AMX-107 Bawoo

Template:Infobox/Mobile Weapon Ver.2The AMX-107 Bawoo is a transformable mobile suit developed by Neo Zeon during the First Neo Zeon War. It appears in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ.

Technology & Combat Characteristics

Created by Neo Zeon based on the 'Zeta Project' series of MS, it is capable of transforming and separating into the Bawoo Attacker (upper torso) and autonomous Bawoo Nutter (lower torso) units. On Glemy Toto's orange-colored prototype, the left thigh armor is decorated with the archaic kanji 𪚢, which combines the characters for dragon (龍, dragon^?) and flight (飛, flight^?) and is pronounced "bau" (bawoo) in Japanese. Glemy highly praised the Bawoo Attacker's fluid, effortless mobility, and its potential as an escape unit. The standard armaments of the Bawoo consisted of grenade launchers, beam sabers, beam rifle, and shield with five mega particle cannons. When required, it can also carry three missiles on each flexible wing binders.

In U.C. 0096, the Neo Zeon remnants, 'The Sleeves', deployed modified Bawoo units. Besides a new color scheme and the group's distinctive markings on its arms and chest, the suit also gained a pair of vulcan guns on its torso, a pair of machine cannons in its side skirt armor and uses a beam machine gun as well as a shield without the mega particle cannons. The Bawoo Nutter was reconfigured to have its own cockpit, granting better coordination with the Bawoo Attacker, and allowed the Nutter to continue operating if the Attacker was destroyed. The Nutter could also carry six missiles, bringing the total amount of missiles to twelve.

Armaments

• Beam Saber

Close combat beam weapon that emits a beam blade when used. A pair of 'knight type' beam sabers are stored on Bawoo's forearms, and are automatically placed in its hands when deployed.

• 4-tube Grenade Launcher

A 4-tube grenade launcher is mounted on each forearm. Generally used for intimidation or diversionary tactics, a pilot with good aim can use the grenades to destroy specific targets, disable weapons and deal damage in various ways.

• 60mm Vulcan Gun

On The Sleeves' Bawoo, a pair of Vulcan guns are mounted on top of the torso.

• Machine Cannon

Present only on The Sleeves' Bawoo, the pair of machine cannons are mounted in the top of the side skirt armor.

• AMM-06H Missile

Three missiles can be mounted on each flexible wing binders, for a total of six missiles. Can be used in Bawoo Attacker mode and MS mode. The Sleeves' Bawoo can carry three missiles on each wing binder, and also three on each side skirt armor, for a total of 12 missiles.

• Beam Rifle

A standard hand carried ranged beam weapon, it is powered by a rechargeable energy cap. Capable of firing concentrated mega particles, attacks from a beam rifle can damage any ordinary armor that has not been specially treated to resist it. Bawoo's beam rifle is easy to wield, and enhances the suit's aerodynamics during its transformation. It has a rapid-fire mode and is also known as a 'Beam Assault Rifle'. The same model is also used by AMX-102 Zssa and AMX-009 Dreissen.

• Beam Machine Gun

Used by The Sleeves' Bawoo, this handheld beam weapon was originally used by the AMS-119 Geara Doga, and is powered by a replaceable e-pac.

• Shield

Bawoo's shield serves as a defensive as well as an offensive device, with a set of 5 mega particle cannons powered by build-in generator. When the Bawoo separates into the Bawoo Attacker and Bawoo Nutter, the shield is attached to the underside of the Bawoo Attacker to enhance its aerodynamics. The Sleeves' Bawoo used a slightly different shield which removed the mega particle cannons for better defensive capabilities.

Special Equipment & Features

• External Propellant Tanks

The Bawoo can be equipped with a pair of external propellant tanks to extend its operating time. They can also be launched as projectiles.

• Transformation/Docking Systems

• Bawoo Attacker

The transformed form of the suit's torso, arms, head, backpack and its weaponry is dubbed the "Bawoo Attacker". The transformation process involves unfolding the nose unit of the Attacker, tilting the head forward, rotating the arms to the bottom of the fuselage, extending the flexible wing binders and the lifting the backpack unit. Boasting exceptional mobility, it also has high offensive power as it is armed with the beam rifle, missiles, etc. With the shield attached to the underside of the fuselage, its aerodynamics is improved. The Bawoo Attacker modified by the Sleeves had an additional pair of vulcan guns.

• Bawoo Nutter

The transformed form of the suit's lower body is called the "Bawoo Nutter". The Bawoo Nutter is controlled wirelessly by Minvosky transmission, allowing it to function as an independent combat drone, and can also fly on its own to a certain degree during communication failure. It forms a lifting body by deploying part of the side skirt armor into a canard arrangement, and rotating its legs 90 degrees. The Bawoo Nutter can be used as a giant missile with a maximum payload of 1,800 kg and an effective range of 640km, which is greater than most beam cannons. Beside normal explosive, it can also be loaded with nuclear warheads. The Bawoo Nutter modified by the Sleeves had its own cockpit, additional machine cannons and can mount six missiles.

• Ballute System

History

In U.C. 0088, which could be considered the golden age of the transformable mobile suit, the transformable mobile suits of each side were demonstrating their full effectiveness. The Axis engineers, feeling they couldn't afford to fall behind, eagerly attacked the matter of transformable mobile suits as well. To that end, they developed the Bawoo to examine new possibilities. Although Axis had already introduced the transformable Gaza series into combat, such as the AMX-003 Gaza-C and AMX-006 Gaza-D, it had fallen behind in developing machines that could resist the transformable mobile suits of the Federation Forces, AEUG and Titans.

Meanwhile, thanks to political stratagems, many machines and technologies were obtained from the Federation Forces and the Titans. In particular, it is said that a considerable number of staff who "participated in" or "returned to" Neo Zeon came from Anaheim Electronics and the AEUG, where many elements approved of Axis's return to the Earth Sphere and the revival of Zeon. In fact, the Bawoo itself could even be called a dead copy (based on stolen designs and technology) of the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam, or possibly another machine from the Zeta Project, that was created as a result of these kinds of situations.

Initially, the Bawoo's plan called for a pilot each for the Bawoo Attacker and Bawoo Nutter, but this was judged poorly in terms of pilot efficiency, and was later replaced by the Bawoo Nutter being remote controlled. However, the remote control was later dropped as it was found to be difficult for the pilot to use. Due to the Bawoo's excellent specifications, its deployment was changed to a limited production model for high-ranking officers and aces, with the transformation and docking mechanism scrapped.

A prototype Bawoo was tested by Glemy Toto, who provided feedbacks on the potential of the separated forms. Based on these feedbacks, the developers revived the transformation and docking mechanism, and the Bawoo Nutter was made capable of functioning as a giant missile. The higher brass subsequently gave permission for the suit's mass production. The mass production version of the Bawoo has a green color scheme. During Glemy's rebellion, some units were used by his faction and were painted in a gray color scheme. In U.C. 0096, a number of these mobile suits survived and was used by "The Sleeves" during the third major Neo-Zeon Movements. These mobile suits were modified with new weaponry, repainted into a new color scheme and given the distinctive markings featured on many of the mobile suits used by the group.

Variants

• AMX-107R Rebawoo

Gallery

Front view

Side view

Rear (w/o backpack)

Rear (w/ backpack)

Backpack

Head and limbs

Bawoo Attacker

Bawoo Nutter

Beam rifle

Beam Machine Gun

Beam saber

Grenade launcher

Shield

Shield and Beam Rifle

Early Design

Bawoo (from Gundam Perfect File)

Bawoo (Sleeves Unit) as seen on Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn OVA

Bawoo (Sleeves Unit), armed with Beam Machine Gun and Beam Saber

Bawoo as seen on Gundam Build Fighters

Games

Glemy Faction Colors

Attacker/Nutter(Glemy Faction Colors)

Axis Mass Production Colors

Attacker/Nutter(Axis Mass Production Colors)

Bawoo (Glemy Toto Custom) in Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2

As seen on the game Gundam Diorama Front 3rd.

As seen on the game Gundam Online.

Gunpla

1/144 Original AMX-107 Bawoo (1986): box art

1/144 HGUC AMX-107 Bawoo (2000): box art

1/144 HGUC "AMX-107 Bawoo (Neo Zeon Mass-Production Colors)" (2002): box art

HGGB 1/144 AMX-107 Bawoo GPB Color & MS-05L Zaku I Sniper Type GPB Color (P-Bandai exclusive; 2011): box art

1/100 RE/100 AMX-107 Bawoo (2016): box art

1/100 RE/100 AMX-107 Bawoo Mass Production Type (P-Bandai exclusive; 2017): box art

Prototype Gunpla designs for Gundam ZZ's mecha, including "Ryuji" (bottom center) which would become Bawoo

Prototype ZZ Gunpla designs, including "Ryuji (Bawoo)" (second from right)

1/144 AMX-107 Bawoo Gundam (non-canon) conversion based on 1/144 HGUC AMX-107 Bawoo

Notes and Trivia

• The Bawoo's transformation system appears yet again in the form of the Zanscare Empire's ZM-S08G Zolo, sixty-five years after the Bawoo was introduced.
• In Episode 18 of Gundam ZZ, Beecha and the others steal Glemy's Bawoo and fire what appear to be head vulcans at their pursuers, but vulcans are not among the Bawoo's weaponry.

References

External links

• AMX-107 Bawoo on MAHQ
• HGUC Bawoo translation on Mechatalk