Template:Infobox/Mobile Weapon Ver.2 The Zaku II First Mass Production Type is an early version of the MS-06 Zaku II created by the Principality of Zeon prior to the One Year War. It appeared in MSV-R: The Return of Johnny Ridden and the variation series MSV-R.
Technology and Combat Characteristics
The MS-06A Zaku II First Mass Production Type was developed after the MS-05B Zaku I was deemed inadequate for the Principality of Zeon's purposes. Overall the MS-06A Zaku II was very much the same as the MS-05B Zaku I as the Zaku II was merely meant to be an improved version of the Zaku I. To improve combat abilities the Zeonic Company increased the armor to give the mobile suit, and thus the pilot, better protection. The thrusters were also improved to give the Zaku II better mobility than the Zaku I. Finally the Zaku II received improvements to its sensor package and has a more powerful Minovsky type ultracompact fusion reactor.
To simplify production the A-type Zaku II used the same armaments of the Zaku I, which consisted of the initial Zaku-type machine gun and a front insertion bazooka. At the time of its deployment the Zaku heat hawk was still in development. Because the Principality's brass did not foresee the Zaku being used in close combat situations, and the fact that the nuclear-weapon using C-type was in production, the A-type was never equipped with a heat hawk.
With its upgraded performance the MS-06A Zaku II was without equal, which isn't saying much since there were only two production type mobile suits at the time. Still the upper brass of the Zeon military still considered its abilities inadequate.
Armaments
- 105mm Machine Gun
- The machine gun is a standard weapon for Zaku type mobile suits. It is a shell firing gun that does not require energy to be used, however its effectiveness against heavy armor is very limited. This model used a 100-round drum magazine.
- Initial Type Bazooka
- The Zaku Bazooka was another standard weapon that could be equipped to a Zaku type mobile suit. The bazooka fired explosive rounds that were quite effective against the armor of Earth Federation battleships. The MS-06A used an early design of the bazooka, which featured a block ammo cartridge and a single exhaust port.
History
The MS-06A Zaku II was the first production-type 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.
Before being declared inadequate for Zeon's needs, the Zeonic Company built a number of the A-type Zaku. When the C-type was developed most of the A-type Zakus in existence were scrapped in order to serve as spare parts for the nearly identical C-type. However a handful of these machines remained active, serving as training units for the Principality of Zeon's first classes of mobile suit pilots. These pilots would include future aces such as Char Aznable and the Black Tri-Stars. It became a tradition for pilots who graduated from training to carve their name into the seat of the mobile suit they were trained in.
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