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An original hand-painted production cel of Mercurius on its matching key master production background from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995). Mercurius appears as one of the OZ mobile suits designed by the prodigious scientist team that originally created the Gundams, engineered for defence and strategy rather than brute force. Alongside the Vayeate, it represents a turning point in the Gundam Wing narrative, blurring the line between human ingenuity and the escalating autonomy of war machines.
This outstanding setup captures the crimson Mercurius mecha poised against a rocky cliff face, its mono-eye glowing with calculated precision. Painted in intense red tones against the cool blues of the hand-painted background, the contrast creates a striking sense of depth and tension. The cel sits directly over its original key master background, the exact pairing used under camera during production, an increasingly rare survival from the Gundam Wing series. This cel is marked "88" and "A13 E".
The craftsmanship of this setup reflects the peak of mid-1990s cel animation, before the industry-wide shift to digital techniques. The hand-painted highlights on Mercurius's armour and the layered brushwork of the background create a cinematic composition, each element showing the collaborative artistry of the Sunrise studio team.
Key master setups from Gundam Wing are exceptionally scarce, as most were separated during archiving and reuse for production purposes. The survival of both the cel and the original painted background makes this an important and highly desirable piece for collectors of Gundam and anime art alike. Dimensions: 23.5 cm x 26.5 cm (9.25" x 10.5")
Sold without copyright; see copyright notice in the Terms and Conditions.
Estimate: £400 - 800 M
View all lots from GUNDAM FRANCHISE (1979-PRESENT)