Zeonic Front's Little Tray?

[Imperial]

In mission 5, Desert Fenrir, the team rescues a small supply base from a Federation attack that includes a bunch of tanks, Agar's Guncannon team and a never-before-seen land battleship leading the Federation forces.

It's not a Big Tray. The Fenrirs trash a Tray in the very first mission, and the Heavy Fork won't be invented for years--not to mention this mystery ship isn't big enough to be either of those classes.

This mystery ship doesn't appear to be acknowledged anywhere in the mecha write-ups for this game. All I really know about it is that it looks and behaves like a budget version of the Big Tray, which is par for the course for the Federation.

Does this thing have any sort of official name or history?

[toysdream]

It's generally referred to in the Japanese sources as the "Mini Tray". Not much known about it, but it seems to be a portable command center.

-- Mark

[Imperial]

It's generally referred to in the Japanese sources as the "Mini Tray". Not much known about it, but it seems to be a portable command center.

-- Mark

Mini Tray. That's certainly on the nose and exactly what I had guessed.

Thanks again, Mark

[BrentD15]

It's not a Big Tray. The Fenrirs trash a Tray in the very first mission, and the Heavy Fork won't be invented for years--not to mention this mystery ship isn't big enough to be either of those classes.

About what you said regarding the Heavy Fork:
The Heavy Fork-class was first seen in the Battle of Odessa, in MS IGLOO 2 Episode 3.

Or did you mean in real time, from the time the game was released to the time MS IGLOO 2 was released?

[Imperial]

About what you said regarding the Heavy Fork:
The Heavy Fork-class was first seen in the Battle of Odessa, in MS IGLOO 2 Episode 3.

Or did you mean in real time, from the time the game was released to the time MS IGLOO 2 was released?

Real time

The makers couldn't have possibly put the Fork into the game when it wasn't even a real-world design yet. (Of course, I didn't even notice that was a Heavy Fork the first time I saw IGLOO. I thought it was just another Big Tray.)

Either way, it jives with the Federation design philosophy for them to churn out a GM of land battleships.

[Deacon Blues]

It also appears in the Gundam LEGACY manga, for what it's worth.

[JEFFPIATT]

About what you said regarding the Heavy Fork:
The Heavy Fork-class was first seen in the Battle of Odessa, in MS IGLOO 2 Episode 3.

Or did you mean in real time, from the time the game was released to the time MS IGLOO 2 was released?

Real time

The makers couldn't have possibly put the Fork into the game when it wasn't even a real-world design yet. (Of course, I didn't even notice that was a Heavy Fork the first time I saw IGLOO. I thought it was just another Big Tray.)

Either way, it jives with the Federation design philosophy for them to churn out a GM of land battleships.

it's more to put the land battle ships in line with the efsf ship assignment dynamic. the Big tray is the flagship class for high ranking officers while the mini tray is commanded by lower officers and the hover truck seems to be the team level command unit.