Non-Combining Mecha Teams

[WildeHopps_Shipper]

Because I have a better idea of what combining mecha are like, that I should also have an idea of what non-combining mecha teams are like, as well.

Essentially, to compensate for their inability to combine with each other, mecha teams instead:

• Specialize in different combat roles, e.g. melee and ranged weapons, heavy and light armor, etc.

• Provide cover fire for each other.

• Share limited resources, e.g. spare parts, fuel, ammunition, etc.

For example, I remember playing through the Xenosaga trilogy with four playable E.S. units. Unlike Erde Kaiser, a combining mecha/summon spell that's also from the Xenosaga trilogy, none of the four E.S. units could combine with each other. So to compensate, they each specialize in different weapons to compliment each other, including ballistic weapons (E.S. Asher), energy weapons (E.S. Dinah), melee weapons (E.S. Reuben), and ether spells (E.S. Zebulun).

Other examples of non-combining mecha teams include the Project V mobiles suits from the original MS Gundam; the Gundam Team mobile suits from ZZ Gundam; the Operation Meteor Gundams from Gundam Wing; Freedom Gundam and Justice Gundam from Gundam SEED; and the Celestial Being Gundams from Gundam 00.

So, know any non-combining mecha teams who fit those criteria, yourself?

[Seto Kaiba]

Essentially, to compensate for their inability to combine with each other, mecha teams instead:

Combining mecha in a realistic setting are, realistically enough, an absolutely terrible idea with no practical benefits and a mountain of extra and entirely unnecessary logistical and tactical problems. I'd suggest giving Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ a watch, as it fairly credibly shows WHY combining mecha are a crapshoot in a realistic setting... they're far more fragile than a normal mecha, with exponentially greater maintenance requirements, and what little benefit you get from any ability unlocked by combined mode is sure to be a one-trick pony and the enemy will quickly learn to just prevent it from combining in the first place.

Put simply, mecha that don't combine don't have to compensate for anything in a "real robot" series because there's no practical benefit in combining for them to miss out on.

• Specialize in different combat roles, e.g. melee and ranged weapons, heavy and light armor, etc.

That varies by series, depending on how large and how well-organized the armed force(s) operating the mecha are.

In titles where the protagonists belong to a small specialist military or paramilitary unit like Macross Frontier's SMS, Gundam 00's Celestial Being, or Full Metal Panic!'s MITHRIL, you can expect to see significant variation in how mecha are equipped within a platoon-sized formation to cover contingencies. You'lll almost always find they're broken down into a Command type, a Melee type, a Long-Range type, and Special Equipment type or an All-Rounder type. The formation will usually not be much larger than four or five people. Examples include:

• Mobile Suit Gundam: the White Base's salvagd prototypes are a melee type (the Gundam), an All-Rounder (the Guncannon), and a Long-Range type (the Guntank).
• Macross Frontier: the SMS Skull Platoon includes a Command type (Ozma's VF-25S), a Melee type (Alto's VF-25F), a Long-Range type (Michael's VF-25G), and a Special Equipment type (Luca's RVF-25).
• Full Metal Panic!: The Tuatha de Danaan's SRT main team consists of a Command type (Mao's M9E), a Long-Range type (Kurz's M9E), and Melee type (Sousuke's M9E/ARX-7), though the latter two are general duty units equippped differently rather than custom variants.

In titles where the protagonists belong to a large, well-funded military or paramilitary organization like Macross, a lot of Gundam shows, Code Geass, Five Star Stories, etc. you'll find they tend to operate general purpose mecha that equipped to fill multiple battlefield roles while special purpose mecha will be broken out into dedicated units. Examples include:

• Super Dimension Fortress Macross: all the rank-and-file troops are using the same VF-1A or VF-1J Valkyrie that have essentially identical performance.
• Macross II: Lovers Again: literally the entire military is using the same model of fighter.
• Macross 7: all the New UN Spacy fighter squadrons use identically-equipped multirole VF-11Cs, while roles like long-range attack, heavy support, etc. are given to dedicated units, some of which are Special Forces.
• Macross Frontier: both the Macross Frontier and Macross Galaxy New UN Spacy troops each use a standard multirole fighter.
• Macross Delta: All NUNS and Aerial Knights units use standard multirole fighters, special mission craft are used by separate units.
• Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team: The titular MS teams are all deployed using the same model.
• Really any UC Gundam: Zeon's troops can usually be counted on to all be deployed with the same mecha in the same unit, sometimes led by an ace custom but usually not. Anyone not in a Gundam can be expected to be using a mass produced suit.
• Gundam Wing: Seriously, Leos, Tauruses, and Aries for days everybody on all sides uses these.
• Genesis Climber MOSPEADA: the Mars troops all use armo-fighters with identical specs and armaments, only the variant from the Jupiter troops has even slight differences in performance.
• Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: there are no ace customs, everyone uses the same models of mecha and even the cosmetic variations to show rank are so minor most viewers never notice they exist at all.
• Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: the only unit that is not equipped identically at all times is the Knights of the Round, because they never actually fight together. All actual Knightmare units are always equipped identically, even when there are top ace named characters as in the case of Cornelia's royal guard all using the same Gloucesters which she does.
• Five Star Stories: the AKD's line troops use the Horned Mirage, while specialist units are farmed out to the top members of the Mirage Knights, who still typically go into the field armed alike when they go en masse, in the LED Mirages. The Holy A-TOLL Kingdom's main knightly orders all use the A-TOLL Swans and Cobra type, while the more underhanded specialist troops use the Scritti. Most nations major knightly orders all use the same models, like the Trio de Colus's Berlins, Hagooda's Maglows, Rosso's Helmines, Umoth's Blue Armors, etc.

[yazi88]

All of the mass produced ATs in VOTOMS are general purpose, with the only big difference being weight classifications for Melkian Federation/Gilgamesh foces or response time with Perfect Soldier custom ATs.

[Zeonista]

Only the Americans seem to keep the flame for combiners right now, as per Voltron: Defender of the Universe and those of us who kept our combining Transformer toys. (You know who you are, and you know you still love them.) If one must re-do old school combiner anime, one must go all the way & do it right. Now, a combiner mecha is more of a dramatic effect than a proper tactical one, as outlined above. It is actually an old-school modular boost, before the Bawoo and Victory Gundam changed it. It's not very cost-effective, but in the old days it was seen as worth it.

The best use of a combiner is to have the several smaller ones that are the normal use type be able to combine and form a super robot when the serious threat shows up. From flunky dusting to boss fight without having to summon new units, the combiner is there to give multi-tasking a different form (sic). In this scenario the combiner mecha and its component smaller mecha is often created (or found and restored) in response to an antagonist who does go back and forth from expendable flunky types to the city crushers as needed. My favorite of this type is God Beast Dankuga.