PMX-000 Messala – MechaBay | Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

The PMX-000 Messala was a prototype transformable mobile armor developed by Paptimus Scirocco aboard the transport ship Jupitris during the Gryps Conflict.

The “P” in the model code stood for Paptimus (Scirocco), “M” for mobile suit/mobile armor, and “X” indicated that it was an experimental unit. The “000” denoted it was the first of Scirocco’s handmade mobile weapons.

The Messala was the first of five mobile weapons personally produced by the powerful Newtype Paptimus Scirocco on board the transport ship Jupitris. It became the foundation for Scirocco’s later mobile suit designs and marked the beginning of his contribution to the Titans’ mobile weapon arsenal.

History

Scirocco’s service with the Earth Federation began when he joined the Jupiter Energy Fleet, and this is when he designed and built his first mobile suit, the PMX-000 Messala; a transforming mobile suit with powerful thrusters that can fly more easily in the strong gravitational pull of the gas giant.

When Jupiter Energy Fleet captain Paptimus Scirocco returned to the Earth Sphere aboard his resource carrier ship Jupitris during the Gryps War, he brought along his personal handmade transformable mobile armor, the PMX-000 Messala. A large unit equipped with powerful thrusters to operate under Jupiter’s high gravitational pull, the Messala was extremely fast and agile when he operated it in the normal gravitational forces of the Earth Sphere.

The Messala was first used by Scirocco to attack the shuttle Temptation under the command of Bright Noa. During this attack, it had a short battle with the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II piloted by Kamille Bidan, and the MSN-00100 Hyaku Shiki piloted by Quattro Bajeena. Scirocco later used the Messala to act as a vanguard for the Titans’ fleet during the AEUG’s orbital drop operation to attack Jaburo.

After initially piloting it in several battles, Scirocco handed the Messala down to two devoted loyalists: Sarah Zabiarov, and later on, AEUG traitor Reccoa Londe. Towards the end of the Gryps conflict, with Scirocco piloting PMX-003 The O, Sarah piloting the PMX-002 Bolinoak Sammahn and Reccoa piloting the PMX-001 Palace Athene, the Messala was left without any pilots, forcing it to sit the final battle of Gryps 2 out. The Messala was not seen after that and its fate is unknown.

Design

A large unit equipped with powerful thrusters to operate under Jupiter’s high gravitational pull, the Messala was extremely fast and agile when he operated it in the normal gravitational forces of the Earth Sphere. The mobile armor was designed with transformation capabilities, allowing it to switch between mobile suit mode for close combat and mobile armor mode for high-speed flight.

The Messala had an ultracompact Minovsky fusion reactor generating an output of 4,900 kW. Its propulsion system featured six main rocket thrusters producing 16,000 kg of thrust each, along with eight vernier thrusters and apogee motors. In mobile armor mode, the unit could achieve speeds of up to Mach 30.0.

The mobile armor featured a standard cockpit in its torso with a panoramic monitor and linear seat system. Its sensors had a detection range of 11,300 metres, allowing for effective battlefield awareness.

Armaments

Armed with a pair of heavy mega particle cannons and a pair of missile launchers, it packed almost as much firepower as a battleship. When transformed into its mobile suit mode, it also mounted grenade launchers, beam sabers, vulcan guns, and grappling vice claws, also making it highly effective in close-range combat.

Mega particle guns

The Messala’s primary ranged weapons were two mega particle guns mounted in the backpack booster binders. These had a power rating of 11.3 MW each, providing the mobile armor with devastating long-range firepower equivalent to that of a battleship’s main guns.

Beam sabers

For close combat, the Messala carried two beam sabers stored in recharge racks in the forearms. Each beam saber had a power rating of 0.5 MW and was hand-carried during use.

Missile pods

Two 9-tube missile pods were mounted in the shoulders, providing the Messala with significant anti-ship capabilities. These weapons allowed the mobile armor to engage multiple targets simultaneously at medium to long range.

Grenade launchers

Four grenade launchers provided additional close-range firepower, particularly effective against groups of enemy mobile suits or for area denial tactics.

Vulcan guns

Four vulcan guns served as point-defence weapons against incoming missiles and for engaging lightly armoured targets. These rapid-fire weapons were essential for close-range combat situations.

Grappling vice claws

The feet of the Messala can function as claws for capturing and crushing enemy unit. These versatile weapons allowed the mobile armor to physically grapple with enemy units and could also be used for mobility in zero-gravity environments.

Known pilots

Behind the scenes

The mechanical design for the Messala was created by the design team working on Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, with contributions from Mamoru Nagano, Kazumi Fujita, and other staff members.

The Messala is the first-ever transformable mobile weapon to appear on-screen in Gundam animation history. The Messala shares its name with one of the primary antagonists in the novel, Ben-Hur. Messala in the novel is Judah Ben-Hur’s former childhood friend who betrays Judah by falsely accusing him of an attempted assassination of the Roman governor, which leads to his family’s enslavement.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

External links

PMX-000 Messala on MAHQ
PMX-000 Messala on the Gundam Wiki