MS-06R Zaku II High Mobility Type "Psycho Zaku" – MechaBay

The MS-06R Zaku II High Mobility Type “Psycho Zaku” was a prototype high mobility mobile suit developed by the Principality of Zeon with an advanced control system called the Reuse Psycho Device.

The “MS” in the model code indicated it was a Mobile Suit, and the “06” denoted it was developed from the MS-06 Zaku II line. The “R” suffix indicated it was a high mobility (R for “Reconnaissance”) variant, while “Psycho Zaku” referred to its revolutionary Reuse Psycho Device control system.

History

The MS-06R Zaku II High Mobility Type “Psycho Zaku” was developed by the Principality of Zeon based on the MS-06R-1 model as an experimental mobile suit for the Living Dead Division. The mobile suit utilised an advanced control system called the Reuse Psycho Device that sent electrical signals directly from the pilot’s brain to the mobile suit, allowing unprecedented control responsiveness.

The Reuse P Device was developed by researchers Karla Mitchum and J.J. Sexton by studying the amputees of the Living Dead Battalion aboard the supply ship Dried Fish. Daryl Lorenz, who had lost three limbs in prior battles, was made into a quadruple amputee to become the perfect pilot for the Psycho Zaku. He was fitted with special prosthetics that connected him directly into the system in the cockpit, allowing him to control the Psycho Zaku as if he was moving his own body.

The wide deployment of the Reuse P Device had the potential to bring any average pilot up to ace level. Like other mobile suits used by the Living Dead Battalion, the Psycho Zaku featured a special backpack unit with additional thrusters, a propellant tank and sub-arms for holding weapons.

In December UC 0079, Daryl Lorenz quickly mastered the Psycho Zaku’s control system and used the suit to damage the Moore Brotherhood mothership Beehive and destroy several Salamis-class cruisers. He also faced off against the FA-78 Full Armor Gundam piloted by his nemesis Io Fleming, and narrowly beat him in an all-out battle. The Psycho Zaku was heavily damaged during the battle and set to self-destruct before its abandonment to protect its advanced technologies.

However, the Newtype monk Levan Fuu secretly acquired the wrecked Psycho Zaku at the end of the war and transported it to his breakaway South Seas Alliance on Earth. His brainwashed forces began repairing the Psycho Zaku and continued research into the Reuse P Device under the supervision of Sexton. In UC 0080, this project attracted the attention of both the Earth Federation Forces and Zeon remnants.

Design

The MS-06R Zaku II High Mobility Type “Psycho Zaku” was based on the MS-06R-1 model but incorporated the revolutionary Reuse Psycho Device control system. This system represented a breakthrough in mobile suit technology, allowing direct neural interface between the pilot and the mobile suit’s control systems.

The most distinctive feature of the Psycho Zaku was its advanced backpack unit, which featured additional thrusters, a propellant tank, and most importantly, sub-arms for holding weapons. This backpack could attach a maximum of one large rocket booster and two smaller boosters to increase its thruster output, realising high output and high mobility. The smaller boosters also functioned as weapon racks and could be ejected from the backpack when emptied.

The cockpit was modified to accommodate the Reuse Psycho Device, with special connection points for the pilot’s neural interface prosthetics. The system required the pilot to be fitted with special prosthetics that connected directly into the cockpit systems, creating an unprecedented level of control integration.

The mobile suit retained the standard Zaku II frame and armour configuration but with enhanced structural reinforcement to handle the increased performance demands of the Reuse P Device system. The psychological and physical stress placed on pilots using this system was extreme, making it suitable only for specially conditioned pilots like those in the Living Dead Division.

Armaments

The Psycho Zaku’s armaments were extensive and designed to take advantage of the sub-arm system and enhanced control capabilities provided by the Reuse Psycho Device.

Shield

The mobile suit mounted a shield on its right shoulder, retained from the standard Zaku II configuration. This shield provided basic protection and could be used defensively during combat operations.

Sub-arms

Two sub-arms were mounted on the backpack unit, providing additional weapon-handling capability. These mechanical arms could hold and manipulate weapons independently of the main arms, effectively doubling the mobile suit’s weapon-carrying capacity and allowing for complex combat manoeuvres that would be impossible with conventional mobile suits.

Zaku machine gun

The standard 120 mm Zaku machine gun served as one of the Psycho Zaku’s primary ranged weapons. This drum-fed weapon provided sustained fire capability and was effective against most Federation mobile suits and vehicles of the period.

Zaku bazooka

The Psycho Zaku carried three 280 mm Zaku bazookas, with one handheld and spare magazines stored on the backpack. The bazooka fired explosive rounds that were quite effective against the armour of Earth Federation mobile suits and battleships. The multiple bazookas allowed for sustained bombardment capability.

Giant bazooka

Two giant bazookas were carried by the mobile suit. These large bazookas were originally designed for use by the Dom series of mobile suits and were magazine-fed, holding 10 rounds per magazine. A single round was powerful enough to blow the torso off of an enemy mobile suit, making them devastatingly effective weapons.

360 mm giant bazooka

The mobile suit could be equipped with a 360 mm giant bazooka, a weapon originally developed for the Rick Dom. This bazooka had its own internal reactor rather than an E-cap, making it essentially a Musai-class deck gun scaled down for mobile suit use. Due to using a reactor rather than an E-cap, the bazooka was capable of a single sustained blast or several short bursts, requiring a lengthy recharge period of approximately 10 minutes before it could be used again.

Sturm faust

Three sturm fausts were stored on the mobile suit, providing single-use anti-mobile suit capability. These rocket-propelled weapons were akin to simplified bazookas and were effective against enemy mobile suits at close to medium range.

Heat hawk

The Psycho Zaku was armed with at least one heat hawk for close combat. This axe-shaped weapon used a super-heated blade to cut through enemy armour, with thermal energy generated by the power output of the mobile suit’s reactor and relayed through the manipulator hands.

Known pilots

Daryl Lorenz

Behind the scenes

Yasuo Ohtagaki was the original mechanical designer for the Psycho Zaku in the Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt series. Ohtagaki noted that as a fan of Mobile Suit Variations, he considered “the Full Armor Gundam and the High Mobility Type Zaku as the big two” and wanted to create his own interpretation of these iconic designs.

The Psycho Zaku represents Ohtagaki’s vision of taking the classic MSV High Mobility Zaku concept and pushing it to its logical extreme with the addition of the Reuse Psycho Device. The design philosophy emphasised both the technological advancement and the human cost of such enhancement, reflecting the dark themes of the Thunderbolt series.

The concept of the Reuse Psycho Device draws inspiration from similar neural interface technologies in science fiction while fitting into the established Gundam universe’s exploration of enhanced human-machine interfaces, which would later develop into full Newtype-oriented systems.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (manga)
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (anime)

External links

MS-06R Zaku II High Mobility Type “Psycho Zaku” (anime) on MAHQ
MS-06R Zaku II High Mobility Type (Reuse “P” Device) on the Gundam Wiki