Mobile Suit Colors

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LtFrankie
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Mobile Suit Colors

I know even though UC Gundam is pretty soft on the scifi end, they atleast try to explain things so it keeps in the realm in soft scifi and not super robot or science fantasy.

I know MS colors vary so much and use so many colors for stylistic reasons. But is there any "canon" reason for having a white, red & yellow MS?
Izayuukan
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

One theory that was been bandied about - and I have no idea if this is in any way canon - is that the RX-78-2 was painted in its primary-colour scheme to look visually pleasing to the various officials overseeing its construction. It was never supposed to fight in such an non-camouflaged look, but was put into battle before it could be repainted. It doesn't explain why the crew of the White Base never repainted the Gundam themselves. And it also doesn't explain why the crew of the Argama would go out of their way to paint the Gundam Mk II from its visually stealthy colours of dark blue to a scheme that pays homage to the RX-78-2; surely even the potential fear it could invoke would be but a minor consideration when pitted against loss of stealth.

UC Gundam never was very "hard" to begin with, so when people retrospectively attempt to make it "hard" they have to come up with daft explanations, which just raise even more questions.
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Strike105
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

In reality, all of the mobile suits were originally going to have a low-uniform color scheme, but because the show was essentially a 30-minute long toy commercial, the creators were forced to change the MS' color schemes to these brightly colored versions in order to appeal to children so that they would buy the toys. After MSG, the bright colors, more or less, became traditional. In-universe, it was retconned to say that these colors were demonstration colors that were never repainted.
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mcred23
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

Izayuukan wrote:And it also doesn't explain why the crew of the Argama would go out of their way to paint the Gundam Mk II from its visually stealthy colours of dark blue to a scheme that pays homage to the RX-78-2; surely even the potential fear it could invoke would be but a minor consideration when pitted against loss of stealth.
As it says on the Gundam Official page, they repainted the Mark II because they considered the Titans colors too sinister, where as the original RX-78-2 colors were more heroic. They didn't want to keep low key colors like the enemy they were fighting, and by that point the RX-78-2 colors had already taken on a life of their own as a symbol, which is why those colors (Or ones similar to them) keep showing up.

It doesn't help explain why the White Base crew never changed them while they were flying around. I'd guess that early on that was delayed by more important things needing to be done first, and later on it probably didn't matter too much once they got to Earth. Besides, it's not like low-vis colors ever work out all that well for MS anyway. :P
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JEFFPIATT
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

That was the official reason given for the traditional gundam colors. White base kept the colors once the gundam became a symbol for the federation like the early custom WW1 aircraft a zeon solder would freak out on seeing the distinctive gundam demo colors. the intended colors were used in the novel and as a alternate paint job for the model kit. you need to keep in mind that gundam is still a toy ad. As a cute nod to the intended look of the rx-78 the 0 gundam was produced in low vis gray along with the exia and both later were painted in the traditional gundam colors.
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Zerosystem
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

Along with the repainted Mark II, the Hyaku Shiki was painted in shiny gold as a message to the Titans that the AEUG could develop their own suits. Having a machine that would be in high visibility in space was a direct insult to the Titan's use of dark colours, probably both in that they were showing off and that they weren't afraid to be seen in space.
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

Yeah, the Gundam Mark II was to the Gundam as the Argama was, more or less, to the White Base in terms of appearances. (And even more so with the Nahel Argama.)

It's also possible that it could be seen as a taunt to the Titans too and just shouting, "Hey! look at this 'weak' little group with your MS on our side now!" According to some profiles, the gold color of the Hyaku Shiki was also possibly meant to taunt them by showing that they had the resources to make their own strong, unique MS too.

But, as mentioned several times, it's usually just prototype demo colors given various Gundams after them in some way tend to be darker colored like the Gundam Full Armor Type and the Heavy Gundam with the RX-78-2, or some of the Zeta Plus units after the Zeta Gundam, or even the darker painted F91s and the black Victory 2.
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Wingnut
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

HalfDemonInuyasha wrote:or some of the Zeta Plus units after the Zeta Gundam, or even the darker painted F91s and the black Victory 2.
Both of those were unique units. I don't know the story behind why the second V2 was black, but the dark colored F91 was the pilot's personal color scheme. The rest of the F91s in the Crossbone manga seem to share the colors of the original that Seabook used.
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iKhaotic
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

as far as viewers' purposes go, it's just mainly for tradition and homage to the original RX-78-2. but if we're talking in anime reason, then i have no clue lol. (didn't read posts above me, sorry for that)

but i suppose i can take a shot at it. my guess as to why it's primarily white is because across most nations/groups/religions/etc, white is the "good" color, representing light and all that is well, while black is the "evil" color, representing bad and malicious intents.

maybe i'm thinking that one too through, or maybe i could be right... who knows lol
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JEFFPIATT
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

in uc its also to invoke past gundams. other time lines i can't explain.
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Kenji
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

Yet, all of that said, the UC Gundams are canonically and consistently referred to as "white." The "Rollout Colors" edition of the RX-78-2 is nearly pure white, the Ring of Gundam reproduction of the RX-78-2 is pure white, and I recall hearing a rumor that Hajime Katoki planned to color the S Gundam white in homage to the original intended color scheme.

Additionally, and I don't have the background to say this with any authority, isn't reflective white the color of choice for space vehicles, since it absorbs the least amount of radiation? Therefore, isn't reflective white the most intelligent choice for a series of machines that don't have much for heat radiation systems?
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iKhaotic
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

Kenji wrote: Additionally, and I don't have the background to say this with any authority, isn't reflective white the color of choice for space vehicles, since it absorbs the least amount of radiation? Therefore, isn't reflective white the most intelligent choice for a series of machines that don't have much for heat radiation systems?
that sounds very plausible.......but if that is true, then why are Gundams generally the only white MS we ever see? lmao xD
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Kenji
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

Style, of course. :wink: And marketable differentiation.

If I am correct, then all mobile suits should be reflective white or gray. Personally, I think this actually justifies the double-cockpit hatch phenomenon we see in the RX-78-2 (and RX-93), as even with a pure white color scheme, the Gundam is sure to suffer overheating and may need forced entry systems for when the more delicate sliding door melts.

Actually, I'm of a mind to paint my future Gunpla in Space Shuttle colors, just to see how it works, aesthetically.
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iKhaotic
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

yup, you're definitely right if you're arguing from the consumer/viewer standpoint LOL. it'd be a little boring and lame if all our Gunplas were white :lol:

but if you're arguing that point from the perspective of a character in the Gundam universe, then you lose because not all MS are white hahahah :wink:
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Kenji
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

Well, mankind is just not as pretty as a modern Gundam cast, so I can take in-series appearances with a grain of salt. :wink: Or a whole bushel.

Seriously, though, I think marketing concerns are the only real concerns that were considered, when it comes to MS coloration.
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AnimeMun
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

If you want to see a Gundam related storyline with all MS in Rollout colors look at G-Saviour. *chuckles* Then again that gets pretty hard sci-fi and pulls out the entire universal downgrade of technology that made all of sunrise say "OK We had NOTHING to do with this POS!" after about 6 years after its release
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Red Zeta
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

Zerosystem wrote:Along with the repainted Mark II, the Hyaku Shiki was painted in shiny gold as a message to the Titans that the AEUG could develop their own suits. Having a machine that would be in high visibility in space was a direct insult to the Titan's use of dark colours, probably both in that they were showing off and that they weren't afraid to be seen in space.
Wasn't Hyaku Shiki golden because of the anti-beam coating?
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LtFrankie
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

Also..just to clarify, if we were going to go with more 'sensible' color schemes...

Space MS would either be in shades of gray, white or maybe color tinted versions of those.

TMS would probably have color schemes closer to fighter jets when used on Earth.

Ground MS would probably have camo schemes.

Correct?
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mcred23
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Re: Mobile Suit Colors

Probably...

...But guys, please don't bring back a thread that was dead for this long.

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