Let’s now take a look at the third - and final - of the Dilanza model kits, with the first one that was ever released - Guel’s Dilanza:
Spoiler Preface!!!
This post contains spoilers for Witch from Mercury. You may want to skip it if you haven’t watched the show.
About the Mobile Suit
Here is what the Gundam Wiki has to say:
Among the basic MS Dilanza units developed by Jeturk Heavy Machinery, a number have been customized for their pilots. One of these has been modified to suit the piloting style of Guel Jeturk, heir to the company. Its outward appearance has also been tailored to fit Guel's penchant for the ostentatious. Painted in a vivid magenta and fitted with a decorative headpiece, this unit embodies the skill and unshakable self-confidence which made Guel, Asticassia's best pilot. It gives the impression that no other unit could be worthy of such a pilot.
Basically, this is the mobile suit that Guel used before the start of the show (before getting the Darilbalde) and with which he racked up all of his school duel wins.
Weapons and Stuff
Guel’s Dilanza has the same standard weapons as its siblings, but it also comes with its own unique melee weapon, the Beam Partisan. It’s a massive, three bladed beam polearm.
It also has its own unique shoulder shields with spikes on them, which seems to be yet another reference to the Zaku II.
Appearances in the Show
We first see this MS right in the opening episode, as Guel racks up another quick win against an opponent:
Then he gets into another duel against Miorine, who steals Aerial to do so. However, since she’s not a pilot, the fight doesn’t go too well, and it looks like Guel is about to cruise to another win:
But then Aerial’s actual pilot shows up to take over, and the results are brutal. Activating its GUND Bits, Aerial literally shoots the Dilanza into pieces:
And that’s that, at least for a while. But in the penultimate episode of the show, Guel’s Dilanza makes a second appearance. With his brother Lauda gone mad and piloting the Gundam Schwarzette, Guel sorties to stop him in his now repaired Dilanza, this time with its limiters disabled:
I’m not going to say that it holds its own against the Schwarzette, as it gets pretty torn up again:
But either due to Guel being a good pilot (or Lauda being a bad pilot (or because the Dilanza is actually a pretty good mobile suit with its limiters off)), it manages to stay alive long enough for a final standoff … which Guel purposefully loses in order to atone for his sins throughout the show and/or snap his brother out of his madness:
Thankfully, someone else from Jeturk House shows up with a fire extinguisher gun:
And with that, Guel and his mobile suit both live to see another day:
About the Build
I think you’ll forgive me if I’m getting a bit tired of building all these Dilanzas, but I think I have enough energy to do one more.
My only note about the build is that I have a partial set of waterslide decals for this one, with decals specific for Guel’s Dilanza. Most of them are placed on the shoulders, so we’re going to see what one of these looks like with a marked up upper body, and a bare lower half. Will it look fine? Will it loon ugly? We’ll see!