i feel like after a lot of thought a defining gundam design trait is the way they do the armor skirt. the late uc designs can feel like they're from totally different series b/c of the head but the waist area is really very familiar
so the original gundam is TOTALLY covered in armor when the legs and arms aren't pivoted, but the mark ii and the zeta say fuck it and have exposed elbows and knees
One reason I like the Baund Doc, the Gaza-C, and the Messala so much is that they're all transforming MSes that make obvious concessions to their nature as a transforming robot. Every one of them looks weird in both forms, because it has to support the other. I think it's cool