Gundam School Part 11

"What is 'Gundam', anyway?" This simple (?) question is answered in our eleventh casual weekly column just for new fans!

　This week, we're clawing our way back with an 11th super-simple column for new Gundam fans!

　 Part 1 was Gundam faces and coloring, and then part 2 was masked men and Haro. Part 3 was all about the Universal Century, part 4 was mobile suits, part 5 took on MSVs, and part 6 covered the "Zaku" and "GM", part 7 took on parts swapping, part 8 was an example of mobile suit R&D, part 9 was all about the women of the first Mobile Suit Gundam series, and part 10 focused on Gundam's "big brothers", but this week we've got one more really iconic piece of Gundam.

　Gundam has so many mobile suits it's impossible to count, but while some have specialized armaments or gear to fill specific roles, others are designed from the ground up to fill a specific role.
　In part 11, we beat (?) the summer heat with cute (!?) amphibious mobile suits!

Part 1
What makes a Gundam? Not just land and space mobile suits, but amphibious models too!




　 Amphibious mobile suits, as a rule designed for low water resistance, take on rounded forms which almost make them look cute. While some are adapted versions of existed mobile suits, our first look should be at the "three brothers" (!?) who were the original amphibious mobile suits: Gogg, Z'Gok, and Acguy.

　The Gogg, which (like the Z'Gok and Acguy) appears in Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, and Mobile Suit Gundam UC, is Zeon's first mass-produced amphibious mobile suit and the first to be armed with a mega particle cannon. The Gogg, with a visual design best described as "like a brown egg but decidedly meaner," could stow its arms and legs inside its hull to reduce drag and improve submerged mobility. Its egg shape was designed to stand up to water pressure, but also managed to shrug off the Gundam's hyper hammer. However, its heavy armor also gave it a lumbering, sluggish pace, and its water-cooled design left it in danger of overheating while on land.


　Acguy, with its big head and perky little mouth (or nose!?), has a cutesy image, but it was originally developed as a low-cost alternative to the Gogg and Z'Gok.
　Its use of a Zaku II generator adapted for water cooling not only reduced costs, but also dampened its heat signature, making it a stealth unit ideal for scouting missions.
　Easy to maintain with single-piece arms, it could mount a wide range of weapons aside from its standard loadout.


　The Z'Gok is the most effective of the series on land, able to hold its own against the Federation's mass-produced mobile suits.
While developed simultaneously with the Gogg, its mass production was held back in order to incorporate feedback from the Gogg's combat data, resulting in a later deployment than the Acguy... But on the bright side, its hybrid air-water cooling, decreased weight, and higher power made it a more effective fighter. (It's 20 tons lighter than the Gogg, for example!) Its improved offensive and defensive capabilities placed it a step ahead of the competition, winning it a role as Zeon's primary amphibious MS. There was a red Char Custom Z'Gok, too.




　 The Mermaid Gundam is Neo Denmark's representative mobile fighter in Mobile Fighter G Gundam. A quick glance will tell you that it's designed solely for naval warfare, but wait, there's more! It can stow its arms and legs and lead with its fish head to adapt even further to the sea. At this point, it's totally a fish. (Splish-splash! ... Sorry.)

　Catching its foes in its beam net, it then spears them with its Mermaid Trident, just like a fisherman; its fierce battle against the Dragon Gundam was its shining moment in the show.

　 Actually, Neo Denmark developed several prototypes for Mermaid Gundam (I call them "sea friends"): these mysterious crab, shrimp, kappa, anglerfish, and flounder types were all sent into battle against the Dark Gundam in the final battle. (Want to find out more? Load up that Mobile Fighter G Gundam disc! Ready? Go!)


　The Pisces is a naval mobile suit operated by Mobile Suit Gundam Wing's OZ (United Earth Sphere Alliance military.) It's capable of a submersed cruise mode nearly identical to modern submarines, and can operate deep below the sea. Its propellers converted to arms and hands in mobile suit mode, allowing it a versatility that made it at home both on land and under the sea.
　As the mainstay of the Alliance navy, it was capable of dragging Gundams all the way down to the ocean floor.




　The ZnO, from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY, was developed by ZAFT (the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty.)
　A successor to the GOOhN (ZAFT's first naval MS,) its increased size allowed for higher power and more mobility. Its scaled-up head-mounted antenna is also quicker to locate submerged enemies.
　Powerful claw hands allow it to clamp down on an enemy before finishing them off with a beam shot. This tactic is also highly effective on land.


　The Abyss Gundam, or just Abyss in the show, is fielded by ZAFT in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY.
　 Unlike ZAFT's previous GOOhN and ZnO, which were designed entirely for naval battle, the Abyss Gundam took a standard bipedal shape. This made it capable of fighting not only underwater, but on land and even in space

　Capable of transforming into a mobile armor mode resembling a horseshoe crab (!?), the Abyss Gundam can achieve breathtaking speeds in water. It's also distinguished by its array of weapons like beam cannons intended for support fire.


　 Mobile Suit Gundam AGE's Wrozzo is an amphibious mobile suit developed by the Vagans (the true identity of the UE.) Parts-compatible with the earlier Gomel (designed for small-scale desert battles), the two are identifiable as brothers at first glance.

　The same adaptations which allow the Gomel to move swiftly through the desert sands increase the Wrozzo's mobility in its cruise mode. It's also capable of swift movement on land due to its hover functions. Armed with a torso-mounted "Wrozzo Cannon" (beam cannon), its arms and legs are also loaded with claws, missile launchers, torpedoes, and more.

Part 2
What makes a Gundam? Your old favorite mobile suits, reworked as amphibious units!



　 The Zaku Mariner is a mass-produced mobile suit fielded by Neo Zeon in both Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and Mobile Suit Gundam UC. Developed by the Federation after they seized Zeon's design and manufacturing facilities in the aftermath of the One Year War (as seen in Mobile Suit Gundam), but then recaptured by Zeon in later struggles, you could say it had a troubled childhood.
　The Zaku Mariner, based on the well-known Zaku, is the successor to the Zaku Marine Type.
　An evolved, easier-to-use version of the Zaku Marine Type, the Zaku Mariner used a hydro-jet backpack for increased water speeds that could be jettisoned for land operations.

　Possessing the same powerful, traditional lines as the Zaku, this specialized variant was extremely popular amongst Neo Zeon's pilot corps. (I guess you never do forget your first mobile suit...)


　 Mobile Suit Gundam UC's Zee Zulu was developed by Neo Zeon remnants (the "Sleeves.") Based on their primary mobile suit, the Zaku-like Geara Zulu, it added a ballast tank and hydro-jet propulsion for use underwater. Armed with a lethal-looking heat knife, it also mounted (scary triple-bladed) heat claws in its wrists for close combat and carried a tightly-sealed rifle case on its back. (Gee, Zee Zulu, you look like you're looking for a fight!) The Zee Zulu looks rough and tumble (except for those cute little fins on its legs), and you can see it in action in Mobile Suit Gundam UC episode 4!
　(In fact, you can see both these suits in Mobile Suit Gundam UC! Why not pick up the models too?)

　And that concludes our look at amphibious mobile suits. Unique mobile suits like these are vital to the Gundam experience.
　Later on we'll be looking at more mobile suits that may not be main characters, but still have plenty of character.
Isn't Gundam just so fascinating to talk about?

　Well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, that's it for this week. Next week we'll be taking another laid-back look at what makes Gundam Gundam!