GUNPylon

The GUNPylon System ( Gu ardia n Pylon) is a series of sixteen experimental weapons that have been mass produced and placed in specialized pylon storage units. They are featured in Mobile Gear Gundam Blues.

Description & Characteristics
The sixteen weapons were originally separate GUNSYS Network productions, trying to build an advanced arsenal that could outperform that of the rest of the galaxy's equipment. While most productions managed to get underway and create a complete product, these specific sixteen were stuck for the longest time in development hell. It was decided that the reason for the lack of progress was a result of a lack of proper on-field testing, thus they were allowed to live on in use of the mobile gears they were produced for. The gears would save combat data and later upload that to the shared cloud contained in GUNSYS's operating system so that improvements could be made.

The GUNPylons are each kept in a rounded box storage compartment called pylons. Each pylon was constructed out of multi-layered titanium alloy and consisted of (for the most part) two pieces of the armor and an opening mechanism inside that would fold away the armor to reveal the weapon inside. Because GUNPylons was conceived at the same time as the beginning production cycle of the Gundam Blues, Reds, and Greens, it was decided to tailor specific subsets of each weapon to them. To add to this, each pylon made specific to a certain Gundam would have a different opening style and have the main colors of that Gundam. To equip the Pylons to the Gundams, additions were made to their original designs to add two shoulder port mount devices that would essentially hover over the Gundam's shoulders and act as a replacement to the original shoulder armor.

Later on, when it came to the production of the support gears that would aid the Gundams, they were designed to also have compatibility with the GUNPylons, though were often only equipped with one shoulder mount on the right.

Weapons
Each weapon is ordered in their addition to their specific Gundam, not in their starting production order. Furthermore, they are labeled based on a hexadecimal numeral system (0-F/16), rather than the more traditional decimal numeral system (0-9).
 * Type-0 "Portable Gatling"
 * The Portable Gatling is an experimental attempt to miniaturize the large Gatling weapon. Permanently housed in the Pylon, the assembly is stored as a stack before being rearranged upon use. The Gatling itself flips down, with two rotary devices placed on the sides. The rotary devices carry 300 50mm rounds each, swapping from one runs out. The Gatling is positioned on a turntable, allowing it to aim from side to side, with a hinge system giving it up and down movement. Ammo cannot be replaced, as the Gatling is designed to be disposable.
 * Type-1 "Portable Missile Launcher"
 * The Portable Missile Launcher is an experimental attempt to miniaturize the missile launchers found on battleships. Like the Portable Gatling, it is also permanently housed in the Pylon. Inside is a cage carrying nine missiles, with a launcher at the bottom that fires one missile at a time. Ammo cannot be replaced, as the Launcher is designed to be disposable. The pylon itself can be mounted on a Hyper Bazooka to use the missiles as ammo.
 * Type-2 "Magnum Barrel Add-on"
 * The Magnum Barrel Add-on is an experimental attachment meant to be used with an Assembly Beam Rifle. Plugging into the front barrel attachment, the Magnum Add-on converts the Rifle into the Assembly Beam Magnum. Instead of having 16 shots, the Magnum fires all of the energy in the rifle at once, creating a devastating beam that can pierce through even heavily fortified armor. However, upon firing the Magnum, the Battery on the rifle breaks due to being unable to take being instantly drained, leaving it with only three shots before the Magnum (and original barrel attachment) become useless. The Magnum Add-on can be attached manually, or by the Pylon itself when the tip of the Beam Rifle is aligned with it.
 * Type-3 "Beam MAW"
 * The Beam MAW (Multi-purpose Attack Weapon) is an experimental Beam handle with an enlarged emitter on the top and an average emitter on the bottom, with a guard attached to the right side. The MAW's enlarged emitter has four sections that expand and retract along the emission path, along with several movable channels within the path of the beam itself, changing how many concentrated energy particles are poured into the beam blade's containment field. The result is the ability to change the size, shape, and intensity of the beam blade produced, from the size of a beam dagger's blade, to a max length of 20 meters and diameter of 4 meters. The average emitter can still produce a beam blade on its own, though only on par with the Variable beam saber.

Another feature of the MAW is installed on the handle's right-facing guard, a prototype defensive weapon that could potentially eliminate the need for a physical shield: the Beam Shield. Made up of six rectangular emitters set up on the guard in the shape of a standing squashed hexagon, six modified beam blades are produced from each. Necessary to the structure of the beam shield, the beams are wrapped in a containment field that spreads out to all the other blades, then filling the gaps with a thin coat of particles. The shield is capable of spreading and collapsing at a moment's notice, spreading out as far as 15 by 8 meters. The mass emitter set-up is protected under a covering made of multi-layered titanium alloy.

Issues in preliminary construction of the prototype, mainly problems of energy distribution and overheating, prevent the Beam MAW from being able to use the three emitters to their maximum settings at once. It is primarily meant to be used by the right manipulator.
 * Type-4 "Beam Rail Launcher"
 * The Beam Rail Launcher is a large prototype armament that is an attempt to miniaturize the Beam Cannons used by most spaceships. However, the Rail Launcher doesn't fit neatly into the pylon, with a large barrel having to hang off the back of the unit's right shoulder. Inside the Pylon are the inner mechanics of the Rail Launcher, sensitive enough to external interference that it requires the outer protection of the Pylon's armor. In order to be fully operational, the Type-5 Pylon needs to be attached to the front of the Type-4. The long barrel straightens up and the entire array turns to face the front of the unit. Plugging a single Beam pistol on the bottom of the barrel gives the weapon its trigger. Using the energy generated by the unit's reactor, the weapon requiring charging for each shot it fires, the charging time taking about ten minutes. After a complete charge, the Rail Launcher fires a powerful long-range beam that is capable of melting straight through any obstacle in its way. After firing, the launcher with be too overheated to continue operation until it cools down acceptable levels. For storage reasons, units are required to always have the Beam Rail Launcher equipped, mainly on the right shoulder port.
 * Type-5 "Recharge Battery for Type-4"
 * Unique among the sixteen pylons, the Recharge Battery is a required segment of the Beam Rail Launcher and cannot be used independent from it. The battery stores the energy of the Launcher when it is charging and helps expel the excess upon firing the weapon. The pylon's exterior acts as armor for the component. If destroyed, the Beam Rail Launcher is rendered useless.
 * Type-6 "Merging Beam Saber"
 * The Merging Beam Saber is a pair of specialized beam handles; one standard and another with a guard in the front. Individually, they operate like normal handheld beam weapons. However, the standard handle can be plugged diagonally into a port at the bottom of the guard of the other handle. Together, either two individual beams are produced, or a combined blade.
 * Type-7 "Compact Mounting Wires"
 * The Compact Mounting Wires is a machine containing twenty cable wires. Each wire is approximately 100 meters long, with a diameter of 13 centimeters. Produced with vast tensile strength, the wires can be shot out as far as 60 meters away from the unit in any direction. At the tip of the wires are grappling devices that are meant to pierce through fortified armor, then lodge themselves inside wherever they hit. The machine can retract in these wires, pulling objects closer to the unit. The grappling tips can pull out of wherever they hit for later use. Another purpose is for locking down the unit when it is used the Beam Rail Launcher, keeping the weapon from pushing the mobile suit when it fires. While one is placed in the right side skirt armor, another can replace the pylon on the left side skirt for full coverage around the mobile suit. The two pylons can be removed and used remotely via the Laser Lens.
 * Type-8 "Folded Vibration Blade"
 * The Vibration Blade is an experimental handheld weapon created specifically for close range combat. The blade is built to vibrate at high frequencies, enough so that it can generate the energy to cut straight through objects at a whim. Approximately 14 meters long, the pylon specific to it is specially made to store it. The blade can fold into the hilt, leading to a slight reduction in size for storage purposes.
 * Type-9 "Twin Short Blade"
 * The Type-9 stores a pair of short swords based on the Vibration Blade, in an attempt to miniaturize it for more generalized combat. The edges of the blade vibrate at high frequencies in order to generate enough energy to cut through armor at ease. They can be used in the manipulators or can be thrown as a projectile.
 * Type-A "Heavyship Breaker"
 * The Type-A is an experimental siege weapon, originally designed to take down battleships with highly fortified and dense armor. The Heavyship Breaker has two emitters at the top and bottom of its blade that can join together to produce a strong beam blade. When not in use, the Heavyship Breaker can fold in on itself. Due to its size, the pylon specific to it is specially made to store it.
 * Type-B "Beam Set"
 * The Beam Set is four modified beam handles with an emitter cap on the top and bottom. Individually, they act like Variable Beam Sabers, with the ability to change the length of their blade based on energy output. They can be fitted to the Beam Pistol as an extended barrel, with each handle giving a different effect (normal beam shots, beam splash, a narrower beam shot, and the ability to hold and then later shoot a beam as a blade). However, they can also attach to each other via their emitters, creating the Assembly Beam Javelin. One of the handles has emitters on the sides as well (meant to be at the top of the assembled stack), which create dagger-sized beam blades.
 * Type-C
 * The Type-C is unknown at this time.
 * Type-D
 * The Type-C is unknown at this time.
 * Type-E
 * The Type-C is unknown at this time.
 * Type-F
 * The Type-C is unknown at this time.

Components & Features

 * Pylon Compartment Armor
 * The exterior of the Pylon is a rounded box shell of multi-layered titanium alloy, kept in place by the internal mechanism that the armor protects. They are a mainly white body, with painted features on the surface made of the color of whichever main Gundam it originally belonged to. In addition, the plates making up the exterior can be split differently depending on which Gundam it came from as well, to a simple two-piece set up to eight separate plates.


 * Opening Mechanism
 * Different across the board is the way the pylons open up. To add uniqueness to each Gundam's arsenal, the mechanism is redesigned for both the overall styling of the Gundam and for the weapons themselves. Their main base is a sliding device on the bottom which acts as the base for the pylon. For the Blues set, the pylons open up at the front like a book, with the two armor plates folding back to reveal the internal components. For the Reds set, the sides slide out horizontally, leaving the mechanism in the center (while also using the armor plates as covering even in its open form). For the Greens set, the armor plates are split into four standing rectangular pieces that spread out diagonally from the mechanism.