MS-06 Zaku II

The MS-06 Zaku II is a mobile suit from the "Mobile Suit Gundam" metaverse. It is redesigned by Kunio Okawara based upon the earlier draft by the series director Yoshiyuki Tomino, in which only the name was kept. The Zaku II has seen various redesigns and variants for hundreds of pieces of merchandise, and the Japanese post office has two stamps with Zaku II's on them. [http://yushu.or.jp/english/e_sdate/00jpn/00comm/00oct23c1.html The 20th Century Stamp Series 15] ] [http://yushu.or.jp/english/e_sdate/05jpn/05kine/050801c1.html Animation Hero and Heroine Series II "Gundam"] ] . The Zaku's aesthetic can be seen in more symbolic homages in the Gundam mythos, such as GINN and ZAKU Warrior from "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" and Busshi from "Mobile Fighter G Gundam".

After the original show's run, Okawara and other designers created a number of variants of the Zaku. Many of these modified configurations never appeared in animation, but they are official Mobile Suit Variations, appearing instead in plastic model form and in various Gundam video games. The MS-06 Zaku is still a major force in Gundam with almost every new side story in the Universal Century adding a new variant to the basic frame.

Concept and Development

Although the original concept of the Zaku is just a disposable underling, with its name derived from the sound of a huge man (or many soldiers) walking and the Japanese term "雑魚 (zako)", meaning "inferior fish", signifying expendable grunts. [アニメック(Animec) 16th issue special volume, 機動戦士ガンダム大事典 (Mobile suit Gundam Encyclopedia), 1 March 1981, Yoshiyuki Tomino Interview, そうですね、ザクなんかでも………大きい人が歩いてくると地面がザクッザクッと音をだしますね、それからとったんですよ。(笑), "Yes, Zaku whatever... is when a huge man walking the ground will make Zaku, Zaku sound, and it took that (for its name) (laughter)"] [ガンダム･エイジ (Gundam Age), 洋泉社, 敵のモビルスーツのザクは、もともとは、雑兵っていうか、雑魚(ザコ)なのね。でも、ザコじゃあんまりだ。やつら軍隊だから、軍団でザクザクやってくるでしょ。だからザクにしようって, Enemy's Mobile suit Zaku is originally (designed as) a common soldier, disposable underling (Zako). However, saying it is an underling is too extreme, they are a military force and flanks of army make the Zaku Zaku sound, thus it was named Zaku.] In the later days, it is better known as a common military unit that symbolize the realism of the "Mobile Suit Gundam" series and it is the first mobile suit to feature its parts (a damaged head) and is shown in 3 of the 4 box arts in the 1/35 U.C. Hard Graph line of plastic models made by Bandai, which heavily resembles real battle fields. [ [http://www.gundam-hardgraph.net/products/ U.C. Hard Graph products] ] This militaristic development did not start just recently, but actually started on the first release of Gundam series models in 1980, where military modellers at that time was amazed by the 1/144 scale Zaku model being so natural when placed in World War I and World War II 1/144 models, and modellers started to build them like AFVs. [Dengeki Hobby Nov 2006 issue, Gundam Military] The popularity of the first batch of the models spawned the "Mobile Suit Variations" where the mecha designer Kunio Okawara started designing variant mobile suits that perform different tasks or adapt to different combat zones. The MS-06 Zaku II unit then became the unit with most variants [Dengeki Hobby June 2007, MG Zaku Ver. 2.0 Interview of the 12 year anniversary of MG Zaku] (22 alone in the first MSV all having its own model compared to the unit named after the series RX-78-2 Gundam with only 3 variants). It could be said that the Zaku is the origin of MSV.MSV's origin = Zaku, Dengeki Hobby July 2007] The Zaku also got a few redesigns and variants by other mecha designers, like the famous Katoki Hajime, who designed the MS-06F2 Zaku II Type F2 for ' and redesigned the Zaku II Ground Type and Char's Commander type Zaku for the MG (Master Grade) number 97 and 98 Zaku Ver. 2.0, Yutaka Izubuchi, who is famous for his designs in "Patlabor" to design the MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai for '.

The design of the Zaku II influenced the later designs of the RMS-106 Hi-Zack in "Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam" and AMX-011 Zaku III in "Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ". The RMS-116H Hobby Hizack, not a military-use but a personal entertainment suit, which appeared in "" is also a descendant of the Zaku. Its descendants continue to appear, even in Manga stories like the OMS-06RF RF Zaku in "Mobile Suit Gundam F90". [機動戦士ガンダム MS-06解体新書 (MS-06 Anatomy), ティーツー出版, ISBN：4-88749-055-0]

Role in plot

The Zaku II is the most common Zeon mobile suit during the beginning of the show. Although a threat to unskilled characters, the Zaku is ultimately cannon fodder that comes in plentiful numbers for the Gundam.

In the Gundam timeline, the Zaku appears as one of the first units created for battle in the series. Because of its antiquated nature, the Zaku II quickly becomes inferior to newer and more powerful mobile suits. Because the Zaku II is the basic military unit of the Zeon forces, and because it is a mass production mobile suit, there are many units left by the end of the war. These suits survive only to be destroyed en-masse to show the power of the newer models.July 2007 edition Dengeki Magazine]

Other Gundam series

The Zaku II design has also been included in story lines outside of the Universal Century, in the Cosmic Era series of "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny" where the director Mitsuo Fukuda requested the mecha designer Kunio Okawara to add his Zaku into the story. [Kunio Okawara interview, Newtype Magazine SEED Destiny special edition, December 2004] The Zaku Warrior designed became a high-end model that could enter the atmosphere in the plot. The Zaku Phantom is a commander unit. The Zaku series of Mobile Suits also appears in the CC Era of Turn A Gundam as the MS-06 Borjarnon and MS-05 Borjarnon Gavane Gooney Custom, which are escavated MS-06F Zaku II's and a slightly modified MS-05B Zaku I, respectively.

Popular Culture

Modeling Competition

There is an "Ore Zaku" ("My Zaku") competition held by Hobby Japan every year, where modellers can only use Zaku models to enter. Celebrating the MG Zaku Ver. 2.0's release, the June and July 2007 edition of Dengeki Hobby Magazine have listed the pictures of most of the variants [June 2007 edition Dengeki Magazine] as a prelude of their Campaign "ザク祭り(仮)" (Zaku Carnival, name to be determined), where, in 1 month's time, there are already 20 entries to their "Special Invitation" campaign. They have accepted entries for the common campaign in the July and August 2007 issue, and the results are released in the November 2007 issue. [November 2007 edition Dengeki Magazine]

Parts Collection

Merchandise like shoulder armour and antenna (horn) of the Zaku are available and a new series of products by Banpresto called "Parts Collection" for UFO catchers features four parts of the Zaku, a shoulder spike armor piece that is a radio, a body as a tool box, shoulder shield as a clock and head as a light. The four parts can be put together to form a roughly 1/35 scale Zaku. Each part has 3 different colors, and thus users can build different variants.

Forklift

The two forklift trucks used in the Bandai Hobby Centre in Shizuoka are named "MS-06 Zaku" and "MS-06S Zaku Char's Custom" and painted in green and red respectively with a mono-eye in the front panel of the truck. [14th May, 2007, 朝日放送　「おはようコールＡＢＣ」！] [ [http://www.asahi.co.jp/call/news/200705.html Caster Dairy] , 工場内で使用しているフォークリフトも、これまた劇中に登場するモビルスーツ（ロボット）「ザク」のデザインで作られていたり…, Even the forklifts used in the factory is made like the mobile suit (robot) Zaku's design.]

tamps

The Japanese post office released two stamps with a Zaku II on it, one with a Zaku as the background and Gundam in the foreground [ [http://www.post.japanpost.jp/kitte_hagaki/stamp/design_stamp/2000/15.html Japanese post office official site] selling the stamp.] and one featuring Char's Custom Zaku II. [ [http://www.post.japanpost.jp/kitte_hagaki/stamp/tokusyu/2005/h170801_t.html Japanese post office official site] selling the stamp.] .

Razor blades

In addition to the traditional modeling kits, the Kai Razor company has made a Char's custom Zaku II razor blade. [ [http://www.kai-group.com/campaign/archive/kai_gundam3/index.html K-4 Tetra Special Edition] ]

Cell phone

Sharp have released (through Softbank Japan) a 913SH G Type-Char cell phone with an MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type (Char's custom) head as the battery charging compartment. The red Zeon symbol in the front cover of the cell phone will serve as the eye of the Zaku when placed inside. [December 2007 issue, Dengeki Magazine] [December 2007 issue, Hobby Japan] [ [http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!iVleXAqBAgR_UMG6bQ8U3JJTCg--/article?mid=241&prev=118&next=232 some blog entry for photo] ]

Naming History

The original name for this mobile suit was simply "Zaku" [ [http://www.1999.co.jp/10005540 Original model box set, Mass Production type Zaku] released before Gundam Century.] . In the non-official publication "Gundam Century"(in which later endorsed by Bandai as a semi-official guide book), it was named as the Zaku II, so as to separate it from the MS-05 Zaku (Old Zaku as the original naming when the anime series first aired). It was then endorsed by the officials and all the publications by either Sunrise or Bandai calls it Zaku II [ [http://www.1999.co.jp/10005619 MSV model box set, MS-06R Zaku II] released after Gundam Century.]

Variations

The variants of the Zaku are what gave it a more realistic military feel, and started the later militaristic variation boom of the Universal Century Gundam series with many units having their own variant designs. Most of these units can be simply classified by the code given to it.

pace/universal variations

MS-06A Zaku II First Mass Production Type

Appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations, design by Kunio Okawara. The MS-06A Zaku II was the first production Zaku II produced in U.C. 0077 by the Principality of Zeon. The MS-06A was deemed insufficient to meet the expectations of Kycilia Zabi, the director in charge of the Zaku II project. The designers went back to the drawing board and, a few months later, they came back with the MS-06C design.

MS-06C Zaku II Early Mass Production Type

Appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations, design by Kunio Okawara. The "MS-06C Zaku II" was deemed a success and put into mass production for the Zeon Military Forces. It was deployed in January U.C. 0079 and was the Zeon's main mobile suit at the outbreak of the One Year War. The C-Type used the same weapons as later versions of the Zaku, typically the 120 mm drum-fed machine gun and 280 mm bazooka. Prior to the Antarctic Treaty, Zakus were also issued nuclear bazookas and lightweight nerve gas guns, which they used to devastating effect in the One Week War.

The C-type Zaku was in use at the time of the Battle of Loum, and so several notable Zeon pilots would establish their notoriety using this machine, including Char Aznable, the Black Tri-Stars, Johnny Ridden, and Shin Matsunaga.

MS-06F Zaku II Mass Production Type

First appear in first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam "Gundam Rising", design by Kunio Okawara. With the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, which banned the use of nuclear weapons, the heavy radiation shielding used to protect the C-type Zaku was no longer needed. Therefore a new version of the Zaku, the F-type Zaku, was introduced. The F-Type would quickly become the mainstay of the Zeon forces. With the introduction of the Earth Federation's Gundam, however, the Zaku soon became obsolete, and Zeon sought to replace the suit with new models.

MS-06F-2 (MS-06F2) Zaku II Late Mass Production Type (F2 Type)

First appear in , design by Hajime Katoki. The MS-06F2 Zaku II F2 Type was an upgraded and improved version of the original MS-06F Zaku II, introduced in the middle of the One Year War as an improvement upon the F-Type Zaku. It had survived until after 0083 where the Earth Federation Forces used the captured units as training units.

In the real world context, this unit was designed for the Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory OVA, and retconed as the final produced unit in the Universal Century, although the naming of the FZ type that appeared in 0080 OVA is the "Last mass production type".

Saku

First appeared online as a fan parody, later officially in the Gundam Ace magazine. The unit was a parody of the original Zaku II, but is much cheaper and was mass-produced in a much greater number than the original Zaku II. It's head has the katajina sign "Zi", the original word for "Zeon". It was a single pill-shaped body and head with a mono-eye drawn on it, with rope-like limbs and a "mouth" like an octopus. A red "Char Custom" version Saku with a horn (antenna) is the leader of a large squad of green Saku and unknown named horned blue ones are a parody of the MS-07 Gouf.

MS-06FZ Zaku II Last Mass Production Type (Zaku Kai)

First appeared in , design by Yutaka Izubuchi. Developed very late during the One Year War as part of the "United Maintenance Plan", the MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai (nihongo|Kai|改|Modified) was an improved and redesigned version of the Zaku II. The United Maintenance Plan was an effort by the Zeon military to simplify the production of their different types of mobile suits by standardizing parts and systems where possible.

Due to the MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai's late introduction into the One Year War, only a handful of the units were produced. Few, if any, of the mobile suits survived the war. Originally the OVA staff for Gundam 0080 intended for the FZ to be a Recon Revision to the Zaku II. The Toy arm of Bandai came up with a separate back story in order to keep selling both the 1979 and the new zaku as model kits. the picture book MS Era illustrated by the same team still depicts the original concept. [M.S. Era - The Documentary Photographs Of The One Year War - Mobile SuitGundam 0001~0080 (1990.3.30, Bandai, ISBN4-89189-474-1)]

MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type

Design by Kunio Okawara, the MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type (also known as the Zaku II Custom in some sources) looks very similar to the normal Zaku: so much so that the Earth Federation can generally only tell the difference from color schemes most pilots apply to their units and the increased performance of this version.

The S-Type Zaku II features a squad-leader "antenna" that is mounted on the head on the Zaku II, which is used to distinguish squad-leaders or higher ranking pilots from other squad-members or lower ranking pilots. It also featured a more powerful fusion reactor. In turn, the S-Type Zaku II had greater thrust and acceleration. This allowed them to move at speeds 1/3 faster than a normal Zaku II (in the original TV series, it was stated to be 3 times faster, but this was retconned in the movie trilogy to the more reasonable figure). This made it incredibly dangerous in the hands of the ace pilots it was handed out to, such as the "Red Comet" Char Aznable.

Land Type variations

MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type

Appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations, design by Kunio Okawara. The J-Type Zaku II was built specifically for terrestrial operations, and thus lacked space-specific equipment, greatly reducing its overall mass and cost. It also featured a slightly more powerful reactor to assist in its mobility under the full-gravity conditions of Earth. Compared to the F-type Zaku, the J-type was better insulated against its environment, and could be used in brief underwater operations. Its weapons were the same as its spaceborne counterpart, though a few weapons, such as the 175mm Magella Top gun were used only by the land types.

Jc Subtype

Appears in , design by Kunio Okawara. The land-battle Zakus appearing in the 08th MS Team anime were portrayed in a different style than in other anime: they were redesigned similarly to the Master Grade Zaku model kits that had been recently released, though with a few differences. Originally, the Zakus in 08th MS Team were identified as J-types, but recently this designation was [retconned] to MS-06Jc. The description of the Jc-type Zaku on the official 08th MS Team website describes it as being similar to the J-type Zaku, but with features seen in the 08th MS Team anime, such as the redesigned cockpit and the spiked shield seen in the show's opening. [ [http://www.08ms-team.net/ms/zeon.html ジオン軍 :: Mobile Suit :: 機動戦士ガンダム 第08MS小隊 ] ]

MS-06K (MS-06J-12) Zaku Cannon

First appeared as part of Mobile Suit Variations and later got animated in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, design by Kunio Okawara. The MS-06K Zaku Cannon was a mass production artillery test-type developed during the One Year War. It was originally intended as an anti-air variant but was more useful as artillery support. It also got its appearance in the later aired Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam where it given a purple and blue color scheme in place of the Zeon msv brown and red hues. An slightly more realistic version was shown in the OVA 08th MS Team where it was more of a gun emplacement with a Zaku torso and arms under it.

MS-06D Zaku Desert Type

First appeared as part of Mobile Suit Variations, design by Kunio Okawara. During the One Year War the battle field shifted from space to Earth after the signing of the Antarctic Treaty. Because of Earth's many different terrains and environments, the Principality of Zeon had to adjust their mass production "MS-06F Zaku II" model to be more suitable in the varying climates.

MS-06D Desert Zaku

First appear in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, design by Masahiro Oda. An upgraded version of the MS-06D Zaku Desert Type, the MS-06D Desert Zaku featured better power output, external propellant tanks on its backpack to carry extra thruster fuel, and additional shields and dust filters on its joints . The Desert Zaku could also be fitted with a pair of jet skis on its feet, allowing it to glide over the sand like the Dom.

MS-06G Zaku II Improved Ground Combat Type

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations, design by Kunio Okawara. As the Zeonic Company developed the MS-07 Gouf ground combat mobile suit, they realized that one of its most useful features was the incorporation of thrusters in the legs to allow the unit to perform jet-assisted jumps. This new advance would be taken and applied to the old line of Zaku II Ground Type mobile suits. The retrofitted MS-06J Zaku II Ground Types which featured the additional leg thrusters and extra armor were referred to as Zaku II Improved Ground Combat Types (or G-Types for short), and proved to be much more mobile than a standard Zaku II Ground Type.

MS-06V Zaku Tank

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations and later got animated in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, design by Kunio Okawara. A worker variant appear in , design by Kimitoshi Yamane. As the One Year War dragged on, the Zeon forces found themselves in desperate need of replacement parts for their mobile suits and other weapons. Forced to salvage whatever they could, inoperable machines were often disassembled for use as replacement parts, new unit designs cobbled together from whatever was available in order to get more combat units to the field. One of the most common variations was the MS-06V Zaku Tank, created from mounting a Zaku torso, head and arms on the drive base of a Magella attack tank. These units were prized by field commanders starved for replacement mobile suits, and were used for both construction and combat.

Underwater Type Variations

MS-06M-1 Zaku Marine Type (Zaku Mariner)

As the One Year War dragged on the Zeon began to design several different variations of its standard mobile suits to excel in specific mission roles. The Zeonic Company created the first amphibious mobile suit, the MS-06M-1 Zaku Marine Type (also called Zaku Mariner), based on the MS-06F Zaku II.

MSM-01 (MS-06M-2) Zaku Marine Type (Marine Zaku)

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations and later got animated in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, design by Kunio Okawara. Two more Zaku Marine Types would later be constructed, now under the model number MSM-01. The seven units would be distributed to several of Zeon's submarine squads such as the Sea Serpent, Red Dolphin, Naga III, Green Siren, and Mandalay squadrons.

Reconnaissance Type variations

The reconnaissance models were said to be used to team up with other mobile suits and launch skirmish attacks on enemies and determine by the countering numbers how much forces the enemy had in the area. [Dengeki Hobby Nov 2006 issue, Gundam Military, Reconnaissance Team]

MS-06E Zaku Reconnaissance Type

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations and later got animated in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, design by Kunio Okawara. The MS-06E Zaku Reconnaissance Type, or just Zaku Recon Type for short, was designed for scouting and reconnaissance missions. These Zaku Recon Types, also known as E-Types, mounted specialized camera guns and sensor systems.

MS-06E-3 Zaku Flipper

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations, design by Kunio Okawara. Of the one hundred or so MS-06E Zaku Reconnaissance Types that were built during the One Year War, a handful were further upgraded into the MS-06E-3 Zaku Flipper. The Zaku Flipper was designed to play the role of a reconnaissance and scouting unit. It got its name from the creator because instead of a normal mono-eye head, its head is three-eyed with two large fins(flips) next to it as high powered radar that can even penetrate Minovsky particle.

High Mobility Type Variations

MS-06R-1 High Mobility Type Zaku II

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations, design by Kunio Okawara. As the One Year War dragged on, the Zeon engineers strived to create a high-performance unit to replace their aging space fleet of "MS-06F Zaku IIs", which were quickly being outclassed by the Earth Federation's new RGM-79 GM series of mobile suits. The first of the new improved units created was the MS-06RP High Mobility Test Type Zaku II Prototype. The High Mobility Type Zaku II Prototype added several thrusters around the edges of the leg armor, giving it greater speed, acceleration, and mobility, and larger propellant tanks which increased the unit's fuel storage capacity. The fearsome trio known as the Black Tri-Stars created their signature "Jetstream Attack" with three High Mobility Types, and Shin Matsunaga's most famous exploits were conducted in this unit. Masaya Nakagawa of the Space Attack Force, Eric Mansfield of the Home Defense Corps, and Robin Bradshaw ("Spirits of Zeon") were others who piloted a High Mobility Type.

MS-06RD-4 Zaku II Prototype

Appeared in , design by Kimitoshi Yamane. The MS-06RD-4 Zaku II Prototype was created by the Zimmand Company by modifying a standard MS-06F Zaku II. It was given the wider legs and added thrusters of the MS-09R Rick Dom. The unit was used to simulate the characteristics of the MS-09R Rick Dom for testing its combat performance in space. Only one unit was constructed. During a test flight on 6 October 0079, it engaged and destroyed a team of early-model GMs, only to be destroyed itself by an RB-79K ball. Data from the test unit survived, however, as the pilot managed to take the data disks from the MS before it exploded, and shortly after was recovered by a Zeon search team.

MS-11 Action Zaku

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations and later got animated in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, design by Kunio Okawara. The MS-11 Action Zaku, often referred to as Act Zaku for short, is a Principality of Zeon prototype mobile suit based on the MS-06 Zaku II.

Built under the Pezun Project at Zeon's Pezun space asteroid base, the Act Zaku was planned to be a new mass-production model mobile suit that the Zeon would field to sway the tides of war back into their favor. The Act Zaku was the testbed for the new "magnetic coating" technology developed by the Zeonic Company. The special magnetic coating materials were applied to the joints of the Act Zaku, which could be electrically charged to produce a magnetic field. This field caused the components of the joints to repel one another, reducing the friction caused by joint movement to almost nothing, creating a faster and much more responsive mobile suit.

The Act Zaku was also designed with a much higher output reactor, allowing it to wield beam weaponry. A custom beam rifle was in production for the Act Zaku to use. However, the design for the weapon was not complete by the time the Act Zakus were deployed, so they were issued machineguns instead. The Act Zaku was also issued a heat tomahawk for use as a melee weapon.

However, the Act Zaku was introduced too late for the Principality of Zeon. When the Earth Federation Forces captured the Pezun asteroid, they obtained the designs for the Action Zaku, and the concept of magnetic joint coating. The Earth Federation would put the Act Zaku into production for their own use after the One Year War.

Worker Type variations

MS-06F (MS-06H) Zaku Minelayer

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations, design by Kunio Okawara. The Zaku Minelayer is a standard "MS-06F Zaku II" equipped with a different style backpack. With this new backpack, the Zaku II is adapted to play the role of a mine-laying unit. The new backpack houses several drums filled with space mines, with twelve mines packed into every drum. The backpack also has a few additional maneuvering thrusters and carries five times the amount of fuel of a standard Zaku II. However, the Zaku Minelayer requires a special loading area on a Musai to reload, launch, or land.

MS-06W Worker Zaku

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations, design by Kunio Okawara. The Worker Zaku was a variant on the traditional Zaku design designed exclusively for labor. The unit's cockpit was modified and constructed from the cockpit of a standard construction vehicle, allowing someone without military training to pilot the suit. The suits were fielded in western Asia, until the production was moved towards the MS-06V, which used most of the same parts as the MS-06W.

Psycommu Test Type Variations

** _ja.

MS-06Z (MS-06Z-3) Psycommu Test Type Zaku II

First appear as part of Mobile Suit Variations, design by Kunio Okawara. The MS-06Z Psycommu Test Type Zaku II was the final Zaku variant developed under the MS-16X "Bishop" plan. Three test units were created, but the plan was halted due to a fatal flaw. The suit's incredibly high energy consumption meant that they could only fight for a maximum of 10 minutes. The wire-guided forearms with beam cannons mounted in each of the fingers were almost identical to the ones that would later be implemented in the MSN-02 Zeong. Additionally, the suit's unique weaponry, psycommu system, and additional apogee thrusters brought the price of the suit up to the equivalent of several Zaku IIs.

Post-war Insurgent variations

MS-21C Dra-C

First appear in , design by Mika Akitaka. The MS-21C Dra-C was a mobile suit from the anime OVA . After the end of the One Year War many of the Zeon remnants that refused to let the war end in anything less than victory retreated from the Earth Sphere and went into hiding. While in exile these renegade fleets were slowly building up their forces, plotting to renew their conflict against the Earth Federation.

One of these rogue Zeon fleets was the Delaz Fleet, and to bolster their military strength they built new mobile suits using what scrap parts they had available. The result was the MS-21C Dra-C, a space-only fast-interception attack use mobile suit. The Dra-C was built out of parts from old Gattle fighter-bombers with the torso and arms borrowed from MS-06F2 Zaku II F2 Types. The Dra-C also lacked the legs a standard mobile suit featured, instead the Dra-C mounted two long slim propellant tanks in their place to extend the units range and operating duration.

Interestingly, the Dra-C was not equipped with an AMBAC system. Instead it relied on its primary thrusters and the verniers in the twin shoulder-mounted pods to control its attitude during space flight. The Dra-C was also lightly armed, with only a 40mm vulcan gun mounted in place of the right fore-arm and a beam saber attached to the bottom of the small shield over the left arm.

As a Retcon, the Dra-C appears as part of the Axis fleet in a dark-gray color scheme in the third Zeta Gundam film.

MS-06F (Stutzer version)

Appear in Advance of Zeta: The Flag of Titans photonovel, design by Kenki Fujioka. After the One Year War, the remnants of the Zeon forces upgraded their Zaku II units to this MS-06F Zaku II "Stutzer" configuration to counter the Titans' new machines, as Zeon no longer had any production capabilities for any new mobile suit designs. The Zaku II "Stutzer" was enhanced with winch units, which were able to launch wire-guided arm parts that could entangle enemy machines with wire, or throw hand grenades at them while the mobile suit itself remained hidden. Additionally, the Stutzer mounted the Gelgoog's beam rifle, which was powered by an auxiliary generator on its back.

Novel version

In the Mobile Suit Gundam Novel by Yoshiyuki Tomino, Zaku fingers contain Laser Touch to burn its way through obstructions and its boosters can bring it to jump to a height of 800m. [Mobile Suit Gundam (Novel)]

Descendants of the Zaku II series

Although the original Zaku II was obsolete by the end of Zeon's war for independence, its design was frequently revisited in following conflicts; for instance, the RMS-106 Hi-Zack (a hybrid between Zeon's Zaku and Federation's GM) of the Gryps Conflict, the AMX-011 Zaku III of the First Neo-Zeon War, (to a lesser extent) the AMS-119 Geara Doga of the Second Neo-Zeon War, and the OMS-06RF RF Zaku of the Mars Zeon Rebellion.

References

* http://www.gundamofficial.com/worlds/uc/index.html