ORX-005CS Gaplant Custom
Erisia Special Custom transformable mobile suit for Titans ace pilot Erisia Nocton.
The ORX-005CS Gaplant Custom Erisia Special was a custom transformable mobile suit that served as the personal machine of Titans ace pilot Erisia Nocton. It was featured in the manga Mobile Suit Gundam École du Ciel as a highly customised version of the experimental ORX-005 Gaplant.
Development
The ORX-005CS was a customised higher-spec version of the experimental ORX-005 Gaplant. A Gaplant was claimed by the Titans Test Team, and became the personal mobile suit of ace pilot Erisia Nocton. Several modifications were made to the overall frame of the machine, with upgrades to the sensors, thrusters, and weapons systems.
The head unit was equipped with enhanced communication sensors which were feather-like in arrangement, giving the mobile suit a distinctive appearance that reflected its pilot’s aesthetic preferences. The entire machine had been painted purple along with ornate markings, creating a unique and visually striking colour scheme that distinguished it from standard Gaplant units.
Despite these extensive modifications, the ORX-005CS’s overall specifications were relatively comparable to that of a standard Gaplant, suggesting that the customisations focused more on optimisation and personalisation rather than fundamental performance increases.
Model number
The ORX-005CS Gaplant Custom Erisia Special model number can be broken down as follows: ‘ORX’ indicates an experimental transformable mobile armor developed by the Oakland Research Institute, ‘005’ designates it as the fifth unit in this series, ‘CS’ likely stands for “Custom Special”, and the “Erisia Special” designation indicates it was personally customised for pilot Erisia Nocton.
Design features
The Gaplant Custom Erisia Special featured improved movable shield binders with increased firepower in the form of a right arm binder with built-in twin beam cannons and thrusters, and a left arm binder fitted with a large shield that incorporated vernier thrusters for defensive purposes.
An interesting design feature of the ORX-005CS was the machine cannon and gatling gun built into the waist section, which would become a bow-mounted weapon in its mobile armor mode. This configuration provided the mobile suit with additional firepower whilst maintaining the transformation capability that was the Gaplant’s primary advantage.
Like the original unit, the Custom Erisia Special version was a high-performance mobile suit capable of both space and atmospheric combat. The enhanced communication sensors in the head unit improved battlefield awareness and coordination capabilities, crucial for an ace pilot operating in complex combat environments.
The mobile suit was constructed using Gundarium alloy armor materials, providing enhanced protection whilst maintaining the unit’s transformation capabilities and mobility characteristics.
Transformation
The ORX-005CS retained the transformation capability of the base Gaplant design, allowing it to convert between mobile suit and mobile armor configurations. In mobile armor mode, the waist-mounted weapons became bow-mounted armaments, whilst the enhanced shield binders provided additional thrust and manoeuvrability.
The transformation system allowed the Gaplant Custom Erisia Special to adapt to different combat situations, utilising mobile suit mode for versatile combat and mobile armor mode for high-speed operations and atmospheric flight.
Armament
Pelvic beam cannon
A machine cannon built into the waist of the Gaplant Custom Erisia Special. It does not require energy to be used, however its effectiveness against heavy armor is very little. This weapon provided sustained firepower without draining the mobile suit’s power reserves, making it ideal for extended combat operations.
Pelvic Gatling gun
This 4-barrel gatling gun is mounted on the waist of the Gaplant Custom, and it can fire volleys of bullets at a high rate. The gatling gun itself seems to have less firepower compared to a beam rifle, but the number of bullets it fires can shred through almost anything, regardless of how durable it is. It can be used in both MS and MA mode.
Twin beam cannon
Replacing the Gaplant’s beam rifles is a 2-barrel beam cannon. The particle beam fired from a beam cannon can penetrate almost any armor that has not been treated with specific counter-measures. Despite being a powerful weapon, its power is also a weakness as the Gaplant Custom Erisia Special’s fusion reactor is unable to handle repeated usage of the beam cannon.
Beam saber
The beam saber is a small device held in the mobile suit’s hands when deployed and is powered by a rechargeable energy capacitor. It emits a blade of plasma contained by an I-Field and can cut through most armor not treated with anti-beam coating.
Shield
A large shield that incorporated vernier thrusters for defensive purposes. The shield provided both protection and additional manoeuvrability, allowing the mobile suit to perform complex evasive manoeuvres whilst maintaining defensive coverage.
Operational history
The ORX-005CS Gaplant Custom Erisia Special saw service during the events chronicled in Mobile Suit Gundam École du Ciel, operated exclusively by Erisia Nocton. As a member of the Titans Test Team, Erisia used the custom Gaplant in various combat operations and testing scenarios.
The mobile suit’s performance in combat validated the effectiveness of the Gaplant design whilst demonstrating the potential for customisation and improvement of experimental mobile suits. Erisia’s skill as an ace pilot allowed her to maximise the capabilities of the enhanced machine, making effective use of its improved weapons systems and transformation capabilities.
Known pilots
- Erisia Nocton - Titans ace pilot and exclusive operator of this custom unit
Variants
The ORX-005CS Gaplant Custom Erisia Special is itself a variant of the ORX-005 Gaplant. Other Gaplant variants include:
- ORX-005 Gaplant - Base model
- ORX-005EX Sturm Jaeger - Another custom variant
- ORX-005S Gaplant S - Enhanced variant
- ORX-005 Gaplant TR-5 “Hrairoo” - Titans Test Team variant
Behind the scenes
The ORX-005CS Gaplant Custom Erisia Special was designed by Sayama Yoshinori for the Mobile Suit Gundam École du Ciel manga series written and illustrated by Mikimoto Haruhiko. The mobile suit represents the concept of ace pilot custom machines, a recurring theme throughout the Gundam franchise where skilled pilots receive personalised mobile suits optimised for their fighting style.
The purple colour scheme and ornate markings reflect Erisia’s character design and serve to distinguish her machine from standard military units, emphasising her status as an elite pilot within the Titans organisation.
Appearances
Manga
- Mobile Suit Gundam École du Ciel (2001-2011)