Sandrock Custom's Heat Shotels -- dont superheat anymore?

[Bord]

Alright, we know that in all versions of Gundam Sandrock its weapons are labeled as heat shotels. In the TV series, it can be "switched on" to generate heat, like a Zaku's heat hawk. In even glows bright red when it's hot enough. However, we don't see that being used in Endless Waltz. Was the heat function "stripped" off the Sandrock's movie incarnation along with the shield and shoulder missiles?

[Seraphic]

Well, just because you don't see it doesn't meant it can't, or it doesn't exist. And Sandy DOES STILL have a shield. It's in all of the model kits. And I've often seen official kit manuals with the shotels painted red and whatnot, which means the heat function stays. It's just too bad because Quatre never uses any of this after he lands in Brussels. I really did want to see some Cross Crusher action in the movie though. >_>

Quatre probably just didn't have the need to superheat the shotels in that fight. Heating them would likely making them more vulnerable to impact, so I would imagine he's keeping that function off to preserve his blades as long as possible. And if you think about it, the added mass of the Custom's gigantic heat shotels probably more than makes up for the cold blades.

I can't remember at all, but does the Special Edition ever show the shotels heating up, or was that just the Tallgeese's heat rod?

[Bord]

It was the Heat rod. In the OVA series, it was white, but in the movie version it was glowing red. I don't see the point why it was changed since Zechs didn't use it to slice anything.

In the Eve Wars, the Sandrock was fighting Virgos armed Gundanium Alloy. Neo-titanium is supposed to be weaker but cheaper, hence the large numbers of Serpent Units produced. If Sandrock was able to survive the Eve Wars with its blades intact, I don't see why they got broken off slicing through weaker Neo-Titanium.

Maybe superheating the blade can cause Sandrock to cut through and totally destroy the Serpents. If I recall correctly they were just disabling the enemy suits. But then again, Heero killed around 16-17 units when he fired the TBR..

[Seraphic]

Oh, that's right. Quatre was just hitting the Serpents in their joints and whatnot. Who the hell needs superheated blades for that? If he really wanted to, the heated blades would have been cleaving Serpents in two, right and left. It would have been a terrible mess!

About the armor:

The Virgos were mass produced in very large quantities, and their armor, even though Gundanium, was probably very thin. It was probably only thick enough to exhibit some slight anti-beam properties, but not enough to deflect much of a blow. I have no idea why the Virgos were produced with Gundanium armor, because it's completely pointless when you've got all these planet defensers flying around.

The Serpents were mass produced, but in much smaller numbers. Although their armor material is of slightly lower quality than the Virgos, it was laid on really thick. The battles Quatre fought in the Eve Wars were also much shorter, and he was shooting his beam machinegun at the Virgos more than he was swinging at them.

[auriga]

I too can distinctly remember an official picture of the Sandrock Custom model that shows the shotels glowing red... I believe it is in the Gundam Weapons EW special that comes with the 1/144 HG WZC.

It's in all of the model kits.

Actually, the 1/100 HG version does not have it. In its place, you get the cloak.

Maybe superheating the blade can cause Sandrock to cut through and totally destroy the Serpents. If I recall correctly they were just disabling the enemy suits.

I think that's it too. A heated weapon might do funky things to the Serpents' reactors.

[Bord]

Probably. But if we take it in Endless Waltz context, Sandrock didn't have a beam machine gun during the Eve Wars. Maybe the shotels were already worn out from hitting the Virgos that one year later, they were in bad shape.

[auriga]

The beam machine gun was pretty much part of the space upgrade (given that it partially eliminates the need for the Sandrock to constantly move from target to target), so I'm not surprised that melee-fighter Quatre was not shown using it. And besides, such a weapon might be too messy given that they were disabling rather than killing.

[Aegis]

Probably. But if we take it in Endless Waltz context, Sandrock didn't have a beam machine gun during the Eve Wars. Maybe the shotels were already worn out from hitting the Virgos that one year later, they were in bad shape.

Or it's simply because there was no need to superheat it to red when fighting even the big heavy Serpents. The only times I've really seen them superheat was when the Sandrock threw them, and those instances are very few and far in between to say the least; otherwise during normal use, even when destroying an enemy, the Gundam simply swings and cuts them down. Same deal here, just swing and slice via brute strength.

[AmuroNT1]

The box for the 1/144 Sandrock Custom model depicts the shotels with a faint white aura around the blades - white hot, one would presume. Besides that, in the movie itself, Sandrock cutting open the door before the trio heads to Earth leaves a glowing red X on the door, but the shotels look exactly the same. Perhaps Sunrise or the directot simply chose not to show the blades glowing red? After all, look at the Gouf Custom and its famous heated-unheated heat saber.

[Gadget]

So it's 'white hot' instead of the cooler 'red hot'

[Kyranik]

Probably. But if we take it in Endless Waltz context, Sandrock didn't have a beam machine gun during the Eve Wars. Maybe the shotels were already worn out from hitting the Virgos that one year later, they were in bad shape.

Maybe. After all, considering what was meant to happen to the Gundams, we don't know if they really put that much effort into the repair process. (Although again we don't know exactly when they came up with the idea of firing them into the Sun.)

[auriga]

(Although again we don't know exactly when they came up with the idea of firing them into the Sun.)

It was in Battlefield of Pacifists.

[ZeonfromHell]

Besides that, in the movie itself, Sandrock cutting open the door before the trio heads to Earth leaves a glowing red X on the door, but the shotels look exactly the same.

My hypothesis is that the friction of metal cutting metal created sparks and heat. Considering that the door had to be pretty thick to keep the inside of the satellite airtight and pressurized, it would have to be a stout, robust door. Therefore, the Sandrock had to exert a good amount of force through those blades to cut it. A big, heavy, sharp blade slicing through a big, heavy door would have a lot of metal-on-metal contact.

I think that's it too. A heated weapon might do funky things to the Serpents' reactors.

Also, rocket fuel on the thrusters would very easily ignite if hit. Glow-plugs in industrial and automotive applications are used to start diesel engines (since diesels operate on compression alone and not sparks and they need a little push to start up). Rocket fuel is a whole lot more combustible than diesel, and a glowing red-orange blade would make it a very bad day a Serpent pilot.

[Indicible]

For what it's worth, the heat shotels for the Sandrock Kai in SD Gundam G Generation Crossdrive on DS glow when attacking.

The function seems to still be included, but Quatre probably decided against using them on human opponents. Even Sechs only uses his heat rod on the leg of a Serpent to put it off balance.

So, they all got almost killed and were saved by Heero's attack. Being a pacifist has its small drawbacks...

[Celestial Gundam]

Maybe he just didn't want to use them. But I doubt any of us will really know the true answer to this question.