Now that Wing Zero is done, let’s build Epyon:
I’m not really sure if I’m looking forward to it, but it would be weird to have one without the other, so let’s push through.
Reassessing my Feelings
When I built the Master Grade Epyon back in 2017, I had many unkind words for the mobile suit. I called it the worst design in all of Gundam Wing, and described it as a “pile of spikes”.
In retrospect, there is a grain of truth to my remarks, in the sense that the original Epyon design does have some issues (more on that in a second). But it’s also clear that I was trying to be an edgelord[^1] and a contrarian. OG Epyon has problems, but I didn’t need to go for the throat like I did.
So let’s try again and reassess the design of Epyon. What should we make of it …?
… okay, sorry, I actually don’t have anything really interesting to say about it. My current feelings about Epyon are pretty much exactly how I feel about many other Gundam Wing designs: I think the design is a bit goofy and ridiculous, but it doesn’t lean into that enough. For example, at the very least I think its wings and sword could both be larger (maybe it’s shoulder armor too). It needs to be more intimidating.
I also now think that Epyon was particularly hurt by Gundam Wing’s poor animation quality. This is an extremely intricate design - or at least it should be. But the details and complexity are just not there.
If it had more definition, and if the proportions were improved, I think it could look like a pretty good version of an Evil Gundam. But it’s just not there in its original form.
A Lineage of Evil Gundams
I didn't think about this back in 2017, but it's clear to me now that Epyon was meant to be Gundam Wing's version of Master Gundam (which, I might remind you, appeared in the show that was immediately prior to Wing):
And if we look at the show that was immediately after Wing, it seems that Epyon was in turn the inspiration for Gundam Visrago.
I think it's so interesting that Sunrise kept chasing this particular "Evil Gundam" aesthetic for three shows in a row. Was this something that Kunio Okawara was fixated on, or was it a case of executive meddling?
About the Model Kit
And this brings us to this Real Grade version. Whoever Bandai has had working on their Gundam Wing Real Grades, they seem to know exactly what needs to change on these designs in order to help them reach their true potential. They did miracles with Wing Gundam, and we just saw that they did a pretty good job with Wing Zero too, so I’m hoping they’ll work their magic once again with Epyon.
(this is going to sound stupid, but I can’t quite tell from the promotional photos just how much of an improvement it might be, or if I’m going to like it. This is a build where I’ll need to get my hands on it to tell)
Comparisons with the Master Grade
I know I’ve said this before, but in this case it bears repeating. At a certain point in the past I had a bunch of bad memories that became associated with Master Grade Wing Zero and Epyon, so I ended up giving them to my kids to play with. Wing Zero was so badly destroyed that I tossed it out, but I still have some of Epyon lying around. I’m not going to do a blow by blow comparison of the two, but I will do so wherever it feels particularly interesting.
Do keep in mind, though, that the Master Grade Epyon is the Endless Waltz redesign of the mobile suit, whereas the Real Grade is based on the original TV show design, so there will be some notable differences between them in some regards.
Epyon in Action
Epyon doesn’t appear on screen until Episode 34 of Gundam Wing, but once it debuts, it gets quite a lot of screen time. Enough so that I’d have to go back and watch quite a few full episodes if I were to try and give you a blow by blow chronicle of all its major moments.
At this moment that’s not something I have the energy or willingness to do (apologies to anyone who might have been looking forward to something like that). The best I could muster is watching assorted clips of Epyon in action, which was … informative.
Let’s put it this way: when you see Wing Zero flying around really fast, it doesn’t feel surprising, because it’s got those big extra thrusters in its wing binders. Of course it’s going to move fast.
Epyon, however, has just two standard-sized thrusters on its backpack. And yet when watching those clips, I was reminded of the fact that Epyon is pretty much always animated as if it’s moving at blazing speed. It closes the gap and kill its foes before they can even react.
But it’s never explained how it is able to generate this speed. I suppose we are meant to assume that either the wings have embedded thrusters that we somehow can’t see, or the whole thing is based on the simple cartoon logic that “big wings = big speed while flying”
The fact that the situation is clear as mud is actually on brand for the show. Deathscythe has the same MO (“move in fast before they can see you”), and it only has a single thruster nozzle on its backpack. In Gundam Wing, the size and quantity of thrusters clearly has no bearing on how fast a mobile suit is. Rather, they are as fast as they need to be.
Other Thoughts
It’s interesting to think about just how much Epyon is inspired by Wing Gundam. They both have talons on their arms, they both have wings, they both have green gems in their chest, and they both transform into flight mode.
This makes perfect sense in-universe, as Epyon’s designer, Treize Kushrenada had previously encountered the five Gundams and new of their capabilities. I just think it’s interesting that it took me this long to make this connection.
Here’s another thought. We know that at some point, Gundam Wing was going to be a sequel/spiritual successor to G Gundam, with the same idea of giving the mobile suits international themes:
So here’s a question - was Epyon’s design borne from this original concept? It’s one thing to make it look evil, but making it explicitly look like a dragon feels like a G Gundam kind of thing.
It’s also incongruous. Treize is a classy nobleman who seems to be somewhat obsessed with aesthetic. He just doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would design something that looks like Epyon. But if it’s a design that the real world creative team didn’t want to throw away, then that would explain things.
It would also further explain why, when they went to make Endless Waltz, they went back to the drawing board and essentially replaced Epyon with the Tallgeese III. It basically has the same gear, but is much more in line with Treize’s style (remember that he piloted the Tallgeese II at the end of the TV show):
