The ZGMF-600 GuAIZ (pronounced "Gates" in Japanese and "Gwaze" in English) is a mass-production general-purpose mobile suit, and was featured in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.
Technology & Combat Characteristics
The GuAIZ is a mass production MS deployed by ZAFT in late C.E.71, and 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. GuAIZ is designed to replace the outdated ZGMF-1017 GINN and its performance surpasses that of the ZGMF-515 CGUE and the EA's GAT-01 Strike Dagger. 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. This incorporation is also the reason for the suit's late deployment, the original design for GuAIZ was completed earlier and last minute modifications were made to the plan to include the new technology. 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 features 2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS guns mounted in the 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
- Mounted on the waist, the pair of extensional arrestors are actually beam gun equipped rocket anchors. 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 is effective enough to destroy Earth Alliance warship with a handful of shots, but is mostly ineffective against armor that has anti-beam treatmemt.
History
After ZAFT stole the four prototype mobile suits from the Earth Alliance, the technology incorporated in them was studied and reverse engineered to be used in ZAFT mobile suit. The first mass-produced MS featuring these new technologies was the GuAIZ, created in the last months of the war. When in combat, 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. However, the GuAIZ was inferior to the ZGMF-X10A Freedom, but this should not be taken as a strike against it, since the Freedom, the ZGMF-X09A Justice, and the rest of ZAFTs First-Generation Gundam-type weapons were all designed to be superior to any and all mass-production units. 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 user friendly version of the GuAIZ, the ZGMF-601R GuAIZ R.
Variants
Gallery
.png "GuAIZ (Commander).png (620 KB)")
Gunpla
Action Figures
Notes and Trivia
- The GuAIZ began as a fan-submitted design for the Gundam SEED Mecha Contest 2002, designed by Ryuta Misaka (提坂竜太).
- The GuAIZ mobile suit serves as the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED counterpart of Mobile Suit Gundam's MS-14A Gelgoog mobile suit. Both are the late model mass production mobile suit, as well as the first mass production model to use beam weapons, employed by a space colony faction. Both use a melee beam weapon that creates two beam blades. Commanders from both series piloted a custom painted one against the protagonist's first Gundam.
References
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