I think this may be the best entry point into UC (i.e. mainline) Gundam.

I think I agree. It doesn’t require any prior UC knowledge to enjoy and it’s my favorite entry in UC anyways, and tied with Build Fighters as my favorite Gundam anime overall.

Doing so takes the focus away from the cool robots and instead be in-your-face with its core message: war is bad.

Don’t forget the other essential core message: “Economic oppression leads to war”

I’m not sure how to describe [Apocalypse Hotel], except that it is very good. It does a bit of everything and does them well.

I think what makes it hard to describe is that the tone and style of the show varies wildly episode to episode. I agree though, great show.