Xeku Eins landing gear (and other technical details)

[Wingnut]

Namely the pods on the shoulders seen in the Type 1 armament set.

Exactly what do those do? One wouldn't think a mobile suit would need landing gear as one would usually think of when hearing that term as it has two good legs to serve that function.

[jam!]

Not sure myself but that page mentions that the long pods are actually external propellant tanks.

Perhaps what you mean are the prong-like mounts on the shoulders. Those likely clamp onto landing gear like the ballute packs used for re-entry and such. The profile for this configuration even goes so far as to mention that it is used to land on the lunar surface. Depending on how these mobile suits were launched and how they were to land, some special landing gear may have been required.

[Hyakushiki]

I guess I'm missing the part about landing gear since they look like propellant tanks, even the profile says so.

[toysdream]

This version of the Xeku Eins is equipped with landing devices, not landing gear. These "devices" seem to consist mainly of propellant tanks, and other Gundam Sentinel machines such as the Nero use the same kind of equipment for landing on the lunar surface.

-- Mark

[jam!]

Thanks for clearing that up.

Since the profile says landing devices AND propellant tanks, it's easy to be misled. What are those prongs pointing upwards though?

[Hyakushiki]

Those are hard points for carrying additional equipment like weapon pods.

[toysdream]

Since the profile says landing devices AND propellant tanks, it's easy to be misled.

In the Sentinel book, this equipment is usually just referred to as "landing devices," but I thought I should mention that it includes propellant tanks because those are the most obvious components. I don't know what else falls under the category of "landing devices" aside from the propellant tanks, but that was the best phrasing I could come up with.

What are those prongs pointing upwards though?

Those are multipurpose latches for optional equipment. In the other versions of the Xeku Eins they're used to hold disk radomes, machine gun ammunition, and whatnot.

-- Mark

[Wingnut]

So I guess we chalk it up to weird terminology on the part of the original writer then.

On a somewhat related note then, that's a lousy place to store a external fuel tank. Even a glancing hit by a beam rifle shot and BOOM! There goes that arm and likely half the MS as well.

Here's a diagram of all the various equipment and junk you can equip on the Eins in any sort of configuration you want to I suppose aside from the 3 main configurations. Adaptability and versatility are where this machine really excels.

[Recon 5]

Any external tanks are vulnerable unless they're armored (which is a waste of capacity). With this in mind, there's really no 'best place' for them and so people stick the tanks on wherever they can.

[Ryujin]

On a somewhat related note then, that's a lousy place to store a external fuel tank. Even a glancing hit by a beam rifle shot and BOOM! There goes that arm and likely half the MS as well.

In its defense, the Xeku Eins probably uses up the propellant in the external tanks first, then has the option of jettisoning them as it enters combat, much like Russian tanks up to the T-90. Those diesel fuel tanks perched on their tanks' hull rear aren't armoured, either.

Browsing through the Sentinel book, I noticed that the Nemos jettisoned their external tanks as they began their descent towards the Moon. Not sure if the Xeku Eins accompanying the Mk. V did so too before engaging the FAZZ team, but I'd be surprised if they didn't, from the way those tanks seem to limit the range of movement of their arms.

Now those big ammo drums latched on top of their shoulders, that's a bigger worry, imho.