MS-06C Zaku II Early Production Type

The MS-06C Zaku II Early Production Type is the first mass-produced variant of the MS-06 Zaku II mobile suit series.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The MS-06C Zaku II Early Production Type was the successor to the MS-06A Zaku II First Mass Production Type. Deemed a success, the suit was put into mass production for the Zeon Military Forces. It was deployed in January U.C. 0078 and was the Zeon's main mobile suit at the outbreak of the One Year War. The C-Type, and later Zaku and non-Zaku mobile suits, typically used a 120mm drum-fed machine gun or a 280mm bazooka. Later, a 90mm machine gun became a common weapon among Zeon mobile suits. These Zaku II's were later upgraded in the following years. The first major redesign came with the F-type, including the ground combat variant, the MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type.

Armaments

 * Shoulder Shield


 * 120mm Machine Gun
 * The 120mm 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. It holds 100 rounds per drum with spare drums that can be stored on waist armor racks.


 * 90mm Machine Gun
 * The upgraded version of the above weapon. It used 90mm bullets instead of 120mm type, allows for a greater speed of firing and a higher rate of penetration. The machine gun is magazine-fed with 32 rounds per mag.


 * 280mm Zaku Bazooka
 * The 280mm 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 mobile suits and battleships. During the Battle of Loum, many of the Zaku Bazookas were loaded with nuclear warheads.


 * Heat Hawk
 * An axe-shaped close combat weapon, it uses a super-heated blade to cut through the armor of enemy MS or vehicles. The thermal energy is generated by the power output of the Zaku II's thermonuclear reactor and relayed through the MS' hands.

Special Equipment & Features

 * Radiation Shielding
 * Since the MS-06C was designed to use nuclear weaponry, it was equipped with proper shielding to protect its pilot from exposure to radiation. After the Antartic Treaty however, the shielding was excluded in the MS-06F Zaku II and all future Zaku variants produced during the rest of One Year War.

History
Several pilots became famous for their actions inside the cockpit of the MS-06C Zaku II. In the Battle of Loum, Lieutenant Jr. Grade Char Aznable destroyed 5 of the Earth Federation's Magellan-class battleships in his red-painted C-Type Zaku II, earning him the nickname "Red Comet". The Black Tri-Stars: Gaia, Ortega, and Mash, used their C-Type Zaku II's to capture the Federation's General Revil after crippling his Magellan-class Battleship Ananke during the Battle of Loum. Chief Petty Officer Johnny Ridden, earned his nickname "Crimson Lighting" after sinking 3 Magellan-class. Lastly, The "White Wolf of Solomon" Private 1st Class Shin Matsunaga was promoted to Lieutenant Jr. Grade after destroying a Magellan-class and 5 Salamis-class cruisers. Some other officers of Zeon have their own personal Zaku II custom unit. However, others became infamous, with one such pilot being Cima Garahau during Zeon's colony gassing attacks.