MS-06F Zaku II
With the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, the Zaku II C-Type was upgraded into the MS-06F Zaku II. The C-Type had been heavily shielded and strongly armored to resist nuclear radiation, which had made it much heavier. However, since the Antarctic Treaty prohibited such weapons, the C-Type was removed of nuclear radiation shielding and designated the F-Type Zaku II. The F-Type would quickly become the definitive version of the Zaku II, and all future variants would begin from the F-type as a baseline.

The Principality of Zeon saw great potential within the unit for having it perform in various mission roles. The Zeon Military forces produced successful designs, decent designs, and utter failures from the basic Zaku II design. Vice Admiral Dozle Zabi had his own custom Zaku II, which he took out into the Battle of Loum. His MS-06F Zaku II had ornate engravings and markings, double shoulder spiked armor, and lastly, a gigantic Heat Hawk. Even the youngest Zabi son, Garma Zabi had his own Zaku II, the MS-06Fs Zaku II. This slight variation of the Zaku II designed featured twin 40 mm Vulcan guns. However, he is not known to have used it in battle.

The Zaku II was eventually replaced by the MS-07B Gouf for ground combat. With the debut of the MS-09 Dom and the MS-09R Rick Dom, the Zaku II was largely regarded as obsolete and the MS-09 became the new frontline mobile suit. Lastly, the MS-14A Gelgoog had all but sealed the Zaku II's fate due its high-performance and ability to use beam weaponry. However, despite the fact that Zeon had developed more powerful mobile suits, they also produced several variations of the Zaku II as the war continued. This is sometimes justified by describing the Zaku as being easier to pilot than other, more powerful mobile suits.

MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type
The J-Type Zaku II was built specifically for operations on Earth and lacked the proper equipment to operate in space, unlike the F-Type which could do both. The J-Type model had all its vernier thrusters apart from the two main thrusters on its backpack removed. It also featured a slightly more powerful reactor to assist in its mobility under the full-gravity conditions of Earth. Lastly, it was also better insulated against its environment, and could be used in brief underwater operations. However, the J-Type Zaku II was eventually replaced by the better designed MS-07B Gouf and MS-09 Dom mobile suits.


MS-06 Zaku II. (2006, November 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:46, November 13, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MS-06_Zaku_II&oldid=85759245

Manufacturer: Zeonic Company
Operator: Principality of Zeon
Unit type: mass production ground combat mobile suit
Dimensions: head height 17.5 meters
Weight: empty 56.2 metric tons; max gross 74.5 metric tons
Powerplant: Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor, output rated at 976 kW
Armament: 2 x 3-tube missile pod, mounted on legs; 120 mm machine gun, drum-fed, 100 rounds per drum, spare drums can be stored on waist armor racks; 280 mm Zaku bazooka, 4 round magazine, can be stored on rack on rear waist armor; heat hawk, battery powered, can be stored on waist armor racks; 175 mm Magella Attack cannon
Pilot(s): Norris Packard, Ash, Dell, Lou Roher, Charlotte Hepner, Nikki Roberto, Sandra, Asuna Elmarit, Federico Czariano, Stuart, Jackson, Borogonov, Ken Bederstadt