En l'an 0079 (Universal Century), Oliver May est un technicien de l'unité d'évaluation Zeon 603, chargé de tester une nouvelle technologie militaire. Basé sur le Jotunheim, un navire de transport civil converti pour un usage militaire, Oliver doit se lancer dans la bataille et subir la guerre d'un an, mais cette fois du point de vue d'un testeur d'armes qui se bat pour modifier l'issu de cette guerre en des temps changeant.

Taking place at roughly the same time as the original Mobile Suit Gundam, MS IGLOO follows the exploits of the Principality of Zeon's 603rd Technical Evaluation Unit, a special crew of weapons development researchers. Stationed aboard the former civilian cargo ship Jotunheim (named after the land of the giants in Norse mythology), the unit field-tests various prototype weapons for combat use under the supervision of Engineer Lieutenant Oliver May. IGLOO's six episodes chronicle the 603rd's adventures as pivotal episodes throughout the One-Year War that were barely mentioned in-depth in the original series.