Mobile Suit Rollout Timeline

[LtFrankie]

Is there a rollout timeline of exactly when the various mobile suits rolled off the production line, and preferably from where? The ones in particular I want to know are mostly the Zeon MS, but I'd also like to know about the Guntank and Guncannon variants.

[J-Lead]

I'm sure someone could compile one, I guess, but as far as I'm aware, most of that sort of information exists as part of individual mobile weapon profiles.

It'd actually be a pretty good time to do it, given the RGM-79/MS-06 Archives and various other publications that have come out recently that go farther into the history of various mobile suits.

[LtFrankie]

I tried looking for...pretty much all Zeon MS/variants, but alot or most of them are just "UC 0079". Same goes for things like the Guntank MPT and Guntank II.

[yazi88]

The Zeon MS rollout isn't too bad, its the EFSF GM MS models that are quite inconsistent with so many early and late model GMs. Like in the Lost War Chronicles manga (which shouldn't be taken seriously as canon whatsoever) that had a freaking GM Sniper II in Jaburo even though it wasn't rolled out and even built until mid-late December. The GM Kai itself is also kinda sketchy if I remember correctly.

[Dendrobium Stamen]

As I (very vaguely) recall, the GM Kai isn't too sketchy:

It first deploys on December 26 - my birthday, thus why I can remember it (I hope!) - of UC 0079 as part of the Luna II garrison, though I believe some are also issued to the Immortal Fourth Team so the future Albion veteran pilots can use them at A Bao A Qu.

After that, in UC 0081, a Federation Forces rearmament review of some sort decides to proceed with production of the -79C model GM over others as the main frontline model, a position it holds until some time after Operation Stardust, when the GM II and Hizack are introduced.

[toysdream]

There's a lot of information out there already, but I get the impression that LtFrankie is interested more in obscure variations. Could you be a little more specific?

-- Mark

[mcred23]

It first deploys on December 26 - my birthday, thus why I can remember it (I hope!) - of UC 0079 as part of the Luna II garrison, though I believe some are also issued to the Immortal Fourth Team so the future Albion veteran pilots can use them at A Bao A Qu.

That's what was thought for a long time, but I believe MS IGLOO changed things. IIRC, they show a number of them at Solomon two days prior, and a decent amount are later shown at A Baoa Qu. I would imagine Luna II began building and deploying the GM Kai at around the same time Jaburo started with the basic RGM-79, meaning somewhere in late November, or very shortly there after.

[LtFrankie]

Well, finding the date for the Dom, Gelgoog and Gouf could be found in any timeline. Don't know about aquatic MS, but I assume it's the same deal. If not:
-A good chunk of aquatic zeon MS. Z'Gok, Z'Gok-E, Acguy, Zaku Marine Type, Gogg, Hygogg
-The Guntank Mass Production Type, Guntank II, Guncannon Heavy Arms and Guncannon II. Oh, and Guncannon MPT.
-Zaku Variants: F2, Kai, Cannon, Recon, Sniper, High-Mobility, Zaku Desert Type
-Gouf: Gouf Custom, Flight Types, Gouf A
-Dom: Funf, Tropen, Cannon, Dowadge, Rick Dom II
-Gelgoog: I assume they all pretty much came out roughly the same time anyway.
-GM: Whatever isn't covered in the GM Master Archive thread, really. Like the RGM-79(GRS) from Zeonic Front, Desert GM, Land Combat GM and Aqua GM.

Someone should totally set up a master timeline though about this.

[toysdream]

First, let's quickly dispense with the RGM-79C. This was originally supposed to be a postwar model, but after The 08th MS Team showed an early version running around in early October of U.C. 0079, the powers that be moved its appearance forward. The Master Grade kit manual says that it was "more or less established as the 79C type" by early December, and that the "Immortal 4th Team" received their own units on December 27.

The Master Archive basically supports this, saying that the prototype RGM-79(E) version was completed in mid-September and deployed in early October, while the RGM-79C version rolled out in late November and began deployment in early December. By the end of that month, they're popping up all over the place, as shown in MS Igloo.


Okay, moving on to LtFrankie's list. A lot of this involves conflicting or circumstantial evidence, so there'll be a lot of explanation involved, and I'll probably need to do it in installments. So let's do this in roughly chronological order...


MS-06E Zaku Recon Type: Already in service at the start of the war. These machines were converted from existing C and F types. The E-3 type was a further upgrade introduced in the "middle stage" of the war.

MS-06R Zaku High Mobility Type: According to the MG kit manuals, this was originally proposed in June of U.C. 0078, but shelved in favor of the S type. Development restarted about one month into the war, after the Antarctic Treaty, i.e. February of U.C. 0079. The prototype MS-06RP rolled out in April, followed by the production of the R-1 model. The improved R-1A type rolled out in late June, and the prototype R-2 model was completed in July.


Most of the other Zaku variants are related somehow to the development of the Gouf or the United Maintenance Plan, so let's table that for now and talk about the Earth invasion.

A number of machines were experimentally deployed in the initial invasion. The MS-07A version of the Gouf was deployed in the third landing operation on March 18, U.C. 0079, and the MS-06M Zaku Marine Type was supposedly sent to Earth during the initial invasions as well. The MSV books say the 06M was tested for three weeks before it was abandoned and reclassified as a testbed for the MSM series, so at the earliest, it wouldn't have been canceled until April.


MSM-03 Gogg: According to EB 39, deployment of this machine began in May of U.C. 0079, which would be shortly after the cancelation of the MS-06M. One of the Gundam Legacy strips in Gundam Ace shows Goggs defending the the Port Moresby base in New Guinea in late May, so this seems pretty well confirmed.

Interestingly, the MSV Handbook claims that both the Gogg and the rival MSM-02 had a small pre-production run before the Gogg was chosen for mass production. So it's possible that these early appearances were pre-production types.

MS-07H Gouf Flight Test Type: According to the MSV kit manuals, the original four units were created at Side 3 using prototype YMS-07A and YMS-07B units. Production of the MS-07A had already begun at this point, and since the H types were sent to Earth by way of the occupied California Base, they clearly couldn't reach the test site until mid-March at the earliest. The test pilots, in turn, didn't arrive until two weeks after the machines themselves, and the actual testing took eight weeks - according to Gundam Officials, this included two weeks of adjustments, four weeks of test flights, and then two more weeks of readjustments based on the test results. The project was then scaled back, using only two test units, one of which exploded on the tenth day of testing.

At the very earliest, then, testing wouldn't begin until the end of March/beginning of April. The initial round ended eight weeks later, after which the remaining test units were modified and tested for ten more days. So we can assume the project limped along at least until June of U.C. 0079, before the developers gave up and decided to rely on the Dodai YS instead.

MS-07 Gouf: According to MS Era, the combat deployment of the Gouf began in July of U.C. 0079. Since the MS-07A version was deployed months earlier, this would presumably refer to the MS-07B version, which works nicely with the above timing for the cancelation of the MS-07H.

MS-09 Dom: Gundam Officials says that the basic design was completed in June of U.C. 0079, and the MSV series says that the prototype YMS-09 rolled out six months after the start of the war, which would logically be July. As per the Master Grade kit manual, production of the standard Dom began in late September.

Meanwhile, the second YMS-09 unit was converted into the Tropical Test Type. Thanks to its successful results, the California Base began converting more Doms into this type and delivering them to frontline units in Africa. According to the MSV books, the Caracal unit received four Tropical Test Types (including reserve machines), and these were already in service before Operation Odessa - specifically by late October, according to Data Gundam editor Aiyuki Okazaki.

The Tropical Test Type, like the Dom Cannon, appears to be based on the YMS-09 rather than the production version of the Dom. Since both machines rely on modular backpacks, it seems impossible to use regular Doms for this, and the images of the Tropical Test Type show multiple units of this type. This suggests that there was an earlier production run of the Dom based on the YMS-09 version; since the old ZZ kit manuals refer to the standard Dom as the "MS-09B," this hypothetical pre-production version might be considered the MS-09A, and its deployment could have begun before that of the regular Dom.


Whew! Let's take a break there. Next time we'll consider all those United Maintenance Plan machines, later models of Zaku and Dom, and so forth.

-- Mark

[toysdream]

Since I last posted, I've been doing some digging through the archives and compiling info from various sources. It turns out there are a bunch of sources that provide dates for prototype rollout, production, and deployment of various machines; naturally they all contradict each other. Rather than infodumping all of these at once, I'll stick with the rough chronological order and look at some case studies.

In addition to the usual MG kit manuals and whatnot, sources used here include the "Zeon Military File" CD-ROM; the MSV Handbooks; various versions of Newtype's timeline (from the August 1987 and November 1988 issues, Gundam 0080 Visual Comic Vol.2, and MS Era); Hobby Japan's "Mobile Suit Gundam The RPG" and its supplements; The Anime's Zeta Gundam Part 3; and, with a big heap of disclaimers, Gundam Century.


Zaku Series
The early history of the Zaku series is fairly settled at this point. The Principality of Zeon launched its "SUIT Project" in U.C. 0071, and the prototype MS-01 was completed in U.C. 0073. According to the Zeon Military File, Zeonic's ZI-XA3 and MIP's MIP-X1 were completed in October of this year, with the former being officially adopted as the MS-01.

In February of U.C. 0074, Zeon rolled out some kind of combat-oriented prototype. Gundam Century originally used this date for the rollout of the MS-03; Newtype said it was the MS-04; more recent timelines say it was the MS-05. According to the MS Igloo backstory, though, a YMS-05 version of the Zaku I was completed in U.C. 0074, tested against the EMS-04 Zudah, and formally adopted in U.C. 0075. A combat-ready version of the MS-05 is then completed in May of U.C. 0075.

As for the MS-06 Zaku II, there seems to be a general consensus that mass production began in January of U.C. 0078, although nobody can agree when production shifted between the A, C, and F types. The MG Zaku II kit manual claims that the F type rolled out in late September of U.C. 0078, and the J type "at the same time," which seems reasonable for reasons I'll discuss shortly. More specifically, Gundam Officials and the Hobby Japan RPG claims that production of the J type began in October of that year, and Gundam Officials adds that MS-06C production essentially shifted to the F type in December.


MS-07 Gouf
As per the MSV series, the development of the Gouf goes roughly thus. Two rival prototypes were created, the YMS-07A and the YMS-08A; after preliminary trials, the strong points of both machines were combined in the YMS-07B. This version also featured built-in weapons, but due to supply issues, the built-in weapons were omitted from the first production version, the MS-07A. This MS-07A version was deployed in the third Earth landing operation on March 18, U.C. 0079.

According to the Zeon Military File, development of the YMS-07 and YMS-08 began after the prototype MS-06J was completed, and prototypes were completed three months later. (The "three months" figure apparently comes from Gundam Century; the MSV books, meanwhile, say that the development of these machines began at the same time the MS-06J was produced.) The Zeon Military File puts the completion of the MS-06J at January 15, U.C. 0079, which would push the completion of the prototypes far past the Earth landing operation. But if we take that "three month" factoid and apply it to the October, U.C. 0079 production date given for the MS-06J, we arrive at the following useful conclusion:

U.C. 0079.01: The Principality of Zeon rolls out the prototype YMS-07A and YMS-08A.

Perhaps we can use that January 15 date for the prototype YMS-07A instead? In any case, this gives us a couple of months for testing, the merging of both designs into the YMS-07B, and the production of 30-plus MS-07A units prior to the Earth landing operation.

As noted in my last post, after the Earth invasion, the Zeons spent at least a couple of months fooling around with the MS-07H project before giving up and putting the standard MS-07B Gouf into production. There are a bunch of conflicting claims about when this happened; MS Era says it was deployed in July of U.C. 0079, Hobby Japan's RPG says production began in April and deployment in June, and Zeta Gundam Part 3 says it was deployed in October.

As for Gundam Century, its One Year War timeline is incompatible with other sources - it places the start of the war at November 1, U.C. 0079, and the appearance of the Gundam seems to be around August of U.C. 0080. But for what it's worth, it says that deployment of the Gouf began at the California Base in late June of U.C. 0080; the following month, it's deployed in Southeast Asia, and the month after that in Europe. Later sources have repeated this deployment sequence, minus the dates, so if we keep that timing and apply it to the deployment date given in MS Era we'd have the following:

U.C. 0079.07 (LATE): The Principality of Zeon begins deployment of the MS-07B Gouf at the California Base in North America.
U.C. 0079.08: The Principality of Zeon begins deployment of the MS-07B Gouf in Southeast Asia.
U.C. 0079.09: The Principality of Zeon begins deployment of the MS-07B Gouf in Europe.


More Zaku Series
A couple of later Zaku variants are related to the timing of the Gouf series. According to the MSV series, the MS-06D Zaku Desert Type was created as a stopgap while the Gouf was in development, and its leg thrusters and head antenna are borrowed from the Gouf. Hobby Japan's RPG claims that production of the MS-06D began in May of U.C. 0079, which seems perfectly reasonable to me. Likewise, the MS-06G featured in the MSV-R series was developed at the same time as the MS-07B Gouf, and its production lines were soon switched over to the MS-07B.

The MS-06K Zaku Cannon is a bit trickier. For a while there, sources such as Entertainment Bible 39 and the Hobby Japan RPG claimed that this machine began production and/or deployment in May of U.C. 0079. But the recent Master Grade kit returns to the explanation originally given in the MSV series: The Zaku Cannon was created in response to the appearance of the Federation's RX-77 Guncannon, and entered combat for the first time between mid-October and mid-November of U.C. 0079. Like the MS-06D, it makes use of technology from the Gouf.


MSM-03 Gogg
Weirdly, this may be one of the most controversial machines, timing-wise. Some sources, like the MSV series, claim that Zeon only began testing and developing amphibious machines in earnest after the Earth invasion had given them access to actual oceans. Others claim that Zeon began developing and testing these machines through computer simulations and in Side 3's resort colonies, enabling it to deploy an early version of the Gogg in the initial Earth invasion.

The former scenario is supported by the Master Grade kit manuals, which say that Zeon only began full-scale development of amphibious mobile suits when it decided to launch an Earth invasion in February of U.C. 0079, and the Newtype timeline, which says that preparations for mass production of the MSM series began in July of U.C. 0079. Entertainment Bible 39, likewise, says that full-scale deployment of the MSM series begins in July.

Examples of the latter include the Zeon Military File, which says that two pre-production MSM-03A units rolled out in January of U.C. 0079 and were deployed in the second Earth landing operation. (Next up was the MSM-04 Acguy, completed in August and deployed in September.) Likewise, Hobby Japan's RPG says that Gogg pre-production began in February, production of the Gogg and Acguy began in April, and both machines were deployed in May. (The latter claim also appears in Entertainment Bible 39.)

Finally, we have Gundam Century. According to its timeline, a prototype version of the Gogg was completed in January of U.C. 0080, simultaneously with the Earth invasion; it was initially tested at a Side 3 resort colony, then sent to Earth for testing the following month, entered production in March, and in May deployment began in the Mediterranean and Gulf of Mexico.

Whew! What to make of that weird tangle?

Well, for starters, if Zeon had the ability to test amphibious machines in its resort colonies, then it should have been able to try out the MS-06M Zaku Marine Type there and discover its glaring flaws. This suggests the following sequence of events: Zeon completes the MS-06M, tests it at Side 3, and realizes the need for a new series of amphibious mobile suits. At this point, the MS-06M is redesignated as the MSM-01, and by the time it's sent to Earth it's already been reclassified as a data-gathering testbed for "real" amphibious mobile suits. (This is exactly what it says in Entertainment Bible 1, which claims that the redesignated MSM-01 was sent to Earth during the third landing operation.) By May, an early version of the Gogg has been deployed, and full-scale production and deployment of the MSM series begins two months later.

This also matches what we're told in the MSV Handbooks. These claim that the MSM-02 and MSM-03 were produced in small numbers as pre-production units; two months later, the MSM-02 was canceled, and mass production and deployment of the Gogg began. So I think we can probably settle on the following sequence of events:

U.C. 0079.02: The Principality of Zeon begins full-scale development of the MSM series of amphibious mobile suits. The MS-06M is redesignated as the MSM-01.
U.C. 0079.03.18: The MSM-01 is sent to the California Base. It subsequently undergoes three weeks of testing in North America.
U.C. 0079.05: The Principality of Zeon begins deployment of the pre-production amphibious mobile suits MSM-02 and MSM-03.
U.C. 0079.07: The Principality of Zeon begins mass production and deployment of the MSM-03 Gogg.

This leads into the battle of Midway on August 11 - according to Entertainment Bible 39, the first use of amphibious mobile suits in a full-scale battle. This also seems compatible with the Zeon Military File's claim that the Acguy was completed in August and deployed in September, with the Z'Gok presumably following shortly afterwards.


-- Mark

[Chavelo]

Where does the Efreet fit in all of this? I've only read some random comments about it being a cross between a Dom and a Gouf.

[LtFrankie]

What about the Guntank MPT and RTX-440?

[LtFrankie]

So, can someone help me complete this timeline for mobile suits used/developed in the OYW?

What I have listed: All the early Zakus, Gouf A/B/H, MS-06D, MSM-02, MSM-03, RGM-79A, RX-78-1, Guncannon, RX-79, pretty much all the GMs listed in the GM Archives thread (I dont think it's all of them?) Dom A/B, Zaku Cannon

Zeon

January 0079:
MS-05B Zaku I
MS-05J Zaku I
MS-05S Zaku I Commander Type
MS-06C Zaku II Early Type
MS-05J Zaku I Land Warfare Type
MS-06F Zaku II
MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type
YMS-07A ad YMS-08A
Pretty much all Zeon vehicles/aircraft save for the Heli
All vanilla Zeon ships save for the Dolos.
All vanilla EF ships and units

Febuary 0079: Submarine units, Dobday, Gunship Heli (I know these units are apparently either EF designs or Russian designs), MSM-01 begins development

March 18th 0079: Gouf A (30 completed), MSM-01 sent to California for testing

April 0079: MS-07H Gouf Flight Type

May 0079: MS-06D Zaku Desert Type deployed, MSM-02 and MSM-03 begin pre-production

June 0079: MS-07H8 Gouf Flight Type? or H4?, MS-06R-1A production, Guncannon completed

July 0079: YMS-09/MS-09A Dom series, MSM-03 Gogg deployed, MS-06R-2 Zaku II deployed, E-CAP technology developedPegasus class commissioned, RX-79 trial production

July 7th 0079: RX-78-1 completed

July (LATE) 0079: MS-07B Gouf deployed in North America, rollout of RX-78-1 units 4 through 8 at Jaburo

August (EARLY) 0079: Rollout of RGM-79[G] GM Ground Type

August 0079: MS-07B Gouf deployed in Southeast Asia

August (MID) 0079: Rollout of RX-79[G] Gundam Ground Type

August (LATE) 0079: Rollout of RGM-79A GM at Jaburo. 18/42 have upgraded reactors to let them use beam rifles. Completed design of RGM-79[E] GM.

September (EARLY): MS-06G Zaku II Improved Ground Type

September 0079: MS-07B Gouf deployed in Europe, MS-06F2 Zaku II deployed (?)

August (MID) 0079: Rollout of prototype RGM-79[E] GM at Luna II.

September (LATE) 0079: MS-09 Dom, Z'Gok and Acguy deployed

[Gelgoog Jager]

January 0079:
MS-05B Zaku I
MS-05J Zaku I
MS-05S Zaku I Commander Type
MS-06C Zaku II Early Type
MS-05J Zaku I Land Warfare Type
MS-06F Zaku II
MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type
YMS-07A ad YMS-08A
Pretty much all Zeon vehicles/aircraft save for the Heli
All vanilla Zeon ships save for the Dolos.
All vanilla EF ships and units

AFAIK there isn't an actual MS-05J. There is a land version of the MS-05B, but it retains the MS-05B model number. On the other hand we don't know exactly when they were first deployed, although we do know that the Midnight Fenrir received some units, and Topp from 08th team also had a commander version.

Regarding Zeon vehicles and aircraft, the designs that seem to be stolen or modified units are the Weasel (armored car), the Gunship Heli, the Dodbay/Dabude, the Jukon and the Mad Angler. As a side note, IIRC the Prober is actually a Zeon-made submarine. Another unit that seems Zeon made, but we don't know its deployment date is the Gallop, which despite first appearing on the last months of the war on the TV series, its also seen on the Gihren's Greed participating in a victory parade on a city Zeon just conquered. At that time, Ramba Ral's blue Zaku I Commander Type is standing on it.

Regarding Zeon warships, many were created during the war other than the Dolos, such as the Tivvay/Tibe (AKA Chivvay/Chibe late production type), both the late production and final production type Musais as well as the Pazock final production type seen on an episode of 0080. Other ships such as the Chimaira and Jotunheim were modified during the war (the later was installed several boosters).

[toysdream]

I've just been rounding up a bunch of info from the Gundam The Movies film comics about Zeon's later mobile suit development and the United Maintenance Plan, which may give us a better idea about a lot of these timing issues. But in the meantime, a couple notes on LtFrankie's list...

January 0079: I guess you're listing everything that Zeon had available at the start of the war. So this part isn't technically a rollout timeline.

February 0079: This is supposedly when Zeon began amphibious mobile suit development in earnest. As I noted above, it seems reasonable to me that the MS-06M had already been completed at this point. So February would be the point at which Zeon decides to develop a new line of amphibious mobile suits from scratch, and the existing MS-06M is redesignated as the MSM-01.

April 0079: We don't know when the MS-07H was actually developed, or how quickly it reached Earth. All we know for sure is that, since the test machines were sent to the occupied California Base and the pilots followed two weeks later, that the pilots couldn't have arrived until April at the earliest.

April also marks the rollout of the MS-06RP, which seems significant.

September 0079: I don't think there's a basis for dating the rollout of the MS-06G or the Z'Gok to this month.

-- Mark

[Gelgoog Jager]

Was the MS-06G a rival model to the MS-07B, or a stopgap unit designed to supplement the MS-07A units that had been rolled out until the production lines switched to the MS-07B?

[toysdream]

A little of both, I guess, but more like the latter. The MSV-R profile published in Gundam Ace had very little info on the MS-06G, but there was a more detailed writeup in the Kunio Okawara Art Collection book where the design first appeared:

In the early stages of the war the MS-06J Zaku, the main mobile suit of the Zeon forces, produced amazing achievements during the Earth invasion. However, the Zaku J type was not invincible. The attrition rate during ground combat with the Federation Forces was higher than the Zeon forces had anticipated, and they sought to develop more powerful new mobile suits.

The Zeon forces requested a new mobile suit from the Zeonic company with improvements in three areas - mobility, armor, and firepower - and several different plans were developed simultaneously. One of these was an improved model of the MS-06J Land Warfare Zaku. After repeated performance improvements, the performance of the Zaku J Type had reached its structural limit. The improved model that was eventually completed was formally adopted as the G Type, and production began. However, the production lines of the G Type were soon switched over the new MS-07B which had been under development at the same time, and production was halted at just over fifty machines.

Although the G Type is known to have existed, there are few photographic records, thanks to the low production run which accompanied its slow development.

-- Mark

[LtFrankie]

Yeah, good point on the January thing. And yes, it was more a "what was available" thing for January.

There's no idea on when the MS-07H variants are developed? What about the F2? And what other MS am I missing?

It'd just be really convenient to have a timeline like this

[Gelgoog Jager]

There's no idea on when the MS-07H variants are developed? What about the F2? And what other MS am I missing?

Regarding the MS-06F2, IIRC in a previous thread someone mentioned it was deployed in the middle of the war. Perhaps July (at the earliest)?

Regarding the MS-07B3 and MS-07H8, do we have any rollout dates, are at least a confirmed order on their development? At first I thought that the MS-07H8 was a new attempt at a flying MS using the newer MS-07B3 as its base model, but I'm sure I have also seen around a theory indicating that it might actually be the other way around.

Personally I'm more inclined to the earlier since the unit that used YMS-07B as its base, instead of less advanced YMS-07A, proved to be more succesful, eventually becoming the MS-07H4 (which ironically lead to the cancellation of the project after its destruction). The introduction of the MS-07B3 could have reactivated the project by giving them a better base MS.

The few dates I have are November 30th, the assault on Jaburo, in which the Midnight Fenrir Corps deployed in MS-07B3 for the first time, and December 7th, when the Federation laid siege on the the Tibetian base, whose MS complement included two MS-07H8 and one MS-07B3.

Perhaps we could narrow things down if we knew how long it took between the cancellation of the project, after the destruction of the MS-07H4, and its reactivation.

Finally, any idea when were the MS-07D - Desert Gouf and MS-14D Desert Gelgoog deployed (if at all). Also, we are told that the MS-12 - Gigan do was deployed to some Earth bases, do we have a date for its rollout?

[toysdream]

This passage from the Master Grade kit manual seems to be the only explicit account of the Gouf Custom's origins, and how it relates to the H8 Flight Type:

Mass production of the 07B series took place mainly at Granada and the California Base, using updated J type production lines, but it is said that the B3 type made heavy use of parts from machines that were redesigned and produced in the Zeon homeland for use as Flight Type prototypes. Thus its mobility and maneuverability were distinctly superior to the pure California Base version, and it was often referred to as the "Gouf Custom." [...] It is confirmed that the MS-07B-3 was deployed to a secret Principality weapons development base in Southeast Asia no earlier than late October, U.C. 0079. This machine made heavy use of parts that had been redesigned in the Zeon homeland for use in Flight Test Type development, and it was one of the final versions produced during the One Year War.

This leaves open the possibility that the Gouf Custom was actually assembled at the California Base, using these new parts, and then delivered to the Apsaras development base. (This is supported by the comparison to a "pure" California Base version.) In this case, the B3 type had presumably been introduced by October.

I've never heard anything about the Gigan being used on Earth, though. Where does this come from?

-- Mark