The Official Gundam The Origin Mecha Thread Mk I

[toysdream]

One exception I can think of: The Black Tri-Stars use the MS-06R during the Battle of Loum.

-- Mark

[Zeonista]

No, I literally meant intimidation. Just sitting there looking scary, to keep the colonists subdued. I don't think it would make much sense to use ultra-heavy mega-tanks for riot control! That's what cops are for.
-- Mark

Have you not read the news stories & editorials about over-armed police recently? I could see an early-model Guntank available for deployed as a riot and insurgency control device. If a mob of colonists got together and decided to storm City Hall with small arms and improvised weapons (e.g. molotov cocktails), the basic police riot control wouldn't cut it. Then it would be time to call on the EFSF for crowd control, as only the armed forces can do it. The presence of the Guntanks would also serve as heavy weapons to discourage those darn Zeeks from intervening in the other Sides as well! Since there are no heavy AFVs in the colonies, a couple of Guntanks could easily hold off a a swarm of "technicals" or light vehicles of the sort featured in the various anime.

The subsequent re-design of the Guntank from a research test bed to a failed development path seems OK to me. The Guntank always seemed out of step compared to the other Federation MS, let alone the Zeon types. Even Tomino wrote it out of the latter end of his story when the movies were made, so the precedent for obsolescence has been made already. The Origin story makes the Guntank a first attempt at a "mobile weapon" that doesn't have the right tech to go all the way to the MS level. The Zeonic design teams get there first, and the Federation has to go into catchup mode with the Guncannon & Prototype Gundam. This doesn't mean the Guntanks are useless, since they are stable gun platforms if nothing else. But they are certainly not the future of mobile weapon technology, so it would be OK to not use them for core fighter testing.

[BrentD15]

But they are certainly not the future of mobile weapon technology, so it would be OK to not use them for core fighter testing.

What I find amusing is that not even The Origin's version of the Guntank doesn't even look capable of using the Core Block System.

[Zeonista]

But they are certainly not the future of mobile weapon technology, so it would be OK to not use them for core fighter testing.

What I find amusing is that not even The Origin's version of the Guntank doesn't even look capable of using the Core Block System.

Official re-write confirmed, then.

[toysdream]

But they are certainly not the future of mobile weapon technology, so it would be OK to not use them for core fighter testing.

What I find amusing is that not even The Origin's version of the Guntank doesn't even look capable of using the Core Block System.

....What?

-- Mark

[Dark Duel]

But they are certainly not the future of mobile weapon technology, so it would be OK to not use them for core fighter testing.

What I find amusing is that not even The Origin's version of the Guntank doesn't even look capable of using the Core Block System.

I'm not nearly as amused by the whole Guntank shenanigans as I am by the fact that the GUNDAM didn't have a Core Block System until after they got to Jaburo. But that's not strictly relevant to this specific OVA.

[Gelgoog Jager]

By the way, this Salamis also gives us yet another weapon configuration for the Salamis, by doubling the number of machineguns on the protruded sections in front of the bridge (a nod to the 0083 version fo the Salamis). Maybe they should have just sticked to the MS Igloo version which added such machineguns below each subbridge:

http://dalong.net/review/ex/ex23/p/ex23_62.jpg
http://dalong.net/review/ex/ex23/ex23_p.htm

The later also had slightly better firepower, replacing the 6-tube missile launchers with an 8-tube version and the machienguns on the protusions with 3-barreled turrets instead of the standard 2-barrel turrets.

[Deathzealot]

Yeah I noticed that too. I wonder if we are going to have a few more variants for the Salamis by the end of this OVA.

[BrentD15]

But they are certainly not the future of mobile weapon technology, so it would be OK to not use them for core fighter testing.

What I find amusing is that not even The Origin's version of the Guntank doesn't even look capable of using the Core Block System.

....What?

-- Mark

Look at it!
The Guntank doesn't even look capable of using the Core Block System in The Origin.

[toysdream]

Look at it!
The Guntank doesn't even look capable of using the Core Block System in The Origin.

I just couldn't figure out what you were trying to say. The syntax was pretty convoluted. :-\

-- Mark

[nickh46]

I thought this would be relevant since the first OVA is going to start talking about mobile suit development. I just thought it's some tidbits that was pretty cool, maybe Yas did it to establish some continuity?

The 100mm machine gun that we all see in 08th MS Team's Ground Gundams and GMs, was originally used by Zeon in the development of their mobile suits. Tem Ray sees an intel video of a Zeon prototype attacking a ship, and one of the Intel officers even says "100mm shots". I always thought they were a Federation weapon, now I'm not so sure anymore.

The bullpup 90mm machine gun we see from 0083 and 0080 were first deployed with the initial Guncannon production models.

[Dark Duel]

Oh. My. GOD...You're absolutely right!

I just checked my copy of Vol6 of The Origin, where the specific scene you mentioned appears (IMO, that particular scene may not take place until OVA 2, depending on how far this OVA, which seems to start with the background events of Vol5, goes).
The footage shown depicts an MS-04 undergoing testing in the area of A Baoa Qu, and the machine gun it is shown wielding is exactly identical to the RX-79[G] and RGM-79[G]'s NF·GMG-Type.37 100mm machine gun.

[nickh46]

Another thing I thought was pretty cool, and kinda turns previously assumed doctrine on its head. The Musai and the Chivvay (or Origin calls it, the Chibe) cruisers.

We always thought the Musais were the "new" ship that was designed to adhere to Zeon's doctrine of Mobile Suits, while the Chivvays were older vessels that were refitted to carry mobile suits.

Now in the Origin, the Chivvays are actually the newest vessels, as Gihren says "first of our newly designed vessels" while the Musais are transports converted into light cruisers. There's even a few shots of the passenger liner Musais scattered around the manga.

And the Chivvays have two extra triple turrets (on port and starboard), making the total armament four turrets. I thought was kinda cool, definitely evolved into a true heavy cruiser VS World War II pocket battleship ripoff (Graf Spee). Near the end of the manga, there's another variant that has six turrets (but hold two instead of three cannons).

[Deathzealot]

Any images of these shots?

[nickh46]

Any images of these shots?

Here you go, my man.

Passenger liner Musai

Chibe with quad triple turrets

Later model Chibe with six dual turrets

Closer Chibe shot with port mounted dual turret

[Deathzealot]

What the heck? Is that a Salamis Class in the shot with the Chibe with six duel turrets?? Also thanks for the images. Hope they end up in the new Origin Anime.

[BrentD15]

What the heck? Is that a Salamis Class in the shot with the Chibe with six duel turrets?

Yep.
Look like it lost its bridge.

[nickh46]

What the heck? Is that a Salamis Class in the shot with the Chibe with six duel turrets?

Yep.
Look like it lost its bridge.

Yeah, there's kinda of a reason why . . . the newly reimagined Dolos.

If you guys had played the new Halo, you'll remember the UNSC Infinity, which was pretty much a super-dreadnought/carrier/flagship that was so large it could dock and deploy capital ships. The new Dolos is like that, it can dock and deploy Musais and Chibes...

Spoiler

The Dolos, in A Baoa Qu, curbstomps a squadron of Magellan battleships singlehandedly, including Admiral Wakkein's flagship.

[BrentD15]

Also, I refuse to refer to it as "Chibe".
As far as I'm concerned, that's Engrish.

[Deathzealot]

Why the heck do the Dolos carry extra ships like that? The reason why the Infinity does is that it is faster at FTL then anything else the UNSC has. Or so I am told. Therefore why in the world would it carry ships like that. I can understand having link ups so the Dolos class can help in refueling and resupply but complete ship docks. The heck?