In the Japanese TV series Gundam Seed, The GAT-X103 Buster Gundam is a heavy weapons assault mobile suit prototype developed by the Earth Alliance during the Bloody Valentine War under G Project. Like the other X100 series G prototypes (GAT-X102 Duel Gundam and GAT-X105 Strike Gundam), the Buster Gundam is based on an agile, non-transforming frame system (it is in fact based mostly on an application of the Duel Gundam's frame).
Buster Gundam Unit 1 was stolen by ZAFT pilot Dearka Elsman on Cosmic Era January 25, 71, and was used by him throughout the rest of the war. Dearka frequently dueled with TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero/FX-550 Skygrasper pilot Mu La Flaga, neither pilot able to gain a competitive advantage over the other, La Flaga's greater experience and skill balanced by Elsman's raw reflexes and superior machine. Elsman was shot down and captured, his mobile suit severely damaged, by the crew of Archangel in June 71, spent approximately a month in Archangel's brig and subsequently joined the Clyne Faction to bring about the end of the Bloody Valentine War. On the last day of the war, Dearka's mobile suit was severely damaged by Rau Le Creuset in the ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam and rescued by Yzak Joule in the Duel Gundam. Dearka and Yzak fought and destroyed the GAT-X370 Raider Gundam together.
Like all of the other stolen Gundams, additional units of the Buster Gundam were built on Earth and distributed to evaluation units; the data from these units as well as Kira Yamato's GAT-X105 Strike Gundam were extremely helpful in developing the GAT-01 series of mobile suits.
The artillery support paradigm which the Buster Gundam was designed around would be developed into a heavy long-range mobile suit, the GAT-X131 Calamity Gundam.
The Buster Gundam was developed into an operational mobile suit, the GAT/A-01E2 Buster Dagger. The primary difference between the Buster Dagger and the prototype Buster Gundam was the replacement of the six-missile shoulder pods with simpler three-missile pods,and it had an ES01 beam saber on each forearm. The Buster Dagger, like all other standard-use EA mobile suits, eschewed the expensive and power-intensive Phase Shift armor of the prototypes for simpler and cheaper laminated armor, which was less effective at deflecting projectiles than PS armor but did not stress the mobile suit's power cell as badly. One Buster Dagger was piloted by former combat instructor Rena Imelia. It was probably damaged or destroyed, because Rena would upgrade to GAT-X133 Sword Calamity Unit 3, and use it against Edward Harrelson and his own Sword Calamity Unit 2.
Specifications
GAT-X103 Buster Gundam
Manufacturer: Morgenroete, Inc/Earth Alliance
User: Earth Alliance, Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty
Unit type: Prototype long-distance artillery mobile suit
Overall height: 18.86 meters
Weight: 84.2 tons
Special Equipment: Phase Shift armor
Armament: 350mm gun launcher x 1, 94mm high-energy beam rifle x 1, 6-barrel 220mm missile pod x 2
Armament docked modes: 94mm hyper-impulse sniper rifle, 350mm anti-armor shotgun
Pilot: Dearka Elsman
GAT/A-01E2 Buster Dagger
Manufacturer: Earth Alliance
User: Earth Alliance
Unit type: mass production long-distance artillery mobile suit
Head height: 17.81 meters
Weight: 80.7 tons
Armor: Laminated armor
Armament: 350mm gun launcher x 1, 94mm high-energy rifle x 1, 3-barrel 220mm missile pod x 2, beam saber x 2
Armament docked modes: 94mm hyper-impulse sniper rifle, 350mm anti-armor shotgun
Pilot: Rena Imelia, Sanger Uqua
The GAT-X103 Buster Gundam is a prototype long-range artillery mobile suit, the unit is featured in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.
Contents
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1 Technology & Combat Characteristics
2 Armaments
3 System Features
4 History
5 Variants
6 Picture Gallery
6.1 Fan Art
7 References
8 External Links
Technology & Combat CharacteristicsEdit
Designed as a long-range artillery mobile suit, the Buster's armament consists solely of long range weapons, including a gun launcher, a high-energy rifle and two missile pods. One weakness of the suit lies in its complete lack of any close combat weaponry. This fact is later corrected with the mass production model, the GAT/A-01E2 Buster Dagger.
Like the other X100 series G prototypes (GAT-X102 Duel and GAT-X105 Strike), the Buster is based on an agile, non-transforming frame system (it is in fact based mostly on an application of the Duel's frame).
ArmamentsEdit
Carried in Buster's right hand it is the front weapon in the Anti-Armor Shotgun combination.A projectile weapon akin to a railgun or linear gun, which uses electromagnetic forces rather than gunpowder to launch its projectiles. In addition to solid shells, the gun-launcher can also fire specialized munitions such as armor-piercing and high explosive rounds.
94mm High-energy Rifle
Carried in Buster's left hand it is the front weapon in the Hyper Impulse Long Range Sniper Rifle combination.
220mm 6-barrel Missile Pod
The Buster is equipped with two 220mm 6-barrel Missile Pods, one in each shoulder, allowing the suit to fire a rain of missiles upon enemies.
Anti-Armor Shotgun
When the Beam Rifle and Gun Launcher combine, with the Gunlauncher on the front, it forms a very powerful shell-firing Anti-Armor Shotgun. It appears to have two modes of firing; a rapid-firing barrage that condenses the firing more into a stream, and a wide scatter shot that spreads greatly. It appears that about four or five shells fired from the Anti-Armor Shotgun is enough to destroy some battleships.
Hyper Impulse Long-Range Sniper Rifle
When the Beam Rifle and Gun Launcher combine, with the Beam Rifle on the front, it can form a Long-Range Sniper Rifle. This Beam Cannon type weapon has a very high energy output, firing larger beams, and capable of penetrating several targets, as well as battleships, making it the strongest weapon in the Buster Gundam's arsenal. As the name implies, it also feaures sniping capabilities, for very long-range firing capabilities, and zoom-in targeting.
System FeaturesEdit
Phase Shift armor
As with all of the G Project mobile suits, the GAT-X103 Buster is equipped with phase shift armor. When activated the Buster's color is changed from a light grey to a beige scheme with a bit of green and orange mixed in. Phase Shift armor, when activated, renders the Buster immune to physical attacks such as bullets, the GINN sword, or against missiles. However Phase Shift armor continually drains the battery of energy, shortening the mobile suit's combat endurance. Also the Phase Shift armor draws on even more energy each time it is struck.
HistoryEdit
The Buster is one of the prototype mobile suits developed by the Earth Alliance during the Bloody Valentine War under G Project, to counter ZAFTs own mass production mobile suits. Together with the four other machines the Buster is stored secretly on the Orb Union controlled independent colony Heliopolis.
Buster was stolen by ZAFT pilot Dearka Elsman on Cosmic Era January 25, 71, and was used by him throughout the rest of the war. Dearka frequently dueled with TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero/FX-550 Skygrasper pilot Mu La Flaga, neither pilot able to gain a competitive advantage over the other, La Flaga's greater experience and skill balanced by Elsman's elite reflexes and superior machine. Elsman was shot down and captured, his mobile suit severely damaged, by the crew of the Archangel in June 71, spent approximately a month in Archangel's brig and subsequently joined the Clyne Faction to bring about the end of the Bloody Valentine War. On the last day of the war, Dearka's mobile suit was severely damaged by the ZGMF-X13A Providence.
The Earth Alliance later developed two new versions of the Buster: one of them was the mass produced GAT/A-01E2 Buster Dagger, which combined the frame of a GAT-01A1 105 Dagger with the Buster's weaponry. The other suit was another Buster unit upgraded into the GAT-X103AP Verde Buster, which features more and advanced weaponry compared to the original suit.
Although only somewhat based upon the Buster, the artillery support paradigm which the suit was designed around would be developed into a heavily-armed, long-range mobile suit, the GAT-X131 Calamity.
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