PMX-003 The-O
Prototype heavy mobile suit developed by Paptimus Scirocco for personal use during the Gryps Conflict.
The PMX-003 The-O was a prototype heavy mobile suit 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 “003” denoted it was the fourth of Scirocco’s handmade mobile weapons, despite the apparent numbering discrepancy.
The fourth of five mobile suits built by the Newtype Paptimus Scirocco on the Jupitris, the PMX-003 The-O was Scirocco’s personal mobile suit, and perhaps the most powerful. It had an independently developed control system to take advantage of his rare spatial recognition abilities, and its control interface was specifically tuned for Scirocco’s use, making The-O impossible to pilot except by Scirocco himself.
History
The last custom handmade mobile suit built by Paptimus Scirocco aboard the Jupitris during the Gryps War, the PMX-003 The-O was Scirocco’s personal mobile suit, employed in the last days of the war.
The-O was first fielded in the last days of the Gryps Conflict during the negotiations with Haman Karn, Jamitov Hymem and Char Aznable on board the Axis Zeon flagship Gwadan. After Scirocco betrayed Jamitov and took control of the Titans, he used The-O to engage Haman in her AMX-004 Qubeley, with Sarah Zabiarov in her PMX-002 Bolinoak-Sammahn and Reccoa Londe in her PMX-001 Palace-Athene as backup.
The battle lasted until Katz Kobayashi interfered in the FXA-05D G-Defenser, resulting in Sarah’s death. Later, during the Battle of Gryps, Scirocco fought with Kamille Bidan and his MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam.
Scirocco was defeated by Kamille Bidan’s Zeta Gundam during the final battle of the Gryps War in early UC 0088. Despite Scirocco’s great Newtype powers and the strength of The-O, he was defeated by Kamille who rammed the Zeta Gundam in Wave Rider Mode into The-O’s cockpit, impaling Scirocco on its tip and The-O against the Jupitris. Before his death, however, Scirocco used his Newtype abilities to cripple Kamille’s mind, followed by The-O exploding and taking the Jupitris with it.
Design
Although highly bulky and heavily armoured, it was equipped with 50 attitude control verniers, easily overcoming its own awkward mass and making it one of the most agile and manoeuvrable mobile suits of its time. The generator output specifications were modest at less than 2,000 kW; however, The-O was equipped with a large-scale thermonuclear reactor comparable to that of a warship.
The-O had very thick armour that could withstand direct beam hits, such as from the AMX-004 Qubeley’s funnels. Although very bulky and heavy, it was outfitted with enough thrusters to manoeuvre and move at very high speeds, demonstrating powerful thrust similar to mobile armors. It was also extremely agile despite its massive frame, with performance that greatly surpassed common mobile suits.
The mobile suit was constructed from Gundarium alloy armour that provided exceptional protection. The-O had an ultracompact Minovsky fusion reactor generating an output of 1,840 kW. Its propulsion system consisted of one main thruster producing 38,200 kg of thrust and six additional thrusters each producing 16,200 kg, along with fifty vernier thrusters and apogee motors for precise attitude control.
The cockpit featured a panoramic monitor system with a linear seat located in the torso. The mobile suit’s sensors had a detection range of 11,300 metres. The control interface was specifically tuned for Scirocco’s use, incorporating his Newtype abilities into the mobile suit’s operation.
Armaments
Although only armed with a beam rifle and a set of beam swords, The-O sported several unique features, such as multi-jointed limbs and a set of sub-arms mounted under its front skirt armour, each of which could wield a beam sword.
Beam rifle
The-O’s main ranged weapon was its custom beam rifle, which could not be used by any other mobile suit. It had a power rating of 2.6 MW, and could fire beams on par with those from a Mega Launcher. The beam rifle was powered by a unique energy pack mounted below the grip.
Beam swords
The-O’s main close combat weapon was called a beam sword as the emitted beam blade tended to bend towards a certain direction. Two beam swords were stored in each side skirt armour, for a total of four beam swords. Each beam sword had a power rating of 0.39 MW. The-O could wield all four beam swords simultaneously, one in each of its standard hands, and the other two by the sub-arms in its front skirt armour.
Sub-arms
Four sub-arms were mounted inside the front skirt armour. These additional manipulators could each wield a beam sword, allowing The-O to engage multiple enemies simultaneously in close combat. The sub-arms were one of The-O’s most distinctive features and greatly enhanced its melee combat capabilities.
Bio-sensor system
The last special feature of The-O was the bio-sensor (no relation to the device installed in the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam), which functioned like a psycommu system and allowed Scirocco to more easily interface with his suit. This technological variant of the psycommu system was developed by Anaheim Electronics and essentially acted as a substitute psycommu system, allowing Scirocco, who was a powerful Newtype, to more easily interface with his mobile suit and more quickly carry out or dodge attacks.
Known pilots
Behind the scenes
The mechanical design for The-O was created by Makoto Kobayashi as the principal design, with Kazumi Fujita handling the cleanup work for the final animation model.
Its model number, PMX, stands for: P (Paptimus Scirocco); M (MS/MA); X (Prototype), and, although the number 003 might mean it’s the third mobile suit made by Scirocco, it’s actually the fourth, with the first being the PMX-000 Messala. Its name represents “God” or “The will of God”.
At the same time The-O was being developed, Scirocco also created a “sister” unit, the PMX-004 Titania, which was to be piloted by a woman of his choosing.
Appearances
See also
External links
- PMX-003 The-O on MAHQ
- PMX-003 The-O on the Gundam Wiki