MSN-04 Sazabi

The MSN-04 Sazabi is a fictional weapon and was Char Aznable’s personal mobile suit in the Gundam movie Char's Counterattack.

After Char Aznable returned as the leader of his own Neo Zeon faction in UC 0093 he ordered his engineers to create him a new mobile suit which would fit his pilot skills and Newtype powers. The result was the MSN-04 Sazabi which was later built by Anaheim Electronics. With an overall height of 25.6 meters the Sazabi is much bigger than most other mobile suits but thanks to the great number of thrusters it is much faster and maneuverable than other suits. Its main weapon is an abdomen mounted mega particle gun which is able to destroy several mobile suits with only one shot. Other weapons which the Sazabi can use are a shield with three missiles, a beam shotrifle and a beam tomahawk. Because Char is a Newtype the Sazabi was also equipped with six funnels which the pilot could control with his mind through the psycommu system. The Sazabi was also the first MS to be equipped with the revolutionary new psycoframe cockpit. This system increases the sensitivity and responsiveness of a Newtype pilot and thus the suit reacts immediately to mental commands.

The Sazabi was used by Char during all of his battles against the Earth Federation's Londo Bell Task Force and especially against his old archrival Amuro Ray and his RX-93 Nu Gundam, which was also equipped with a psycoframe system. Although Char was an excellent pilot he was ultimately defeated by Amuro who destroyed the Sazabi and captured Char’s escape pod.

In the original novel "Beltorchika's Children", Char uses an MSN-04II Nightingale, the much enhanced version of the Sazabi. Aside from being much larger (mainly wider, due to the very large shoulder armor), it also featured more weapons, including 10 funnels, a mega beam rifle, and a pair of hidden arms underneath the front skirt armor. To compensate for the larger mass, It was equipped with more boosters, as well as two fuel tanks underneath the rear skirt armor. This monstrous masterpiece of Mobile Suit technology represented the pinnacle of Char's personal combat style, and was a true match for the extremely powerful Hi-Nu Gundam, Amuro's own finished Mobile Suit which he acquires in "Beltorchika's Children" as well.

MSN-04 Sazabi
Operator: Neo Zeon Dimensions: overall height 25.6 meters; head height 23.0 meters Weight: empty 30.5 metric tons; max gross 71.2 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 3960 kW Equipment: sensors, range 22600 meters; psycommu system; psycoframe cockpit frame; 2 x external propellant tank, ejectable, mounted on backpack Fixed armaments: mega particle gun, power rated at 8.8 MW, mounted in torso; 2 x beam saber, stored in recharge racks in forearms, hand-carried in use Optional fixed armaments: shield, mounted on either forearm, mounts 3 x small missile Optional hand armaments: beam shotrifle, power rated at 10.2 MW, powered by rechargeable energy cap; beam tomahawk, stored in recharge rack in shield, hand-carried in use Remote weapons: 6 x funnel (mounts beam gun, power rated at 10.6 MW), stored in backpack storage pods Pilot: Char Aznable

MSN-04II Nightingale
Operator: Neo Zeon Dimensions: overall height 27.8 meters; head height 22.5 meters Weight: empty 48.2 metric tons; max gross 105.7 metric tons Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 6760 kW Vernier thrusters/apogee motors: 42 Equipment: sensors, range 23420 meters; psycoframe cockpit frame; 2 x external propellant tank, ejectable, mounted under rear skirt armor Fixed armaments: mega particle gun, mounted in torso; 2 x beam saber, stored in recharge racks in forearms, hand-carried in use Optional fixed armaments: shield, mounted on either forearm, mounts 3 x small missile Optional hand armaments: mega beam rifle; beam tomahawk, stored in recharge rack in shield, hand-carried in use Remote weapons: 10 x funnel (mounts beam gun, power rated at 10.6 MW), stored in shoulder storage pods Pilot: Char Aznable

Trivia

 * The Sazabi's colours were a nod to Char's old nickname: the Red Comet.


 * The Nightingale does not appear in games as often as the Sazabi. One of the few where it does appear is in the SD Gundam G Generation series of games. While possessing superior stats to the Sazabi, the Nightingale is a space-only unit while Sazabi can operate in any terrain.


 * Both the Sazabi and the Nightingale appeared in Super Robot Wars Alpha 2. Towards the end of the game, should the player successfully destroy the Sazabi during the battle at Luna 5 (where in the movie Char repelled Amuro Ray and his REGZ), Char later reappears in the final battle for Axis piloting the far-more powerful Nightingale. The Nightingale even incorporates Char's trademark Char's Kick attack.

サザビー MSN-04型机动战士