MSM-10 Zock

The MSM-10 Zock (sometimes spelled Zokk) is a fictional amphibious mobile suit designed by Kunio Okawara for the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. It has also appeared in the Playstation 2 Gundam titles ',"MS Saga: A New Dawn (PS2)", Bandai, 2005-2006] 'cite web | url = http://www.gundam.channel.or.jp/goods/videogame/evsz_dx/index_ps.html | title = jp icon Federation vs. Zeon official page | work = Bandai | accessdate = September 2 | accessyear = 2007] and "", cite web | url = http://www.gundam.channel.or.jp/ps2g/ | title = jp icon Journey to Jaburo official page | work = Bandai | accessdate = September 2 | accessyear = 2007] the latter in an even more ponderous, four-legged form.

In "Mobile Suit Gundam"

The Zock makes its sole appearance in animation near the end of "Mobile Suit Gundam", just before the plot follows the "White Base" back into space for the climactic conclusion. The last mobile suit constructed by the Principality of Zeon at California Base, an Earth Federation base captured early in the war, the Zock's bulbous design, with a massive torso, stubby legs and arms lacking manipulator fingers belies its utilization as a fire support unit. The Zock is completely symmetrical, a unique design concept among Gundam mobile weapons; a 360-degree mono-eye camera and a quartet of servo-mounted mega particle cannons on both front and back effectively allows the Zock to engage the enemy in any direction. As an amphibious mobile suit, it is capable of operation while totally submerged in water, and can be launched and retrieved by Zeon submarines.

Its vestigial legs are not used for locomotion, instead mounting a brace of hover-jet thrusters. Combined with additional thrusters in the mobile suit's skirt, the pilot can simply hover the Zock in the direction he wishes to move - forwards and backwards are purely subjective terms."Entertainment Bible I", Bandai, 1989]

Of the three MSM-10s manufactured, one unit appeared in "Mobile Suit Gundam", piloted by the swarthy Boraskyniv. This Zock participated in Commander Char Aznable's 30 November U.C. 0079 attack on the Earth Federation's Jaburo General Headquarters in South America (seen in episode twenty-nine, "Tragedy in Jaburo"cite web | url = http://mahq.net/animation/gundam/series/msgep29.htm | title = Episode 29: Tragedy in Jaburo episode review | work = MAHQ | accessdate = September 2 | accessyear = 2007] ), and wrought havoc on the innards of the Jaburo base and its garrison. However, even its heavy firepower proved no match for Amuro Ray and the RX-78 Gundam, who dispatched it with a single beam rifle shot to the torso while in pursuit of the retreating Char's Z'Gok."Entertainment Bible 1", Bandai, 1989]

Other appearances and beyond

The four-legged Zock encountered in "Journey to Jaburo" is likely an artistic redesign, as opposed to a genuine in-universe variant, since it does not appear in any other major Gundam media. The Zock was the game's final boss, making its appearance to the player much as it did to Amuro in "Mobile Suit Gundam".cite web | url = http://www.gundam.channel.or.jp/ps2g/ | title = jp icon Journey to Jaburo official page | work = Bandai | accessdate = September 2 | accessyear = 2007]

In the RPG , the Zock served as a boss, much like in "Journey to Jaburo"."MS Saga: A New Dawn (PS2)", Bandai, 2005-2006]

In terms of mobile weapon design, the Zock's appearance in "Mobile Suit Gundam" represents something of a turning point.

In canon, Zeon's continually worsening strategic position in the One Year War causes a shift in mobile weapon design and tactics. At the outset of the war, Zeon tactics revolved primarily on high-speed blitzkrieg-like attacks utilizing then-revolutionary mobile suits against slow-responding Earth Federation units. As the Zeon strategic position becomes progressively worse, they begin transitioning to slow, heavily armed mobile armor weapons with the hope of being able to turn the tide against increasingly larger and better equipped Federation mobile suits. The last mobile suit produced on Earth, the Zock shares more in common with the mobile armors that Zeon invests more and more of its hopes for victory into as the war drags on."Entertainment Bible I", Bandai, 1989]

From a meta standpoint, the Zock is one of the first in a sudden string of heavy mobile weapons encountered by Amuro Ray and the crew of the White Base. Though the large mobile armors Adzam and Grabro had been encountered previously (episodes eighteen and twenty-eight, respectively), these were sporadic occurrences - after the appearance of the Zock, a slew of progressively more powerful mobile weapons were deployed against them, culminating in the enormous mobile armor Big Zam, and shortly thereafter, the final Zeon production of the war, the Zeong, piloted by none other than Char Aznable himself. In this regard, the Zock served as the tip of a metaphorical iceberg in terms of the trials the White Base crew would have to overcome before the war's end, and an increase in the danger of daily operations (main characters would begin dying regularly from this point on)."Entertainment Bible I", Bandai, 1989]

As with most mobile suits from the series, the Zock received a 1/144th-scale model kit in 1981.cite web | url = http://www.gundam.channel.or.jp/goods/pramodel/tv/model/144_zock.shtml | title = jp icon 1/144th Zock (1981) | work = Gundam Perfect Web | accessdate = September 2 | accessyear = 2007] It was also featured in a Mobile Suit in Action (MSiA) figure two-pack along with the MSM-04 Acguy in 2002.cite web | url = http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN904112 | title = MSiA Acguy and Zock | work = HobbyLink Japan | accessdate = September 2 | accessyear = 2007] A modern 1/144th-scale High Grade Universal Century kit was announced in April 2007, and released in Julycite web | url = http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN950529 | title = 1/144th HGUC Zock | work = HobbyLink Japan | accessdate = September 2 | accessyear = 2007] , an evident statement of the Zock's continued appeal. Its symmetrical face (mono-eye track), and sometimes torso, has also appeared on Gundam-themed clothing items (most notably a baseball cap, complete with symmetrical front and back visors).cite web | url = http://www.comptiq.com/top_news/06_07/07_a2.html | title = jp icon Zock products | work = MediaMix Game Magazine | accessdate = September 2 | accessyear = 2007]

ee also

* Battle of Jaburo

References

External links

* [http://www.gundamofficial.com/worlds/uc/msg/mechanics/ms_zock.html Zock] at "GundamOfficial.com"
* [http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/msgundam/msm-10.htm Zock] at MAHQ
* [http://www.hlj.com/hljlist2/?Dis=-2&from=detail&Word=Zock Zock products] at Hobby Link Japan
* [http://www.mahq.net/animation/gundam/series/msgep29.htm "Jaburo Falls" episode review] at MAHQ
* [http://www.gundamofficial.com/worlds/uc/msg/story/page2.html Mobile Suit Gundam plot synopsis] at "GundamOfficial.com"
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20011201164904/www.gundamproject.com/works/gundam.html Mobile Suit Gundam] at the Gundam Project (archive courtesy of the Wayback Machine).
* [http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10027334 Gogg, Acguy and Zock SD model pack] at Hobby Search (English)
*(2002-5-6) " [http://www.amazon.com/dp/1569317399 Gundam: The Official Guide] ". Mark Simmons. ISBN 1569317399