For a man dubbed as the “Red Comet”, Char Aznable’s mobile suits really aren’t all that red. His One Year War suits had a whole lot of pinkish red, but not quite red red. It’s not until Zeta Gundam when Char Quattro Bajeena finally gets a red mobile suit in the form of his custom Rick Dias, but he soon passed that off to the grunts after opting for the blinged-out glory of the Hyakku Shiki. Only after two ideological 180’s does Char (now the leader of the new Neo Zeon faction) finally gets his definitive red machine – the MSN-06 Sazabi.
Though heavily armed and armoured, due to the lightweight material and numerous high-powered thrusters on the Sazabi, the suit is able to achieve a remarkable level of maneuverability. Though between the beam shotrifle and the torso-mounted mega particle gun, the Sazabi has no shortage of way to dispose of its enemies. Its most devastating armament is the 6 funnels carried on its back, which are small, high-powered remote weapons controlled directly through the pilot’s mind. Think the interceptors of a Protoss carrier in StarCraft – they’re like space piranhas that shoot lasers out of their mouths.
As an ardent U.C. Gundam fan, I can’t help but to succumb to Char fever, and the HGUC Sazabi was just what the doctor ordered to this ailing patient. And though the prescription is not without a couple of side effects, the HGUC Sazabi certainly lives up to the legacy of the Red Comet.