Duel, Buster or Blitz

**Curium** · Tue, 08-02-2005, 01:28 AM

I don't feel like checking so it may or may not have been in this thread, but people were blasting Buster Gundam for it's lack of Melee weapons. I figure this is a good thread to contradict those comments.

I've been thinking about that, and I don't think that is a fair criticism. Keep in mind what was around when it was built. There were a total of 8 Mobile Suits that had any beam weaponry at the time it was built, the original 5 Gundams and the 3 Astrays. The only other things with beam weapons were war ships and fortresses, neither of which are meant for melee. Since the EAF didn't know about the Astrays, and they obviously didn't plan for the Gundams to be stolen, that would have meant that the Gundams would have been invincible (more or less) in MS combat. If enemy MSs got too close all they had to do really is punch the thing because the PS armor would protect it from any damage. The only melee weapons ZAFT MSs had were big metal swords which would barley annoy the Gundam.

A second arguement, they were all proto-types. They were experimenting with different designs. It could have very well been that they had intended to use suits like Buster for long range bombardment to soften up ZAFT bases such as Carpentaria and Gibralter to lower casualties on their side when it came time to sack those bases.

**Marcis** · Tue, 08-02-2005, 02:10 AM

Well, it is hard for me to decide.

Buster looks very mean - even it's "face" is mean [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
And ability to dock both weapons - well how can you dock railgun (substance gun) with beam cannon (particle gun) and what you get from it is beyond my understanding but ... oh well [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] i guess i'll just accept it.
Pilot is a sniper, lay-down-and-relax personality.

Duel is simple "generic" Gundam - just beam rifle, beam saber and shield. Pretty generic. Plus Assoult Shroud upgrade later - nice boost to Duel's ranged firepower and defenses.
Pilot - oh well, kinda i-don't-take-shit-from-anyone kinda guy. Asskicker [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

Blitz. Stealth warfare, infiltration, hit-and-run missions and such. And it is black! Black is cool.
Pilot is a bit should-we-do-it? person. Complements his Gundam.

I would say Blitz with Duel and Buster close behind. Really hard to tell all three apart.

**aznimperialx** · Tue, 08-02-2005, 06:05 PM

any of u guys realize

alie strike = ageis
sword strike = blitz
launcher strike = buster
and strike = duel

**alukard** · Wed, 08-03-2005, 01:45 AM

There are similarities between Strike and the Blitz as on the link however all the rest of the models are different. Aegis is the most unique of the 5 gundams and i prefer it the most.

The Duel suit was the first of the five built in GSD and stolen by Yzak. Being the first it was a test bed for the rest of the suits and later upgraded with assault shroud, adding extra armor plate to this prototype that is suited for close combat. This suit was used as a mold for the Strike, Aegis, Buster, and Duel.

Buster gundam was heavily weighted down by big guns and piloted by Dearka and was responsible for taking out a large number of older and obsolete suits that doesnt have phase shift armor ability.

Strike was the 3rd suit created with add-ons like the impulse. Made to adapt to various missions and backed up by parts that can easily snap out so that it could quickly adapt to that mission without being weighted down, is one of the fastest suit at that time. If all the parts are fitted together it would be completely immobile. Alie pack for when it needs to fly short distance, sword for melee, launcher for gunning down fleeing opponents and such. It was completely vulnerable when switching modes but deadly when the right gears are at hand.

The next to the last of the five suits made by Orb and EA and stolen by Nicol, Blitz has what none of the five suits had which is the Mirage. It is similar to Strike in that it has an anchor on its left arm which is similar to Strike's in its Sword Strike config. With little to no fire power it relies heavily stealth. At least Strike has a 15 meter blade while Blitz was listed as having on a sword beam or was it daggers?

Aegis is nothing like Alie Strike. It can enter mobile mode and is the only suit up to date to have a cannon capable of destroying a carrier in one shot. However the 550 mm cannon, "Scylla," is for a desperation attack only and should be used as a last resort. It is currently out of production. As far as i know the Alie Strike can fly for short distances and high-jump but the Aegis can fly in mobile armor mode.

Strike was just similar to the rest of the suits because it can adapt to certain roles and temporarily take a position as either a combat type or a heavy gunner. It was nothing like Aegis, and Duel was similar to it because it was the first and most underequipped of the 5 and resemble a strike gundum with no add-ons. The closest Strike Sword resembles was the Blitz but only from a description about an anchor. If that was what Athrun used to throw at Tolle during the fight which Nicol got slaughter than its not really that special. It just a disc that can be launched and thrown as a deadly short ranged projectile when beam weapons arent good enough. Aegis was the best of the 5 suits because it was the most versatile and even with heavy guns it still can enter modes unlike Strike without switching out. It was later destroyed and Athrun upgraded to the Justice gundam to persue Kira's new Freedom gundam when Aegis and Strike were both destroyed. It's was a next generation gundam with meteor & it was just used for attacking alot of gundams but was missing the 550 mm "Scylla" cannon. Justice has a nuclear reactor allowing it to be lighter than the battery operated Aegis and faster and could operate for as much as two times longer than standard suits. Even with those advantages, it was not much better except that it could use the phase shift a little longer against normal Jinn sabers (except against beam sabers) and could deflect smaller beams and the nuclear reactor allowed it to use the immensely power- draining meteor pack for long ranged attacks against weaker suits. Overall, Athrun has some of the heaviest gunned gundams and it suits him well because he's a sharp shooter. He would never need to fight toe-to-toe if he could take them out afar and if all else fails he can still has his trusty sabers. If i were to use it i could be the guy with the RPGs (Scylla) for taking out tanks (ships) and then if im still alive i could run away in mobile mode. It was a pity the Savior which resembles the Aegis the most of Athrun's suits was destroyed earlier than expected after only one or two battles. Mobile armor modes allow Aegis to run away when all is lost. Its better to run and live to fight another day then stay and be brought back in pieces.

**Curium** · Wed, 08-03-2005, 03:14 AM

There are several issues here.

Originally posted by: alukard
Buster gundam was heavily weighted down by big guns and piloted by Dearka and was responsible for taking out a large number of older and obsolete suits that doesnt have phase shift armor ability.

That is selling Buster short. It was for long range bombardment and sniping. It was quite effective even in ways it wasn't designed for (attacking the 8th armada). Obviously it has since been made obsolete, but it was really good in it's time.

Strike was the 3rd suit created with add-ons like the impulse.

I just have an issue with it being "like Impulse" since it came first. Minor issue, but I figured as long as I was typing this I would mention it.

launcher for gunning down fleeing opponents and such.

I don't agree with the statement about it being for gunning down fleeing enemies. It was primarily for large group of enemies, or long range. The time I felt it was most effective was the time it was on the deck of the Archangel and plugged in for power while firing.

Blitz was listed as having on a sword beam or was it daggers?

Blitz had it's Trikeros Offensive/Defensive system. It had a shield on it's right arm that had a beam rifle, 3 Lancer Darts (missles), and a full beam saber built in. Also based on what I've seen in Astray I believe that it also has a regular blade on the bottom of it.

Aegis is the only suit up to date to have a cannon capable of destroying a carrier in one shot.

Both Launcher Strike and Buster were capable of the same thing.

However the 550 mm cannon, "Scylla," is for a desperation attack only and should be used as a last resort. It is currently out of production.

It wasn't really a desperation attack, they just hadn't developed an efficient energy system yet at that time. The Scylla cannon was later used in the Calamity and Sword Calamity Gundams. Also Destroy had 3 "Super Scylla" cannons in it's chest. It is primarily out of production only because more powerful weapons have been built.

As far as i know the Alie Strike can fly for short distances and high-jump but the Aegis can fly in mobile armor mode.

I don't think Aegis acctually ever transformed into MA mode except to destroy Strike once it made it too Earth. If it could fly, why would he stay at the island where he met Cagalli rather then continue on himself, or better yet get out and attack Cagalli's Skygrasper that was attacking his transport.

Oh, you are right about the Aile Striker, at least the original. After SEED but before Desinty the Aile Striker pack used by Strike Rouge was upgraded to allow sustained flight.

If that was what Athrun used to throw at Tolle during the fight which Nicol got slaughter than its not really that special. It just a disc that can be launched and thrown as a deadly short ranged projectile when beam weapons arent good enough.

It was acctually the fight after Nicol died that Tolle was killed. The battle when Nicol died was pretty much over when his death took place. Also it was Aegis' shield that Athrun threw at Tolle to kill him, it wasn't any kind of "disc".

cannon. Justice has a nuclear reactor allowing it to be lighter than the battery operated Aegis and faster and could operate for as much as two times longer than standard suits.

First, I doubt a Nuclear Reactor would be lighter then a battery, but that is just my opinion I have no fact to back that up. Second, the faster is probably because ZAFT was able to develop better thrusters then the naturals in the EAF could. Third, with the nuclear reactor it could operate continuously as long as the pilot was able to continue. It wasn't limited to just twice as long.

**aznimperialx** · Wed, 08-03-2005, 11:44 AM

Originally posted by: Curium
There are several issues here.