

Holly hell (spanish content alert) Nunca pensé que reaccionaria tan rapido First coment

I don’t know if it would be possible but for your next video could you make it on why ground type mobile suits such as the ground gundam and the ground gm are unable to operate in space?

funny as before i knew about Gundam and its series...this Ball was the first thing i saw but i never known of Gundam series when i was kid

This NEEDS to be a series.

A ball with fin funnel weapon would be damn epic lol

Very nice, Kakarot. Give me more of this crack. I also need to know what transition song is from.

The mobile pod Ball is definitely one of the most realistic mecha designs came out of the gundam franchise, alongside the Type 61 MBT :)

RGM-79ARA GM Juggler had a creative use of the Ball

More of these man, Mobile Suit development History in the UC is fascinating! :)

The ball unit was like the sherman tank of the 1 year war.