AMX-003S Gaza-C Custom
Mass-produced transformable mobile suit developed by Neo Zeon.
The AMX-003S Gaza-C Custom was a mass-produced transformable mobile suit developed by Neo Zeon to address design flaws in the AMX-003 Gaza-C.
The “S” variant code indicated that it was an improved variation of the AMX-003.
History
After the defeat of the Principality of Zeon in the One Year War in UC 0080, some Zeon remnants went into hiding within the Earth Sphere while others fled to the asteroid base Axis in the Asteroid Belt. The forces at Axis and refugees who joined them became Axis Zeon.
Axis Zeon used their construction mobile suits Gaza-A and Gaza-B as the foundation for developing combat mobile suits. The AMX-003 Gaza-C emerged as their first mass-produced combat model.
Due to limited resources and technical expertise on Axis, engineers focused on developing a mobile suit that was cheap and simple to manufacture. By late UC 0087, when Axis Zeon returned to the Earth Sphere and entered the Gryps Conflict, they had produced over a hundred Gaza-C units.
The Gaza-C served as Axis Zeon’s mainline mobile suit throughout the conflict. Neo Zeon later developed the AMX-003S Gaza-C Custom to address design flaws identified from combat data. When the First Neo Zeon War began in UC 0088, Neo Zeon started replacing the Gaza-C with newer models like the AMX-006 Gaza-D, AMX-007 Gaza-E, and AMX-008 Ga-Zowmn.
Design
The AMX-003S Gaza-C Custom improved upon the original Gaza-C’s design. It featured a reinforced body frame that better withstood the stresses of transformation between mobile suit and mobile armor modes. The fixed beam guns were replaced with rotating turrets for a wider firing arc.
The transformation system was a simplified version of the Gaza-B’s mechanism. The legs functioned as grappling claws in mobile armor mode, allowing it to seize enemy units before attacking with its beam weapons.
Built with Gundarium alloy alloy armor developed on Axis by Anaheim Electronics, the Gaza-C Custom featured improved propulsion with rocket thrusters generating 100,059 kg of total thrust — significantly more than the Gaza-C’s 79,200 kg. Four sets of vernier thrusters and apogee motors provided fine control.
The mobile suit used a panoramic cockpit with linear seat located in the head rather than the torso, simplifying the transformation mechanism by removing the need to accommodate a torso cockpit.
Armaments
The Gaza-C Custom’s standard weapons were two beam guns for ranged combat and two beam sabers for melee combat. It could optionally equip a knuckle buster effective in both modes.
Beam guns
A pair of fire-linked beam guns mounted on rotating turrets served as the main weapons, each rated at 2.3 megawatts. Unlike the Gaza-C’s fixed guns, these could rotate through a 180-degree arc and remained useful in mobile suit mode.
The guns drew power directly from the mobile suit’s reactor. Minovsky particles allowed the beams to break down matter at a molecular level, enabling them to penetrate heavy armor and potentially destroy mobile suits with single hits.
Beam sabers
The Gaza-C Custom carried two beam sabers stored in recharge racks in its shoulder binders. These melee weapons used I-fields to contain Minovsky particles in blade form, capable of cutting through most materials.
Each saber drew power from an E-cap in its hilt that recharged from the reactor when stored. The sabers were rated at 0.4 megawatts output each.
Knuckle buster
The optional knuckle buster beam cannon provided heavy firepower with its 6.7 megawatt output. In mobile armor mode, it mounted on the body as the main cannon, linked to a large targeting sensor in the right chest.
The weapon used E-caps containing charged Minovsky particles. When deployed in mobile armor mode, the Gaza-C Custom could function as a stationary artillery platform using the knuckle buster for long-range attacks.
Known pilots
- Nakku Rajan
Behind the scenes
Fukuchi Hitoshi was the original mechanical designer.
Variants
Appearances
- Double Fake: Under the Gundam
External links
- AMX-003S Gaza-C Custom on the Gundam Wiki
- AMX-003S Gaza-C Custom on MAHQ