Wing Gundam Zero

Wing Zero is by far the most powerful Gundam in the After Colony era. The primary armament of the mobile suit is the Twin Buster Rifle, a weapon capable of destroying objects several miles in size, like a space colony. When separated into two individual Buster Rifles, the rifles could destroy entire waves of targets. Like the Wing Gundam, Wing Zero is also capable of transforming into a flying machine, known as "Neo-Bird" mode, and allowing the suit to travel long distances at high speed.

The main feature of Wing Zero is the ZERO System, a combat computer/pilot interface installed in the cockpit. The ZERO system connects directly with the mind of the pilot, flooding him with combat data and possible outcomes. This overload of data could allow the pilot to achieve total victory, but placed great mental and emotional stress on the pilot. Those exposed to ZERO system can become totally unstable, become unable to tell the difference between friend and foe, and even suffer mental break-down or death.

During Katoki's redesign for Endless Waltz, the design of Wing Zero is streamlined, with new armour and recolouring to almost solely blue and white. The main change was the addition of angel-like wing binders, which could also be used as a re-entry shield. The design changes eliminated the "Neo-Bird" mode. The Endless Waltz Wing Zero is referred to as Wing Zero Custom by Bandai in its model kit releases, and also by fans.

Gundam Ace magazine polls have placed the Wing Gundam Zero Custom design fourth in the top 30 Mobile Suits of all time.

Big Toy

Gundam in Japan is more than an anime, it’s a culture, a phenomenon, and I’d even dare say, a “cult”. Entire stores are consecrated to Gundam goodies, mainly figurines and parts, and thousands and thousands of Gundam Otaku flock every week to feed their passion for the legendary Mechas. Bandai is well aware of the fact that Gundam fans , who used to watch the series since the 80s, are not kids anymore. Therefore they started retailing a lifesize gundam plastic model, targeting “fans in their 20s to 40s”. This big “toy” is 5 feet tall (1.5 m) , and weighs 44 pounds (20 Kg), featuring 14 movable and rotating joints, including fingers, and can emit several sound effects that are common in the series. The only downside is its price: 330,000 Yen.

The Story of Gundam Seed Destiny

Two years after the conclusion of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, a new chapter in the saga of the Cosmic Era begins. Gundam Seed Destiny introduces a new cast of heroes, in the form of Shinn Asuka and the crew of the ZAFT warship Minerva, as well as a number of returning characters from the previous series.

In Gundam Seed Destiny, we learn that the tensions between Earth and the PLANTs have continued even after the end of the previous war, and it seems almost inevitable that this brief interval of peace will soon give way to a new conflict. Is humanity doomed to endlessly repeat this cycle of war and hatred, or is there a way to break the chain and establish a lasting peace? And if so, will it be worth the cost?

Bloody Valentine

On February 14, C.E. 70, three days after its formal declaration of war, the Earth Alliance carried out its first attack on the PLANTs. Using nuclear missiles which had been secretly loaded aboard the mobile armor carrier Roosevelt, the Alliance forces destroyed the PLANT known as Junius Seven and massacred its 243,721 inhabitants. The Alliance subsequently claimed that Junius Seven had deliberately self-destructed, but the people of the PLANTs knew better, and the Bloody Valentine tragedy became a rallying cry for the young Coordinators who rushed to join the ZAFT forces in the wake of this horrifying act of mass murdur.

Cosmic Era

The new calendar adopted during the age of space exploration in which Gundam Seed takes place. The Cosmic Era calendar was adopted by the United Nations at the end of the Reconstruction War, and the final use of nuclear weapons during the Kashmir conflict was chosen to mark the first year of the new era. Simultaneously with the adoption of this new calendar, the United Nations launched a new space development program. Construction of the fourth-generation international space station Yggdrasil, which had been interrupted by the global war, resumed in C.E. 9, and the following year the foundations of the lunar city Copernicus were laid.

The story of Gundam Seed begins on January 25, C.E. 71, almost one year after the outbreak of open war between the PLANTs and the Earth Alliance. The story of Gundam Seed Destiny begins two years later on October 2, C.E. 73.

GT-9600-D Gundam Leopard Destroy

General and Technical Data
Model number: GT-9600-D

Code name: Gundam Leopard Destroy

Unit type: heavy weapons mobile suit

Manufacturer: Vulture (based on a design by the United Nations Earth)

Operator: Vulture

First deployment: August A.W. 0015

Accommodation: pilot only, in standard cockpit in torso

Dimensions: head height 16.8 meters

Weight: empty 8.6 metric metric tons; max gross weight unknown

Construction: lunar titanium alloy armor and frame

Powerplant: ultracompact fusion reactor, power output rating unknown

Equipment and design features: flash system, allows Newtype pilot to remote-control FT-9600 GT-Bit mobile bits; sensors, range unknown

Fixed armaments: 2 x twin beam cylinder, mounted on backpack, fits over arms when deployed; 2 x Gatling gun, fire-linked, mounted in chest; 2 x hornet missile, mountd in knees; 11-tube missile launcher pod, mounted on left shoulder; 2 x beam cannon, fire-linked, mounted in head; beam knife, stored in recharge rack in right leg, hand-carried in use; 2-barrel beam cannon, mounted on right shoulder; 5 x beam cannon, fire-linked, mounted on right arm; 4 x multi-use launcher, mounted on pairs on shoulders

Optional fixed armaments: 4-tube missile pod, mounted on left legOptional armament: heat axe x 1

Technical and Historical Notes
During a battle against the New UNE's massive (and beam weapon-proof) NRX-010 Gable mobile suit, Roybea Loy's GT-9600 Gundam Leopard was heavily damaged, as his was the only unit among the Freeden's mobile suit complement armed with a significant number of conventional, non-beam weapons. Following the battle, the Freeden's ever-resourceful mobile suit mechanic, young Kid Salsamille, set to work to rebuild Roybea's suit. The refurbished unit was renamed GT-9600-D Gundam Leopard Destroy, and its weaponry loadout was overhauled, replacing many of its old conventional arms with a greater number of beam weapons. As a result, the Leopard Destroy's armament was now considered more "well-balanced", thus helping Roybea to better use his Gundam against the increasingly powerful New UNE military.

The Leopard Destroy, now repainted in dashing red and white, had a more balanced artillery than its previous form. The single left-arm-mounted gatling was replaced with a pair of beam gatlings which were mounted over the Leopard Destroy's forearms. The standard grenade launcher, previously located on the right hand, was replaced by set of fire linked beam cannons. The shoulders had an 11-tube missile launcher and a twin-barreled beam cannon attached, and the head vulcans were removed to make way for beam vulcans.

The Leopard Destroy also had a few other special features which weren't made much use of. Presumably, the Flash System which allowed a Newtype pilot to control a set of Ft-9600 Gt-Bit Mobile Suits was still installed in the Leopard Destroy, despite Roybea Roy lacking the Newtype powers necessary to perform such a task. It also retained a set of hardpoints which allowed it to dock with Paula Shisu's G-Falcon, an Old United Nations Earth fighter designed to support the original Gundam trio fielded by the Federation. When docked with the G-Falcon, the Leopard Destroy could take to the skies and launch a bombing raid from above. This feature was only ever tested once, as the Freeden's crew made its way to space before long.

Miscellaneous Information
Pilot: Roybea Loy

Appearances: After War Gundam X

Original mechanical designer: Kunio Okawara

Gundam : Star Trek of Japan

Gundam is the definitive Japanese mecha series. Many people consider it the "Star Trek of Japan" because of several striking similarities. The first series in each franchice suffered poor ratings in their initial runs, only to enjoy massive success in reruns. Both were resurrected as feature films, and both enjoyed continued success with many spinoff series. In the case of Gundam, this success has created 10 TV series, 5 OVA series, and 3 movies to date. When Bandai Entertainment began releasing anime in 1998, some of the first things it released included the Gundam movie trilogy, Gundam 0080 and Gundam 0083. The franchise was rather low key in the U.S. until Cartoon Network broadcast Gundam Wing in 2000 and it became a runaway success. In each subsequent year, Bandai has released several UC and alternate universe series, most recently Gundam SEED DESTINY. In Japan, Bandai is releasing a Gundam SEED DESTINY Special Edition, and a Gundam SEED theatrical film is in the works.