AMX-011S Zaku III Custom

The AMX-011S Zaku III Custom was a mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. One of the mass produced units was piloted by Mashymre Cello.

Technology and Combat Characteristics
Mashymre's Zaku III Custom has seen some difference from the basic AMX-011 Zaku IIIs. It sported a heavier and more stylized armor, a new head mounting a pair of vulcan guns, optional left shoulder armor with a hide bomb dispenser, a large backpack with powerful thrusters and ejectable external propellant tanks, and an enormous rear skirt armor plate.

Armaments

 * Beam Rifle
 * Unlike basic Zaku IIIs, Mashymre's Zaku III equipped its customized beam rifle, powered by rechargeable energy cap, unknown power rate.


 * 30mm Vulcan gun
 * Mashymre's Zaku III mounted a pair of vulcan guns mounted on the head, which is different from the mouth cannon mounted on basic Zaku IIIs.


 * Beam Gun/Beam Saber
 * Mounted on recharge racks on the front skirt armor and hand operated in use, these weapons possess two modes, a close combat beam saber mode and a long range beam gun mode. Both modes have a power rating of 2.8 MW.


 * Hide Bomb dispenser
 * Mounted in the left shoulder armor of Mashymre's Zaku III.


 * Optional Shield Rack
 * Unlike the previous Zaku II the Zaku III's shoulder mounted shield is optional equipment, though it was standard practice to install one. Also unlike the Zaku II the shield of the Zaku III doubled as a weapons rack to store extra armaments.

History
Although the AMX-011 Zaku III design lost out to the AMX-014 Doven Wolf as Neo Zeon's intended new frontline mass-production mobile suit, several prototypes did get produced. These Zaku IIIs proved quite popular with many Neo Zeon officers and ace pilots fighting in the First Neo Zeon War. One Zaku III unit ended up in the hands of Haman Karn loyalist Mashymre Cello, who would employ his customized Zaku III in one of the last battles of the war. Although Mashymre's Zaku III was referred to as the AMX-011S Zaku III Custom, it was indeed nothing more than the basic Zaku III with various optional equipment selected by Mashymre.