beam saber and shields

[Den]

i was just wondering on how the beam saber gains resistance when it is cutting through solid objects like a gundam shield and etc. because as seen in wing and the seed, when they hit the shield, the beam doesn't melt/ cut through the shield of the gundam. Any scientific explanations there?

[Scorchijs]

I'd say that's because of the anti-beam coating. They apply it to the shield in order to defend against beam sabers and beam rifles. Also, I've heard that the beam coating wears off after a couple of hits. So it must be restored after a while.

[ZeonfromHell]

Well, there is an episode in Wing where the shield of Wing Gundam gets sliced into by Tallgeese, but it stops before it goes all the way though. With sort of thing actually comes up in a lot Gundam anime where the shield gets cut one time, where other times it deflects beams. I don't think it's beam coating, maybe shield just get worn out or it displays metal fatigue. Or it could be a slight inconsistency in animation.

[Duraham]

could it be the thickness of the shield producing much more resistance against a saber? kind of like cutting a thin piece of butter vs a thick piece of butter. after all, the shield probably has the thickest armour in the whole MS itself

[azrael]

could it be the thickness of the shield producing much more resistance against a saber? kind of like cutting a thin piece of butter vs a thick piece of butter. after all, the shield probably has the thickest armour in the whole MS itself

Possibly. If the shield material was that dense to provide resistance, then yes. I would equate it more with a laser attempting to burn a hole in a thick piece of steel than a piece of butter.

[HalfDemonInuyasha]

Another example was Wing Gundam Zero vs. Epyon in the last episode. Epyon cuts a large cut in Wing Gundam Zero's shield, but it only partly.

[Den]

but i was wondering, shouldn't the beam meet any resistance when just cutting through thick metal? because it was shown that when cutting shield, it was like using a metal sword and cutting a shield which shows resistance. This was in wing btw.

[ironscythe]

Here's my take on the situation: NEVER USE WING OR SEED AS AN EXAMPLE FOR REALISTIC SCIENCE.

[Haros_Pet_Kat]

Here's my take on the situation: NEVER USE WING OR SEED AS AN EXAMPLE FOR REALISTIC SCIENCE.

This happens in UC Gundam quite a bit as well, where shields have a random survivability time.

[Seraphic]

I'm not sure if I can agree with you on that. Really, there are only a few instances of beam sabers hitting Gundanium in Wing, but it seems pretty consistent to me.

Tallgeese's saber didn't pierce Heavyarms' torso. This may have largely been due to how Zechs was handling it.

The Wing Gundam had trouble cleaving a Leo in two (vertically). But it was able to sever the Tallgeese's left arm in Siberia. Heero had to lunge in and throw in the entire Gundam's weight to do that. Considering that Wing does not have arms specialized for heavy melee assaults, this is expected. Leo and Tallgeese are both titanium armored, so this is consistent.

The only instance of a beam saber really piercing thick Gundanium armor is Epyon and its beam sword. It cleaved halfway through Zero's (reinforced) shield, and also sliced off a chunk of its right shoulder armor.

(There is also the special case of Zero severing Epyon's left arm, but the cut occured at an un-armored joint, so this can't be evaluated properly.)

Otherwise, I don't remember seeing any shields being destroyed in Gundam Wing. And all in all, this seems consistent to me. How about you?

[azrael]

Here's my take on the situation: NEVER USE ANY GUNDAM SERIES AS AN EXAMPLE FOR REALISTIC SCIENCE.

Corrected.

[AU_Gundam MK II]

Actually, the thing in Wing is, weapons with Gundanium bases seem to be much more powerful than those without. (Reasoning behind the strength of Epyon's Beam Sword and the Buster Rifle/Twin Buster Rifle.) Actually, a Gundanium Gundam has only taken severe damage through a saber with a Gundanium base (Reasoning behind Zero being able to sever Epyon's arm and Tallgeese only being able to club the Heavyarms and not slice it in half.).

That said, the large cut caused by Epyon was due in part to him using a specially-made Beam Sword with a Gundanium base.

[Recon 5]

That said, the large cut caused by Epyon was due in part to him using a specially-made Beam Sword with a Gundanium base.

And the fact that it was directly connected to the Epyon's reactor had absolutely nothing to do with it, huh? Gundanium has no special beam- enhancing properties (otherwise the Gundams would be in trouble ).

[AU_Gundam MK II]

Actually, the fact that it was directly connected to the Generator would also benefit it.

Read the description of Gundanium:

A unique compound which can only be produced in the zero-gravity conditions of space. In addition to its incredible strength--several times the strength and heat-resistance of titanium, Gundanium alloy is electrically nonconductive and cannot be detected by radar. However, this material is expensive and difficult to manufacture, making it unfeasible for mass production.

Gundanium is created through the most advanced refining, fusing, and deoxidizing techniques, which are only possible in space. The complex formula was first called GND, short for Genetic on Universal Neutrally Different Alloy. Later the suffix "-nium" was added to distinguish that alloy from other similar alloys that were being developed on Earth. Gundanium was still superior to the competition because of its zero-G creative process.

While it’s called an "alloy," Gundanium contains many non-ferrous metals and non-analyzed matter, meaning it is not a true metal. It is created in high-temperature plasma that can only form in zero-gravity. The compound is adjusted in nano-units, a process so precise that it can only be done in gravitationally stable Lagrange Points. The annealing process, which strengthens the alloy, is performed by electromagnetic waves from the sun. It is even rumored that the nuclei of the atoms themselves are modified within the Gundanium alloy.

While many similar alloys were developed, no other compound is as immutable as Gundanium. The refinement process causes the alloy to become electrically neutral, making it ideal for use with Beam-type weapons, and as armor, the material is almost entirely resistant to charge. However, the extremely high cost of production makes it impractical for military use.

Some intelligence indicates that OZ scientists experimented with using Gundanium alloy in mobile suit creation. The very existence of Gundanium was kept secret, perhaps because it was a possible secret weapon for OZ. The five scientists who left the Tallgeese project took with them the knowledge of Gundanium, allowing them to create the Gundams that would later be the bane of OZ.

According to the novelization of Gundam Wing, a physical impact roughly equal to the force of a train traveling at 120 kilometers per hour while towing ten-plus transport cars would be enough to easily destroy Gundanium. This is also covered in the series where Heero attempts to destroy the Wing Gundam with several naval torpedoes detonated simultaneously, although no exact figures are quoted.

[Seraphic]

Also, there was one thing I had to wonder:

Why the hell wasn't the Gyan's shield anti-beam coated? M'Quve went out like a bitch.

(It sucks having to watch one of your favorite UC MS be destroyed like that. The Gyan is awesome, if a little uneasy on the eyes.)

[Duraham]

because beam weapons weren't popular yet?

more likely that it's a prototype, and the producers overlooked some minor stuff, such as the anti-beam coating.

also, with a shield full of explosives, and in fact your only ranged weapon, I'd find myself less motivated to use it to block attacks

[Recon 5]

I always thought that the Gyan was one of the most out- of- place designs in the whole MSG. Talk about anachronistic .

Back to the point, the Gyan's shield, I think, was more of a weapon than anything. In fact, I think that its body was covered with aome sort of ABC because even two beam sabers and all of the RX- 78's mechanical strength had trouble cutting all the way through it (compare this with the regular one- slash kills on other mobile suits, especially that poor Zaku in the first episode).

[AmuroNT1]

When was ABC developed in the Universal Century, anyway? I suddenly find myself wondering that...

[RGM-79 GM]

Late in the OYW IIRC. Although even if the Gyan's shield did have it, it wouldn't change much.

[StrikeEnd]

Here's my take on the situation: NEVER USE WING OR SEED AS AN EXAMPLE FOR REALISTIC SCIENCE.

Well, they actually try to explain it in SEED with "anti-beam coated shields", but they never explain what exactly the coating is, nor how it exactly deflects the beams, I guessing that's primarily due to the fact SEED never explains what the beams are made of.