VTA-004 Qubeley

AMX-004 Qubeley (キュベレイ) is a mobile suit that appears in Mobile Suit Gundam Vermillion It is piloted by Rachel Vermillion.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The Qubeley is a next generation mobile suit designed for Newtypes that features numerous technological innovations which allow it to fight on par with other advanced mobile suits that appeared during the Gryps Conflict and the First Vermillion War. Developed from the data gathered from the VS-09R4 Psycommu Rick Dom "Schnee Weiss" and the VTA-001 Prototype Qubeley, the Qubeley featured four independently movable shoulder binders, two binders per shoulder, to assist in AMBAC (Active Mass Balance Auto Control), granting phenomenal mobility. Though lacking the full range of motion as the arms and legs, these binders bring the Qubeley's total number of movable limbs up to eight. Furthermore, these binders also contain the Qubeley's primary thrusters.

The most notable feature of the Qubeley is that it is the first combat mobile suit to be equipped with a mobile suit-sized psycommu system, which is used to control the new remote controlled weaponry known as "Funnels". The prototype featured a similar system, but its psycommu had not been fully miniaturized and the Funnels were stored in its main body, leaving the prototype with a large body that stood 25 meters tall. The system aboard the Qubeley had been perfected and its ten Funnels were stored in a container located in its rear armor, allowing for quicker deployment and recall. The Qubeley lacks the mega particle cannons of the prototype version, replacing them with a pair of dual-purpose beam guns that can double as beam sabers for close combat. Lastly, the Qubeley is one of the first Zeon mobile suits to use a dual-type optical sensor instead of the traditional mono-eye.

Armaments

 * Beam Gun/Saber
 * Stored in the Qubeley's forearms is a set of dual purpose beam gun/beam sabers. When used as a beam gun, the weapons remain mounted in the forearms. When used as a beam saber, the weapons are hand-carried.
 * Funnel
 * The Qubeley stores 10 funnels in a funnel container located in its movable rear armor. These funnels are technological descendants of the VAN-07 Eve's remote-controlled bits. The funnels are smaller than the bits as they lack their own power generators, instead they are powered using energy capacitors. This allows the funnels to be small enough so that a large number of them can be stored on a mobile suit, but they have to return to the mobile suit for recharging after operating for a certain amount of time.

Special Equipment & Features

 * Psycommu system
 * During the One Year War, the researchers of the Flanagan Institute discover that Newtypes emit powerful thoughtwaves - similar to regular brainwaves, but not electrical in nature - which they call psycowaves. The Flanagan Institute goes on to develop a mind-machine interface called the psycommu (psycho-communicator) system, which receives these thoughtwaves and translates them into computer commands. Using this interface a Newtype pilot can direct remote weapons, and operate huge mobile armors, by thought alone. The Principality forces based at the asteroid Axis succeed in miniaturizing the psycommu system, so that it can be installed in regular-sized mobile suits like the AMX-004 Qubeley.

History
A next-generation mobile suit developed based on the Principality of Zeon's MAN-08 Elmeth mobile armor, the AMX-004 Qubeley served as the personal machine of Axis leader Haman Karn. The Qubeley was fielded near the end of Gryps Conflict, fighting against Quattro Bajeena and his MSN-00100 Hyaku Shiki. Despite Quattro being one of the best mobile suit pilots and his Hyaku Shiki being one of the most advanced mobile suits fielded by the AEUG during the Gryps Conflict, they were simply outmatched by Haman and her Qubeley.

The Qubeley continued to serve as Haman's personal mobile suit throughout the First Neo Zeon War. An improved variant known as the AMX-004 Qubeley Mk-II was also developed during this time and two units were built. Near the end of the war, Haman and her Qubeley would duel against Judau Ashta and his MSZ-010 ΖΖ Gundam. The fight ended in a draw with both machines disabling each other, but instead of surrendering Haman crashed the Qubeley into an asteroid fragment, destroying both the mobile suit and herself.

Variants

 * AMX-004 Qubeley Mk-II
 * MAN-103 Qubeley
 * MS-35 Hachicca

Notes & Trivia

 * Qubeley's name is likely derived from the Greek goddess "Cybele". Cybele embodies the fertile Earth, a goddess of caverns and mountains, walls and fortresses, nature, wild animals (especially lions and bees). Phrygian Cybele is often identified with the Hittite-Hurrian goddess Hebat, though this latter deity might have been the origin of only Anatolian Kubaba. The Greeks frequently conflated the two names, the Anatolian "Kubaba" and the Phrygian "Kybele", to refer to the Phrygian deity.
 * Qubeley has the words "2LMES" engraved on its back near the left shoulder binder, which can be seen in its Gunpla incarnations. This possibly denotes it being the successor of the MAN-08 Elmeth. (LMES in Japanese phonics will result in LMETH)
 * In the anime, the Qubeley is sometimes portrayed as having two mono-eyes while other times it is portrayed as having the traditional single mono-eye.
 * In Gundam Battle Assault 2, Qubeley can only be played by using a Gameshark device.

Appearances

 * Television Series
 * Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
 * Episode 43, Haman's Victory - (First Appearance)
 * Episode 46, Scirocco Rises
 * Episode 47, A Descent into the Maelstrom
 * Episode 49, Casualties of War
 * Episode 50, Riders in the Skies


 * Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
 * Episode 47, Warrior, Once More...