>padded armor everywhere >except for the cockpit hatch,

>>14968655
and the hatch is red

Adding any more armor to that general area would just make access more difficult. Besides which, the cockpit isn't the most likely place to be hit given the difficulties in aiming at a moving target at distance. It's also likely that the pilot isn't directly behind the hatch regardless.

>>14968655
The additional weight would surpass the opening mechanism's weight limit.

>>14968655
Regardless of where the cockpit is, if your MS is getting shot in the head or chest, you're a shit pilot.

File: Zaku Fz.jpg (183KB, 1200x1651px) Image search: [Google]

183KB, 1200x1651px

>>14968665
Zaku Fz did it first

>>14968655

The hatch is already the most thickly armored piece of the gundam. It's literally a slab of armor.

The padded armor just brings the other parts of the gundam up to the hatch's level of armor.

>>14968655
Makes me wonder if the cockpit already has the same armor thickness as the additional armor, yet the waverider crash tells me otherwise.

Whats important is the plot armor OP

>>14968697

And we all know how that ended up.

>>14968700
The Zeta was going full speed and rammed its pointed shield into The O. Even then, it only penetrated enough to squash Scirocco. The armor is pretty thick.

>>14968655
Where do i get me one of those?

>he's never tried to open a bulletproof door
Shit's heavy yo

>>14970927
ebay
They are expensive as fuck, its the Ka Signature toyline, overseen by Katoki.

Expect to pay between $150-$200

>>14968655
Probably because it looks nice. In world explanation, it's already well armored it doesn't need more additional layers and that also save cost. Besides, if the MS is boosting forward the cockpit will be the least exposed out of the torso. And the shield could do the job in covering the cockpit.

Though the NT-1 does have armor that protects the cockpit, the drawback of Alex armor design that it can't use shield and rifles effectively. The gattling on the arm is unusable at all.

>>14971152
>Buying used goods from anything but Mandarake

It's almost as if you enjoy being swindled or something!

>>14972578
>Used
You can get new on ebay. I went to Mandarake, annoying website layout and I couldnt just buy things with paypal, Hobbylink Japan is so much easier, Mandarake should make it easier for people to buy from them.

>>14972591
You can just buy with Paypal. Mandarake on average is cheaper than most places and used on their usually means it's just been handled. I've bought hundreds of items from there and only had a problem with 1 item which they partially refunded.

File: 199_1_c4c5929124b13d8-800x800.jpg (77KB, 800x477px)

77KB, 800x477px

>>14968686
>>14968690
It didn't seem to be an issue with the Duel, since it had additional cockpit hatch armour. It basically just incorporated a separate hatch into the chest piece that went over the first one.

>>14968665
Well how else would the enemy know where to shoot?

>>14972835
yeah but this is SEED were talking about here.
That PS armor was suppose to be ballistic proof in the first place. This shit was a gimmick to sell models. MK-II FA however was designed to correct an actual in series issue with the Mk-II, that of only having Titanium armor. Literally Vulcans were shooting that shit up.

File: Mobile_Suit_Gundam_Katana_Front_Page.jpg (393KB, 1024x774px) Image search: [Google]

393KB, 1024x774px

>>14972570
Hence the corrections made to the FA Mode later on.

>>14973204
Mind you, Phase Shift, especially the initial implementation, is notorious for its power consumption. Kitting Duel out with a Full Armor enclosure makes a lot of sense as a means to reduce the machine's dependency on a power intensive active defense measure.

This isn't something like the nanolaminate armor in IBO where it just passively tanks physical hits as long as it's exposed to ahab waves (coughGusioncough).

>>14973204
>>14973255
But then having extra armour is still usable for ablating beams, and it was that very fact that let the Duel take an otherwise fatal beam hit to keep going and score Yzak his first druggie kill.

File: fa-178.jpg (32KB, 307x400px) Image search: [Google]

32KB, 307x400px

>>14968655

I love the FA MkII, but I agree on this point. The lack of double armor for the cockpit has always bothered me. A lot.

>>14972835
>It didn't seem to be an issue with the duel

Yeah, which is a different MS, from a different universe, it could exceed the Mk.II mechanism's weight.