MS-09F/trop Dom Tropen

Template:Infobox/Mobile Weapon Ver.2 The MS-09F/trop Dom Tropen is a mass-production ground combat mobile suit, it is first featured in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, the design was later updated and featured in the photo-novel Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. The unit is piloted by Gaily and Adamski.

Technology & Combat Characteristics

An advancement on the YMS-09D Dom Tropical Test Type, the Zeon military introduced the MS-09F/trop late in the One Year War, designed to operate exclusively in localized desert and tropical regions on Earth.

In addition to additional sand filters to protect its equipment, specialized block-shaped armor designed to help keep sand from getting inside, and powerful cooling systems to overcome the desert heat, the Dom Tropen also featured special sand filtering intakes for its leg-mounted thermonuclear jet engines, allowing the mobile suit to retain its high ground hovering speeds without fear of sand ruining the engines.

Armaments

• Scattering Beam Gun

The scattering beam gun is a beam weapon mounted in the left side of the Dom Tropen's chest. As an offensive weapon the scattering beam gun is completely incapable of damaging an enemy machine. The likely reason is that the scattering beam gun has a very cheap and small focusing coil, even more so than the beam spray gun used by the RGM-79 GM, which causes the mega-particles of the beam to lose all cohesion. Though it cannot do any damage it does produce a bright light that is capable of momentarily blinding eyes and visual sensors.

• Heat Saber

Stored on the backpack when not in use, this weapon bears a strong resemblance to the beam sabers used by Earth Federation mobile suits, however it still relies on the older technology of using thermal energy to superheat a metal blade, allowing it to melt through the armor of an enemy machine at high speed.

• MMP-80/90mm Ver.8 Machine Gun

As part of the United Maintenance Plan new weapons were produced that could be used by numerous mobile suits such as the MMP-80 90mm machine gun. The machine gun is magazine-fed with 32 rounds per mag with extra magazines stored on the waist armor.

• 880mmRB-T27 Raketen Bazooka

A new heavy bazooka which features powerful rocket-propelled rounds, and improved targeting sensor with protective cover for aiming. The bazooka is magazine-fed and can hold 5 rounds per magazine. Spare magazines can be stored on the Dom Tropen's waist armors.

• H&L-SB25K/280mmA-P Zaku Bazooka

A bazooka originally designed for use by the Zaku line of mobile suit. The bazooka fired explosive rounds that were quite effective against the armor of Earth Federation mobile suits and battleships.

• Hand Grenade

Throwing weapon used an alternative to the Cracker Grenade. These waist mounted grenades can be thrown like regular grenades and set to detonate upon impact with the target or timed to explode after a preset time. They come in multiple variants, allowing them to perform different roles in battle.

• Sturm Faust

An explosive weapon with a rocket propelled warhead, it was designed before the beginning of the One Year War as an anti-ship weapon. Useful both in space and under gravity, it was mainly deployed for anti-ship attacks during the early days of the war. The Sturm Faust likely made a good anti-mobile suit weapon during the latter days of the war, as Zeon mobile suits could be equipped with both a Sturm Faust and a more typical ranged weapon for greater versatility. As a non-guided weapon, it is difficult to hit targets with high mobility. Can be stored on waist armor storage racks.

• 3-tube Missile Launcher

A small missile launcher attached to the left forearm.

Special Equipment & Features

• Sand Filters

Because the Dom Tropen can be used in desert environments, it required special sand filters to make sure its systems remain operational.

• Cooling Systems

History

Not many Dom Funfs were produced before the end of the One Year War, thus not many could be modified into the Dom Tropen. However, there were at least eight units were known to exist. One unit was assigned to Lt. Sandra of Midnight Fenrir Corps near the end of One Year War, another unit was piloted by her former Fenrir teammate Sophie Fran during Operation Silver Lance in U.C. 0084. Another two units, piloted by Delaz Fleet's Gaily and Adamski, would participate in the theft of the RX-78GP02A Gundam "Physalis" from the Earth Federation Forces's Torrington Base in October U.C. 0083. Another four units were seen aiding the defense of Zeon's underground Kinbareid Base in eastern Africa.

In U.C. 0096, at least one more of these suits was used by Zeon remnants to attack the Federation's Torrington Base in combination with a MS-09G Dwadge and a MS-06D Desert Zaku. Its group would later be destroyed by the regrouping Federation Forces during the Federation counterattack.

Picture Gallery

Front (Standard Colors)

Rear (Standard Colors)

Front (Kinbareid Forces Colors)

Dom Tropen (Kinbareid Forces Colors) armed with sturm fausts

Dom Tropen (Kinbareid Forces Colors) armed with raketen bazooka

880mmRB-T27 raketen bazooka

MMP-80/90mm Ver.8 Machine Gun

280mm Zaku Bazooka

CG render of the Dom Tropen

Dom Tropen art by Naochika Morishita

Dom Tropen in U.C. 0083: head close-up

Dom Tropen in action, armed with heat saber

Dom Tropen slashes off a Federation's Zaku F2 with heat saber

Dom Tropen of Neuen Bitter's Kinbareid Forces, firing MMP-80/90mm Ver.8 Machine Gun

Zeon remnant's Dom Tropen in U.C. 0096

Dom Tropen prepares to launch hand grenades

Zeon remnant's Dom Tropen in action, slashing MSA-003 Nemo with heat saber

Gunpla

1/144 HGUC MS-09F Dom Tropen model kit: box art

1/144 HGUC MS-09F Dom Tropen (Kinbareid Forces Colors) model kit: box art

1/144 HGUC MS-09F Dom Tropen (Kinbareid Forces Colors) model kit: design works

Notes

• The name "tropen" is German for "tropical".
• In SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online the Dom Tropen has two variations - a standard colored one and the Kimbareid Fleet colors, known as "Desert Colors". Both versions use the Heat Rod and the Sturm Faust, but the standard Dom Tropen uses the machine gun and the "Desert Colors" uses the Raketen Bazooka.
• In the video game Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front, the Dom Tropen team can also use a beam rifle, which appears to be an early Gelgoog design. This has not been confirmed in other MSV sources.

References

MS-09F/trop Dom Tropen - Specifications/Technical Detail/Design

Dom Tropen (0083 version) - line art

External links

• MS-09F/trop Dom Tropen on MAHQ.net