AGE-1 Gundam AGE-1 Normal

The AGE-1 Gundam AGE-1 Normal is one of four titular mobile suits featured in the Flit Arc and Asemu Arc of the Mobile Suit Gundam AGE anime series. The unit was mainly piloted by Flit Asuno and later, it was temporarily piloted by Asemu Asuno.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The Gundam AGE-1 Normal is the prized possession of the Asuno Family which incorporates a special OS that can counter the Vagan. Since its development, the mobile suit was designed as a legendary savior, holder of the mobile suit name "Gundam".

Developed through the data stored in the AGE device passed down within the Asuno family, the mobile suit has become pivotal in the fight against the Vagan. One of the unit's strengths is its OS, the AGE System, which allows the Mobile Suit to gather data and come up with equipment or wear designs to counter a specific enemy. Its basic weaponry includes beam sabers/daggers, a shield and a new weapon called the DODS Rifle that was developed by the AGE System during one of the Gundam's earlier battles against the UE. Using "wear parts" created by the AGE System through the AGE Builder, the Gundam can also can also take two other forms: the faster Spallow form and the heavier Titus form. In these forms, the arms, legs, and skirt armor of the Gundam AGE-1 are changed. Unlike other mass-produced mobile suits of the Earth Federation Forces in AG 114, the armor of the Gundam is strong enough to withstand attacks from a Gafran's beam vulcan and its diffuse beam cannon with no apparent damage.

AGE-1 uses independently developed plasma control technology and has a higher output than Earth Federation Forces’ Genoace. The core component of the AGE System is located in the MS’s chest. The "spoiler-like" device on the suit's back is actually a broad antenna, and by linking it with various sensors in the head unit, the AGE System is able to collect and analyze data during combat. A limited amount of data can also be transmitted. Due to the suit's experiment nature, its limbs are equipped with independent power units to mitigate maintenance and logistic issues related to working with the parts. The AGE System later used this special characteristic as the basis for the Wear System.

During early parts of the project, a large amount of AGE-1 parts were manufactured by the AGE Builder based on a proposal by the AGE System. Having doubts about the result of the AGE System, the Federation military took control of the spare parts themselves for their own plan. The idea was that after the original AGE-1 unit was made, it would only serve as a test unit. The data gathered from the original unit's tests would then be used to create a second "perfect" AGE-1 unit from the excess spare parts. When the original unit was finally tested however, its performance and test results were impressive and as a result was considered to be the "perfect" unit. The leftover spare parts were then sent to the military's R&D department and used for research.

A second AGE-1 machined dubbed "Unit 2" was eventually created some time after the battle at Ambat from the AGE-1 spare parts. This unit was created for the sole purpose of testing out the "Jacket System" equipment and was piloted by Largan Drace. The sudden proposal to build a second AGE-1 unit came around the same time when a formal review was made regarding a mass production version of the AGE-1, but the project was encountering difficulties due to slow progress the Federation was making on analyzing the AGE System. The plan, later known as the "New AGE project" received a major boost when Flit Asuno joined the R&D department and was then expanded to the construction of Unit 2. Officially, the military attributed the advancement to the magic of the Asuno family but in reality it was a result of the participation of numerous well known mobile suit workshops including the Madorna Workshop under Flit's name.

By the year AG 140, the AGE-1's overall performance had been upgraded to a higher level to keep up with the other Earth Federation Forces mobile suits. Its combat data proved invaluable to the Earth Federation Forces, as they were able to create newer weaponry for their mobile suits, and created a mass production version of the Gundam. The following year, AGE-1 was sent to the Big Ring for upgrades so it can be used without the AGE System. The resulting form of this was known as the AGE-1F Gundam AGE-1 Flat.

Armaments

 * DODS Rifle
 * The basic long ranged armament of the AGE-1 Normal. The DODS Rifle was created by the AGE system after the Genoace's beam spray gun proved ineffective against the UE's mobile suits. The DODS Rifle could pierce through the UE's heavy mobile suit armor by spinning the beam like a powerful drill, generating enough force to destroy the Vagan's mass-production mobile suits such as Gafran, Baqto and Dorado with one shot. The DODS rifle has a limited number of shots, enough to keep a running battle going for some time but eventually repeated use without resupply will render the weapon empty. The DODS Rifle can be stored on rear waist armor when not in use. The rifle has two configurations, a one-handed mode where the barrel is rotated so that the secondary grip is pointing downwards, and a two-handed mode where the barrel is rotated so that the secondary grip is horizontally aligned. The latter mode allows for higher precision when shooting. The word DODS is an acronym that means "Drill-Orbital Discharge System".


 * Beam Saber/Dagger
 * Stored in the AGE-1's side skirt armor are a pair of beam sabers. The beam sabers can adjust their length for different combat situations and are also strong enough to pierce and destroy the Vagan's mass-production mobile suits such as Gafran, Baqto and Dorado. One can be used as a reserve weapon, or both can be used simultaneously in a twin sword fashion.


 * Shield
 * The AGE-1's defensive armament. It's made much thicker and sturdier than the Genoace's shield.


 * Marker Shot
 * A pistol-like weapon with non-lethal ammo used during the mock battle in episode 4.


 * Beam Rolling Lance
 * An optional weapon only available in the PSP game, it is derived from the AGE-1 Beelzerga. The Beam Rolling Lance is a powerful beam lance with a rolling beam cutter on its tip. With it, Age-1 can slice down Vagan suits far better than regular beam sabers.

System Features

 * AGE System
 * The AGE System is the Special OS for the Gundam AGE-1 engineered by the lineage of the Asuno family. It researches the evolution of living beings by digitizing the mysteries surrounding it and collects battle data to customize itself, grows alongside the pilot and is customized and used exclusively by the pilot itself. The only way for this system to be used and the Gundam to mobilize is by using the AGE Device. After the rollout of its successor, AGE-2, AGE-1 was taken to the Earth Federation's headquarters, Big Ring so that it can be modified to not require the AGE System anymore.


 * Wear System
 * The arms and legs of the AGE-1 are detachable, which allows alternate sets of limbs, or "wears" to be attached in the field. In conjunction with the AGE Builder, this allows the AGE System to dramatically change the overall performance of the unit by analyzing combat data, fabricating new wear parts, and dispatching them to the Gundam.

History
For the history of the AGE-1 Normal, please go to Flit Asuno and Asemu Asuno's page.

Variants

 * AGE-1T Gundam AGE-1 Titus
 * AGE-1S Gundam AGE-1 Spallow
 * AGE-1F Gundam AGE-1 Flat
 * AGE-1 Gundam AGE-1 Daiki Version
 * AGE-1R Gundam AGE-1 Razor
 * AGE-1G Gundam AGE-1 Gransa
 * AGE-1AJ Gundam AGE-1 Assault Jacket
 * AGE-1ST Gundam AGE-1 Starks
 * AGE-1SW Gundam AGE-1 Swordia

Novelization Only

 * Gundam AGE-1 Gold Arrow

Video Game Only

 * Gundam AGE-1 Gundead
 * Gundam AGE-1 Magina
 * Gundam AGE-1 Warzes
 * Gundam AGE-1 Brocka
 * Gundam AGE-1 Airias
 * Gundam AGE-1 Beelzerga
 * Gundam AGE-1 Beaks
 * Gundam AGE-1 Goliath
 * Gundam AGE-1 Gradas
 * AGE-1BA Gundam AGE-1 Badlan

Notes & Trivia

 * The Gundam AGE-1 Normal has a strong resemblance to the RX-78-2 Gundam.
 * T he two-handed configuration of the DODS Rifle is highly reminiscent of the RX-78's beam rifle, which could also fire a charged shot in the same style.


 * The AGE-1 also shares many similarities with GAT-X105 Strike Gundam. Its Beam Saber/Daggers are stored in a similar fashion to the Strike's "Armor Schneider" Combat Knives, and in both cases the weapons are used to disable their first opponent. Also the AGE-1 is able to swap out parts for different forms of combat, much like the Strike and its Striker Packs.
 * In the novelization, the AGE-1 Gundam AGE-1 Normal received another wear at the battle of Ambat called the AGE-1G Gundam AGE-1 Gold Arrow. It was developed to counter the unmanned weapons of the Xvb-xd Farsia, and it has hatches on thighs that can release anti beam coating substance.
 * The AGE-1 as well as its future successors are reminiscent of the GX-9900-DV Gundam X Divider in that they at first require an external device to be activated, but later, as new generations are developed, are refitted to work without them.
 * The Gundam AGE-1 and its successors (except for the AGE-FX) ability to change it wear parts and any other armament is similar to Victory 2 Gundam, Strike Gundam and Impulse Gundam.