XXXG-01W Wing Gundam

The XXXG-01W Wing Gundam was a transformable Gundam-type mobile suit deployed during Operation Meteor in After Colony 195. One of five Gundam units sent to Earth by the space colonies, it was primarily piloted by Heero Yuy as part of the mission to liberate the colonies from Earth’s control.

Overview

The Wing Gundam was developed by Doctor J in the L1 Colony Cluster as a tool of revenge against the Organization of the Zodiac for the assassination of the pacifist colonial leader Heero Yuy. As the most well-balanced of the five original Gundams created for Operation Meteor, the Wing Gundam bore the closest resemblance to its prototype, the XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero.

The mobile suit’s defining feature was its ability to transform into an alternate flight configuration known as “Bird Mode”, which significantly enhanced its mobility and operational range. Armed with the devastating Buster Rifle capable of matching a battleship’s main cannon, the Wing Gundam served as both a tactical combat unit and a strategic weapon.

Design

Concept and development

The Wing Gundam was developed as part of Operation Meteor, conceived by five rogue scientists who had defected from the Organization of the Zodiac. Doctor J designed the mobile suit to inherit many characteristics from the Wing Gundam Zero, including the transformation capability and powerful beam weaponry. However, the problematic ZERO System interface and other components considered excessive were excluded from the design, requiring the pilot’s skill to compensate for the performance gap.

The mobile suit was constructed from Gundanium alloy, a rare and exceptionally durable material that could only be manufactured in outer space. This gave the Wing Gundam superior defensive capabilities compared to standard mobile suits like the OZ-06MS Leo.

Technical features

The Wing Gundam’s most distinctive feature was its transformation system. Unlike standard mobile suits, it could reconfigure into Bird Mode for high-speed atmospheric flight and extended range operations. The transformation involved rotating the head and waist backwards, folding the legs upwards, retracting the hands, and deploying the wing units whilst the shield and Buster Rifle docked together to form the nose section.

The mobile suit’s wing units were the primary contributors to its exceptional mobility. These units generated lift and altered the mobile suit’s aerodynamic characteristics through individual panel movements, supporting speeds from stall to hypersonic. Even in space, the wing units provided high attitude control capability using both AMBAC and built-in vernier thrusters.

The cockpit was a spherical capsule surrounded by a linear frame that swivelled in sync with the mobile suit’s head movements. Unlike standard OZ cockpits, it was a floating cockpit with shock mitigation functions. A distinctive feature was the Search Eye, comprised of a large sensor jewel on the mobile suit’s chest, used for enhanced visual and radio-wave data gathering when standard sensors proved insufficient.

Armament

Buster Rifle

The Buster Rifle was a powerful beam cannon developed based on the Wing Gundam Zero’s Twin Buster Rifle. Whilst the Wing Zero’s weapon was powered directly by the mobile suit, the Wing Gundam’s Buster Rifle utilised three special energy cartridges, limiting it to three shots. However, the cartridge system enabled the weapon to be used by other mobile suits as well.

The Buster Rifle’s power equalled that of a battleship’s main gun and could destroy multiple mobile suits with a single shot. Though its output was less than half that of the Twin Buster Rifle, the energy emitted at maximum power was equivalent to a medium-sized city’s daily consumption. The beam created a violent plasma vortex with a 150-metre radius and a scorching torrent extending several tens of kilometres. The beam had a composite structure, with a high-speed, highly penetrative beam core surrounded by a low-speed but highly destructive particle beam.

Vulcan Guns

A pair of shell-firing armaments built into the head. When fired in unison with the machine cannons, they would be depleted in less than a minute. They were primarily used for close-quarters combat and to restrain enemy units.

Machine Cannons

Located on the clavicles, the two cannons were short to medium-range weapons capable of rapid fire thanks to their internal drum structure.

Beam sabres

The Wing Gundam’s beam sabres were the standard close-combat weapon. Due to the use of highly durable Gundanium alloy, the beam sabres had a high output that was not attenuated even in water. A pair of beam sabres was stored in the shield, with the lower half folding to expose the grip when needed. The beam saber was typically wielded in the mobile suit’s right hand, forcing it to discard the Buster Rifle temporarily.

Shield

The shield was constructed from high-strength Gundanium alloy and could also be used as a ramming weapon. It could be mounted on the left forearm or held with the left hand, and stored on the back when not in use. In Bird Mode, it docked with the Buster Rifle and mounted on the backpack. A sensor was located at the shield’s tip.

Special equipment

Bird Mode

The transformation into Bird Mode involved the head and waist rotating backwards, the legs folding up with feet pointing backwards, the shoulder armor folding down, the hands retracting inside the forearms, and the talons folding over the forearms. The shield and Buster Rifle docked together and attached to the backpack to form the nose, whilst the wings spread open. In this configuration, the Wing Gundam was capable of high-speed flight and long-range travel, though it required extra boosters to launch into space.

Self-destruct system

The Wing Gundam was built with a self-destruct system that the pilot could activate via a remote detonator in the cockpit. The system was designed to overload the mobile suit’s power systems and had sufficient explosive power to destroy several city blocks. It served as a last-resort tactic to prevent the Gundam from falling into enemy hands or could be used as a large explosive device against major targets.

Operational history

Operation Meteor

The Wing Gundam was sent to Earth with Heero Yuy to commence Operation Meteor in After Colony 195. During its atmospheric descent, it was intercepted by a United Earth Sphere Alliance assault carrier commanded by the Organization of the Zodiac’s Zechs Merquise. Heero Yuy destroyed both of the carrier’s OZ-07AMS Aries with the Buster Rifle, but Zechs used his OZ-06MS Leo to grapple with the Gundam. The Wing Gundam crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Japan’s coast, and Heero abandoned it.

The mobile suit was later recovered from the ocean floor by Duo Maxwell, pilot of the XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe. Heero subsequently repaired the Wing Gundam by stealing parts from the Deathscythe and used it for multiple missions, including destroying an enemy air carrier transporting Gundanium alloy and OZ’s northern Pacific Ocean supply base.

During an assault on New Edwards Base, the Wing Gundam was united with the other four Gundams. However, OZ leader Treize Khushrenada had deceived the pilots, and the Wing Gundam destroyed an OZ shuttle carrying the pacifist Alliance leader Field Marshal Noventa. Heero later used the mobile suit to disarm explosives in a missile silo and participated in destroying an OZ island base.

Self-destruction and restoration

In Siberia, the Wing Gundam engaged Zechs Merquise’ OZ-00MS Tallgeese in a beam saber duel. Though the Wing Gundam gained the upper hand by slicing off the Tallgeese’s left arm, the battle was interrupted when Lady Une threatened to destroy the space colonies unless the Gundam pilots surrendered. When Doctor J agreed, Heero Yuy activated the Wing Gundam’s self-destruct system, nearly killing himself in the process.

Zechs Merquise recovered the Wing Gundam’s remains and began rebuilding it for a re-match. The Romefeller Foundation ordered the mobile suit destroyed, but Zechs deceived them by destroying a dummy whilst having the nearly completed Wing Gundam taken to a base in Antarctica.

Though mostly rebuilt, the mobile suit’s highly calibrated inner systems were destroyed during the self-detonation, leaving it at a disadvantage. The self-destruct system was removed by Zechs. Trowa Barton later used the Wing Gundam during the Antarctic duel between Heero and Zechs, piloting it to prevent Romefeller’s search party from interfering whilst Heero used the XXXG-01H Gundam Heavyarms.

The Wing Gundam was subsequently recovered by Sally Po and Lucrezia Noin, who brought it to the rebuilt Sanc Kingdom. When Quatre Raberba Winner saved Heero from Romefeller’s OZ-02MD Virgo mobile dolls using the Buster Rifle, Heero was reunited with his mobile suit and used it to defend the Sanc Kingdom.

Final deployment

When the Romefeller Foundation attacked the Treize Faction’s Luxembourg base with Virgo mobile dolls, Heero Yuy used the Wing Gundam to help defend against the assault. Though more effective than standard mobile suits, the Gundam’s right leg was damaged during the battle. Heero eventually managed to continue fighting, but the Wing Gundam was blasted into a building and completely disabled. After Treize Khushrenada’s soldiers destroyed the remaining Virgos in a suicide attack, Heero abandoned his mobile suit for the final time and subsequently received the OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon from Treize.

The abandoned Wing Gundam was captured by OZ and taken to a military hospital base for repairs. It was fitted with booster rockets for space travel. When Treize Khushrenada attempted to challenge Zechs Merquise to a duel in space, Lady Une awoke from a coma, commandeered the Wing Gundam, and launched into space. She used the mobile suit to push Treize’s OZ-00MS2 Tallgeese II out of the firing path of the battleship Libra’s main cannon. Taking the full force of the blast, the Wing Gundam was almost completely disintegrated, with only its head and torso remaining intact. Lady Une emerged from the cockpit and jumped to the Tallgeese II, abandoning the Wing Gundam’s remains in space.

Production

Design and development

The Wing Gundam was designed by Okawara Kunio for the 1995 anime series Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. The initial design followed the “nationality” trend from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, with the Wing Gundam representing Japanese design aesthetics and heavily based on the GF13-017NJII God Gundam. The iconic wing units were absent from the initial design and were added in the second draft along with the transformation capability, responding to Bandai’s request for a Gundam with transformation abilities.

Reception

Despite being the titular mobile suit of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, the Wing Gundam saw relatively little action compared to its fellow Gundams, particularly after its reconstruction following self-destruction. It was the only one of the original five Gundams to never receive an upgrade during the series, instead being replaced by its prototype, the Wing Gundam Zero.

The mobile suit’s design proved popular amongst fans and has been featured extensively in model kit releases, including multiple High Grade, Master Grade, and Real Grade versions from Bandai.

Specifications

Specification	Value
Model number	XXXG-01W
Name	Wing Gundam
Unit type	General-purpose Gundam-type mobile suit
Manufacturer	Doctor J
Operator	Colony Liberation Organization, G Team, Sanc Kingdom
First deployment	AC 195
Accommodation	Pilot only, in cockpit in torso
Height	16.3 m
Weight	7.1 t (empty)
Armour	Gundanium alloy
Powerplant	Ultracompact fusion reactor
Equipment	Bird Mode transformation system, Search Eye, self-destruct system
Fixed armament	2 × Vulcan Gun, 2 × Machine Cannon
Optional armament	Buster Rifle, Shield, 2 × Beam saber (stored in shield)
Pilots	Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, Lady Une

Ability levels

Fighting ability: 130
Weapons ability: 140
Speed ability: 150
Power ability: 120
Armour ability: 130

Variants