The ZGMF-600 GuAIZ (pronounced "Gates" in Japanese and "Gwaze" in English) is a mass-production general-purpose mobile suit first featured in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.
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Technology & Combat Characteristics
A mass production MS deployed by ZAFT in late C.E.71, the GuAIZ is designed to replace the outdated ZGMF-1017 GINN, with performance surpassing the ZGMF-515 CGUE and the Earth Alliance's GAT-01 Strike Dagger. Unlike ZAFT's previous MS, it is developed by a group of companies (which later merged into the Integrated Design Bureau) led by Maius Military Industries. The suit is the first ZAFT MS to fully incorporate data obtained from analysing the technology of the four stolen Earth Alliance units, and hence it has head-mounted CIWS, rocket anchor-like extensional arrestors, shield and a handheld beam rifle.
The original design for GuAIZ was completed quite early, at the same time as the UMF-5 ZnO and the TMF/A-803 LaGOWE, but following the decision to include the aforementioned new technologies, its design was reworked and this resulted in its late deployment. Like the GINN and CGUE, the GuAIZ also has a head-mounted fin-shaped sensor array but the radar system has been improved. The suit also has enhanced armor and a new backpack with higher output, which not only improves its mobility in space, but also on Earth and within PLANTs. Due to its excellent base structure, GuAIZ is also used in the development of ZAFT's nuclear powered MS.
Armaments
- MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS
- The GuAIZ has two "Picus" 76mm CIWS guns mounted in its head. These light projectile weapons are used to shoot down incoming missiles and enemy units at close range.
- MA-MV03 Composite Shield
- Mounted on the left arm, the Composite Shield is an anti-beam coated shield with two beam claw emitters mounted at the tip. This combination allows the GuAIZ to quickly switch between defense and close quarter combat.
- EEQ7R Extensional Arrestor
- A pair of waist-mounted rocket anchors equipped with beam guns. Due to the short firing range of the small caliber beam gun, it is usually used to generate a beam spike instead. Each extensional arrestor is connected to the suit's backpack via a cable and can be launched to grapple enemy unit tens of meters away. Due to the weapon's unique nature and limitation, they are not popular among the pilots and can only be used effectively by skilled pilots.
- MA-M21G Beam Rifle
- The standard handheld range weapon of the GuAIZ and powered by the suit's battery. It is developed by Maius Military Industries based on the data from the GAT-X units and can easily destroy conventional armor with one shot. It can destroy Earth Alliance's warship with a handful of shots, but is mostly ineffective against armor that has anti-beam treatment.
History
Produced in the last months of the First Alliance-PLANT War , the GuAIZ proved to be superior to the other faction's mass production MS and was even able to hold itself against the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam. While the GuAIZ was the most advanced mass production unit of the war, ZAFT was unable to build them quickly enough to field it in sufficient numbers. After the war ended, ZAFT created a more powerful version of the GuAIZ, the ZGMF-601R GuAIZ R.
Variants
Gallery
.png "GuAIZ (Commander).png (620 KB)")
Gunpla
Action Figures
Notes and Trivia
Original concept art
- The GuAIZ began as a fan-submitted design for the Gundam SEED Mecha Contest 2002, designed by Ryuta Misaka (提坂竜太). The original concept was named "アラウクネ", a high mobility close-quarters combat mobile suit based on the GINN and the Blitz Gundam.
- The GuAIZ serves as the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED counterpart of Mobile Suit Gundam's MS-14A Gelgoog. Both are late model mass production mobile suit, as well as the first mass production model of a space colony faction to use beam weapons. Both use a melee beam weapon that creates two beam blades, and commanders from both series piloted custom painted units.
- Contradicting other sources, the SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays game proclaims that the GuAIZ was the first mass-produced Mobile Suit in ZAFT to have Phase Shift Armor. Despite this claim, the GuAIZ does not have Phase Shift Armor as part of its abilities.
References
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