MechaBay
MechaBay
Discord Mastodon Bluesky Twitter/X
Discord About us Support us

MS-06F Zaku II

Mass-produced general purpose mobile suit developed by the Zeonic.
Jenxi Seow Published 28 May 2013 Updated 7 Feb 2025
MS-06F Zaku II

The MS-06F Zaku II was a mass-produced general purpose mobile suit developed by the Zeonic for the Principality of Zeon. It served as Zeon’s mainstay mobile suit during the One Year War.

The “MS” in the type code indicated that it was a mobile suit. The “06” model number denoted that it was the sixth design of this type, and the “F” variant code identified it as the sixth variant in the famous Zaku II line. It is often referred to as the F Type Zaku II.

History

The Zeonic developed the MS-06F Zaku II to improve upon the MS-06C Zaku II Early Production Type. It entered service before the Battle of Loum alongside the MS-06C. Following the Antarctic Treaty, the F Type became Zeon’s primary mobile suit due to its lighter weight from the removal of radiation shielding. The F Type went on to become the most produced mobile suit of the war and served as the basis for numerous variants.

During Operation British in March UC 0079, over half of the mobile suits in Zeon’s 1st Terrestrial Mobile Division were F Types. Many of these units were later modified into MS-06J Zaku II Ground Types during overhaul.

The F Type remained in service throughout the war, though it was gradually replaced by the MS-09R Rick Dom and MS-14A Gelgoog as Zeon’s primary space-use mobile suit. After the war, surviving units continued to serve with Neo Zeon forces during the First Neo Zeon War.

Design

The F Type Zaku II built upon the successful design of the MS-06C while reducing weight for improved mobility by removing the heavy anti-nuclear protections its predecessor had. It also featured a more powerful MYFG-M-ES series fusion reactor jointly developed by Zeonic and M&Y Company.

Although capable of ground combat, it was optimized for space operations, with the MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type developed specifically for Earth use with improved performance under gravity.

The mobile suit could achieve ground speeds of 88 km/h and lift approximately 80-90 metric tonnes with one hand. Its shoulder spikes delivered impact forces of up to 4,500 metric tonnes during shoulder tackles.

Units operated by Neo Zeon were upgraded with panoramic monitors and linear seats in their cockpits.

Armaments

The F Type Zaku II’s standard weapons included ranged weapons and a Heat Hawk for melee combat.

120 mm machine gun

The ZMP-50D 120 mm machine gun was the F Type’s standard ranged weapon. It used a 100-round drum magazine, with spare drums stored on the waist armor racks. Though it required no power to fire, its effectiveness against heavy armor was limited.

280 mm Zaku bazooka

The H&L-SB25K/280 mm Zaku bazooka fired armor-piercing explosive rounds effective against mobile suits and battleships. The bazooka used a four-round magazine and could be stored on the rear waist armor when not in use.

Heat Hawk Type 5

The Heat Hawk Type 5 was an axe-shaped melee weapon with a super-heated blade powered by the Zaku II’s reactor. The heated edge allowed it to melt through enemy armor. When not in use, it was stored on the waist armor.

Cracker grenades

The MIP-B6 cracker grenades were timed explosives that split into multiple submunitions over a wide area. Up to four grenades could be stored on optional racks on the waist armor.

Known pilots

  • Slender
  • Denim
  • Gene
  • Kohm
  • J.Q.
  • Crown
  • Breniss Ox
  • Shin Matsunaga
  • Ian Graden
  • Johnny Ridden
  • Gerald Sakai
  • Lou Roher
  • Charlotte Hepner
  • Nikki Roberto
  • Giyal
  • Cucuruz Doan
  • Kurt Roswell
  • Robin Bradshaw
  • Font Bow
  • Meyer
  • Christo Doerr

Variants

Behind the scenes

Okawara Kunio was the original mechanical designer.

The design’s popularity led to numerous variants being created for the Mobile Suit Variations line, establishing the precedent for realistic military variants in the Universal Century timeline. The Zaku II became the mobile suit with the most variants.

The design influenced later mobile suits like the RMS-106 Hizack and AMS-119 Geara Doga. Its impact extended beyond the Universal Century timeline, inspiring designs in other Gundam series.

Tomino Yoshiyuki and Yadate Hajime intentionally designed the Zaku II as a symbol of mass-produced military hardware, helping establish the real robot genre in anime.

Appearances

Anime

  • Mobile Suit Gundam
  • Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
  • Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
  • Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

Movies

  • Mobile Suit Gundam I
  • Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow
  • Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space
  • Gundam the Ride: A Baoa Qu

Games

  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs Zeon
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire

See also