History Main / MetaMecha

* The Huckebein Mk III from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha'' is able to equip a suit of PoweredArmor called the Boxer Frame. The frame can also detach and transform into a ''flying surfboard'', just [[RuleOfCool for the hell of it]].
** Surf''sword'', actually. It was constructed from an incomplete mech intended to become a sword for the [[CombiningMecha SRX]].

** The Space Marines have the Centurion armor, which is essentially a huge, unwieldy suit of PowerArmor wrapped around the pilot's normal PowerArmor and loaded down with either terrifying amounts of firepower or tank-shredding drills with built-in flamethrowers. [[WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice The Emperor]] loves the [[{{Foreshadowing}} Imperial Fist]] Centurion, calling it a "big teddy bear" while he holds the Dreadknight in disdain.

*** That varies according to the storyline used. For example, the Western ''{{Transformers}}'' canon, the Headmasters were organic aliens who wore exo-suits allowing them to transform into the robots' heads. The Japanese ''Headmasters'' series (taking place after "The Return of Optimus Prime" but ignoring the GrandFinale three-parter, "The Rebirth") had them as a separate race of (human-sized) robots who built Transformer-sized exo-suits called Transtectors to better interact with the Autobots. There were also Headmaster Juniors, which were humans who donned Transformer-like armor. In general, the point of variation is whether the body is a fully sentient (albeit headless) robot who considers the head a partner, or effectively just a suit of PowerArmor for the head.

* Tony's Hulk Buster armor in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' works like this, an extra-large suit of power armor that he wears over his Iron Man armor.
** ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' later reveals that the Hulk Buster armor is still operable without an intermediary set of power armor, however.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack'' AnimatedAdaptation had the arquillians which used {{Mobile Suit Human}}s and one episode had a Microcephalopoid, which piloted a Mobile Suit Arquillian while piloting a Mobile Suit Human.

* Much like the example in Comic Books, ''Film/IronMan'' uses this method while suiting up in his Hulkbuster armor in order to fight [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk2008 Hulk]] in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''. Suffice to say, despite putting up a valiant fight it doesn't work as well as Tony hoped. The only way Tony can beat Hulk is by cheating, by way of a [[CallBack sucker punch]].
-->''[Hulk is struck by Tony's [[ImprovisedWeapon elevator]] [[EpicFlail flail]]; he spits out a [[TeethFlying single tooth]] and '''[[DeathGlare glares]]''' at him]''\\
'''Tony Stark:''' ''[meekly]'' [[ThisIsGonnaSuck I'm sorry]]...

* Poppibuster in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2''. It's a large robot piloted by Poppi Mk. II, a robot body remotely controlled by [[RobotGirl Poppi]].

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' has a surprise somewhere in the middle season: the MightyGlacier Gundam Virtue is revealed to be just a PoweredArmor of a smaller FragileSpeedster, Gundam Nadleeh. Dropping Virtue's armor off enables Nadleeh's pilot to play JudgeJuryAndExecutioner on his teammates if he's dissatisfied with them.

*** And ''Anime/Gundam00AwakeningOfTheTrailblazer'' introduces the Raphael Gundam, whose backpack is the Seravee II.

* The big twist in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero 3'' is that the being known and feared worldwide as [[WorldsStrongestMan Omega]] [[spoiler:is actually for all intents and purposes just a large suit of PowerArmor for the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots human-sized Reploid]] piloting it. That Reploid being [[TomatoInTheMirror the original body of Zero reprogrammed with an insane and bloodthirsty personality]].]]
* Ride Armors in the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series, which is a series of PoweredArmor piloted by Reploids and humanoid mechaniloids.

* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' has the Interface Cockpit System, which allows a mech to be piloted by a person in a special [[PowerArmor Battle Armor (Light)]] suit rather than using a traditional neurohelmet and command couch. This allows a couple of advantages- the battle armor protects the pilot both from injury and from the high temperatures of a normal mech cockpit, and it allows for the removal of the mech's gyro, among other things. However, the system is experimental and extremely rare, having shown up on only three mechs so far. Fans [[FanNickname immediately dubbed]] mechs using the system "[[Franchise/TheTransformers Headmasters]]".

* Much like the example in Comic Books, ''Film/IronMan'' uses this method while suiting up in his Hulkbuster armor in order to fight [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''. Suffice to say, despite putting up a valiant fight it doesn't work as well as Tony hoped. The only way Tony can beat Hulk is by cheating, by way of a [[CallBack sucker punch]].

* ''Toys/LEGOExoForce'' had this with Ha-Ya-To's Aero Booster, a smaller machine strapped to a massive jet engine that could detach from it.
* ''Toys/HotWheels'' have Haul-Teration a detachable trailer that transforms into a robot that can attach a Zombot inside it.
* ''Toys/NexoKnights'' had this for the final battle depicted in the Tech Wizard Showdown set, with Clay piloting his Battle Suit and using that to pilot an even larger mecha.
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