OZ-06MS Leo

Combat Characteristics
When the OZ-00MS Tallgeese mobile suit prototype proved too expensive and unfeasible for most pilots to handle, the Tallgeese's design was downgraded into a simpler, less-powerful unit. Naming their mobile suits after signs of the Zodiac, OZ's first mass-produced unit was called the OZ-06MS Leo ("Leo" being the fifth Zodiac sign meaning "lion" - perhaps in reference to the lion symbol of the Romefeller Foundation). The Leo would serve as the mainstay of the mobile suit forces for the Earth Alliance military, the Specials force, and later OZ and its Romefeller Foundation masters.

First introduced into service in AC 175, the Leo was slowly upgraded over the years leading up to the outbreak of total war in AC 195. By that time, the Leo had actually changed very little from earlier models. The primary reason for the Leo's long service record was its simple adaptability: in addition to a wide variety of hand weapons, the Leo could be outfitted with a winged thruster pack for limited atmospheric flight capability. Other Leo variants include:

Leo Cannon Type: An upgraded version of the OZ-06MS, the Leo Cannon Type was identical to the standard model used in AC 195 except for the addition of a pair of beam cannons on the shoulders. The Leo Cannon Type was usually used by officers and unit commanders.

Leo Early Type: An older version of the OZ-06MS, the Leo Early Type was almost completely identical to the standard unit used in AC 195, with only minor (cosmetic) differences. Despite its age, this version of the Leo was still in use in more remote areas of Earth, including Colonel Bunto's breakaway nation in former China.

Leo Space Type: Requiring a mobile suit force to help police (read "blockade") travel and commerce between the space colonies, OZ and the Earth Alliance adapted the standard Leo for space use with the addition of a booster backpack equipped with rocket and vernier thrusters. This Leo variant also carried a beam rifle similar to that of the standard Leo, except that it was fitted with a radar disc for targeting in place of the usual optical sensor.

=History= The OZ-06MS Leo was the first Mass production mobile suit used by OZ, designed as a scaled-down version of the Tallgeese, which was deemed too expensive for mass production. Although lightly armed and is obviously rather difficult to pilot effectively, the Leo proved superior to anything produced by the Space Colonies. The base Leo was equipped with a Beam rifle and a shield which contained a pair of beam sabers, thus the Leo was equipped for almost anything, and it could also be loaded with a standard machine gun or heavier dobergun. Later, almost all Leos were equipped with vernier backpacks for space fighting. The aging Leo was eventaully phased out for newer Taurus and Virgo I mobile suits, the leo's legacy finally ending with the Serpent, one of the toughest non-gundam Suits around.

Trivia

 * The OZ-06MS Leo is the most common Mass Production Mobile Suit in New Mobile Report Gundam W. Its number is the same as that of the most famous Mass Production Mobile Suit from the original Gundam; the MS-06 Zaku II.