OZ-00MS Tallgeese

The OZ-00MS Tallgeese (aka Tallgeese) is the first suit in a line of three mobile suits depicted in the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing series. In the anime, it is stated that the first Tallgeese was the original armed mobile suit, and is the common ancestor of both the Gundams and the mass-produced military mobile suits (most notably the Leo and its variants) depicted. It was first test piloted after its restoration by an OZ soldier named Otto, and later by its most prominent pilot, Zechs Merquise.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Designed by the Gundam Scientists, the Tallgeese was a well rounded unit featuring both long range and melee weapons, and also heavy armor coupled with high power boosters. However, the powerful boosters put a lot of strain on the pilot, producing acceleration of about 15 Gs. To solve this problem and reduce production costs, the Tallgeese design was simplified to create the Leo. In the EW version, Tallgeese was seen to have a "Tempest" Heat Lance in its arsenal.

Armaments

 * Dober Gun
 * A large shell firing weapon fitted onto the Tallgeese, its extreme length and power give this weapon enormous range and accuracy. While certainly more primitive than a beam weapon, the Tallgeese uses this weapon to great effect. Some Leo units are also outfitted with the Dober Gun. The Dober Gun is later upgraded into a beam weapon and used on the OZ-00MS2 Tallgeese II.


 * Beam Saber
 * The beam saber is a small cylindrical device held in the mobile suit's hands when operated and is powered by an energy capacitor that is recharged from special racks. The beam saber is capable of cutting through any metal that has not been treated with anti-beam coating. The Tallgeese is equipped with a pair of beam saber stored in a recharge rack located in the shield.


 * Shield
 * The shield is a thick sheet of armor designed to take severe punishment that would normally destroy a mobile suit. Since the introduction of beam weaponry, shields have been treated with an anti-beam coating allowing it to withstand several beam shots before the coating wears off. Typically physical shields can only take so much damage before they succumb to the pressure and break. A shield can be equipped to either arm of the Tallgeese in order to increase defense against both beam and physical attacks. The shield is extremely small in comparison to other mobile suits of the era, the fact that the shield hangs off the shoulder of the Tallgeese independent of the arm makes the shield extremely maneuverable and effective in close combat.


 * Missile Pod
 * A six shot missile pod can be optionally mounted on the Tallgeese's shield. This missile pod is used for anti-mobile suit and anti-ship combat. While effective against heavy-armored enemies, the missile pod caries fairly little ammunition.


 * "Tempest" Heat Lance
 * As its name implies, the "Tempest" Heat Lance uses thermal energy to heat the lance to super-high temperatures which allows the lance to penetrate the armor of other mobile weapons. Moreover, like a human-sized lance, the heat lance can increase its damage capabilities when combined with thrust applied by a mobile suit. Due to the fact that the heat lance possesses inferior penetration abilities of a beam saber and is unwieldy, the pilot is required to be more precise when attacking with the heat lance. This weapon is only used by the EW Version of the Tallgeese.

System Features

 * Self-Destruct System
 * Because of its scientific advancement, the Tallgeese is built with a self-destruct system; so that in case of the Tallgeese in danger of being captured, it can destroy the mobile suit and prevent any data from being obtained.


 * Booster Unit
 * At nearly twice the size of the Tallgeese, this optional equipment is fitted onto the Tallgeese for space operations. Has many different modes to suit the situation. Parts of the unit can only be attached to reduce weight for short term space travel. The entire unit is fitted on for long term space travel, and the entire unit can be jettisoned during combat to avoid the additional weight.

History
The original Tallgeese unit was designed in After Colony 170 by the Romefeller Foundation, to provide an armed unit based on mobile suit technology. The resulting design was extremely powerful, but expensive to mass-produce and rough on its pilots. The design was simplified, resulting in the Leo mobile suit.

Over twenty years later, only two Tallgeese suits existed. The first was in storage, but was rebuilt in After Colony 195 by Zechs Merquise over the course of the early episodes. Tallgeese I was capable of matching a Gundam in combat. At a point between episodes 18 and 22, Zechs' Tallgeese is modified for space travel, allowing Zechs (as Milliardo Peacecraft) to visit the colonies. This Tallgeese is destroyed in episode 34, allowing Zechs to claim Wing Zero.

The second example revealed appeared in the Episode Zero manga. This Tallgeese was owned by the Long Clan (of which Chang Wufei was a member), and was destroyed while defending the Long Clan's colony in After Colony 194.

Variants

 * OZ-00MS2 Tallgeese II
 * OZ-00MS2B Tallgeese III