GN-001/hs-A01D Gundam Avalanche Exia' — written with a trailing apostrophe and usually called the Avalanche Exia Dash — is the space-use version of the GN-001/hs-A01 Avalanche Exia, introduced in Mobile Suit Gundam 00V: Battlefield Record. The airframe underneath is still the Exia, flown by Setsuna F. Seiei.
What it does in the story
It debuts in the Meteor Nacht incident, when an unexplained explosion sends a large asteroid at Lagrange Point 1 toward Earth. Veda does not back sending the Gundams out, and the Meisters go anyway: Setsuna as vanguard, Allelujah in the Kyrios Gust catching what survives re-entry, and Lockon firing from the ground with the Super Substratospheric Altitude Gun. Setsuna begins with the GN Sword's rifle mode, judges it too slow, and closes in to cut the asteroid apart instead.
What makes it different
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The Dash Unit is a leg package that works by moving mass.
Parts on the shoulders, the knees and the back of the legs unfold away from the centre of gravity, which is what lifts its AMBAC attitude control. GN Condensers inside the unit also discharge stored particles through the verniers.
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It can put four beam sabers on one target.
Two sabers are held in the hands and two more fire from the GN Claws on the Dash Unit, so one pass can cut from four directions — which is how the suit is used on the asteroid.
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Burst Mode is a particle screen, not an output boost.
The mode scatters GN Particles at high density across the battlefield to make conditions favourable for the suit, and the data gathered from it later shaped Celestial Being's Trans-Am tactics. If this machine uses Trans-Am, it does so in Burst Mode.
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It exists because the Avalanche was an atmosphere design.
The original Avalanche Unit was built to give the Exia aircraft-like speed inside an atmosphere; the Dash Unit makes the same idea work in space, and it is heavier at 8.7 t against 4.9 t.
How big is it?
- Head height: 18.3 m according to Bandai's official spec
- Weight: 65.9 t with the Dash Unit fitted, of which the unit itself accounts for 8.7 t
- 1/144: roughly 12.7 cm
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Frequently asked questions
1. Is Avalanche Exia Dash the official name?
The designation is GN-001/hs-A01D Gundam Avalanche Exia', and the trailing apostrophe is what separates it from the hs-A01. Dash is the name in general use, and it refers to the Dash Unit mounted on the legs.
2. Can it fight without the Dash Unit?
It can, but the unit carries the condensers and the GN Claws, so removing it costs both the extra attitude control and two of the four beam sabers. The suit is built around the package rather than able to shed it as ballast.
3. Why did Setsuna stop shooting the asteroid from a distance?
The rifle kept him safe but was too slow for the time available. Cutting the asteroid changed its centre of gravity as well as reducing its size, which altered the angle at which the pieces would enter the atmosphere.
4. Does this version carry Trans-Am?
Yes. It has the Trans-Am System released from the GN Drive's black box: thrust and output rise to three times normal for a limited period and the suit turns red, then performance drops until the stored particles recover.
Background sources: GN-001/hs-A01D Gundam Avalanche Exia' — Gundam Wiki · ガンダムシリーズの登場機動兵器一覧（機動戦士ガンダム00V戦記）— 日本語版 Wikipedia
