MS Classics: Outbreak of War The next stop in our nostalgic survey is the first month of the One Year War. During the savage opening weeks of the war, the Duchy of Zeon's Zakus made their first appearance in battle, culminating in an all-out clash between the Zeon and Earth Federation space fleets. Many of Zeon's most famous aces earned their reputations in this epic conflict, known as the Battle of Ruum. Illustrations by Mark Simmons			Mobile Suit Classics The Early Years Outbreak of War The Earth Invasion The Ace's Zaku The Terrestrial Front Operation V The Jet Set

Mobile Suit Classics 8 MS-06S ZAKU II DOZUL ZABI CUSTOM This customized Zaku was the personal mobile suit of Lieutenant General Dozul Zabi, commander of Zeon's Space Attack Force. Aside from its distinctive decorations, an expanded cockpit to accommodate Dozul's huge frame, and an oversized heat hawk, it wasn't particularly different from the regular S type. Dozul piloted this Zaku when leading his troops into combat in the Battle of Ruum, and subsequently became notorious for turning frontline "inspections" into impromptu sorties against the Federal Forces.

Mobile Suit Classics 9 MS-06C ZAKU II BLACK TRINARY COLORS Three veteran Zeon pilots were reunited on January 15, UC 0079, in the Battle of Ruum. Gaia, Ortega and Mash, who first met as members of Zeon's first mobile suit training battalion, had fought separately in the first weeks of the war. But in this battle, they once again formed the deadly team known as the "Black Trinary," and entered the fray in these custom-colored MS-06C Zaku IIs. Using their "Jetstream Attack" manuever, they crippled the Earth Federation's flagship and captured the Federation's General Revil. According to the original animation in the Sega Saturn game "Giren's Greed," the Black Trinary's C-type Zaku II retained the MS-05's streamlined head.

Mobile Suit Classics 10 MS-06S ZAKU II CHAR AZNABLE COLORS During the Battle of Ruum, 1st Lieutenant Char Aznable won reknown by single-handedly five Federation battleships. This accomplishment earned Char the nickname "Red Comet," reflecting the custom color scheme of his MS-06C Zaku II. Char also received a two-rank promotion and a high-performance new mobile suit - the limited-edition S type, designed for squadron commanders. The MS-06S was equipped with a communications antenna, and its thruster output was 30% more than that of a normal Zaku II.

Mobile Suit Classics 11 MS-06F ZAKU II JOHNNY RIDDEN COLORS Another pilot who distinguished himself in the Battle of Ruum was Johnny Ridden, a member of Kishiria Zabi's Mobile Assault Force. Ridden's destruction of three Federation battleships earned him a promotion to the rank of captain and a new mobile suit, one of the F-type Zakus that were being phased in to replace the earlier C type. Ridden then adopted the red and black color scheme that gave him the nickname "Crimson Lightning," though its similarity to the personal colors of "Red Comet" Char Aznable was a constant source of confusion.

Mobile Suit Classics 12 MS-06E ZAKU RECONNAISSANCE TYPE A variant of the Zaku II produced early in the One Year War, the Zaku Reconnaissance Type was designed specifically for scouting and intelligence-gathering. To this end it was fitted with a variety of cameras and sensors, the same high-output thrusters used on the S-type Zaku II, a pair of chest-mounted boosters for emergency getaways, and a 10% propellant increase for greater range. Approximately a hundred such mobile suits were created by converting standard C-type and, later, F-type Zaku IIs.

Mobile Suit Classics 13 MS-06Fs ZAKU II GARMA ZABI COLORS Many of Zeon's commanders maintained customized mobile suits, whether for inspirational battlefield leadership, or as a pure status symbol. Here we see the personal Zaku of Colonel Garma Zabi, a limited-edition Fs model. This was a minor variant of the F type, equipped with four head-mounted 40mm machine guns for close combat. Placed in command of the newly-organized Earth Attack Force, Garma brought his customized Zaku with him to Earth, but seldom used it thereafter.

Mobile Suit Gundam, Z Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Char's Counterattack, Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, Gundam F91, Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, Gundam 0083: Last Blitz of Zeon, Gundam: The 08th MS Team, and Gundam W: Endless Waltz are copyright Sotsu Agency and Sunrise. V Gundam, G Gundam, Gundam W, and Gundam X are copyright Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and TV Asahi. Turn A Gundam is copyright Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Fuji TV.