Gundam Sentinel

Gundam Sentinel (ガンダム・センチネル, Gandamu Senchineru?) is a novel set in the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam universe, originally serialized in Model Graphix magazine between September 1987 and August 1988. Gundam Sentinel became a cult hit, due to its super-detailed mechanical designs and an intricate story by veteran writer Masaya Takahashi. Set between the final phase of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and the early stages of ZZ Gundam in UC 0088, the story shows the Earth Federation's efforts to stop an insurrection of elite Federation officers.

Gundam Sentinel took on a much more realistic, technical style of thinking and look at the Gundam universe, where mobile suits were seen more as fighter jets or military weapons. They were larger, had weapons more powerful than their predecessors', the characters were older, and the plot was on a smaller scale than what is usually found in other Gundam series. It also marked the debut of Hajime Katoki, who would become one of the franchise's most prolific mechanical designers. Gundam Sentinel is one of the most well known Gundam side stories to have been published, and is noted by Gundam fans as being one of the most mature stories in the franchise.

The series was never animated (although a short animated television commercial for a model kit was made) or released as a manga, but the mecha have been featured in various SD Gundam video games, such as SD Gundam G Generation F.

After the series completed its run, Model Graphix combined all of the individual articles into a 320-page photo-novel titled Gundam Wars III: Gundam Sentinel -The Battle of Real Gundam-, which also includes new material. It was released in September 1989 and is highly regarded as one of the best Gundam novels ever written. In July 1990, the story was again republished as a novel titled Gundam Sentinel: Alice's Confession. Gundam Wars III was also reprinted in 1994, but it only has articles on the model kits, shortening its size to only 216 pages.