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Gonna quickly skim over Astaroth and Vual first;

While Astaroth’s Ars Goetia entry relating to the Warren Family’s (and thus its own) fall, it’s interesting that a large part of IBO Gekko is the revelation of how other elements of Gjallarhorn fell, with Astaroth playing a significant part in revealing that (Nadira and Zalmfort). Even it’s initial fighting against Rosario Leone could be taken as evidence of this, since it reveals his “fall” from being an ally of Tanto Tempo.

“Wherefore the Magician must hold the Magical Ring near his face, and that will defend him. He giveth true answers of things Past, Present, and to Come, and can discover all Secrets. He will declare wittingly how the Spirits fell, if desired, and the reason of his own fall”.

I’d also like to call out the line regarding holding the magical ring near his face to defend him.

Argi Mirage is stated to be able to form a neural link with the Astaroth through his prosthetic arm, though it’s not nearly as strong as Alaya Vijinana. Given how Alaya Vijinana is shown to affect people, and given that Argi seems to be shown holding his hand in front of his face a lot, it’s possible that Argi’s prosthetic is meant to substitute for a ring, with Argi being the Gundam’s “summoner”.

Next, the Vual;

“His Office is to Procure the Love of Women, and to tell Things Past, Present, and to Come”.

Tell of things past, present, and to come - fairly straightforward, Vual is of the past and it’s defeat ties up exactly what went down with Daddy Ted’s assassination - IE why Argi was hired in the first place, whereas Leone exists as a foe to essentially tip off Volco that Ville Klassen has something to do with his family’s demise - explaining the past, setting up a fight to come. Rosario’s a starter villain, is what I’m getting at. It’s possible that has the series gone on, it would have eventually led to a reveal relating to the Gundam Seere, thus acting as a harbinger of Argi finally understanding the events of the past (though I confess that’s utter supposition).

Secondly, to procure the love of women. Rosario is backed up by Nanao Narolina, a very seductive character who ultimately betrays him.

So, while Vual might procure the love of women as allies, it’s ultimately only a temporary boon, as these sorts of demonic pacts often are. (I’m not considering the other kind of “procurement”, but Nanao’s sexual personality coupled with Vual’s “office” is what made the connection)

Right, the Gundam Haagenti

I confess annoyance that I hadn’t caught the feminine design prior (or, rather, that I had but without considering the wider context of it). Then again, I do have a fondness for heeled suits, so it’s perhaps excusable I didn’t make the connection.

It’s possible the reason for the wires on the throwing fans is just that the fans themselves are difficult to manufacture, so retrieval is a priority. It’s also possible that the fans are representative of the “gryphon’s wings” mentioned in the Ars Goetia listing. The multiple mentions of transmutation may refer to Rustal Elion, since he changes the current governing system into another one.

Hm. Japanese property though it is, apparently somebody on the Gjallarhorn design team had a thing for Katanas, since the Barbatos, Vidar, Haagenti and Waltraute all use them (then again I’m no expert, so perhaps they’re different kinds of Katanas).

IBO reference notes on . . . the Gundams (part 2)

[Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3]

The way I've broken this down, the different Gundams group nicely into vague categories, with this set of middle-sequence machines showcasing a variety of additional enhancements compared to the more straightforward early-sequence entries from the last post.

It appears the engineers became increasingly creative as the ID numbers escalated. At first blush, that makes sense, since presumably the mobile armours didn't take the appearance of a new fighting force lying down. An arms race of sorts might well have been a natural outcome. However, with both Bael and Gamigin right at the start of the list, we have to conclude that pilot ability was of paramount importance when it came to racking up kills.

Again, spoilers for everything.

ASW-G-29 Astaroth

Astaroth seems to have been intended for independent aerial operations in atmosphere. As such it was equipped with wings that deploy from the shoulders and an elongated backpack that can flip-up to act as a stabiliser (seen below in an official promotional shot of the HG kit).

Basically, it came with its own in-built Base Jabber/Tickbalang. This afforded it much greater range than a standard Gundam. Interestingly, the wings are sufficiently tough they could be repurposed as shields/blades for close-quarters combat, presumably because they were manufactured using the same techniques as the rest of the armour.

I should note that while we can take the red colour scheme as original, the Warren Family crest on the chest and wings is explicitly a later addition. The Warrens gained status in Gjallarhorn by digging up Astaroth on the Moon after the Calamity War was over; we know nothing about its first pilot beyond where they left their machine.

The additional gimmick here is the sword, which uses Ahab particles in combination with a special nanolaminate coating to disrupt standard nanolaminate armour. This is probably the nearest IBO gets to a beam saber-like weapon and while we haven't seen it in action at any point in canon, it required hooking the sword direct into the 'suit's reactor via a connector plug built into Astaroth's arm. According to the kit manual, this technology was not especially stable, hence why it didn't see wider deployment.

When not in use, the sword sheathes inside a giant club, which continues a trend for Gundams to be armed with either piercing or smashing weapons as the primary means of attack. This is not to say they eschew guns completely; you can see here Astaroth came with a shotgun and obviously there's Gamigin's Gatling gun. But these are likely meant mainly for dealing with plumas, which we see in Season 2 are relatively vulnerable to normal bullets -- unlike a mobile armour, which requires something capable of breaching its defences and destroying its central processor as quickly as possible.

From the Ars Goetia:

The Twenty-ninth Spirit is Astaroth. He is a Mighty, Strong Duke, and appeareth in the form of an hurtful Angel riding on an Infernal Beast like a Dragon, and carrying in his right hand a Viper. Thou must in no wise let him approach too near unto thee, lest he do thee damage by his Noisome Breath. Wherefore the Magician must hold the Magical Ring near his face, and that will defend him. He giveth true answers of things Past, Present, and to Come, and can discover all Secrets. He will declare wittingly how the Spirits fell, if desired, and the reason of his own fall. He can make men wonderfully knowing in all Liberal Sciences. He ruleth 40 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this, which wear thou as a Lamen before thee, or else he will not appear nor yet obey thee, etc.

'Riding a dragon' certainly fits the self-propelled flight option quite well, as the winged form does with Astaroth appearing as an angel, and we might interpret the γ nanolaminate sword as a viper if we squint -- or possibly this is the 'noisome breath'. Additionally, the idea of declaring how a spirit fell sits interestingly in the context of Gundam Astaroth's modern history, with it having been the prized possession of the Warren Family until they were framed for embezzlement and disgraced, and subsequently becoming involved in the mafia-like internal strife of the Tanto Tempo shipping company.

ASW-G-32 Asmoday

Found mint-in-box, Asmoday seems to have never actually been deployed in battle. Indeed, it is discovered repurposed as a secondary power supply for an Ariadne Network relay station. This is a unique case, since every other Gundam frame we know about either definitely saw combat or is heavily implied to have done so.

With respect to the previous comment about armaments, Asmoday comes equipped with giant tonfas that can extend to a frankly ludicrous length and are designed to act as armour-breaching pile-drivers. It also has claws built into its feet, allowing it to grab on to targets, marking a further development in how weapons are integrated into the 'suits. This feature is similar to one found on the Hugo mobile suit, which was developed in the middle of the Calamity War for space-combat. Possibly this means Asmoday was intended for the same purpose.

Its hand-held weapons are a sword/javelin combination that can shoot out on a cable and a mid-range rifle. Both are relatively uninteresting in their own right, but fit the standard pattern of the setting for mobile suits to carry both a melee weapon and a gun. It also carries smoke-screen grenades.

Asmoday's status when found provides a rare glimpse into the Calamity War's immediate aftermath. The Ariadne route leading to its location was long abandoned by the present and passed through the middle of a debris zone. The space station in which Asmoday was stored bore the Falk Family coat of arms; indeed, Kalf Falk, a Seven Star, was its administrator. This suggests that by the point Asmoday was plugged into the power grid, the Seven Stars were already established as ranking members of Gjallarhorn, placing that development right at the end of the War or perhaps even before it was over.

That they would need to use Asmoday in this manner also implies power sources were thin on the ground at the time. Given the sheer scope of the War, that's not an unlikely outcome. The artificial gravity effects of Ahab reactors continue to hold debris zones together three hundred years later, so we know a great many of them were lost in battle. Furthermore, in the present day, Gjallarhorn has come to completely monopolise the manufacture of Ahab reactors. A contributing factor to this may have been the destruction of the infrastructure that previously existed to produce them. This is pure speculation on my part, but it would gel with someone so highly placed in their organisation needing to deploy a Gundam as a glorified back-up generator.

From the Ars Goetia:

The Thirty-second Spirit is Asmoday, or Asmodai. He is a Great King, Strong, and Powerful. He appeareth with Three Heads, whereof the first is like a Bull, the second like a Man, and the third like a Ram; he hath also the tail of a Serpent, and from his mouth issue Flames of Fire. His Feet are webbed like those of a Goose. He sitteth upon an Infernal Dragon, and beareth in his hand a Lance with a Banner. He is first and choicest under the power of Amaymon, he goeth before all other. When the Exorcist hath a mind to call him, let it be abroad, and let him stand on his feet all the time of action, with his Cap or Head-dress off; for if it be on, Amaymon will deceive him and cause all his actions to be bewrayed.* But as soon as the Exorcist seeth Asmoday in the shape aforesaid, he shall call him by his Name, saying: “Art thou Asmoday?” and he will not deny it, and by-and-by he will bow down unto the ground. He given the Ring of Virtues; he teacheth the Arts of Arithmetic, Astronomy, Geometry, and all handicrafts absolutely. He giveth true and full answers unto thy demands. He maketh one Invincible**. He showeth the place where Treasures lie, and guardeth it. He, amongst the Legions of Amaymon, governeth 72 Legions of Spirits Inferior. His Seal is this which thou must wear as a Lamen upon thy breast, etc.

*This sentence was apparently badly translated and should more accurately run: "When the exorcist employs his [Asmodai’s] offices, let him [the exorcist] be strong, wary [lit. “warned”], standing on his feet, for should he be overwhelmed, he will be exposed in everything: but if the exorcist does not do this he will be deceived in everything by Amaymon." Just in case any of you were going to attempt the invocation.

**copyist's error, apparently: should be 'invisible'.

Head of a ram? Check. Lance? Eh, a tonfa that big is basically a blunt lance. Webbed feet? Kind of. And the bit about guarding the place where treasures lie does fit with where Gundam Asmoday was found.

[Note: I am aware the Japanese materials use the more common spelling 'Asmodeus', making this the only instance where the name of a Gundam varies between languages. But the official English text all uses Asmoday so I'm sticking with that.]

ASW-G-35 Marchosias

And then there's this thing. Do you like swords? How about some more swords on your swords? Well, Marchosias has you covered!

Oh, and we know at least one thing about its original pilot: she took duelling etiquette to heart. Or just thought zooming around like Zorro on steroids looked incredibly cool.

Like Astaroth, Marchosias' main sword stows in a sheath that could be used as a club. But it was also equipped with extra arms for better slicing/dicing action. The result is a one-mecha army that can take down a mobile armour with incredible efficiency.

We already knew from the Gusion refits that Gundam frames can support additional sets of limbs. That this should be the case is worth pausing over. Gundams are designed to allow people to surpass their limits. Marchosias gives us a view into just how far they could go beyond the human-like starting point.

What effect would this have on the pilot? Did this set-up place a higher load upon them during battle? We see nothing similar among the other Calamity War Gundam configurations. Only Kimaris' trooper form comes close and that seems more about increasing stability than adding extra offensive options. Perhaps therefore this approach was deemed too risky or too complicated to pursue further.

Moreover, Mikazuki starts to miss his tail when outside Barbatos Lupus Rex; was it the same for Marchosias's pilot? Having four additional limbs to keep track of must have done some wacky things to her sense of self. And how was that seen by her comrades? In light of later attempts to dehumanise augmented people, it's hard not to suspect this Gundam would be excellent propaganda for that cause.

Perhaps this explains why she retreated to Venus after the War was over. I've been saying 'she' because the current leading candidate for the identity of Marchosias's pilot is Erda Afam, great-grandmother to Wistario Afam, protagonist of the Urdr Hunt game. Marchosias -- in its rebuilt form as Hajiroboshi -- was not abandoned like Asmoday but deliberately hidden in the depths of the Radonitsa Colony. While we have yet to learn the full story, the details so far point to at least one Gundam pilot who didn't want to be part of the Seven Stars' post-war reorganisation of the world.

From the Ars Goetia:

The Thirty-fifth Spirit is Marchosias. He is a Great and Mighty Marquis, appearing at first in the form of a Wolf having Gryphon’s Wings, and a Serpent’s Tail, and Vomiting Fire out of his mouth. But after a time, at the command of the Exorcist he putteth on the Shape of a Man. And he is a strong fighter. He was of the Order of Dominations. He governeth 30 Legions of Spirits. He told his Chief, who was Solomon, that after 1,200 years he had hopes to return unto the Seventh Throne. And his Seal is this, to be made and worn as a Lamen, etc.

Following its rebuild into Hajiroboshi, we get a glimpse of the underlying operating system, so we can see that again, the IBO sigil has been reworked from the original seal.

'Strong fighter' might well be an understatement here! The griffon elements described also find expression in the winged appearance of the 'suit.

ASW-G-47 Vual

Vual is the odd Gundam out. By which I mean, it adds absolutely nothing to our understanding of them whatsoever. Like Gusion, we have no hints as to what its original configuration was. Unlike Gusion, this is explicitly stated to be because it was discovered without any armour. The above is a hodge-podge of Astaroth components and other elements of unknown provenance. Indeed, while you can't see it in this shot, its left arm is basically naked.

Of the parts seen here, the torso, right arm, waist armour, thighs, left shin, feet, and backpack are all from Astaroth. The rest, it seems, comes from Tanto Tempo's stores as a more complete set of the armour can be seen on the rebuild, Vual Yuhana.

But yes. We know zilch about the original Vual, what it was designed for, or what happened to it during the War. Which itself speaks to the ways in which the past can be erased over the course of three hundred years. As significant as the Gundams were, only people invested in that long-gone history (McGillis Fareed, Uso Mendou, Cyclase Meyer etc.) care to look into the details. To a businessman like Rosario Leone, this is merely a particularly powerful mobile frame that can be repurposed for his use.

From the Ars Goetia:

The Forty-Seventh Spirit is Uvall, or Vual, or Voval. He is a Duke, Great, Mighty, and Strong; and appeareth in the form of a Mighty Dromedary at the first, but after a while at the Command of the Exorcist he putteth on Human Shape, and speaketh the Egyptian Tongue, but not perfectly. His Office is to Procure the Love of Women, and to tell Things Past, Present, and to Come. He also procureth Friendship between Friends and Foes. He was in the Order of Potestates or Powers. He governeth 37 Legions of Spirits, and his Seal is this, to be made and worn before thee, etc.

I'd probably do use the first seal as the basis for the IBO equivalent. The angle on the offset cross is more interesting and aligning the middle pair looks nicer. The promotion of friendship between foes in the Ars Goetia text works nicely for Vual being rebuilt and deployed to help the protagonists of the Moon Steel manga, piloted by on-again, off-again foe-turned-ally Sampo Hakuri.

ASW-G-48 Haagenti

To get this out of the way: yes, they gave the only confirmed lady in the original Seven Stars a mobile suit with a dainty, curving aesthetic and inbuilt stiletto heels (they look somewhat more practical from the back but even so).

However, to give it its due, Haagenti is actually a really cool and unique design. First we've got frankly over-sized thrusters on an otherwise light-weight machine, implying this is an exceptionally nippy fighter. Then we have the twin swords which are noted to be heavier than they appear, allowing it to deal a lot of damage. And finally, there are the fan-blades built into its forearms.

I'm sorry, allow me to rephrase that. There are the RAZOR DOOM YO-YOS built into its forearms.

I, personally, would not question Angelica Elion's aesthetic choices to her face, even if I genuinely dislike that much salmon pink on a war robot (I stress the problem is it being *salmon* pink. Urgh).

Its official bio mentions it used a large-bore gun as well, but oddly not the yo-yos, so given the gun hasn't been shown, I wonder if there was a mix-up there. In any case, this is a rare case of bladed ranged weaponry on a Gundam frame. The only equivalent I can think of are the disc-launchers on Kimaris, which are clearly not as reusable.

Going back to Asmoday's implementation of something seen on another mobile suit, Hugos are also equipped with grappling hooks, so cable-mounted weapons have precedent. Whether Haagenti employed the kind of smart-cables seen on mobile armours, however, is an open question. The animation from Iron-Blooded Orphans G suggests not, but I wonder if something like these yo-yos would be practical without the ability to control them more precisely.

Indeed, given how effective Barbatos Lupus Rex is in battle, it's curious we don't see any Calamity War Gundams explicitly using a technology that would have been available at the time. Hashmal's tail and Harael's claws represent the closest the Post Disaster setting comes to implementing the 'funnel' drone technology found in other Gundam shows (plumas being more autonomous than funnels/bits are usually depicted). Yet Haagenti is the only Gundam we can even hypothesise as using something similar.

Were smart cable-mounted weapons less effective against mobile armours and pluma swarms than they proved against individual mobile suits? Was the technology less available than its existence aboard the armours implies? Or was it too closely associated with the enemy to use, either out of principle or because the armours were intimately familiar with how it worked? So far, no clues are available.

What we can be certain of is that Haagenti's dainty appearance belies an incredibly strong showing during the War. The Elions wound up becoming an immensely powerful member of the Seven Stars, commanding Gjallarhorn's single biggest fleet. Their Gundam itself, however, was consigned to storage in the vaults on Vingolf, a relic of a by-gone age.

From the Ars Goetia:

The Forty-eighth Spirit is Haagenti. He is a President, appearing in the Form of a Mighty Bull with Gryphon’s Wings. This is at first, but after, at the Command of the Exorcist he putteth on Human Shape. His Office is to make Men wise, and to instruct them in divers things; also to Transmute all Metals into Gold; and to change Wine into Water, and Water into Wine. He governeth 33 Legions of Spirits, and his Seal is this, etc.

It's certainly got the bull horns, though no wings to speak of. Beyond that, this seems to be another case where the Gundam doesn't inherit much from the demon.

And that's where we'll leave it for this instalment. Not sure if I will have the third part up tomorrow but I will try to post it soon in any case.

Other reference posts include:

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (Part 1)

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (Part 2)

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (corrigendum) [mainly covering my inability to recognise mythical wolves]

IBO reference notes on … three key Yamagi scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Shino scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Eugene scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Ride scenes

IBO reference notes on … the tone of the setting

IBO reference notes on … character parallels and counterpoints

IBO reference notes on … a perfect villain

IBO reference notes on … Iron-Blooded Orphans: Gekko

IBO reference notes on … an act of unspeakable cruelty

IBO reference notes on … original(ish) characters [this one is mainly fanfic]

IBO reference notes on … Kudelia’s decisions

IBO reference notes on … assorted head-canons

IBO reference notes on … actual, proper original characters [explicit fanfic – as in, actually fanfic. None of them have turned up in the smut yet]

IBO reference notes on … the aesthetics of the mobile frame

IBO reference notes on … mobile suit designations

IBO reference notes on … the Gundams (part 1)

Moebius

Jean Giraud (Moebius) (French,1938-2012)  

Illustration for “Futurs Magiques”, 1983

No fucking way.

Ahahahahahahahahahaha

Ahhhhhh……

Just for fun, let’s think up a list of reasons as to why Mcgillis chose not to use the Fareed Family Gundam.

It was destroyed/lost in the calamity war.

It reminds him of Iznario, and he wants to reject that connection.

It’s got a very specific way of fighting (like Flauros) and he wants something with a more generalist bent.

He feels a greater kinship with Agnika Kaieru than he does the Fareed family founder.

It was the 72nd Gundam frame built, and was completed postwar, thus running counter to Mcgillis’ ambitions to be like his idol.

It’s been chained up in a similar manner to how Bael eventually will be.

It was scrapped to repair another Gundam frame.

It’s biometrically locker to a blood member of the Fareed family for some reason.

The previous pilot was an amputee, and didn’t so much pilot the Gundam in so much as they were “plugged in”. (Think Gundam Thunderbolt).

Iznario (or a prior member of the Fareed Family) sold it, or parts of it, for bread money (as the Warrens did).

It was stolen by Gundam thieves.

It requires three pilots.

The colours clash horribly with his hair.

Despite their great combat skill, the Fareed family founder was just kind of a prick, and nobody looks on their history with much fondness.

The Fareed family founder was very small by modern standards, and the cockpit’s uncomfortable to sit in for any length of time.

The hands were damaged, and are now in the permanent pose of throwing up gang signs.

Bael’s just, like, so much cooler.

It’s really, really uncomfortable to look at for a significant period of time.

Any time it’s activated, the Fareed family founder’s custom mixtape of post-calamity rap starts playing and nobody knows how to turn it off.

It’s haunted.

Iznario lost it in a poorly conceived bet.

It’s likeness was bought out by a prominent snack food corporation some years back, and as such it legally is not allowed to be viewed by anyone.

The door to it in Vingolf is stuck, and nobody ever noticed until Mcgillis came along.

Somebody spilled drink on the controls, and now they feel weirdly sticky.

The cockpit’s stuffed with body pillows, and nobody can bring themself to clean them out.

It’s lying at the bottom of the ocean after someone took it for a joyride.

It’s got an absolutely awful paint job that Norba Shino would be proud of.

It’s uninsured.

It was mounted on the prow of the Fareed family ship, and it’s exceedingly difficult to remove.

It’s stored in multiple separate locations. All Vingolf has is a pair of legs and the right hand.

It’s currently being used as a soundstage for a prominent punk-rock band on Jupiter, and no-one’s sure when the lease ends.

It has the words “free ice-cream” prominently painted on it somewhere.

It achieved sentience and promptly grabbed some popcorn.

The Fareed family never had a Gundam, and just killed that many mobile armours with conventional tactics.

It’s covered in rust.

It doesn’t have nanolaminate armour for some reason.

It’s being used as a power source for Gjallarhorn’s premier health spa and resort.

The Fareed family threw it into the sun when the war ended, believing they wouldn’t need it anymore.

It’s been repaired really badly, and the duct tape and welding really doesn’t inspire confidence.

It’s off starring in its own, less successful show.

It’s got a hit play on broadway.

It runs off a subscription service, and nobody’s been paying it for the last 300 years.

Mcgillis has really poor gatcha rolls, so he just got 26 common rarity grazes instead.

It’s really a Leo somebody scotch-taped a v-fin to.

The entire Gundam is made of cardboard.

Mcgillis forgot the password to get into the hangar, and he can’t ask Iznario.

Somebody doodled angry eyes and a handlebar moustache on it, and nobody can look at it without cracking up.

It was taken apart, then reassembled incorrectly. (It’s got a leg sticking out of where it’s head should be, and nobody’s sure where the sword ended up)

He can’t activate it without deleting the entire Fareed family’s Doom highscores.

It’s currently being used to hold a massive tv that the rest of Gjallarhorn use to watch the hockey.

It is currently on fire.

When he went to pick it up, two of the engineers were using it to hold a romantic candlelit dinner and he felt awkward interrupting so he hasn’t been back since.

A head of the Fareed family used it as the site of a drunken party and when everyone came round from their hangover it was just gone, and nobody could remember what happened to it.

It looks exactly like the Gundam Dantalion, and records have been lost as to why this is the case.

It’s currently being used as a scarecrow.

Feel free to add any more in the comments!

I do like a lot of Non-Gundam Mecha as well. Gundam’s just the series I have the most experience with and am best able to convey my feelings on.

Just off the top of my head (and I suppose a general thesis statement); I like when the mecha are clearly-defined in universe. I like when we know (or can at least infer) what they’re for, why they were built.

For Example, in Gundam, we have the mobile suit. It’s designed principally for space combat in visual range, due to the jamming effects of minovsky particles. It’s original purpose was ship-killing, Zeon designing it in order to get an edge over the Federation’s fleets. To this end, it is fast (to dodge enemy fire), well armed with weaponry suitable to strike at its intended targets and manoeuvrable (its entire humanoid design is to allow maximum capability for the AMBAC system to assist it with zero-g manoeuvres). Once it was realised that both sides would be using mobile suits, it was armed with melee weaponry for close-quarters fights. Mobile suit development follows with better weaponry (beams, shot lancers etc.), better mobility and better survivability (shields, anti-beam coating, beam rotors etc.). And while this is just Universal Century, most of the other series follow a similar(-ish) design trend (the only exceptions off the top of my head are Build Fighters, G Gundam (both for obvious reasons) and New Mobile Report Gundam Wing (which seems like a bunch of conflicting visions in-universe). Sure, mobile suits are effective in colonies and on Earth, and several are even built with that in mind. But they were designed for space first and foremost, so that’s always going to have an influence. There’s solid, defined reasoning for why they’re there, it’s not just “well we’ve gotta have giant robots”.

But moving on to other series mecha, there’s some I like and some I don’t. I’ve only really seen a smattering of non-Gundam mecha series (and even then, sunrise shows up a lot), so this is mostly just on the mecha designs.

First off, Five Star Stories and it’s Mortar Headds;

I could talk about the forms or the knightly aesthetic or the fact that the hero wins his first fight by pimp-slapping his opponents in a mecha made of gold, or I could just put up some of the designs and let them talk for me. I will fully admit I haven’t read that far into the manga because I absolutely adore what I have read and want to take my time with it (they said, not having looked at it in at least three years). Mortar Headds are bespoke artisanal war machines, each one a tribute to its craftsman as much as a means of destruction. It’s so gorgeous I started work on a Mekton setting based directly on it (which I also haven’t touched in a while, should really get back in that).

Next, Neon Genesis Evangelion

Which for the record, I really liked (though I’ve yet to watch Rebuild). The Evangelion units do look very similar in comparison to other series, but I really can’t fault the design. The Evangelions are built to kill angels and require pilots born post-second impact (so, young). They’re humanoid because they’re essentially piloted as extensions of the pilots own body (hence the synch ratio). As such there’s a visceral, desperate nature to their movements, a sense that any fight they’re in is Kill-or-be-Killed. It illustrates a manic frenecity to the fight against the angels and why such tactics are ultimately necessary. They’re somewhere between humanoid and bestial, almost an abomination unto themselves, which plays into the series very, very well.

Pacific Rim - Jaegers:

As a movie, I found Pacific Rim pretty good. It wasn’t amazing, but I would definitely recommend and it was good enough for me to be interested in the wider franchise. The Jeagers however, were fabulous. Each of them has a unique construction, selling that these are recovered machines thrown together as a strikeforce. It also illustrates them as a multinational team, since while I wouldn’t specifically state that they represent their country of origin, you can certainly understand the expense and I suppose pride at their construction. They’re also really, really weighty. Each blow has power, each movement testifies the massive strength inherent in them. It takes no introduction or explanation that they’re built to fight kaiju, you can tell just from looking at them. And yet, you can also understand that they’re expensive things. You can buy, that no matter their effectiveness it’s just not sustainable as a standing force. But they’re not foolproof. Victories are hard-fought, losses near-irrecoverable, not just in terms of machinery, but also of pilots. Drift compatibility further establishes the titanic weight of these things, humanoid as they are, the mental strain alone is a threat. It just all works together so well.

(I have not seen Pacific Rim Uprising, and I don’t want to. Everything in there just looks too light and floaty, and it hasn’t the spark of the first movie, it’s financial motivation clear as day. The Netflix Anime, Pacific Rim: The Black, isn’t half-bad though).

Darling in the Franxx - Franxx

I feel like Studio Trigger gets a lot of leeway simply because when they make a hit, it’s a *hit*. The Franxx have very feminine designs since the female half of their piloting duos essentially fuse with the Franxx during normal operations. I’m not as big a fan of Argentea and Genista (pink and green, respectively) as the rest, but Strelizia and Delphinium (red and blue) are lovely. Strelizia mostly because it’s top-heavy, lending it’s Lance a lot of impact. The existence of the Franxx is also pretty solid - fight klaxosaurs, because (*spoilers*) they’re essentially reverse-engineered from them. They’re obviously a lot more humanoid and personable than other designs here, simply because they also communicate for their pilots, not just the mecha themselves. I think I like the big heads, since I’m also a fan of the model used by the 9’s force (not pictured, but essentially a slimmed down Strelizia without a face). I also quite like the emphasis on agility, with the multiple skirt thrusters on Strelizia and Delphinium.

Code Geass has its Knightmare Frames

Alright, I have a lot of complicated feelings towards Code Geass (the fact I feel I should mention the fanservice here, but didn’t feel the need to mention it for Darling in the Franxx is one of them) that I’ll probably do a post on eventually, but my feelings on Knightmares are actually very solid - they’re nice, they were the hook that got me into it, but they’re really only here to make some cool action scenes and probably because sunrise felt uncomfortable making something without giant robots in it. You’re not really here for them, per se. Most of the designs I can take or leave, however there are a few I have opinions on. I really don’t like the Vincent (not shown above, the one Rollo uses), since it looks far too much like a Gundam for my liking. The Alexander (top row, white, without wings) is wonderful in pretty much all its forms, suitable for Guerilla warfare behind enemy lines, owing to its light, mobile build and wide variety of equipment. I can also believe it’s easy enough to build that it could be used by “expendable” forces. The Vercingetorix (Second row, gold) is utterly gorgeous, not just because of its gold colouration, but also because it turns into a centaur. Its build is also comparatively simple, favouring mobility and a hefty melee weapon. I do like the variability of the designs, since Knightmare frames run the gamut of one-off custom jobs intended for ace of aces (basically anything built for a Brittanian Knight), Mass-produced units designed for large-scale warfare (Sutherlands, not shown above), to units desperately pressed into service against Brittania (the aforementioned Alexander and the Gekka, top row, teal/green). In summary, they’re nice, but they’re really not the focus (and they start dropping like flies when the superweapons come out).

(I’ll do a separate post on some specific designs I like sometime)

Finally (for now), we come to The Big O’s MegaDeus

Which I’m “currently” watching, and the series that inspired this follow-up post (no spoilers please). While I haven’t seen enough to come down on the “thesis” of the MegaDeus, all the ones I’ve seen are built along roughly the same lines - Titanic pieces of machinery, long hidden away (though I do wish it was easier to find some of the designs, we only get tantalising glimpses of some of them, like Osrail). But they fit in with the city around them, despite their disparate designs, and of course the weight of them is well-communicated. They’re surprisingly evocative designs - the one held by a criminal organisation (*spoilers* Dorothy-1) has a skeevy, untrustworthy design, with lots of underhanded weaponry, whereas Big O itself is stern and its armaments are very direct (so far, anyway).

Most of the Mecha listed here are humanoid, but I do like other mechanical designs too, these were just the options that sprung to mind off the top of my head.

With all the things you've posted looking at the mobile suits of various series, I wondered if you had any specific tastes in mecha design. Are there particular details or design cues that you're especially fond of?

@wordsandrobots, I fully expect to follow this up at sone point (and likely run out of pictures/want to ramble even more), so I’m going to pull it out as a proper post:

That is an *excellent* question, actually, since I hadn’t considered my tastes in such a broad scale before (and well-timed too, since I’ve got a post talking about Gusion in the works). It’s why I typically like talking about design series, since I can compare and contrast within that scope.

I typically focus on Gundam, since I generally like it as a series and there’s a massive variety of designs to appreciate, with a broad range. I’m largely influenced by the Anime, model kits and occasionally videogames, though in a lot of cases I can like a character, and that can lead to a greater appreciation of their mobile suit.

Specific design notes…. I tend to notice them more in the context of an artist - I adore a lot of Ippei Gyoubu’s design touches, from the bright colours to the detailed hands to the panel lines and little touches that you’d never notice. Kazuhisa Kondo has the organic shape and uniquely rounded weaponry and it’s styled in such a way as to apprear blurry, almost ephemeral, like you’re glimpsing it through a haze of smoke and gunfire and dirt, while frantically turning to get away, get away from the conflict. And yet the designs are still recognisable, and in a lot of respects draw from contemporary sources.

I’m similarly fond of Makoto Kobayashi and Kuino Okawara, though I typically struggle to explain how (Makoto Kobayashi tends to have really good composition? I think. So they look simple and detailed all at once, and they’re part of a scene, so it’s what you choose to focus on? And Okawara just makes it look so…. Effortless)

Hajime Katoiki I do like as well, I just struggle to nail down why. I suppose it’s because of how clean his designs look.

Moving away from the preference of artists (and honestly, it’s only that some of their design hallmarks are very distinct), I often have a preference for specific “types” of mobile suit. I talked about this a little in regards to the Code: Fairy designs, but I often find myself drawn to specialist mobile suits over generalist ones. From a modelling perspective, I often like each one to be distinct in a lineup in some way (unless they’re similar models, then I just put them together so the differences show). Often this can just be a distinct weapon, but it’s just as often the form of the mobile suit (the Gusion’s a good example here, since it draws the eye due to its heavyset build, understated colour scheme and giant hammer) or even the colour (see: the Infinite Justice being bright pink). This tends to encompass a lot of close-quarters units (like the Pixy and the Efreets) simply because there’s a lot of ways to do that well. Another reason is that whereas generalist suits tend to show up in large roles throughout the series, specialist ones tend towards “monster-of-the-week”, typically being an obstacle to be defeated or just having one or two cool scenes (like the Efreet Schneid). So I find they stick in my head a lot better.

I can like a lot of designs from a series as well, but of course I tend to have a lot of different criteria as to what designs I like, depending on the suit’s billing and purpose (what makes a great grunt suit and what makes a great protagonist suit are quite different after all). I do very much like a lot of the UC Grunt suits (though I’ll probably touch on that in more detail at a later point), for example, but I only really like one from Anno Domini, the Tieran (since it looks so much like a walking tank as opposed to the spindly nature of the Flags and Enacts). That said, I don’t think that the Flags, Enacts and GN-X’s are bad designs, they’re just not really the sort of thing I like.

In fact, I reckon that’s why I’m particularly fond of Iron-Blooded Orphans’ Aesthetics, since a lot of the units from that series would be close-quarters specialists in any other series. But because melee is so common in Post Disaster, virtually everything carries a nice solid sharp stick. The only exceptions I can think of are Gusion Rebake (which is more of an all-rounder), Flauros (and even that has hatchets that leave cqc a viable option) and Dainsleif Grazes (which only have one arm, so….).