Rick Gades
Heat Hammer x 1: A chain melee weapon with a weighted metal cylinder at its end. This cylinder, right down the entire length of the chain, is able to carry a thermal charge that supplements normal impact damage with sizzling heat. The hammer has a reach of nearly twenty-five meters at its full length, though most pilots prefer to keep it wound in a little more.
M-Duras Bracer x 1: A titanium version of the forearm shield carried by some Zodiac G units. This heavy shield is capable of withstanding a great deal of punishment before becoming totally useless. On the plus side, it is easy to patch and repair, since it really has no gimmicks. When not in use, it can be latched to the Gades' back, freeing both hands.
Designed as ground combat unit, the early Gades intensified movement, firepower, and physical stamina to create an able-bodied workhorse of shocking effectiveness. Its gyrojet rifle was a marvel of explosives miniaturization, powerful yet exceedingly simple and easy to use. Its heat hammer also had the potential to be a frightening weapon, especially in the hands of experienced pilots. As for physical elements, influences of the Aeshma Prime were seen in the Gades' body, though armor and myomer durability had been increased. In addition, a series of filters and vents are built into its frame, allowing it to repel any dust, snow, or other material that could clog up its joints.
The Gades' variable mode was the most amazing, and bizarre, aspect of its design. The massive wheeler ground combat system, originally intended for smaller, fixed-mode mobile armors, was transplanted to this mobile suit when Grand Cross hardliners objected to using an "inferior" class of weapon. Using a series of hydraulics built into the rim, the Gades' expanded and rotated the wheeler around its body, so that the mobile suit was standing inside it. The wheeler could travel over terrain at surprisingly high speeds, with traction that proved as reliable on desert sand as it had on icy tundra. It was also armored with layered titanium plates, making it tough to disable without concentrating fire on one spot.
Any doubts around the Gades vanished after the widely successful Earth campaign, as well as the epic Operation Riposte. Its use across the planet, from the Gobi desert to the cities of North America, to the vast oceans, gave it a solid track record that made it the preferred unit of most Grand Cross ground troops. When the organization's military command got a hold of comprehensive battle tapes of the unit in action, they too were impressed. So much so, that they requested the Tresdemo Foundation to refine the mobile suit and its wheeler for a more universal deployment range. With increasing indications that the war was going to move back into space, the Foundation went to work fulfilling the order in record time. The entire wheeler concept was reworked, and the Rick Gades was born.
The Rick Gades has been redesignated a "Wheeler-Use" unit, to generalize its capability of fighting in multiple environments. The new wheeler now mounts a number of thrusters between its armored plates, while compressed air apogees are positioned within the rim. These do little for the mobile suit's overall ground speed, but they allow it to extend its speedy maneuvering to space. A review of the original unit has also prompted the inclusion of a badly-needed shield, though its weapons are still the same. As an afterthought, there was also a cosmetic makeover of the machine, styling more after the mono-eye mecha used by the colony rebellion. Given that many Gades' were destroyed on Earth, these units are replacing their older brothers as quickly as they are cranked out of Foundation's factories.
Cell Artwork by MS Gundam 3DCG