Technology & Combat Characteristics
The MBF-P02 Gundam Astray Red Frame is one of five identical prototype mobile suits developed by Orb using stolen data from the Earth Alliance's G Project. Its original concept was to be a MS that could be piloted by Naturals, and it was eventually installed with an incomplete, Natural-use OS. Most of the technologies from the G Project were successfully copied with the exception of Phase Shift armor. In its place, the prototype Gundam Astrays were equipped with lightweight foaming metal armor. To compensate for the reduction in defensive power due to the weaker armor, the prototype Gundam Astrays were made to be lighter and more maneuverable than their G Project counterparts. This design philosophy of using superior maneuverability to compensate for inferior armor were later inherited by Orb's mass production mobile suits. All five prototype Gundam Astrays were also designed with a backpack that can be lowered to the back skirt armor, allowing the mounting of additional equipment on the back.
The Red Frame initially had the same armaments as the other prototype Gundam Astrays, consisting of two head-mounted "Igelstellung" 75mm multi-barrel CIWS, two backpack-mounted beam sabers, a Type 71 beam rifle, and a physical shield. Red Frame's pilot, Lowe Guele, eventually acquired another armament – the "Gerbera Straight" katana. To wield this katana effectively, the Red Frame's OS was modified. Lowe also created a 150 meter long version of this sword, however it cannot be carried by the Red Frame in its normal configuration. Lowe also designed a set of upgrades for Red Frame, but they were used to repair Gai's damaged MBF-P03 Gundam Astray Blue Frame instead. When there is a need for flight capability, the Red Frame can be equipped with the Flight Unit and when it needs to dive underwater, it can use the Salvage Unit. After his return from Mars, Lowe developed the Caletvwlch and the Ddraig Head. The former is a multifunctional handheld equipment, while the latter is a special head unit with enhanced sensors, and is designed to complement the Caletvwlch.
Like other mobile suits that use beam weapons, the Red Frame is equipped with hand plugs to exchange energy with weapons the mobile suit carries. Although considered a misuse of the system, the energy from the hand plug can be manipulated into an energy ball and discharged. This is often used by Lowe as an emergency weapon, for example to temporarily blind enemies. The mysterious organization, Librarian Works, later created a copy of the Red Frame. Known as Replica Red Frame, it has the same capabilities as the real Red Frame.
History
In C.E. 71, the Orb Union's Morgenröte corporation built five Gundam Astray prototype mobile suits at Heliopolis, the MBF-P01 Gundam Astray Gold Frame, MBF-P02 Gundam Astray Red Frame, MBF-P03 Gundam Astray Blue Frame,MBF-P04 Gundam Astray Green Frame and MBF-P05 Gundam Astray Unit 5 (which was later modified into MBF-P05LM Gundam Astray Mirage Frame), which were based on the five G Project Gundams that they assisted the Earth Alliance's Atlantic Federation in creating. They successfully copied the EA's beam rifle and saber technology, but Morgenröte did not have access to the Phase Shift armor design, and compensated by making the Gundam Astray units lighter and more agile than their EA counterparts. Unlike the Gold Frame, the Red Frame was fitted with Orb-only hand plugs, and thus could not use Earth Alliance weapons.
On January 25, C.E. 71, ZAFT's attack on Heliopolis to steal the Alliance Gundams also unknowingly interrupted the Astray Project. In order to hide their progress, Orb's officials decided to destroy the Astray lab. Coordinator Rondo Gina Sahaku, an Orb nobleman, disagreed and attempted to save the three suits, Gold Frame, Red Frame and Blue Frame, that were assembled. He ordered one of his subordinate to split all the Astray data among the three and Red Frame was uploaded with the incomplete Natural-use OS. This proved fortunate for Junk Guild merchant/technician/pilot Lowe Guele, who discovered Red Frame (as well as Blue Frame and Gold Frame's discarded right arm) shortly afterward, while searching the remains of Heliopolis for valuable salvage. Lowe initially clashed with Gai Murakumo of the Serpent Tail mercenary company, who had been hired to eliminate all evidence of the Astray program, but the two joined forces when Gai's employer seemingly double-crossed him; having seen the mobile suits, Gai himself had become evidence of the program's existence. Gai took control of Blue Frame, and the two Astray pilots encountered one another several more times, sometimes as allies and sometimes on opposing sides. They soon became friends and when Gai's MBF-P03 Gundam Astray Blue Frame was damaged during a battle with the Socius clones, Lowe readily offered the use of Red Frame's new upgrade parts to repair the damaged MS. On one of his earliest missions, he encountered the Silverwind under attack from a Nelson-class battleship, and diverted their attack long enough for Lacus Clyne to escape.
Many people and groups attempted to steal Red Frame from Lowe, but his combination of resourcefulness and luck caused these attempts to all fail. The most notable was by Orb test pilot Juri Wu Nien, undercover as Junk Guild technician recruit Marlin, who briefly took control of Red Frame in an attempt to test its Natural-use OS. In the process, she and Lowe accidentally discovered that energy discharged from the Red Frame's hand plugs could be utilized as a make-shift weapon, and it was used to destroy the sensors of another mercenary mobile suit that had come to take Red Frame. Lowe later put this misuse of the system to good use in a battle with Gold Frame pilot Rondo Ghina Sahaku, using it as a last-ditch weapon to destroy Gold Frame's head but the attack also damaged Red Frame's arm. Fortunately, Lowe still had Gold Frame's discarded arm from the Heliopolis factory, and used it as a replacement. He then brought Red Frame to Orb, where it was fully repaired at the Morgenröte headquarters. Lowe also bought the severed head of a TMF/TR-2 BuCUE Tactical Reconnaissance Type at a black market auction and mounted it on Red Frame's right arm to utilize the head's double-bladed beam saber. However, this unusual weapon was lost almost immediately afterward during a ZAFT attack.
After getting repaired at Morgenröte, Lowe would use the Red Frame to aid in the construction, and then defend the Giga-Float mass driver from attack until it was complete. Afterward the Red Frame would be taken back into space where Lowe would use it, alongside Gai's MBF-P03 Gundam Astray Blue Frame, to battle Rondo Ghina Sahaku's MBF-P01-ReAMATU Gundam Astray Gold Frame Amatsu, resulting in the latter's death.
After creating the Power Loader, Lowe used it with the Red Frame and the 150 meter long katana, "Gerbera Straight" Vol.2, to slice the fragments of Junius Seven in half to prevent it from crashing into other PLANTs. Later, when the Cornelius-class ship, ReHome, was attacked by ZAFT pilot Ash Gray and his ZGMF-X11A Regenerate Gundam, Lowe used the Red Frame with the Power Loader and the "Gerbera Straight" Vol.2 to engage the new foe. However, the Power Loader was destroyed by Ash. Following this battle, Lowe, with help from Jean Carry, upgraded the Red Frame to the "Powered Red" configuration to wield the "Gerbera Straight" Vol.2 more easily. Working together with Gai's Serpent Tail, Lowe then defeated the Regenerate with the Powered Red. Afterwards, Lowe reverted Red Frame to its original form.
After leaving for Mars, Lowe created the "Mars Jacket" armor for his Red Frame, with which the suit was still equipped after it returned to the Earth Sphere. It was here that the suit was stolen by Deago Lowell, a Mars colonist who came back with Lowe. Deago used the Mars Jacket Red Frame during the "Break the World" terrorist attack of October CE 73, where it used one of its katanas to slice apart pieces of Junius Seven in an effort to reduce the damage caused as they fell to Earth. Deago eventually returned the stolen suit, with Lowe afterwards transferring the "Mars Jacket" armor to an MWF-JG73 Civilian Astray JG Custom.
In Mobile Suit Gundam SEED VS Astray, another Red Frame was deployed by Librarian Works and piloted by the Carbon Human version of Un'no. This replica Red Frame was built by the organization from scratch, and its power and abilities are exactly the same as the real Red Frame. Lowe's Red Frame was later damaged by the Librarian Works's LN-GAT-X207 Nebula Blitz Gundam, piloted by Lily Thevalley. After this, the Red Frame was repaired and equipped with the Tactical Arms IIL, becoming the MBF-P02Kai Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai. Sometime after the defeat of the Librarian Works, Lowe reverted the Red Frame Kai back to the basic Red Frame.
